Reel Repair by Alan Tani

With the knowing that I would be sorta laid up for a while following my feb 10 left knee replacement surgery,  an idea of mine was to try to tie up some recreational flys.....🎣     it seemed natural as I had saved most of my scrap materials, and had  the basic tool's stored from years back just sitting there,   In mostly unorganized fashion which is my style..🤦‍♀️
   Below is a test also to show how much we appreciate Alan getting the site user friendly.
These are the first ones that I've made this week,   A few more will be finished tomorrow.   Thanks again Alan.🙋‍♂️

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These fly's are beautiful, well done..... I can of course only speak from an angers point of view  ???   From the size I would think they are Salt water flies.

How's the knee doing, I am asking as I need more then one knee replaced and am somewhat reluctant.

My Brother in law had both knees replaced simultaneously, he put a tremendous amount of effort in to his preparation and rehabilitation.    Precisely 7 weeks after his opp, one week before Christmas, he arrived at my house after a 2 & 1/2 hour flight, got out of the rented vehicle, walked up the stairs in my house unaided and nearly without a limp.  

I was absolutely astounded, but am still nervous of doing the same.

    Gary   You do make nice looking fly`s  and  wish a speedy recovery on the knee .

  farmer56 here  .  i tell people i did two things right in my life .  first married the right person second did my knees ....they hurt bad at age 30 by age 49 couldn't stand it any more ... so the day after thanksgiving did first knee and the day after x-mas did the second ... rehab is not fun - ice - elevate -do exersizes  - repeat -  one was still swelling a little at 3 months the other was good at 6 weeks .. zero pain by 3 months i though wow life is great ..   but they were even better at one year... now fast forward to age 65 and i went in for x-rays of joint gap-wear and i still have 60 % plus of wear left .. the Dr. warned of a few things the titainium halves must never touch or you replace whole joint instead of wear pad ..don't knell , don't run on tread mill  ,never jump off something ...so long story short do your knees BUT THERAPY IS THE  KEY  .  in the words of my oldest son  "such it up and drive on " ex-farmer 56 dennis

Thanks for your post knee replacement support.   I'm 8 days into the new joint and feel better every day.   Sure is painful in physical therapy sessions.   Butt these people are trying to help me.   I've got to help my self further by doing the exercises and Following what the doctors advice is .    This is not easy for me.
   I can now walk without much if any support from a walker....... So that's gratifying to me.    I'm glad to have this condition in the winter,  so staying indoors seems easier.     Hence the flys for my down time.......
    Yes,  these are saltwater type flys, but could be fished in the river systems where salmon and striped bass would be present.    I used to troll the flys for salmon in Alaska.    Below are a few more.

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Streamers are my favorite to play with.    Pretty easy.

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I like to fish the trolled flys using a tube fly instead of thread wraps on a hook.   This has some advantages,  butt that is just me.

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Nice work with the flies Gary, keep the exersizes up with the knee, make sure you try to walk, naturally, instead of limping as you have been doing for many years, once my nerve blocks wear off, the first thing I thought of, were soldiers, laying in the trenches without any medication, but it will come good, cheers Don.

Get well my friend.  Keep making those flies it will keep your mind off your knees.  Dominick

'Wishing you the best and a speedy recovery. Catching a Halibut is on my wish list before I die. I'll look you up if I ever can make it to Alaska. It's a long trip from S. Florida.
Scott

Gary i feel for you now.......   been  there ,done it, don't want to do it again ... the part that my wife reminds me of  all the time was ,   i was 49 years old and i was very highly motivated   ...   at 49  i could not retire  from farming   ...  and what did i know but hard work ... NO education  ... so suck it up and drive on .. BUT a 49 year old body heal faster ... my surgeon was a big believer in pain killers  NOT like your getting hooked ,  BUT TO CONTROL PAIN FOR PROPER THERAPY  .. so don't shy away from meds for now....   dennis  the ex-farmer

 Nice flies Gary. You could call these "cabin fever flies".The skinny ones mimmick a needlefish and work well around here when the kings are running.

Hope you have a speedy full recovery with your new knee

farmer56 here again ...   on an unrelated note my youngest son   JUST  started tying ...  wants to make northern pike fly for our  yearly canada trip  ..  is there anything you can recomend  or is that question so  basic so elementary to even know HOW to respond .  he has a 5 weight rod and a 7-8 rod  .   both fiberglass  one eagle claw one  Mike Mcfarland spring creek  i got him for a graduation present from  college ... thanks dennis  and sorry to side track from pain

Hey Gary, 
glad to see that you are keeping busy.  Hang in there with the rehab!  And check to see if you have any new superpowers.  I see in the movies that they sometimes sneak something in during surgery. 

Quote from: farmer56 on February 20, 2022, 11:37:33 PM
farmer56 here again ...   on an unrelated note my youngest son   JUST  started tying ...  wants to make northern pike fly for our  yearly canada trip  ..  is there anything you can recomend  or is that question so  basic so elementary to even know HOW to respond .  he has a 5 weight rod and a 7-8 rod  .   both fiberglass  one eagle claw one  Mike Mcfarland spring creek  i got him for a graduation present from  college ... thanks dennis  and sorry to side track from pain

The trick is going to be finding a pike fly that your son can throw with the gear that he has (and where he is at skill wise at this point).   Tossing those big pike flies is like throwing half a chicken :).   Most folks like 10wts or even 12s for pike, but I am an 8 wt believer myself, especially with some overlining.  But the rod needs to be a bit stiff, so fiberglass is going to make it tougher.

I haven't done a bunch of pike and muskie,  but I really liked a black bunny leach tied on a jig hook.  Works when nothing else does.  Weighted head and a bit of a weed guard.  This one has caught some pike already and still  looks like new.  I would suggest a shorter version.




Don't want to sidetrack Gary's thread any further, so feel free to PM me or start a thread in the fly fishing forum.  I am always ready to help a new fly fisher and tier get ramped up.

-J

Gary farmer56 here i'm sorry i hi-jacked your thread  ....    just remember ICE- ELEVATE-THERAPY WITH PAIN MEDS  use walker past the time you feel stupid using it ..  Do you have a coach at home to help put the whip to you ... dennis out

Hi Gary,  glad to hear you got your knee replaced and you're on the mend now. I had both of my knees done...two years apart. The PT can be hard, painful, and frustrating, butt keep up with it. Also, after the PT is finished, keep challenging your new knee. That's when most of my strength and flexibility came on...hiking and playing tennis from month 5 to month 12 after surgery.

My wife and I are going to finish our last section of the John Muir Trail this summer. That's 220 miles of Sierra mountains, valleys, and passes...most of it on my new metal-and-plastic knees.

Thanks everyone for chiming in,  your not hijacker's,  just covering for me when I,m gone!  🎣
   Today was crazy busy day,   Butt I'll be back soon.   Thanks for your encouragement.   Especially the hiking part.......wow👍.    Tanks.

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farmer56  here ..  WOW knee looks great ..  looks like swelling is under control ...  keep  the faith it will get better  ..   one surprising thing was when i bent my knee  i could feel  minute catches ...  that was the plastic seating into the titanium  .. i told the Dr. on the farm we would have put a grease zerk in..  he didn't think that was funny ...  dennis out

Gary!!!!

YOU LOOK GREAT!!!   While having the Knee Surgery, did you have Hair Transplant Surgery as well????   You've NEVER looked better!!!! ;D



Listen to your Doctors, Nurses, and Physical Therapists to the PENNY!!!

Wayne

Yeah, you look great, Gary!

Glad you stopped going to Dominick's barber!

Best, Fred

Ha ha, it dont cost Dom, much for shampoo ay, cheers Don.

Thanks for sharing my post op breakfast 🧇,   And comments about the bionic joint.   When I walk now I do feel a click, kinda more like a clunk.   Maybe they used a bad grease seal and it leaked quickly?🤦‍♀️.
  Tomorrow's the date made for the staples to be removed.   I've got physical therapy for an hour three times a week.
If I can do what they say,  I should be able to get on a boat 🛶 this summer.     
   Mean while the days tick on.    Below is a few more flys that I twisted up.

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These are wetted for the camera.

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Generally people view the flys dry?

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Wet or dry,   It's another question,   Yes when you look at a fly in a store or wherever,   It's dry.....  butt feathers especially change drastically,   The fish looks at the fly wet,   Right?     What are your thoughts?
   The difference is shown here.     Just saying.

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Quote from: gstours on February 23, 2022, 03:40:49 AM
Wet or dry,   It's another question,   Yes when you look at a fly in a store or wherever,   It's dry.....  butt feathers especially change drastically,   The fish looks at the fly wet,   Right?     What are your thoughts?
   The difference is shown here.     Just saying.

In terms of curb appeal, dry wins the day!

My thoughts are that the fly form usually looks closer to the dry shape when immersed in  in the water unless you are towing it pretty fast.  Toss one in the bathtub and pull on the leader to see for yourself.

If you are using bucktail and want to have a tighter tapered shape, try a quick dip in hot water and then forming.   Let it dry with the hair pulled back, and it will mostly hod the tighter shape.   Not boiling hot, or the flash will curl up.  Don't ask me how I know :)   Also a good way to correct a feather that wants to splay out in the wrong direction.

Nice looking flies.   You are an eye-crowder like me.   The flies will sometimes  have a better swing if we can keep the tie just a smidge behind the eye. 

Keep tying and rehabbin'.   We are all halibut fishing vicariously through your reports, so we are invested in getting you back on the water this summer.  :)

-J

Did ya ask the docs to prelube the knee with some yama grease ? ;D

Eat well, keep that knee moving!

Fancy flies,

Juro, egg sucking leeches were my first fly I ever tied.

Quote from: Gobi King on February 23, 2022, 06:17:37 PM

Did ya ask the docs to prelube the knee with some yama grease ? ;D

Eat well, keep that knee moving!

Fancy flies,

Juro, egg sucking leeches were my first fly I ever tied.

If the surgeon stitched him up with  mono than there would be a chance that Cal`s or Yama  was used  !!!

Gary not to be a hard a## but do you have a coach to make sure thearapy is being done right......  this is no joke ..... the rewards are so great   pain gone   ...  the coach does need a whip if you don't listen ... ex-farmer dairy farmer knees shot by 30 years old  knows what you are going thru ... get your act on target ...  ICE - ELEVATE - PAIN MEDS FOR THERAPY  ...  and life will be good  ...  i'm not kidding  .. DO IT ..   you will thank me latter , now i'm glad i'm not in gun shot range  or i would be dead....  retired-dairy-farmer ,some day hopefully your friend dennis

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and advice.    As you can already see is I'm a creature with bad habits.
   As mr.J mentioned crowding the eyes with 🧵 is another smell of an old wet dog.🤦‍♀️
      Also as I've only got a couple of buck tails here you will soon be bored.    And I forgot my uv glue and light so I,m waiting on an order.    I'm glad to have some coaching, even though I've been an "expert " for fifty years 🤦‍♀️🎣😉
   I've got a lot more stuff I want to do before I cash it in.   Learning stuff is fun.
 
As a young man I got to work on a local dairy for a few summers,  it was long days, hard work, and a good training period for me to see what I was made out of.    Cheers 🍻 to all the dairys of the world.     
    These flys are going to be given away to people who might fish them,   So I'm making an assortment with the materials I've amassed through the years.    Another poor investment my banker would say.🤔

Here's the staples the surgeon used to hold the repair together for about ten days.   Kinda cool design.   Way easy to remove.   Like in fishing,  which is faster and easier,  the knots or crimps?🎣🤷‍♂️

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Ouch..... :-\

Oooohhh.
Dennis mentioned using your walker "past the time you feel stupid using it". Prolly just me, but I'd work it(milk it) for all I could get. Sympathy, favors, etc., etc. Since you godda suffer through this, you might as well get a as good a vacation as you can outta it...👌
Hope you heal soon and are better than ever!

Hope your knee gets better each a d everyday. Getting my last approval on EKG then will have my rt knee replaced in a few weeks

Tanks TJ,  get it done,  before summer,   Everyone likes fishing in the summer.    Modern doctors with well trained staff make this a half day visit.    The healing and physical therapy can be the harder pill to swallow.
   At two weeks out,  I now can now walk with out any walker and try to walk more everyday.    Today I logged 4k on my Fitbit.    I,m not sure if the Crotchety ever goes away.🤦‍♀️
  A few more streamers for the viewing below.   Not much variation.   Or thinking ?
       But back to the,   Wet or dry.

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And another.   3/0 hooks are what I had left over.   The dark marabou one here is a good summer troll fly for coho up at home.

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Using both synthetic and natural materials is kinda fun.   As you can see,   I use a thread head,  good, bad?
   

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Olive is buck tail,  shown.   This stuff is very durable.   I,m just having fun,  and boycotting the television 📺.
    There's a lot of good information available on u-tube.    You might have to wade through the commercials that try to get into your head, 😝.   Butt it's free otherwise and can be another source for information and inspiration.....

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I'm planning on doing some more of these slim ones for my late September coho estuary casting if the legs can take me in chest waders to the mouths of a couple local streams.    Anyway,   I,m on the mend,   And got hi hopes in simple fare's... :)

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Yeah cant wait to get this behind me. I agree with the physical therapy being tough but important as well. Have had 2 neck surgeries and those therapy sessions were brutal.
Hage to find a hobby to help keep me busy though!!
Love the ones your making !!!

Another little time waster.   

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 I don't know much about fly fishing but they all look good to me. Is it the actual fly or the presentation? Anyway, keep up the good work and hope your recovery goes well.

Scott

farmer56 here again ....  you are a master , my youngest son is just starting to tie lures , he is not a member but i would like  you and him to talk . is there a chance he could call you sometime ,,,,  you might not want to tho he has a doctorate   of physical therapy ... he can give you pointers tho .. P M  if any interest ....  exfarmer56 out thanks dennis

Do you think Physical Therapists make patients angry to motivate them? I've seen and heard some stuff about those people being kinda harsh. Maybe they have to be that way?
Beautiful flies Gary. The color layering is awesome.

As a great singer/songwriter did say,  Look Maw, I'm only bleeding 🩸.
And this is what I thought when wrapping the thread on this pattern.    It's mostly synthetic material draped over a 3/0 long shank.   As an old dog I find blending natural and synthetic materials somewhat rewarding.
  In the last decade  there has been an explosion 💥 of new types of synthetic fiber available for the fly tying general public.
Most of these products the average person will never get to use.    Life is short,   Go fishing.🎣

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The little green machine.   In 3/0.   

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Before the weekend,    Resting up.   And testing my computer luck in the new format of Alan's best ever forum.    Tanks again.

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I like them wet , they all have a good shape - profile ,   Very nice work ..

I found some more red stuff in a box under some other stuff.    So here the result.

   The knee is improve ing every day,   Yesterday got 20 minutes on the exercise bike.
This will make it bend.   The first turns are difficult and then it's mind over matter.
 

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those are great looking salmon streamers Gary.  I have to tie mine with barbless hooks though.

Yes Joe, :fish  the flys are wet in the photo,s. To me this is a little closer to how they would actually look like to a fish?   
 The lighting was poor here and I was not wanting to wait so I snapped a picture of another fly I made while sitting around waiting for appointments....
  Hey Dave, send me a photo of a pattern you'd like to have and I might have the stuff to copy it or come close if you want.   I can de, barb the hooks for you,   Just say
   And here's to Alan's new emojis!  :d  :d

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In an interest to get away from the boring streamers, and play with only synthetic material I thought of this "pogy",   Just craft fur and some imagination.
  These of course can be colored in many ways.  The uv epoxy is used here and others have lead the way.   Just saying. :fish

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The knee is healing pretty good 👍.    It's now been a month  since the swap and I can climb stairs without much struggle,  walk some outdoors, ad am riding my exercise bike an hour a day.    The hours are wiling away and I'm posting some more of my creations as it's easier than ever with the newer updates here it seems.
   So I"ll put a cork in it and post these and dream of setting the hook.  :fish

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I really like your use of the tube over the body that one looks like a winner for Kings to me.  :d

Thanks Dave,    These are fun to tie,   The tube shown is a mesh and the resin gobies right in and makes a solid head.
  Shown below is another type of trolling fly in the famous blue colors.
    Trolling this behind a hotspot flasher I,m hoping to gain an edge on my buddy's that use the plastic hootchy only.   Time will tell.   I've got nobody else to blame.

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Hi gary, love your flies, you have a nice variation there, it is great for you blokes to make some posts on this fresh water section, considering Alan started this up for us, getting back to you knee replacement, I see your surgeon, made a straight insition, the surgeon that done mine, actually followed the knee cap around when he opens it, after the replacement, he stitches that half moon flap back on, he said to me, he does it that way, so there is a bit more flesh over the knee, for when you start to Neal on it, it gives a bit more cushion, and is not as painfull, cheers Don.

Thanks donnyboy,🙋�♂️   Maybe my surgeon was in a hurry,  :cf   I told him I wanted to go fishing asap following,   And he remembered that the fastest route between two points is a straight line?😈.   I was warned that I would not like kneeling on it post op.
   Good things take time it is said,  so I must bend that sucker and use it,  to regain full movement.   Mean while I,m enjoying this new forum format.   And never thought it would as easy as it is to navigate.   
    Thanks also for everyone being so kind especially with the fly tying topic.
My experience is that fly fisherman tend to be very opinionated and snobby.
Yes this is their privilege,    So I'll leave it at that.
   The last fly I posted was long pattern that could have been tied on a tube.
I prefer tube flys for trolling and will show some more.   On of the benefits of the tube is you can change hook options and leaders and still retain the same fly.
   When fish are scarce a treble in the rear of the tandem generally is used,   Butt when the fish is in the net sometimes it gets to remind me of why you should not do this.👎
   Another topic is something's never change.   I found these eyes 👀 a long time ago and while they look ok in the store,  I never really liked them.    So what do I do?   I tried them again on a baitfish recently.    What do you think 🤔.   
  The raised eyes seem more life like butt I used to paint them on back in the day when I was younger and the fish were plentiful.
   Thanks for sharing your thoughts.    Thanks again Alan. :d

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As I'm stuck in Nw Oregon the weather is pretty nice.   The Willamette river has a bunch of boats scattered her n there mostly fishing for the tasty spring chinooks while the smaller feeder streams have anglers persuing the last of the winter steelhead currently.
   Mean while I,m mostly indoors resting and getting ready for the Alaska summer.
Below are a couple more flys the got me away from the television for a while.
  The fish one is a craft fur baitfish,  these always give me the fits in the reverse tie in.  Cheep to build tho.

The second is another epoxy minnow that might produce some fun along the shore,  and the last one is a tube fly that has mature coho trolling on its mission statement.
   Building a fly is to me like solving a math problem,   There are a lot of decisions that have to be done.    There's nothing quite as satisfying in fishing as catching fish on you own creations.  :d 

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Digging around in a box of materials I found a clear plastic head I think is called a fishskull?  So any way it's a premolded plastic head that slips on a fly from the eye and has pockets like a skull for the eyes making the eyes very durable.
  So here's the result,  a couple of views,   
It gives the head of the fly sort of a different look.   The jury can decide. :fish

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Possibly a correction is needed?   The plastic head might be called a fish mask?
   These come in several sizes and might be considered a crutch?

You nailed it. Fish mask

https://flymenfishingcompany.com/products/fish-skull-fish-mask (https://flymenfishingcompany.com/products/fish-skull-fish-mask)

It is a fast way to get a durable bulky head.  Not a huge fan of either these or the fish skulls (similar, but made of metal and heavy), but many folk like the masks.  The skulls seemed to have fallen a bit more out of favor.

-J

 :)   Ok.  The jury has decided.......... :ct    I did use these a few years back making Coho trolling flies.   I,m glad there was just one more left.   Now what to do?????    Next in a possibility is make a few teaser flys to make a Great Lakes type Meat RIG. These will be tied on a tube.   More on this when its done.   

kING season opens up here in just a couple weeks and I have not rigged a single lure.
still havent gone through my salmon reels.  I am so far behind. 
Grandson bought a project bass boat a few weeks ago and we have been fixing and upgrading things daily ever since.  the light at the end of the tunnel is near.  we were to finish today but rain of all things? has dampened our efforts.  ::)
were going out anyway in a few minutes as its only a drizzle and get after it.  Garage/shop is a mess. good thing is the Long Hall is in A-1 ship shape and ready to launch on opening day.   :d

Rain's good in Cali now, right?
Gary those doll eyes in post#56, if you fish 'em deep they will split from the pressure(I suppose the air inside expands?).
Beeeeautiful flies. Maybe you could sell 'em?

Thanks for your information,  I,m not really a man if's I still play with doll eyes?
  Butt you already knew that,  they do come in really large sizes.   
As the weekend closes on you I,m hoping some of you smell like fish 🐟.   
Below are a few more creations of mine I took the time to capture.   It's not long before I,m hoping to slide into some waders.   Every day is a good day. :d

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Very nice work Gary. Sometimes it pays to be forced to sit and relax your joints.

Are you looking for addresses to send those too?

Thanks Randu,   Actually it's about time to post a giveaway ad.   However to do it is not my talent.....  some of the ones that were earlier posted are gone.   However these are made for helping somebody to catch fish with.
  Not for sale,   Butt if you can pay the postage only then we both win.   I was thinking any three flys per person for starters.  If there's low interest then maybe a lot give away.    How to identify them per request you can help with.
  A couple more additions are below.    :o

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Oh cool!, that last one, maybe a sunfish imitation?

Hey Gary, how you doing it compadre?

ready for a dance?

Im glad your knee is healing pretty good, soon you will ne uploading more fishing videos with your Terminator Knee 2000

👏  :ct.  Slow dance 🕺. Seems like the healing is slow.   Butt steady.   I'm looking forward to a full recovery,  and will take whatever is dealt with my cards.
  I try to stay busy and move around as much as possible and do the  exercises the physical therapy people recommend.   Sometimes tying up a fly at 2am is better than tossing and turning.    So here's another.

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A couple more recent additions that might tempt a poor sighted fish 🎣. I need more practice for sure,  as I can walk butt not run.
  The cartoon is for our modern world.    Of which there's no escape.
     Another thanks to everyone involved with improving the forum upgrades.    ;)

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While I'm waiting to go home 🏡,  a trio of flies are ready for a viewing....
  These are ruff n ready.   Crude flys, using crude tools, by a crude guy.   :fish

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A few more recently finished,  I need to go fishing. :al
These mesh bodies are kinda fun and the tails can be made in a variety of ways.  These two are actually hot glue pressed flat and trimmed to shape.   Easy and durable.
  These are unweighted,  but that's easy to change.   

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Here's a kinda like surf candy and a fry pogy to throw at the water soon.  Tied on a 3/0.   

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Gary - I hope recovery is going well.  I am enjoying following along on your fly adventure, and part of me is thinking "In 3 months Gary is going to be nailing the 'butts and flys ain't gonna be part of the program."  I gotta say those ties you are doing look great (I am most probably not the person to express an opinion on that!) but glad to see you keeping time productive as you are mending.  Thanks for sharing!!!  - john

Thanks buddy,  I'm just killing time and playing around.  With a soon dr. Surgeon visit I'm hoping to get back home 🏡,  and am looking forward to working on some bigger projects like getting the boat out on the water. 
  With a nickname like brewcrafter,  are you a brewer?  I love and am obsessed with the craft.  It's liquid bread 🍞.  Even though it's more difficult to get the 2 row up north I prefer the all grain more time consuming more satisfying brewing using my own homade equipment.   Just wondering,?

Yessir, that would be my Day Job!   :d  Truthfully the "day to day" stuff is handled by those much younger than I; I spend most of my time behind a desk and computer figuring out what to make, where to make it, and how to get it where it needs to be when it needs to get there.  Not as fun as an actual day in the brewhouse. - john

Since the weekend is plenty over and we got a week of rain forecasted,  a zonker came into being.   N a lil baitfish.  Nothing fancy,  maybe it will hang in a overhanging bush on the other side of the bend? :al

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Seems like I repeat the some mistakes,  butt that is showing and telling. ;)

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And a couple more. >:D    Knee is getting better ❤️�🩹.

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This is my last session with physical therapy,  I'm hoping that my next doctor visit next week will give me the opportunity to buy plane tickets for home.
  I'm getting restless. :fish
Below is the comparison of two more,  dry,  vs. wet.   :cf

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A couple more.  The blue streamer is all synthetic and is very wispy and drys out fast.   It's a change from my norm.   All tied on 1/0 hooks.    Fish on. :D

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Sooner or later,  a nice fish will byte.  :fish    Keep the rod down low.

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Gary,

The wet and dry comparison is thought provoking, suspended in fluids will the hairs clump together or swish freely around?

Work of art!, how did you do the changing tone in the belly of the last two?

My fly club had their first tie night last Monday, yeah for tying!

Quote from: Gobi King on April 25, 2022, 09:17:42 PMGary,

The wet and dry comparison is thought provoking, suspended in fluids will the hairs clump together or swish freely around?

Work of art!, how did you do the changing tone in the belly of the last two?

My fly club had their first tie night last Monday, yeah for tying!

Shape in the water at rest is the same as dry. The big change can be that some materials become more translucent, so other features like flash end up  standing out much more. 

If the material gets limp enough when wet, and you work the fly fast enough, the shape can streamline a bit while in motion.  With  materials like bucktail, the profile does not change that much.  When you really want that streamlined shape, there are techniques, but they have to be applied when making the fly.

Glad to see that things are progressing Gary!  Looking forward to some new fishing videos this summer.

-J

Thanks for your interest.   The second to last one is a plastic mesh body over some filler color for under the mesh.   I did not like the way it turned out.   The tail needs more practice to get it better,  it's just some thing to do.
 The last one is cheapo craft fur and has very fine fibers, the belly forward part is colored with a felt marker.   
 A reelfly tyer would never build something like this.   Of which I am not.  :fish

Minno in green jeans.   A couple,  rivermouth coho,s. With a fast strip.  Hang on. :fish

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Here's two types of flying.  One is thought provoking.   A photo of a bygone era. :d
 Like a fish,  your environment is slowly changing.  Keep pointing upstream.  :fish

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   Great looking work Gary.  :d

This fly tying is soon coming to an end for a while...........  after much physical therapy and riding my stationary bike,  walking is much easier and I've got a plan to return to my home 🏡 in Alaska very soon.   
  It's kept me busy and away from the stupid television and allowed the healing to take place when I was limited in my walking.
  A few more flys here to show you,   Soon I hope to be pulling the anchor again. :fish

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A few more,   There's more pink and fuschia colors in this batch as I use up the materials that have sat there waiting for so long.   The pink salmon seem to be fond of these.   They are the smallest of the salmon and are the first to migrate to fresh water.   Sockeye are the next largest species and feed on plankton and krill primarily and not plentiful where I fish.   Generally sockeye are harvested by gill nets. 

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These are the last of the therapy flys.   It's been a waiting period for me to resume my other activity's and return 🏡.  I,m not a great fly fisherman but don't mind standing in the water if my boots are dry.    Now I feel like I can add some new footage eventually,  if the boat floats and the low tide smells musty.
  Even though this isn't a fly fishing forum, people have been kind and considerate knowing my drivel will fade away harmlessly.   
   My special appreciation is forwarded to the people that made this forum useful and easier to use, adding photos now is a breeze.    Thanks again for your interest.  :d   Gs.

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Thanks Gary, they look great, the circle around the eyes, do  you have a colour preferance, ie light blue or yellow and so on, cheers Don.

Mr D.  I don't have any preference really,  the eye 👁 may not be needed.
   There's a controversy on this topic.   I say do what you wanna do.   Gs.