United Fly Tyers Volume 63, Issue 6, September 2021

Thin blue line near Pine Creek, PA. Photo credits: Andrew Metters, Kurt Hutchison, Brian Hutchison

In This Issue

Special Announcements Evening Sun Fly Shop: Sidewalk Sale This Month’s Presenters Tim Flagler Mouserat Conehead Bunny Muddler Tim Flagler Presentation Night Patterns for this month Mark Burns: Catskill Wet Fly Contributions: Joe Squicciarini: Tools of the Trade Jim Norton: Remote Ponds This Month in 1959

Next Meeting: Thursday, September 16, 2021 On line and in-person meeting with Tim Flagler. In-person starts at 6:30. Zoom meeting starts at 7 PM.

Zoom meeting link below. See Announcements for in-person COVID-19 policies.

Zoom meeting link. Passcode: 726774

Copyright © 2021 United Fly Tyers, All rights reserved.

Evening Sun Fly Shop Sidewalk Sale!

On September 19th, there will be a sidewalk sale for some rods, reels, gear bags, and other fly gear as well as some tying stuff. The gear is used but in very good shape. There should be some really fine buys during this sale.

Please bring cash for the sale. All sales will be final with no returns allowed. Checks will also be accepted. Viewing starts at 8:30 am with the actual sale beginning at 9 am sharp. All items will be priced to sell.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to get some substantial savings on used items in really fine condition.

Rain date September 26th. Same time.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Welcome back to the UFT 2021-22 season!

In spite of the continued challenges of the pandemic and re-definition of "normal" weather, I hope each of the readers of this newsletter have had a healthy and enjoyable summer. I am looking forward to the new season of UFT and - along with the rest of the club leadership team - we want to make it accessible and engaging for everyone in the club.

At our last club-related event, many of the group met at Plum Island in early June for a fishing outing. Only a couple fish were caught, but the weather was fantastic, and I think everyone was really happy to see some faces in-person. Thanks again to Joe Squicciarini for organizing the outing. (One picture below.)

Starting this month, we are planning to proceed with hybrid meetings. We will return to our normal in-person meetings and schedule, AND we will continue to host meetings via Zoom. We hope that this will enable everyone to access and engage with the UFT in a way that is best for them. Given the current state of the pandemic, there are two primary constraints for in-person attendance: 1) in-person attendees should be vaccinated, and 2) we will follow Bedford policies for masking, which - at this time - means that masks should be worn while inside. For the September meeting, Tim Flagler will join remotely for tying instruction and a presentation on night fishing. The presentation from Tim will be projected for in-person attendees, and we plan to have all necessary materials for Tim's instruction patterns available for in-person attendees to use and/or take home.

Please enjoy the newsletter! Dan Rittenhouse has done an exceptional job of assembling content and he is initiating a new section of the newsletter each month to highlight a historical article from our archive of past Roundtables. Thank you Dan! Furthermore, in this issue, we have an article from Joe Squicciarini about tying tools which is perfect for a beginning tyer and a good review with tips for everyone, and Jim Norton has provided an article on fishing remote ponds. Thanks to Joe and Jim!

Hope to see you later this week!

Brian

PS, if you have not yet renewed your membership, please follow the link here for an easy online payment option.

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 16, 2021 - First meeting of 2021-22 UFT session

Tim Flagler Fly Tying Mouserat Conehead Bunny Muddler Tim Flagler Presentation Night Fishing

ANNOUNCEMENTS & REMINDERS

Hybrid meetings (in-person and online) starting September 2021!

Time: 6:30: in-person attendees tying / socialization 7:00: online tying instruction and presentation from Tim Flagler (for in-person attendees, we will try to have all necessary materials available for attendees to tie the patterns being instructed)

Place: in-person: Bedford American Legion Hall Rivet Room (same as previous years) online: Zoom link available in this newsletter

COVID-19 policies for in-person attendance: 1. In-person attendees should be vaccinated. 2. Masks will be required according to local policies. (At this time, there is an indoor mask mandate in Bedford, MA. Therefore, in-person attendees are required to wear a mask.) 3. Regardless of vaccination status, do not attend in-person if you are experiencing any symptoms of cold/flu/illness.

Member-only access to Flagler meeting recordings and Roundtable archive. Instructions for member registration at the UFT website are at the end of the newsletter. We will continue to add to the collection of available Roundtable issues, and hopefully you will find the old issues informative and enjoyable to read!

Online access to recorded Zoom meetings with Tim Flagler. We continue to enjoy a great alternative to in-person meetings this season with tying instruction from Tim Flagler and interaction with online attendees. Thanks to Pierpaolo, a number of the Zoom meetings are now available to access on the UFT website. The meetings are available in the members section of the website under "Media Archive." For now, the video files are downloadable, and eventually, we will try to make them viewable directly in the website. Check the instructions at the end of the newsletter to register for member access. (Note: the content in this section is for individual access only, not for re- distribution.)

Ideas for Joint Meetings with Clubs in the Area? We would like to organize some joint meetings between the UFT and other clubs with overlapping interests (e.g., Crossroads Anglers, TU, Manchester FFA, and others). This could work well if/when we have online meetings and then hopefully we can find some ways to continue to collaborate with in-person meetings. In general, we hope to find ways to expand membership and/or give members of each club broader options and opportunities for presentations, instruction, socialization, and outings. Please let me know if you have any specific ideas or recommendations ([email protected]).

Advertising in the Roundtable. If you are a member of the UFT and you wish to advertise your business or other event, contact Brian Hutchison ([email protected]), and we will likely be able to include a note in the Announcements section and/or add your contact information at the end of the newsletter each month.

Speaker Suggestions Requested. We need to hear from the UFT members about speakers that we should request for our monthly meetings. Please let Mike Patrick know if you have recommendations for new or repeat speakers. It is especially helpful if you can make a connection to the speaker.

THIS MONTH'S PRESENTERS TIM FLAGLER Tim Flagler will continue as our tying instructor and presenter for May. This month Tim will demonstrate three flies for a variety of situations. The three patterns are the Brahma Bugger, Gurgler and . Get your materials and be ready to tie! Spring is here!

Mouserat Thread: 100D GSP *Veevus Gel Spun Thread, black, size 100. Hook: Gamakatsu Stinger, size 4. Weed guard: Thirty pound monofilament. Tail: Ultra Chenille, foam, or narrow leather strip, black or brown. Body: Natural whitetail deer body hair. Ears: Brown leather or foam, tan. Eyes: Black nail polish covered with epoxy or black plastic. Whiskers: Moose mane or black bucktail. Conehead Bunny Muddler Hook: Mustard 9672, size 4. Conehead: Large, nickel. Weight: .02 lead-free, round wire. Thread: GSP 130 Denier, white. Flash: Krystal Flash, pearl. Tail/back: Rabbit Zonker Strip, black. Body: Sparkle braid, silver. Throat: Krystal Flash, red. Legs: Crazy Legs, black/red flake. Collar: Natural deer hair - “Muddler Hair”

Tim Flagler

Night Fishing

Tim's presentation will be on fishing after dark. At certain times of the year, fishing after the sun goes down can be spectacular and the chances of hooking into a monster are better than any other part of the day. Fishing in the dark does take some getting used to but with a few tricks, some basic equipment and minor modifications to technique, it can be an absolute blast. The presentation will include a wealth of video shot recently and over the last couple of years and yes, it includes plenty of big fish.

THIS MONTH'S PATTERNS

ATTENTION FIRST TIME TYERS AND BEGINNERS UFT has vises and tools available for use during the club meetings. If you don’t have your own tools or have forgotten something, ask and we can probably get you tying flies for the evening. Hooks and materials are usually provided by the instructors. First time fly tyers and beginners are welcome at UFT.

Mark Burns

Catskill Wet Fly This month's fly is the Catskill Wet Fly. I am originally from the Catskill region so when I saw this fly in Bergman (plate 2) I became interested in the materials used in the fly. After a bit of research I found that Dick Talleur had demonstrated this fly in his Guide to Fly Tying (pp 109-112). Another positive was I already had all the materials. This fly is an example of a great one that you get with a fairly quick tie. Dick mentioned that the first example he tied was a bit bushy due to the hackle feather he chose. My example below is also bushy but you can cut down on that by removing the hackle from one side of the feather. I am looking forward to trying this fly soon, as it has a great look.

Catskill Wet Fly Hook: Daiichi 1560 Size 8 Thread: Brown (6/0 or 8/0) Tail: Wood duck flank barbs (this is a good place to use the longer feather barbs you saved from your Hendricksons) Body: Brown Floss Hackle: Brown Saddle Hackle Wing: Wood duck flank feather

CONTRIBUTIONS

JOE SQUICCIARINI

Tools of Trade After tying flies for many years, I’ve purchased and accumulated duplicate tools- scissors, thread bobbins, whip finishers and alike. I find them essential for tying and multiple sets help as I have the tendency to break a thread in mid-tie or drop the thing on the floor. There are a number of items you could buy (and I have) or you can easily make at home with minimal materials that work as well as whatever you would buy in the store. I myself rather not buy for dollars what I can make for pennies. I’d like to describe a few tools I routinely use. Many of you already have/made these, but for the newbie… this could save you time and money.

1. Dubbing needle. An essential tool for picking out dubbing or the hackle trapped between the hook and thread, to add a drop of head cement, or clearing a hook-eye of glue. One could simply use a sewing needle, but you can embed a long needle in a piece of wood dowel. Customize the length to whatever feels comfortable. I keep several of varied needle thickness for various uses. One could use a BIC pen tube as a handle or go a bit fancy and use a piece of exotic wood. My dad had an old saltwater bamboo surf rod that was no longer usable and decided to make a walking staff, then cut the small end up for use as dubbing needles. Nice.

2. Pickup tool. I have a fly-tying table set up in my basement all the time. It is not unusual for me to drop a pair of scissors, bobbin, hackle pliers, hooks, or dubbing needle on the floor from time to time. I finally got tired of changing my position and bending over to pick things up so I glued a neodymium rare earth magnet to the end of a 20-inch stick to help me out. I store it magnetized to the bottom of my metal fly tying table frame out of the way. These magnets are readily available at big box stores or on line. Very convenient since stopping and bending down cuts into my tying rhythm. It should be noted that these magnets come in various sizes, yet even these smallest magnets are quite powerful. Extra magnets can be placed anywhere you want for an added “sticky” spot.

3. Dubbing brush. There are a variety of tools available for sale beyond a dubbing needle to “fluff” your dubbing materials before and after application to your hook. Some of the best you have, or may construct at home. An old bristle tooth brush may serve to brush out the dubbing or trapped hackles barbules on your fly. For closer work, attach the bristle end (hook-end) of Velcro to a popsicle stick and use this to brush out your fly materials. Velcro can be purchased with adhesive backs or you can superglue it right to the stick. I store these on the edge of my fly-tying table by adhering the fuzzy Velcro side right to the edge. One can add a magnetic strip or small magnet so the brush may be stored on the vise stem. I use the Velcro brushes all the time and keep several within arm’s reach.

4. Dubbing Spinner. I’ve had a commercially available dubbing spinner (with interchangeable wire heads) for many years but used it infrequently as most of my flies were simply constructed with dubbing materials twisted round a single waxed thread. A couple of years back I experimented with wire brushes that can be made in advance and stored. My tool was a simple board with a cup hook at one end and a place to hang a weight on the other. Simple… and it worked. Recently I built a more elaborate wire brush builder similar to designs you find on commercial products. YouTube has a number of examples of how to make these wire brush “tables” for making wire brushes. Mine works well, but being a simple guy without the need to make up a ton of long brushes in advance, I work on my fly dubbings, one at a time. Lately, I’ve had a need to utilize dubbing loops while tying bigger saltwater flies, tube flies, and intruders. What I found was that the dubbing loop was more versatile for spinning longer materials such as marabou, artic fox, or mixing materials on a single dub. The spinner I had was too long in the handle and not so easily to work as I liked. The end would hit the vise base or table. I scoured the internet for a commercial product and ended up buying the OPST Dubbing Spinner.Pricey, very well made, it worked superbly. The only thing I did not like was that the wire hook shaft was a little too long. I would have preferred one a bit shorter. I like spinning the device by the shaft more often than the end knob.If the wire shaft were a bit shorter it would be perfect. I’ve seen videos of others using similar spinners with a short wire shaft such as the Umpqua Dream Stream Dub Loop Spinner but thought the shaft was too short. So, I built my own spinner.Fast build, cheap, and very serviceable. What you need is a ¾ inch screw nut, a piece of wood dowel or substitute, epoxy or UV resin, and a piece of wire.

Cut the dowel length to 2 to 2-1/2 times the thickness of the nut, place a piece of clear packing tape across the nut hole on one side to seal the end. Fill the nut up no more than half way with epoxy or resin.Insert the dowel end to stand upright. Let the epoxy harden.This can take some time.If you use the UV resin (preferred), it can be accomplished in minutes. Bend the wire to create a round hook or “V” shaped end for capturing the dubbing loop.Decide how long you want the wire shaft to be.I prefer mine to be a little more than the width of my thumb so I can grab the shaft to spin.Wire? I’ve used heavy paper clips and longer Waddington shanks cut to length. My final design uses a piece of wire for making wooden lures.This is the stainless-steel wire used for lure wire-thru construction.

Note: To mimic other spinners on the market, one could bend the wire into a “W” shape so that the thread is captured at two points to keep the thread loop open, or two separate wires could be inserted and spread to do the same.

Once attached to the nut, drill a small hole in the nut end of the dowel to accommodate the wire.Insert the wire in the hole for a test fit and to judge length. Then, crazy glue the wire in place. See picture. Pennies to construct and works very well.Build time: less than 15 minutes using UV resin.

Notes: It is best if, (a) the dowel is centered in the nut as you set it in place, and (b) that you drill a hole as close to the center if the dowel as you can. Doing this will allow the spinner to spin smoothly. But if you are a little off center, it will still work. No Nuts? You could substitute a glued stack of 2 metal washers with large center holes. This worked well. A ½ inch nut seemed too light and did not spin as well. The ¾ inch nut is heavy but I did not find this to be a bad thing. In fact, a bonus… if you create a wire loop with fine diameter wire, you can use the heavier spinner to spin a wire brush of say 3-5 inches right on the hook. Fine wire usually breaks on the table wire brush apparatus, so this is a good alternative procedure and much faster than setting up a wire brush apparatus for a single brush.

5. Thread spool rack. There are various designs out there but most entail the setting of wooden dowels into a board or rack spaced to accommodate thread spools. I’ve built the flat rectangular spool holders and the tiered thread holders to accommodate one to three layers of thread spools. Nice for display on a fly-tying table. I have a lot of thread, floss, tinsel, and wire so a single rack system does not fit all my needs.I keep a selection of spools out on a rack (working materials) and the rest are stored away in a cabinet.To build,

Insert ¼ inch diameter wooden dowels into a wood base spaced approximately 1-1/2 inches apart to allow space to accommodate spools of varying thickness. Your choice in length for the dowels. When I build a tiered spool rack, I set the dowels to be 2-3/4 inches above the base to accommodate two spools per dowel. My flat spool racks have dowels approximately the height of a spool to accommodate a single layer of thread spools. How many spools? It depends on how large a rack you wish to build. See picture. My three-tier 13-inch rack holds 2 x 24 spools. With better planning, I could have squeezed in three more dowels or 6 more spools. One could add a fourth or fifth tier as well.

Example: Cut a piece of “6-inch” wide board into three pieces – 1-3/4”, 3”, and 4-3/4“wide and 13 inches long. You can vary your dimensions as you please. Each tier needs be wider than a spool. Why did I use these dimensions? I had cherry wood already cut to two of these widths from another project- I used what was around. Predrill eight holes in each piece of wool before gluing. You can use a power drill or a drill press. I used a drill press as it allowed me to easily drill each vertical hole to a desired depth. Glue the boards together with wood glue (used pressure clamps to hold) to create the three levels.

6. Hackle bending tool. When winding a hackle onto a hook, it is desirable to avoid trapping the hackle under the thread wind. We’ve learned that you may score the hackle stem with a scissor edge to bend one side of the hackle to lay on one side of the stem. This works well for thicker hackle stems but with finer feathers, one might cut or break the stem making the feather useless for the task. A less sharp instrument is needed. You can simple cut a 45-to-60- degree notch in a piece of sturdy plastic. This may be cut with a razor blade or nail clippers. The edges are 90 degrees to the plastic piece and work the same as the scissors. I’ve used guitar picks, the plastic divider inserts from Plano lure boxes (finally a use for the extra ones), and plastic lids from various sources. Use like you use the scissors to bend over the hackle barbules. Build time: a couple of minutes.

7. Vise side-arm storage. Vendors have long advertised various vise devices to hold tools and material. I used a piece of foam attached to the vise shaft right up to about 20 years ago. I then acquired my first drill and drill press. My tool bar (I have two) is simply a 4-to-6-inch square strip of wood (cherry) cut from a standard thickness board, sanded and stained, with a drill hole that is exactly the diameter of my vise shaft (a tight fit), with several holes drilled along its length to accommodate dubbing needles, a bobbin, and wire threader. I now store Velcro dubbing brushes and a chunk of dubbing wax on the bar for convenience. All you need is a drill, some sandpaper to knock off the edges, and the right size drill bits. Today, the well machined Regal tool bar is far superior to anything I could construct. What I use is cheap and functional, and will suffice until I get the good stuff as a Christmas present. Build time: less than 20 minutes

8. Other stuff. More complex builds would include a 4-inch wooden bowl (lathe needed) with a foam insert to serve as on-bench storage point for extra dubbing needles, tube fly needles, scissors and alike. I use a 4-inch whole saw to make the round foam insert. For those with lathe working skills, one could build several bowls with rims that interlock so they may be stacked and stored together. Another lathe build would be turning 1-1/2 to 3-inch shallow bowls for holding beads and hooks. A good use for scrap wood left over from other projects. Add a magnet either in the bowl or glued to an inset on the bottom to hold things in place. I usually sit at the bench to tie several flies of the same type and prefer to take out beads and hooks I will need all at one time.I thread all my beads on the hooks prior to use and return them to the bowl magnet until needed.

Jim Norton

Remote Ponds

I always tell people there are no secret spots; at least in most of New England. There are few if any places on most of the rivers that anglers haven’t been to. There are probably streams, brooks and beaver dams that are not stocked that have wild fish that receive little or no pressure but by and large any water that’s stocked is going to have anglers. The more distance you walk will usually thin out the crowds, but by and large there are a lot of anglers who don’t mind hoofing it. On the other hand New England and New York have a lot of remote ponds that don’t get a lot of pressure. Remote is pretty vague; New Hampshire has a list of wild trout ponds; some are within a half mile of a paved road with pretty easy access. Others are several miles in. There are a few ponds I never found; I could see them in the Gazetteer but trying to locate them hiking was more difficult. That was before GPS’s became practical. There’s still a pond I used to fish but after the area was clear cut I could never find it again. When GPS’s became portable I found the access to a few ponds I had looked for several years. The person I was with marked them on his GPS; I doubt he ever returned to fish them. There are some ponds you get into with a canoe or kayak depending on the trail; I usually don’t like to go more than a half mile with a kayak or canoe tote depending on the trail. Everything else is a . When I started using a float tube the pack was around 20 pounds. I used a pack with a frame and used an inner tube type float; it was easier to strap on the pack. I did have one that was inflatable; much easier to pack. For new ponds things haven’t changes much except a GPS takes a lot of the guess work out of it. In June we were looking for a few ponds, most states have listing of remote ponds, and there are a few books that can help. We traveled several miles on a logging road and then came to a gate; the gate was not on the Gazetteer. We walked a mile past the gate and came to another road that was not on the map. So logically we thought our gazetteer was outdated and a newer one would show the road. That happened to us on the Allagash once. We spent an afternoon looking for a road only to find it after we had given up and were headed to a campsite for the night. So we stopped at a store; checked the new Gazetteer and it was not in the latest edition. We spent more time looking for where the road may have originated checking all the roads we thought might provide access and never did find it. So we gave up and went to plan B which was another pond. We had a write up which gave a description of an access trail from about 30 years ago; which mentions the trail was becoming difficult. With the GPS we got to one point about a half mile from the pond and saw a pull off. Walking around the area we found a ribbon marker and thought we had struck gold; a few hundred yards in we came to a tree stand and the ribbons ended. Using the GPS we were able to line up what may have been an old skidder road about a mile for the pond. We hiked in without packs: even old dogs can sometimes learn. We hit a section about a half mile wide that was clear cut; we were able to pick our way across and reach the pond. A few canoes were there; no way of telling how long they have been there but we had found the original trail. A lot of ponds have canoes on them. I’ve found old wooden ones in various stages of decay. The next day we packed in. Over the winter I picked up an ultra-light float tube from Wilderness Lite; the Tree Line 2.X. It has lightweight fins, and I use slip on wading shoes verses boots. With everything the pack is less than 10 pounds. The disadvantage is you sit low in the water. It’s easy to slide down so repositioning is ongoing. We did get a few fish; nothing to meet our expectations but that’s fishing. The clear cut area will grow, from brambles to trees making access more difficult unless it’s used.

This Month in 1959

We've decided to include an excerpt from past UFT newsletters each month this season. This one happens to be from September 1959. How many of the flies on this list are still regulars in your fly boxes today?

INFORMATION

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Electronic Dues Payment

CLUB LEADERSHIP TEAM President: Brian Hutchison Treasurer: Peter Vandermuelen Secretary: Ralph Cadorette Roundtable Editor: Dan Rittenhouse Webmaster: Pierpaolo Polverari Speaker Coordinator: Mike Patrick

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Brian Hutchison Chuck Omer Mike Patrick Pierpaolo Polverari Peter Vandermeulen

The Roundtable is the newsletter of United Fly Tyers. Published monthly September to May, permission of UFT is required to copy. Please send articles for publication to: Brian Hutchison ([email protected])

Directions to Monthly Meeting (from 128/95):

Take exit 31B to MA 225 W / MA 4 N / Bedford St toward Bedford. Continue to follow MA 225 W / MA 4 N for 1.3 miles. American Legion Post 221 will be on the left. Parking and entrance are at the rear of the building.

UFT Members Website Content

Member-only access to Roundtable Archive:

Click on the button above or go to http://unitedflytyers.org/index.php Click on the LOG IN option on the right side of the menu bar. Important Note: if you do not see the "Log In" button on the screen, then use this link to access the member section login screen. United Fly Tyers You will be prompted to register the email address that is associated with your UFT membership (i.e., the address where you receive the newsletter). After you enter your email, you will be asked to register by providing a full name and choosing and answering two questions (used to reset a forgotten password in the future). An email will be sent to you to complete the activation of your account. After registration (first time only) is complete, login to the UFT MEMBER HOME. Click on the NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE option on the menu bar. Select a year, and the available issues from that year will be listed. Click on an issue to view and download the electronic version. UFT SUPPORTERS

Angler Sport Group 6619 Oak Orchard Road Elba, NY 14058 585-757-9958

United Fly Tyers would like to thank Bill Chase at the Angler Sport Group for providing our instructors with hooks for the tying classes. The Angler Sport Group has also offered a discount to the club for hook orders.

Evening Sun Fly Shop 55 Groton St. Pepperell, MA 01463 [email protected]

Bear's Den Co. 34 Robert W. Boyden Rd Taunton, MA 02780 508-977-0700

Concord Outfitters 113 Commonwealth Ave. Concord, MA 01742 978-318-0330 [email protected]

David Kolesar – 603-554-0067 [email protected] Gerry Crow 603-889-5611 [email protected] www.nhriversguide.com

Great Road Gallery & Framing 363 The Great Road (Rte 225) Bedford, MA 01730 781-275-8886 www.greatroadgallery.com

Cast a Fly Charters Saltwater Fly Fishing Capt. Ray Stachelek 401-884-3794 www.castaflycharters.com

Joe Calcavecchia Saltwater Custom Flies 603-548-7153 [email protected]

Peter Simonson Classic Streamer Patterns 603-878-2866 [email protected]

Storm Buster Charters (Vinny Simeone) http://stormbustercharters.com/ https://www.facebook.com/stormbustercharters/ [email protected] 781-760-5958