He's Back!

It's been awhile since my son, Matthew has filled in as guest blogger. Why he's even taken up a new craft since we've seen him last...he's been bitten by the crafting bug! He now spends his free time tying knots, playing with thread and pretty little scissors! So without further ado, I'd like to present today's guest blogger Matthew.
Guest Blogger :) This time please edit my typos for real. You are going to have to edit some of the pictures. it was pretty hard holding a card for the background and taking pics at the same time. Mom here - you are finding out, this being a blogger isn't easy stuff!!

Hello ladies (don't you love it that he assumes only ladies read blogs)its been a while since i guest blogged and since crafting runs in my blood i picked up a little something. I'm not talking about making a quilt or sewing a button on my shirt (although i had to teach myself how to do that in preparation for my last interview). Sweet, I think now both of my children know how to sew on a button...wonder if they could teach their father! I'm talking about real crafts. The art of tying a fly. I feel just like my mother when I'm tying flies. The entire living room is full of stuff piled up all over the place. Shhhh....you aren't supposed to tell people that I'm a messy when I craft!!! How embarrasing... A pile of feathers and peacock hearl over here, a stash of string over there, and a nice scissors in the middle. You better keep an eye on those scissors, you know how your mother loves cute little scissors....and those are lookin pretty cute to me! The only thing im missing is a cat chasing around my thread.

Here are the supplies needed for the fly.

Mom's not too sure about that elk-in-a-bag stuff....

The type of fly I'm going to show you is a version of an Adams Parachute Fly. This type fly is a dry fly and it is intended to float ontop of the surface while fishing.
First you must begin with a hook in the vise. The hook I'm using is a size 18.
Once the hook is secure on the vice you start wrapping your thread and i choose a 70 Denier White flymaster 6/0 waxed thread (gosh i feel like my mother right there) He even waxes his thread...jeepers I taught him so well!
After wrapping the thread and clipping the loose end its time to wrap it back towards the hook. Once its towards the back of the hook we need to tie in the buck hair that is going to simulate the tail of the fly. A buck, as in a deer? Poor deer.
After the buck hair has been wrapped tightly you need to move the thread to the front 1/3 of the hook. Once the thread is in the right position, take about 6 fibers of White rooster saddle and tie it in the middle. Rooster, as in chicken rooster? Poor rooster!
Now its time to tie the post. Pinching the white feathers together you wrap your thread around the bottom of the feather securing it so its stickin straight up and down. Looks like a silly hat. If i were a awesome fly tier i would incorporate a feather wrapped around the post but I'm not that good... yet...
Now its time to add dubbing to simulate the body of the fly. dubbing consist of little bits of stringy looking stuff that reminds me of stuffing that you crafty ladies use. I choose an olive dubbing as the trout seem to like anything olive colored early in the season. I waxed the thread so the dubbing would stick nice and good.
Now that the thread is covered in dubbing its time to create the body.
Now bring the thread to the front of the hook leaving a little bit of room for a finishing knot. Using a whip finisher (basically a fancy tool for lazy people) we create a bunch of knots so our fly doesn't fall apart and clip the string.
Time to secure the line with a drop of head cement.
Time to give this guy a little hair cut and here is the finished product. Isn't that a cute little hair cut...reminds his mother of the hair cut he gave himself when he was a little tyke. He had about that amount of bangs left...one tuft!
Here is how big the fly is compared to a penny.
Seems crazy that these fish can actually see these little things in a river but trust me they can see them somehow.
And the proof is in the pudding.
(First fish caught fly fishing about a mile west of Idaho Springs)

So that is how you tie a fly. This fly is suppose to simulate what a mayfly hatch would look like. No actual insect parts were used. My mom thought you catch a house fly and glue it onto a hook when i started my fly tying adventure. Silly Minnesooota people. I still think there are people out there that tie real flies to their lines...that's my story and I'm stickin to it, ya, you betcha! Isn't that how they catch lutafisk???
Now that you guys know how to tie a fly you can get back to watching your bald eagle thing :)
Why is it that the male figures in my family poke fun at me because I watch the eagle web cam? I'm pretty sure that my dh is watching the eagle cam at night, after I go to bed...he just won't fess up to it!

Cheers, Matthew

(And of course Mom tells son he should start an online company, selling his handcrafted flies. Why he could call his business "On the Fly"....sorry, I can't help it, my mind just always tends to think this way!{sigh})