Gr8flyz

Mustad's Ultra Point hooks are produced in Asia! Singapore I believe. It's possible that some Gamakatsu hooks are also being produced in the same location. I don't know who actually owns the manufacturing plants in Singapore, but it's also possible that both companies contract with the same manufacturer.

Permanent markers can be used! Sharpies work OK! If you can find them, Chartpak AD markers work well also. Chartpak markers are sold in art supply stores & some fly shops may carry them. They have a wide range of colors that you won't find with Sharpies.

When I was selling what I made, my approach was different. I had an advisory team, rather than a pro staff. This was made up of several guys who I knew to be experienced & knowlegable anglers, and who fished often throughout the year. I gave them a discount in return for input about how well they did with my tackle & for promoting my products. Some of these guys fished small tourneys but none were pros, and some did some guiding. Most all of them frequented many of the fishing websites, such as Riversmallies, and when topics allowed would tell others they were using my products. This type of word of mouth was worthwhile, and did give me a fair amount of business. I also provided some free products to these guys for testing and feedback which gave me a good idea how such products worked in the different areas these guys were in. I intentionally stayed away from "pros" because as has been mentioned, they tend to keep things to themselves, rather than share information, unless it's putting money in their pockets, and I didn't have the resources for that anyway! My 2 cents!

mkoloch, The K.I.S.S. advice is the best you'll get. The cross-cut rabbit is great stuff, but you can also use regular cut rabbit strips. The hair will just flair out more on the jig. Since the hair on a rabbit hide is not all the same, you'll get some strips with shorter or thinner hair, which will make a difference in your jigs. Whenever I buy rabbit strips, or if I cut my own, I try to be selective of what I use for various size jigs. I also use a lot of fox tail & coyote tails, both make good hair jigs. Coyote & red fox tails have longer hair than Arctic Fox, and because of the natural black markings in the hair, I prefer them for brown hair jigs. Arctic Fox is good too, but it's easy to over dress a jig with it because the hair is so dense. As far as Kevlar thread, I've used it, and never liked the stuff. It's too stiff & doesn't lay down well, especially on small stuff, it's also expensive. I've used it on big 5/0 Shark & Barracuda Flies, but went back to Danville flat waxed nylon thread, and an epoxy coating. Kevlar is tough stuff, and will out last the other materials, but for the cost difference & ease of use, Danville flat waxed nylon is my choice for tying thread. I also use the Danville Depth Ray Nylon threads, which is the same as the flat waxed nylon, but in fluorescent colors & no wax.

Pop, most of the tails sold in fly shops are not tanned. The tanning process would make them rather expensive, and since the hair is cut from the hide for use, tanning is not necessary. Also, the commercial acid dyes used leave the hide stiff and brittle, even after tanning, so the tails would have to be tanned again. If you decide you want to tan the tails, there are pre-mixed tanning powders & liquids available. I've seen them listed in trapping supply catalogs, and would guess that taxidermy suppliers may carry them. However, I can't say how good they'll be, as I've never used any of them. The advice already given is as good as you need, clean & dry, and store in a freezer is the way I've always done them.

Maze, there is an old trout pattern called a "Brassie" which is just as you describe. I've tied hundreds of them, but have never used them for ice fishing. I would think they would work fine. The Brassie is tied with plain copper, brass or gold wire, but there are coated wires available in various colors that could also be used, so you're not limited in what you can do with them. I've always tied the Brassie type flies with a peacock herl head, and a little hackle as a throat, usually some type of speckled hackle, which looks like the legs of many aquatic insects. Adding the bead head is fine, and would certainly help with the weight if you're ice fishing.

Your jig looks fine, maybe a little over dressed, but sometimes pictures don't do hair jigs justice. What hair did you use? I'd be glad to give you any help I can!

Try these folks: Greene Plastics Corp. (401) 539-2432 PO BOX 178 Hope Valley, RI 02832 Email: info@thebeadery.com

Cavu, try rough shaping with scissors or razor blade, then with emery boards, like those used for fingernails. They come in a large size (about 7-8 inches long X 1 inch wide) with various grits, and the board backing makes them easy to use. Also you might try mounting the foam in a Dremel tool or drill for shaping, which will give you a symmetrical body. However it will also give you a body with a hole in the center. When I use this method, especially with soft foams, I cut a slit in the bottom for the hook, and insert a worm rattle in the hole, then epoxy the body to the hook, filing the holes with epoxy. A final over coat of epoxy makes them very durable, and helps transmit the rattle noise.

Tm, hair jigs are some of my favorite lures, and I've tied them with all kinds of hairs & in many colors. The rabbit strips & fox is some of the best. I also use deer tail, squirrel, skunk, coyote & craft hair. It's been my experience that hair jigs work best if you keep them relatively simple. Basic black, or browns are what I use most, but I carry a variety of colors & combinations. I tie craw patterns with two rabbit strip "claws" or trailers, but don't feel that they always work better than those tied with a single strip. The two strip jigs do have more bulk & action, so they do have a use. I tie some jigs with the rabbit strip trailer, and some without, and also use the plastic trailers on those without. I tie some hair jigs with two tone colors, top & bottom, and the light color is often tied on top. The idea is that most baitfish, or craws have a dark back & light belly. Craws that tumble along the bottom, are easier prey than those that hold on to the bottom, so these are tied upside down. This will also work for injured baitfish. However, this is just a theory, and although it works, tying them the other way works too. Sometimes those tied one way or the other will work better on a particular day, so having a little variety never hurts. 2/0 or 3/0 are my prefered hook size, and I use Mustad Black Nickel Ultra Points.

CC, generally it refers to head cement. Some of the older tyers often mention lacquer because the older types of head cements were just that, clear lacquer. Lacquers dry relatively fast, and hard, and have a high gloss, glass like appearance, when used properly. They also soak into most threads very well, so they help bind the head together for a very durable finish. Lacquers were used extensively for auto finishes at one time, as well as commercial jig head paints. If you have lacquers available, they're fine to use for fly tying, just take care when using them with some plastics, and with proper ventilation. The solvent will destroy some types of plastics, and is nasty stuff to breath.

I have closed my business and will be selling off much of the stock that I have. If there is anyone here who has need of anything, please contact me. Whatever is not sold to folks on sites that I frequent will be put on Ebay. I have several thousand hooks, for both freshwater & saltwater, bucktails, tying threads & chenilles, and a bunch of other items. At this time, I do not intend to sell my molds! I'm not giving up tackle making or fly tying, just will no longer be operating a business. Thanks!

Bob, if you epoxy coat the heads they will have to be rotated until the epoxy sets. I'm not sure what you mean by head up or down, they should rotate around a horizontal axis, which will allow the epoxy to set evenly on the jig head without any sags or drips. If they rotate vertically, gravity will cause the epoxy will drip down. If you epoxy coat a tied jig & have problems with the hair or flash flying around & getting into the epoxy, try using some twist tie wires like comes in plastic garbage bags to tie down the hair. I hope this helps! I also sent you a reply to the PM.

As it usually happens I've discovered the solution to my problem, and have corrected it! Jerry, when you read this, please disregard my other messages. Thanks again to all!

Guys thanks a lot for letting me know! I hope everything is OK. It'll just have to wait until he gets back.