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I know Barry uses a lot of craft store items as opposed to the more expensive fly shop materials. I use their craft foam, pom-poms, some mylar piping, and of course their paints for my airbrush. What items are yall using? Barry, can you enlighten us on your head cement / zap-a-gap replacement?

I got a $30 Hobby Lobby Gift Card for Christmas and its about time to go shopping!!!!

Hey GC,

Barry uses Delta Creamcoat. It's a varnish that you can get at Wal-Mart and I'm sure hobie Lobby. He cuts it with 10 - 15% H2O. I've seen him use it and it seemed to work great. I have a bottle but haven't tried it yet but it has little to no odor. Let's just say it won't open you up if you have a stuffy nose. I also found craft foam for 88 cents at wal-mart. I saw the same foam at Gruene for about a buck and a half.

I also built a fly tying table topper for about 20 bucks using wood I got at Lowes. I used a desgin I found on the net that sold for about a 100.

Well, let's see. There's a film available that is not only coloured, but also has some interesting effects on it. This is very thin stuff, but can be doubled then covered with epoxy. I've made spoon-flies with it. I've tried covering it with photo laminating plastic, too.

Then there's bead-chain, all sorts of multi-coloured sparkle threads (Kreinik brand), paint pens, markers, feathers (really takes a careful eye on these), and yarn. I get lots of ideas for flies just walking around looking at all the stuff.

M-D

Foam sheets are used in making Crease Flies (talk with Lefty Ray), Guglers, and a host of other flies for freshwater. Need both the 1mm and 2mm or thicker sheets. My best find for thin sheets was at Ernie's in Houston. Watch out this spring when they offer the cheap flip-flop beach sandals. We buy these to make popping bugs.

Marking pens are used to color up the foam sheets or add color to other fly materials. I recommend Sharpies (cheapest sets) or the artist prefer the Prismacolor brand markers for more color choices (same you see in fly shops). After that any of the fabric marker pens often are pemanent for most materials. This site shows the options: http://www.dickblick.com/zz213/42/produ ... ig_id=1130

Balsa wood for traditional poppers. Also use the 1/4 square sticks to make bodkins with sewing neddles.

Jewelry making items such as the beads or the stainless tie-able wire cable for bite leaders. Most beads do not have large enough holes to work on the #4 or #2 size hooks so watch out for this factor.

Any of the super-glue products but perfer to purchase at Lowe's or Target for the Lock-Tite brands.

Fabric paints work well for adding eyes to deer hair bugs and other items.

Doll eyes can be used but many now prefer the glass eye found at the fly shops.

Mylar sheeting is hard to find but is used to make the spoon fly mention previously or putting around foam for larger poppers. Remember to epoxy afterwards to have a durable fly.

Hot Glue guns and glue. Can be used to make some of the crab patterns and other patterns using the new colored translucent glue sticks (often only seen at fly shops). The new metallic sticks for the mini-gun size are interesting and did one fly that landed my first flounder this fall.

For the most part, ignore their feathers as not the best for most patterns. Some of the fake furs can be used but I have not had great success with that product.

Chennile in the yarn goods works but not the best that I have found.

Head cements can be water based urethanes. But prefer clear nail polish such Sally's Hard-As-Nails. Plus nail polish does work well on the balsa poppers.

As you can see the list goes on. Just a bargin shopper on a mission some days.

I like to cruise the hobby shops,can always come up with something that stirs the imagination.I think most of the items have been covered,but you never can tell.

walmart carries some nice chennile, bead chain in differant sizes and colors.....some mylar strips/shreds as well....

i also buy the 1/4 "closed cell foam for making VIP poppers, it comes as a kids door hanger at walmart and hobby lobby, and it comes in 4 or 5 differant colors....i like the orange and yellow......

i use the nylon .005 sewing thread, which is the same thread Dean and Barry use for making furled leaders, for fly tying... it comes in two colors, clear and smoke....i use the clear and usually lay down a base of colored floss,or colored thread, flashabou, even mylar strips.....it shows through the thread and gives the fly a nice touch.....i normally get this at walmart for less than two bucks for a large spool.....

i am always on the look out for fly tying stuff.....



Larry

sewing thread brass beads, glues, chennile. some small corks.

By the way. don't pass up the free mardi-gras beads. they make great eyes for saltwater flys.

My girlfriend went out for Maris Gras and came back with a bunch of those beads.. At least now I know they have a use.

15 min epoxy,
epoxy mixing cups,
lollipop sticks (1K for 1.27),
Craft Fur
Antron better known to craft store ladies as Aunt Lydia's yarn.
sparkle
mylar sheets

In case you did not know, the orange ear plugs make great poppers. Just stick the hook eye through the middle of the foam barrel and you are ready to fish. Not cutting, and messing with sharp objects.

In my wide (LOL) experimentation with specks and reds, the most durable ones are from Walgreens. (100 for $2.29). You can wrap them, paint them and make them as fancy as you wish.

The black insulation foam from HD makes killer eels.

LTF

I like the ear plug thing Never thought of that one. Thanks

Thanks for the earplug tip. I think I'll go get some today and stock up for the spring.

I'd never thought of the ear-plug trick, either. They do make some that are smooth on the outside, and taper to a rounded end, with the other end being flat. Seems like those would work well for poppers. Tie on the tail of your choice, slide the plug body onto the hook, press the plug towards one end or the other, then apply thin CA, then do the same with the other end. Thing ought to last as long as anything else. Also, seems one would want to position the plug on the hook so as to facilitate the popper riding tail low in the water.

M-D

And if I take Mercy and Flower out I can just cut the hooks off and stick them in my ears.......damn, back in the doghouse.

You've done it now, mister! No soup for you! One year!

M-D

M-D wrote:so as to facilitate the popper riding tail low in the water.

I have done it on the water. If the popper is riding too high, I just take a few slices out of the bottom of the body or take a little out of the back end so the hook bend rides lower than the hook eye.

It is fun to watch the schoolies knock these poppers out of the water under the lights.

LTF

1 cheap paint brush (epoxy) ($1.00)
1 8 ounce bottle of epoxy (2.99)
4 LARGE sheets of craft foam (18'X12") ( .79 each)
4 packs of Chennile (Red and Silver) (2 for .99)
3 bottles of glitter (you'll see later) (1.99 each)
2 thingys of sewing thread (thick thread) (1.10 each)
1 large bottle of super glue (1.99)
2 packs of sticky eyes (googly type) (1.99 each)

$25.02

shopping for fly tying supplies at Hobby Lobby? priceless.

Actually I came out pretty good. After all the talk this morning, I had to go buy some supplies or I would have gone crazy behind this desk.

Is it ok to use the thread you get at Hobby Lobby? Does it need to be waxed or anything? Just wondering, I'm about to stock up if you can use it!!
MAV

The thread at the store was $1.10. At the fly shop it starts at $1.50. There are different thicknesses at the Hobby Lobby and I bought the thickest which is about the same as that I bought at the fly shop. I'm sure Joe or someone will know more but it was cheap so I bought it and hope it holds up.

I use the thick craft foam from Hobby Lobby to make foam poppers like that black foam spider I posted on the "show me your flies" post. I have 2 brass tubes of different diameters that I use to punch out a cylinder of foam. I have found that it works best if you use your bodkin first to stick a hole thru the foam where you want the hook to ride. Then stick the hook thru "EYE" first instead of the hook end. This allows the foam to set on the hook straighter and where you want it. I then slide it back and glue the front and slide it forward to glue on the back then slide it where I want to rest and let it dry. Thread some legs in a criss-cross fashion and you have a bad-ass foam perch spider that will catch fish!!!!!!