Thanks guys, I appreciate it.
And since I love photographing, I'm a total sucker for comments - especially the kind that tells me what I do well and what I can do better.
Tonight I dug out an old hobby of mine, dusting off my fly tying skills. And damn do they need a bit of dusting off!
I decided to do a Daddy Long Legs fly, and I have totally forgotten all about the amount of fiddly bits and patience that it takes to tie that particular fly.
Let it be sufficient to say that I was promptly reminded.
First, the tying table:
Good lighting is just as crucial for this as it is for model building.
And then there's the materials:
Top left: Raccoon tail.
Top right: Pheasant tail feathers.
Bottom: Grizzly hackle feathers.
Hook: Size 6 hook.
Then it's on to the tying business:
First you tie the front grizzly hackle feather to the hook.
Then you add the raccoon tail part.
And the body hackle feather.
Tie on the body cover - in this case, a few strands of pheasant tail.
For the legs, you separate the single strands of pheasant feather...
...into six single strands...
...and tie two knots on each strand, to help bend the strands to give the impression of bent legs.
Trust me, you want to be patient doing this!
Then you select two hackle feathers that are about the same lenght, and trim them so that they become more slender, to give the impression of insect wings...
...and tie them on the body of the fly...
...together with the legs - four legs in the rear, pointing backwards, and two legs in the front, pointing forward.
Then you twirl the body hackle around the fly from back to front, making sure that the legs and wings don't get tied in under the hackle in the process, and fasten the hackle with the tying thread, trimming away any excess feather tip - AND avoid cutting off legs and wings as well.
Then you tie down the back cover on the fly.
And gather the tail hairs, tying a knot to create a slightly pointed insect body.
Trim away the pieces of long tying yarn and excess hair, and you've got a Daddy Long Legs fly.
Somehow, I don't feel like "sacrificing" this fly by using it.