A while back I posted about Joe Mahlers excellent fly called the "Strawboss".  Hoping to take a trip to FL in April to visit my Mother In Law, and based on the very well chewed status of my current Strawboss population I needed to do a few up.  this is the first time I've tried them with craft fur for the tail and subwing - or with rubber legs.  The first one's I did were just bucktail and thread.  I was rusty with the whole folding over of the bucktail thing, but these will catch.  Cant wait to get them into the brine in search of snook, lady fish (aka - poor man's baby tarpon) red's and whatever else swims past!

We have a little challenge - a first world problem for sure.  I'm self employed and work via a home office... We have 3 bedrooms in our house.  We also have two kids.  They have been ok in one room, but they are reaching the age where having their own spaces will be really positive for them.  So, what's an economic way for me to gain a work space?  While also helping us store the results of our book addictions?  Have floor to ceiling shelves and a desk built into a wall in the dining room.  It may be dicey when the kids are home, but for the most part they are at camp and school or outside... so this will work for a while until we figure something else out (perhaps building office space in the basement).  Last fall we got a bunch of estimates for this project via highly regarded contractors we found on Home Advisor.  If you need work done, check that site, it resulted in two awesome professionals for us between the landscape folks who did our patio last year, and this project.  I'm just letting the paint dry and will start moving books.  Very happy with how this came out!

About 3-4 years ago I moved to a sling pack for my "big water" fishing v the necklace I use for small streams.  I'd been given a 100 dollar gift card to the excellent Concord Outfitters here in MA, and used it on a nice Orvis sling pack.  It's worked well, though I always wished it was a little bigger, because, well, I always seem to need "one more" fly box (more on that issue in a coming post).  Well, within a few weeks I met a guy at a fly show who looked familiar, turned out he lived about 2.5 miles from me and was the owner of a company I'd heard of and seen in various reports online and in print called Vedavoo.  I had no idea they were "local".  We have fished a few times together since, and I have wanted to buy a bag, but having just got that Orvis one, I had a hard time justifying.  So, I just got one (I paid for it, this is not promotion for someone I know as thanks for a freebie).  Wish I had done it sooner.  simple, fit's great, and I can pack the heck out of this dang thing if I want - it's the TL Beast model.  If you want to move to a sling style bag, check them out - very well made, local to New England, customizable colors and super functional!  Looking forward to years of enjoyment with this bag - and I wont feel guilty when I see Scott (the bag's maker) on the water in coming weeks!

Note that the dangly rope is my "string" for my stream thermometer... 

The guys at http://www.blogflyfishma.com/ posted a great Kelly Gallop video yesterday.  I'd seen it at some point in the past, and completely forgotten about it.  Watching though, I thought I should try it out.  Cool little use of some UV white ice dub on what is really a PT variant to create sort of a sheath under water.  It will be interesting to see if it fishes as well as Gallop suggests - the guy sure ties some awesome flies.

 Tim Flagler of https://vimeo.com/channels/patterns/205065278 laid down a neat video showing a really cool little "worm" varient.  could be a skinny caddis, a big chironomid or something similar to those... But, watching, it made me think of some wormish looking bugs Ive seen on the swift here in MA, so I tied up a few of them... I really like the look of the olive and the cream, but it's going to be fun to try them all...

The green is a bit chubbier because I didnt have micro size green nymph tubing, so I used small... I still like it.

These, to me, look so much like the ones I've seen on the swift.  Cant wait to try them.  I did modify from Tim's approach by using black sally hansens nail polish for the heads.

This weather is amazing - looking forward to getting on the water soon!

Have an awesome day!

Will