SNO-FLY VIII (Midge Swap) Officially Closed (List Is Full)

**salmonid** · 11-18-2010, 12:49 PM

Need an addy. Will finish up this weekend and get them out!

**Alpinefly** · 11-19-2010, 11:48 AM

I am slobbering, just plain slobbering (I am sure the trout will too) with all the great midge patterns I have seen so far. Have been very busy at the vise with fly orders. I also received some great news 3 days ago and feel rather blessed (nice with Thanksgiving coming up). Brian Wise of Feather craft called me. frankly it was rather funny that he e-mailed me saying he needed my phone number to give me and others updated information. At this point a few of you are still scratching yer hackles saying "Huh" ??? Brian not only works for Feathercraft, but hosted the 2010 Fly Tying Competition through Feathercraft Fly Tying and Rainy's. So the phone rings with a number of a 417 area code. Not knowing who's number that was, I did not answer. Brian leaves me a message to call him. I e-mail him back telling him sorry I missed his call and to call me back when he can (Hmmmm... enough of the phone tag right ???). Brian calls me and starts out with , "I feel like a radio DJ, you know, the ones that call telling someone that they won their contest.....Yada Yada Yada". I went, ohhh, it's Yada Yada Yada (laughing & still clueless to the reason of the call........yep I am blonde, even if the blonde has grayed lol). Brian goes, "your pattern won, it is in the top three"; and that means all kinds of cool prizes, and my pattern will go into production with Feathercraft & Rainy's (it will be in the 2011 catalogues).
Now I submitted a few (?) of my patterns (like overkill). The winning pattern was my Hydro-Psycho Series Caddis Larvas. Not sure as of yet if this means I am the Grand Prize winner (the top three all get their patterns into production, as well as loads of neat prizes). He also mentioned with a strong hint that it gets my foot in the door for many of my other patterns to go into production with Feathercraft and Rainy's.
With Orvis also taking interest (I don't know yet what they will put in their future catalogues) in many of my patterns as well, I have been really cranking at the vise. Brian (Wise) wanted me to spread the word to everyone about the 2011 Fly Tying Competition (Through Feathercraft & Rainy's). It never ceases to amaze me how many fantastic fly tyers there are out there. Take a look at the patterns submitted in the Feathercraft/Rainy's Fly Tying Competition, and you will find some fantastic recipes. The other moral of this story is preserverance. This is the third competition that just the Hydro-Psycho Series Caddis Larvas have been in (it did not win the Fly Tyer/Catskill, nor the competition for being a Fly Tyer for Team USA in the World Fly Fishing Championships in Sweden). When you believe in your patterns like I do (the proof is on the water), you keep putting that pattern out there. My friend Rick Takahashi once told me (he is a designer for Umpqua) that you could submit a lot of patterns to a certain company, and maybe one will be accepted. Having come out of the music world (Undergrad & Graduate Music Schools can be pure hell and very unkind), you develop a thick skin when it comes to criticism and rejection, and if you want to make it, you learn preserverance and hard work very quickly. I joke around that Fly Tying is what unemployed Music Teachers (& Musicians) do. That is really a blessing; that you work at something you enjoy ( and Fly Tying and Fly Fishing is loads of fun).
With Thanksgiving coming up, I am really blessed and thankful to count you who are great Fly Fishermen (& women), and Fly Tyers as my friends, and experience the beauty and serenity that only smallstreams (all fishing waters for that matter) provide.

If I don't say it later, HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers & Tight Lines !!!!!!!!!!
John (Alpinefly)

**Jax** · 11-19-2010, 04:02 PM

Congatulations John; Go for it mate and I am sure doors will open. As you say Keeping on Keeping on will eventually pay dividends. :clap: :clap: Jax

**Alpinefly** · 11-20-2010, 06:47 PM

Received package from Mike Hampe . Really Excellent Trout Candy Mike

. I have really been enjoying my time at the vise, and I hope you have too. The time is flying by real fast. I am sitting down to the first of my Thanksgiving feast (our Apartment Complex is having a Thanksgiving Potluck....Yum) !!!!!!! Will need to get out and fish just to work off all that food.

**reelsister** · 11-20-2010, 09:38 PM

Fabulous John!

Big congratulations and a very Happy Thanksgiving.

**Alpinefly** · 11-24-2010, 11:52 AM

Thanks Jax and reelsister !!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE !!!!!!!!
I will post an update as to what Sno-Fly packages I have received. The deadline to mail midges in is looming real fast.
Can't believe Thanksgiving is already here (Tomorrow). Already putting a 22 pound bird into the Vertical Brinkman Smoker to Hickory Smoke, and my wife Lori has a smaller bird to bake. Will be going over to the in-laws for Thanksgiving feast, on top of our own feast that we are having. Our apartment complex already had a Pot-Luck Thanksgiving feast this last Friday (will see today at the Doctor's office if I have put on the pounds yet........I hope not) !!!!!!
Check out the article on Roy (Christie's) Reversed Parachutes in Hatches Magazine. There also is an article in their on Ulf Hagstom's pattern. Two very great tyers & congrats to both of them. :clap:

If anyone needs the mailing address to send the Sno-Fly Midges to, you can contact me right away my sending a message to:
3165168606@tmomail.net I will get the message a lot faster since this is my cellphone e-mail

**Alpinefly** · 11-30-2010, 02:54 PM

I have posted updates to the list as to who I have received packages from. A very tasty package came to me yesterday
from Niklas Dahlin !!! THANKS FOR THE EXTRA STUFF. HMMMMM :think: I must brush up on the Swedish. LMAO
I believe this leaves 5 packages left to receive. The deadline is comeing upon us very fast. As Larry The Cable Guy would say to those of you procrastinating......."GET ER DONE" !!!!!!!! ;)

**Alpinefly** · 12-01-2010, 01:38 PM

Does anyone know who troutguy is ??? :problem: He is on the list, but I cannot find him on the membership list :? , and he has not contacted me. If any of you know him, let him know that the deadline to get midges in is December 6th !!!!

**salmonid** · 12-05-2010, 02:23 PM

John, Woo Hoo!! Good going on your win.

Umm, being technologically challenged, I am unable to insert images into a post on this forum.
I encountered difficulties a couple weeks ago trying to make a post on fly rods, including images.
Now, I'm trying to post a sequence of images I took while tying my sno fly submissions for this swap.
Could you pm me an address I could send the images to as an email and have you post them in the forum??
Perhaps somebody else will have more luck than I. Gus has coached me in this but I am still too "challenged" to manage this task.
There is a sequence of 13 images with tying steps for each.
Pretty please? :crazy:

salmonid

**Alpinefly** · 12-06-2010, 07:09 PM

Today (December 6th) is the Sno-Fly Deadline !!!! I have heard from everybody. What I have yet to receive I expect should (?) be in the mail by now. I received two really fine packages of Midges from troutguy and Salmonid.
Still waiting on Roy Christie, Andy Baird, and Michael Johnson. The Midges that have come in so far have been fantastic (I am ready to head to the Juan right now lol) . You will be rather surprised as to what I do this year. Let's just say that you are going to see two different extremes when it comes to the Diptera species !!! I don't know about you, but smoke seems to be comeing off my vise !!!!!!!