BilletHead

Again who said African? BilletHead

Wrong again you are. Did I say anything about an African? See that boomerang in his hand? Aborigine BilletHead

What's for supper? Squash, just squash. Foraged for my squash. You say foraged like in the isle at Wal Mart? No a volunteer plant. Ok here is it's story. Traveling down the road one day I spied a road ditch vine growing. Down the road from a house in the country opposite side of the road. I knew it was a squash vine but did not know what kind. Next to a corn field. I never thought of it again until yesterday. The Mrs. and I were out again on the same road. We had a killing frost/freeze for four nights and the plants were dead. Low and behold there were twenty to thirty butternut squash all over the place. Door opened and the foraging commenced. Grabbed two. I am a meat eater by nature but need other sustenance too. This thread opens my outlook in foodstuffs. So just squash tonight. I googled up how to do roast squash. Never done it. So before the Mrs. got home I split it, took out the seeds and popped it into the oven. Out it came as she pulled into the driveway. What are we having she asked? Squash. What else? just squash . Some butter and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Dinner is served! Nothing left inside of mine and hers was the same, I think I may forage again tomorrow , BilletHead

Hey MoCarp check out the post you started about the 40 pound carp on the fly please. Yes also show me where fish eggs can pass through the digestive tract of waterfowl and still be viable. Thank you, BilletHead

Ok Mr. MoCarp , Is this a post made by you ? Here is the post you put this right behind, On ‎8‎/‎26‎/‎2017 at 7:25 AM, Johnsfolly said: Hopefully you're not growing hair like that on your back☺! Nope it just now grows on my face. Grey now not reddish. Did find out through a genetic test that, You have more Neanderthal variants than 62% of 23andMe customers. However, your Neanderthal ancestry accounts for less than 4% of your overall DNA. This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt why I am primarily a hunter gatherer. It is in my DNA make up. My tools though have changed from a sharp stick, primitive bow and stone points. That was not too long ago though , BilletHead

See there Wrench those stinking white bass just die off in Pomme and there isn't even any hybrids in there : ) There is something wrong with whites in your lake because of all the hormones in the pee from all of those party folks. It is effecting everything out there. Does not make any difference in hybrids because they are sterile. Wal mart greeter is where you will end up , BilletHead

hahhahahhaha Hey I am baking a butternut squash and hope the Astros win too. Does that help ? Get your adze ready to make dugouts .

I have no ill feelings and have yes jabbed at his posts, counter posting some of his findings Bringing the other side of the story. Not his own of course but copy and paste. Some factual maybe and some just here say. I want to see what he has done not his friends and the guys in Europe. If he loves that place so much and what they are doing for their native fish he should maybe join them there. I have been called skippy, salty and he has posted what I thought was a derogatory photo of a drawing of a black native with a spear to one of my posts when I had said I had taken deer with a stick and stone. The guy doesn't know me and has not been beyond just what he wants to read. I have made my own self bows out of one piece of wood. Crafted arrows out of shoots I cut and tied on feathers and stone points I knapped with sinew pitch and hide glue and taken deer. Seven as a matter of fact. I take offense in that but have my big boy underwear on. I am sure he does too. I finally got him to respond on a thread and he showed us trapping photos. He complains about carp being dumped from tourneys. I want to ask what did he do with the trapped carcasses? My goodness there is some viable meat in the trapped goods. Did he consume some? I have trapped and eaten raccoon, beaver and my favorite muskrat. (I know you think there is something wrong with me ). All those trappers out there wasting viable meat. MoCarp should get on that bandwagon too. Now he is telling us Waterfowl can eat fish eggs and pass them through the grinding gizzard, stomach acids through the bowels out the poop shoot and the fish eggs are still able to hatch? Oh yes this is from Europe. I want credible evidence to support that please, BilletHead

I started off with glass and plastic worm type rattles in all made sizes. They work but don't have the loud rattle. To use them insert into the same braid and then plug the end with epoxy or UV resin epoxy. One warning bouncing off of rocks will cause that idea to break. They still work though. BilletHead

I have had nothing but better luck with the noise. Of course my river system can be a bit more off colored than most but even at it's clearest with over three feet of visibility no problems. So weight at the back I think improves the ride. Some nose up action provides better side to side movement. Big head pushing water is a plus. I know you like that feature, BilletHead

That is one of most neatest things I have read today. Hope Wrench did not see this post . It will eat you up and make you defend the MDC and what they do even if we don't all agree on everything they do. Billethead .

Why do you think the BilletHead's head West each Summer while we can. Catching fish where they should be. Go native! So Wrench are you advocating that the MDC quit the trout program too? Another Wrench pet peeve is the Spoonbill stocking. Hey they are just trying to redo what man in his infinite wisdom did with dams to take out the NATIVE spawning grounds. Do you wan the dams removed and go back to a riverine system so native can come back? It would drain your lake and way to make a living? Guess you could move to the salt and work on crusty outboards that or since we will be leaning to a more natural setting you could become a dugout canoe patchier or builder? I know how you feel about that . Since all the condos and hotels along the lake will be high and dry maybe the septic systems will percolate directly into the ground and there will be less runoff. White bass will become abundant again. I am just getting into a debate mode again. Saber rattling sharpens the sword buddy. I just wish I could kill more carp or go back into time over 140 years ago and stop the initial stocking. That is where it started. Lets start with what MoCarp said the MDC is doing stocking urban ponds with a non native fish . Guess that would be cheaper than providing the city folk transportation to LOZ to catch and eat tournament bass. BilletHead

One more thing, The heads can be mashed when stored improperly. These fly's can catch many fish and last along time if you take care of them. If mashed the heads can take on a memory and not swim, walk and twitch if out of round. Just trying to shorten you all's learning curve to using them, BilletHead

Lets finish this up, The dried head. Get you some nice big eyes and stick them on. I use more UV epoxy here. I run some out on the edge of the eye and take a toothpick and make a bead of it all the way around the edge of the eye and onto the head and zap it. Never had one come off and I am hard on these things. Fish smash them and I sling them on rocks and trees, whatever it takes to get the fly into the right place. You are ready to catch a fish now. They can be fished on a floating line. Twitch and pause they will wake on the surface walking side to side and when soaked just under the surface. I prefer a sink tip line to get them under quick. Strikes can be violent. In clear water I have seen hybrids streak six to eight feet to eat one of these flies. Use your imagination when using bucktail and paint. I would say my best color this past summer was just white with a plain red head, The BilletHead likes Shuttlecocks , BilletHead

More, if making your own dubbing mix do so, make a nice loop and fill it and spin it up if not tie on your pre made brush, Begin to wrap forward sweeping fibers back keeping them under control. Forward towards the eye. Catch off and whip finish. Brush head and form it to your liking. I use a tongue depressor with Velcro on it. Your creation is looking good and can be finished up right now but we are going to paint this one. I use a copic pen system. I am sure you could just use the felt pens to do this. I am finding less paint is more. When you put your fabric paint on the head it will darken the marker paint even more. Depending on how dark you want your two tone back belly more or less felt pen. Now start placing on fabric paint. The glitter is translucent when dry. Use the side of a toothpick to roll and sweep the fabric paint back creating a nice tapered cone. No downward pressure here only backwards following the brushed dubbing head. If you mush and smash your head there is no going back. You are only coating the outside of the head. The paint is thick and will not soak in unless pressed in. Take your time here. You have come too far to mess up now. Set aside to dry completely. The rest is coming. BilletHead

More, On top of the second section tie in some Palmer chenille and do a few wraps. Whip finish and move thread forward in front of the build up. Now we are going to take another bunch of bucktail and reverse tie. Again tease the bundle all around the hook shank. After reversing the bundle tie in like above and again whip finish and move thread forward. Now with your thread make a nice taper from where you reversed tied in the bucktal to the front of the hook near the eye. Next we will be doing a dubbing loop to make a brush or if you prefer an already made brush. Trust me you want this nice taper of thread to make the brush wrap forward easy. This fly as you are tying can get quite bulky and trying to stair step isn't going to work, More coming, BilletHead

Thanks for maybe being a little more open minded Glenn. I know you are a lover to the whites on your lake. I am hoping you find an answer to your question on the decline in the fishery. I have not seen a problem where I fish. I like whites too but would trade a limit of whites for one of these and the fight with the smile it provides, One of some from this summer. Still going to get you one of those trips buddy, BilletHead

Asked for permission to do this from the fly originator. I tweaked the pattern to suit me. A bit more streamlined and with a rattle. Some like this one are air brushed for color too. Adding the rattle was suggested by a friend so here we go, Materials for this build. Gamakatsu B10S stinger size 2/0 , Uni thread 6/0 , Flexicord or dura flash tubing , Rattle , Flashabou or crystal flash , Bucktail , Saddle hackle, Palmer chenille , Dubbing or pre made dubbing brush EP fibers are a good choice but I use a knock off from Bass Pro , Lite brite to add to dubbing if you make your own brush, Frabric paint, here I am using Tulip glitter and finally some eyes. Chuck up your hook and lay out a base of thread. Attach rattle at curve in line with hook shank.. I use a big rattle. Pretty easy to do. Take a section of flexicord and insert rattle. the rattle I use has a divot behind the pointy tapered end. Wrap thread over flexicord into the divot and whip finish. Then cut off a section of cord leaving a tail for tying in. I do this off the hook by hand and do several rattles at a time. Tie in flashabou or Krystal flash on top, leave it full length to be trimmed later. Tie in a clump of bucktail rolling it all around the tie in point. Repeat the bucktail around shank. Repeat with another matched pair of saddle hackles. More coming, BilletHead

Nice Deer John! Way to go the extra mile following up man. Deer moving around here. Been awaken up twice now as we sleep on the porch by bucks sparring. The dog and I did our walk down the dirt road. There are tracks going willy nilly up and down and across the road plus a couple spots from pushing and shoving. BilletHead

No they want to be a trout.

Game face? Last time I had that look is when I missed my mark . BilletHead

Have you ever watched shad around a submersible light? Crazy and mesmerizing. BilletHead

Fly rod and live craws? That is an oxymoron if I ever heard of such a thing Blasphemy I say. An unnatural act against nature. I bet you are a carp bait fisherman too? Live bait and smallmouth? That is a killing situation, BilletHead

I think you need to keep those items in the sun shade carp fishing tents MoCarp showed us in his cut and paste picture tutorial . I think he can answer your question. Remember carp have been here for over 140 years, wonder what they used 140 years ago. A tree stump for a chair and a tree for shade? Forty -six years ago I used to just sit on the river bank if it was dry and if wet a five gallon bucket. worms dug with a potato fork. BilletHead

Thank you for the clarification. If I ever get stranded up there I will know how to do it. Until then you can catch my fair share. . BilletHead