The Winona Fly Factory Fly Tying Radio:

1. 30 minutes of Minnesota Public Radio
2. Tommy The Cat: Primus
3. Opiate: Tool
4. Holdin’: Yonder Mountain String Band
5. Walk The Line: Johnny Cash
6. Loser: Beck (Wendy, I laughed)
7. Sin: Nine Inch Nails
8. Daylight: Aesop Rock
9. Bleed the Freak: Alice In Chains
10. General Tso’s Chicken: The Northwoods Band
11. Soul Jacker pt. 1: The Eels
12. Bring It On Home: Led Zeppelin (Awesome)

Thinking to the not to distant future and knowing how long it could take me to complete my task I started the day tying BWO’s to Minnesota Public Radio. I listened to news and then set the ipod to random tunes to finish the afternoon. 

I tied these BWO’s in size 18 with two different types of tails. I personally think the Micro Fibbet tails look better but the hackle fiber tails  take me less time. I am planning on testing both under semi-scientific conditions to determine which I like better, and I guess I will let the trout weigh in on the subject as well.

I must admit I was reluctant to start these due to the fact they arn’t as easy for me but it needed to be done and I’m fairly pleased with the end result. I used a razor blade to demolish an old dozen I didn’t approve of. Keep your hook eyes clear, I did not on my previous attempts.

Things to note: Use the smallest amount of dubbing, I really think its better to add some more after the fact, especially the dry fly dubbing, it tends to clump. Work on tying in your hackle, I find that having it at the correct angle with relation to the hook shank helps keep the fibers neater when palmering. Buy quality hackles…they are worth it.

I worked on a few different patterns today while listening to Nina Simone’s greatest hits. This album was released in 69′ and contains the song “Sinnerman” which at 10:22 its amazing. I really enjoy her voice when she sings in French. I listened to this album atleast six times while tying the following:

 E.B. Caddis: Goofing around with bead ideas.

 B.B. Zebra Midge: Short for Blue Bead.

 The California Collar: Re-Tooled, thanks for the imput.

I tied quite a few flies today and these are just a few. Quick ties, good flies (hopefully) and a good day of relaxing tunes on the radio. Makes me think others have to listen to something while tying, so I pose the question:

What do you listen to while fly tying? I have quite a wide range of music so the Nina Simone is new on my list. If you know underground NY hip-hop you would know Aesop Rock, another favorite of mine. Black Keys, Modest Mouse, Pink Floyd, and Zeppelin all top my tying radio list.