$5 To Great Pictures... The Light Box

Light Box? What's that?

In the world of photography, a light box — also known as a 'white box' or 'light tent' — is an enclosure that provides a solid, well-lit environment for something being photographed.

- It diffuses and reduces bright incoming light
- It helps control and minimize shadows
- It concentrates light where you want it.

In other words, the reason for the light box is to take better pictures of static objects.
Have you seen those professional product pictures on Amazon? A lot of them are made using a light box.

For fly tyers, this same technology makes a simple picture of a fly into something that really pops!

On our 'Palmetto Fly N Fish' Facebook page, I added a mini-tutorial to help with taking pics....

Making Memorable Outdoors Photos

But for the up-close fly foto, I have been using a $5 light box I found at Five Below
It included a white and black back drop  and a built-in, super bright LED strip. 

If you don't know what Five Below is, well, it's kinda like a Dollar Store, but for the, 'teen trendy', under-25 shopper. The name means that merchandise is mostly $5, $10, etc.

They have a lot of inexpensive techie stuff, too, much of it geared towards vlogging and cell-phone photography/video... thus, the $5 light box. 

I tinkered with DIY versions, and they do work. So, I quickly saw the benefits of a light box... and then I ran across this thing for a Lincoln.

The $5 Light Box

In the following pictures, you can see $5 light box and some details about it.

inkered with DIY inkered with some homemade jobs, then found this one

• 
  

1 cubic foot in volume; just right for small items like flies. 

It folds up if you want to store it flat, and inside, you can see the black backdrop that comes with it. 

The black cord leads to a common 5v power adapter, with micro-SD connector. You connect this to the light box to power the LED strip.

Here's a view "down the throat" of the light box

The LED lights - they really brighten up the interior.

Here's a fly in the light box, posed on some wood 

for that, "natural" look.

The same fly after editing with my Android phone's simple editing suite. What a difference!

After seeing this light box in action, I'm sure you'll agree that this light box is really a step above cluttered, bench-top fly pics.

Most fly tyers are not professional photographers - I know that. However, a few simple tips like those linked above, and a $5 light box, well... it makes a big difference.

And really, you can't go wrong at that price!

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Writers should strive for a job well done... even cranks like me. So, if you found value in this article, please like, comment, and share it. 

Do you have questions, compliments, or suggestions?
If so, email me at...dahutist@gmail.com

If you appreciate a no-drama, no-hype Facebook group, follow this link and join us at: 

Palmetto Fly n Fish

Thanks so much for reading, and...

Tight Lines,

David Hutton
© All rights reserved, David Hutton/Palmetto Fly N Fish 2023 

The Man Thought I was Nuts!

I met a man today and proved to him I am crazy!

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“Excuse me. What's that sticker in the window of your truck?”

    I turned and saw a middle aged man in the parking spot next to me, sitting in his car. He had the look of a man waiting for his wife.
    “What is 'Palmetto Fly N Fish'? You into airplanes? Aquariums?”

    “Fly fishing, in fact,” I replied. “See the Facebook symbol? It's a Facebook group. You should check us out.”

    “Well, okay, really?... fly fishing, huh? There isn't much of that around here, is there?”

    “Plenty! There is water everywhere.
But if you mean are there many people doing it - no, not really. A few, but just a few.
South Carolina isn't exactly a hot bed of fly fishing action. I get a lot of odd looks and comments about it. Stuff like...

'Fly Fishing? Can you do that here?'
'Why? There aint no trout around here...'
'Is that even legal?'

I've heard all these and more. If isn't a Beetle Spin, Zebco reel, or bass lure, well....it throws people off balance.”

    “But you go for bass and striper, right? That's something worthwhile.”

    BOOM! There it was. *Something worthwhile.* 
I could see his judgment looming, so I decided to play him for awhile.

    “I'll go for bass if I think it's the thing to do; it depends on the conditions. I'm always ready for them, but I'm not always after them. Striper on the other hand, well”... 

He perked up when he heard the name... 

"I consider them a costly nuisance." "

"Huh? A nusiance? What do you mean?"

" Well, they show up when you least expect them and mess with my kind of fishing. Thats the nuisance part.
And by costly, I mean I can't afford all the gear, the time, or even the gas for them. Besides, roaring all over the lake chasing fish is "Class A personality" stuff, which isn't really my bag.”

    Striper not my bag? Distaste clouded his face.
He looked me up and down, now; my tie-dye T-shirt and the bandanna cap on my head cemented his opinion of me as a blaspheming nut.
    “So you mean you just go for brim and PANFISH?? That's it?”

    “Yeah, pretty much. In fact I look forward to this time of year in particular. This is the time of year for wet wading – that's my favorite.

    “Oh, I gotcha... with waders.” He seemed relieved to hear something normal come from my mouth.

    “Well – not exactly. I do have waders, but 'wet wading' is where you get into the water with nothing but a pair of light cotton pants, and wading boots. Anywhere that lets me access waist deep water with weeds, wood, or rocks, I'm wading in.
    Even when the boat ramps are overrun, and the picnic tables jam-packed.... I can wade in and find quiet and solitude away from the crowd.
I use pajama pants and scuba reef boots for that. The pants are super light weight, and the scuba boots beat regular wading boots hands down.... and at 1/3 the cost.”

    “Eh...pajama pants...” he said. He was just short of sneering at this point.
"So you're fishing t-o-p-w-a-t-e-r” – he drew out the word the way you'd mention a redheaded step-child.

    “Oh yes; I always start with the surface. But there's an entire water column, from top to bottom, and I fish it all.
    On top I might use a popper, a foam fly, or even a trout fly."

The word, "popper" got me another forlorn look.

    “But the top water bite soon fades out, especially as the sun climbs high. That's when I switch to subsurface patterns. Nymph mimics or soft hackles are especially good for that. Baitfish flies, and crawfish patterns work well, too, in the right areas.”

    “You've put a lot of thought into this....” he observed. 

He said it the way a psychiatrist talks to a patient in a straightjacket.

    “Well sure - all fish have their ways and their life cycles. It's more than just trout, after all. And we have trout here, too, but have to go out of your way to get into them.
Since I prefer to fish 15 minutes from my house, trout aren't normally in my plans. But there is a Trout Unlimited group over in Columbia*, so there are a few other fly anglers over that way.”
* Columbia, SC

“Oh, Trout Unlimited... yes, yes, okay... then you must know Jim So-and-so. Yes, they're a good outfit and they get into some...”

I stopped him and smiled widely. 

“No, sorry I don't know him. The TU folks are big money people, anyway... I can't afford them!" I chuckled.
"Let's just say they are another sort of Class A personality, folks cut from a different cloth than me. Besides they are way over there, so I have never joined.
I'm not really a joiner, anyway, not in that way.”

Now he was snorting, the way you do when you're sure the other guy is off his rocker. 
“So, do you ever catch anything decent?”  

He wasn't hiding his scorn, now.

I sensed the the time was right, so I went for the throat....

    “Well, today I caught a nice redbreast off the boat ramp. It came on an old-school bucktail fly, and it led me around in circles two or three times. I wasn't quite sure what it was, because it wasn't the rocketing run of a bass, or the throbbing pull of a bluegill. It wanted to run, and I let it.
    It was a nice surprise; they're beautiful fish.”

    He was sure I was sun-baked, then...anyone happy with a redbreast on a fly rod must be.

    Just then, his wife appeared with that, “who are you talking to,” look that wives have. He was clearly glad to see her, to be rescued from this tie-dyed kook.
“Well you take care...” he said, and hastily started the car.

   At last, it was time for the coup de grâce, the final blow, ....”Sorry, friend," I said. "I didn't catch your name. We ought to go fishing sometime...'

"Yeah, sure..." he muttered. "Maybe one of these days...”  he couldn't get away fast enough.

That redbreast really WAS a beautiful fish....

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Writers should always strive for a job well done... even half-baked ones like me. So if you found value in this article, please like, comment, and share it. 

Do you have questions, compliments, or suggestions?
If so, email me at...dahutist@gmail.com

If you appreciate a no-drama, no-hype Facebook group, follow this link and come join us at: 

Palmetto Fly n Fish

Thanks so much for reading, and...

Tight Lines,

Dave Hutton
© All rights reserved, David Hutton/Palmetto Fly N Fish 2023 

Favorite Flies, # 5: "The Sneaky Duck"

By David Hutton, Palmetto Fly n Fish

CHECKING All THE BOXES ...

"The Sneaky Duck"

    The Sneaky Duck shot onto my radar thanks to friend and fishin' pal, Donald "Don" Schmotzer. He found the pattern in the Spring 2011 issue of "FLY TYER" magazine, originally tied by Col. (Ret.) Roger Duckworth. 
    I don't know Colonel Duckworth, but if Don Schmotzer likes a fly and has success with it, you better take notice. You'll see why, as we hear more from Don further on.

    But with a name like, 'Sneaky Duck,' a pattern has to do more than sound clever - it needs to check all the boxes.

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Assorted Sneaky Ducks

Materials and Tools

    The first thing you notice about the Sneaky Duck is the innovative use of common materials. The main component is 1-3mm EVA craft foam, cut into discs, then dressed with rubber legs and a few wisps of marabou and hackle feather. 
    The foam for this fly is just regular, "craft foam." It is inexpensive, it is found everywhere, and it is tough as nails. I really like the stuff.
    To make the discs for the Sneaky Duck, you punch or cut them from foam sheet; you can crank them out by the dozens in no time. Hollow punches are the first choice for this work, but thin-walled metal tubing and cartridge cases also work well. If it is round, metal, and can be sharpened to cut foam, I have probably used it.

Don Schmotzer foto

Don Schmotzer foto

    You can also trace the circles onto foam sheet and cut them out with with curved scissors. It is tedious, but it works if you're just tying a few 'Ducks. I still do that now and then.
   
Colors
    One topic that always gets the proverbial feathers flying among anglers is color. Every angler has his pet favorites, and the trendy colors get more interest than honey in a beehive.
I'm not sure that fish share this fascination with the chromatic - one color seems to work about as well as the next. Nevertheless, when it comes to colors for the Sneaky Duck, the sky is the limit.
    The original featured a chartreuse tail and body, black under hackle and white rubber legs. Don Schmotzer likes them that way, along with yellow and red. Glitter and sparkle foam are both nice, as well as all the common colors like green, yellow, white...and more! 

TIP: Don't neglect long wavelength colors, like blue or purple. I have found these to be surprisingly good. 

Purple and Blue w/ black legs

    Once you have your foam discs in your favored color, affix them in-line and overlapping one another, on top of the hook.

 A pinching cinch is needed to lock them in, and a dot of cement is added to strengthen the connection. Together, these discs form the floating body. 

    When combined with the other elements, you get a whimsical, "creature fly" that is not only visually fun, but it catches a lot fish.

    We are checking off several boxes, at this point!    

Don Schmotzer foto

Don Schmotzer foto

Don Schmotzer foto

Sizes
    My Sneaky Duck flies come in sizes 1-8 for my target species, bass and bluegill.
- Sizes 1 thru 4 are about right for large- and small mouth bass. 
- Size 6 and 8 complete the Sneaky Duck panfish arsenal.
I'm sure you could go larger, if you were after pike, perhaps.
    

    So how about smaller Sneaky Ducks?
    Let's have Don Schmotzer share his thoughts about "micro" Sneaky Ducks...

"I tie bigger Sneaky Ducks on #4' hooks. But my favorite for 'gills is #10's. I feel a miniature size 12 Sneaky Duck will also be a real '"gill killer.'"...  I intend to try a smaller disk (.30" or even .25") on a size 12 to see if I can find the right balance for a sunfish size Sneaky Duck. It may take a while to get the proportions right......but its fun to play with .......Don in SC
 
    I have tied them down to size 12, so that's doable if you like the lilliputian end of the scale. It is not all that difficult to do, although I leave the under-hackle off these teensy versions.

Size 12, 10, and 8!

One Extreme To The Other

    Lets now check off the box marked, "versatile," shall we?

Slider For The Win
    I almost always fish top-water to start a session, and the Sneaky Duck is just right for that. Fishing the 'Duck is pretty straightforward:

- Cast the fly to a fishy spot
- Allow it to sit and just "be there"
- Twitch it a couple times. Let it sit some more
    

    If nothing happens...

- Strip it hard, or snatch it with the rod tip. It will "duck" under the surface then pop back up.
- Be ready for the strike

    If you chose a spot with a fish nearby, it cannot help but nail that Sneaky Duck!

    Because of the sloping head and body, this fly is classified as a slider pattern. When you strip in the pattern, or twitch the rod tip, the fly dives, or "slides" beneath the surface. Then, when you stop, it floats back to the top.
    This action brings another element into the game: 
     

    Stealth….the Sneaky Duck is stealthy.

    This is a pattern that lives up to its name. It makes a noticeable disturbance that fish eagerly key on. But, it is a "quiet disturbance." 
    Unlike the splashy and noisome popper, sliders like the Sneaky Duck behave more like swimming or struggling prey. It is a subtle, stealthy presentation,... more natural. 

    It is, in short, a "sneaky duck," and that is yet ANOTHER box checked off!

No Legs, Deer Hair Tail

Sneaky Duck In Action
    I spun around quickly, fly rod held tightly in hand...
"Hey Don, quick - put it in neutral for a second!"
"Huh? Why?" he asked. "Hold on - you got a fish?!"
He shook his head in disbelief, shifted outta gear, and the boat slowed to a drift. 
"No, it didn't get hooked..., but I got a blow-up strike back there!"

    We were creeping along the lee side of an island in Don's pontoon boat, with Don at the helm. He was keeping the boat at casting distance from shore, the prop barely engaged, and mostly just sightseeing. The two other guys in our party, Tony and Leon (RIP), they were on the forward deck, lazily casting flies to the shore and hooking up with small brim now and then. Everyone was in laid-back mode.

    Except me. I didn't come to lounge around; I had a different idea in mind.

    Standing on the rearmost platform of the boat, I remembered Buck Perry's motto, "Deep water is the home of the fish." From my stern position, I was focusing on that advice and surface-trolling a Sneaky Duck over subsurface weed beds.
    The other guys were fishing toward the shallow shore. But I was pulling a big, #2 Sneaky Duck behind the boat, over the deep edges of an underwater weed line, well out from shore...

     The water was clear and I could see the weed tops below as the boat passed over them. The 'Duck chugged along about 30 yards astern, when I spotted an inlet down in the weeds. I watched it fall behind the boat 'til it was just in range of my fly.
    As the 'Duck 'swam' into the open water above the cut, I quickly flicked a mend into the line and fed the fly some slack. In this way the fly twitched once, then just stalled and hung temptingly over the open spot - and POW! It got a big strike!
    That was what I was hoping for, of course, but no one took any notice until I spoke to Don. The others were pre-occupied with their own business, and Don was piloting the boat, so these events went unseen.

    "Hey guys," I exclaimed, "it looks like some pretty nice fish are holding on the outside edge of these weeds... we ought to move out a ways and work along there!"
    But my announcement fell on deaf ears. Tony was watching the shore, Leon had grown disinterested and was dozing in the sun, and Don was in his element guiding the boat. 

    Trolling a surface fly from the back of the boat? Well, lets just say you're not taken all that seriously for it. They looked at me and yawned. 
    My own motto is , 'Don't leave feeding fish," but by then everyone had had enough of this spot and decided it was time to go elsewhere. I looked at Don questioningly, he shrugged... and we veered off on a course for other waters.

    But the Sneaky Duck left a lasting impression at that moment. 

    Don has had his share of Sneaky Duck days, too....

"The other day at H - Ranch (private pond), I only caught a few of those wonderful copper-heads they have there...because I had to keep unhooking those pesky 'green trout,'... thirty-two times that day.

Its hard to get the copper-heads to bite when the bass chase them away from your Sneaky Duck! (I have had worse fishing days LOL)"....Don in SC

Don Schmotzer foto

Or...

"I just got back from the lake; I was targeting bass with the Sneaky Duck. I lost two nice bass on a red & yellow one, but the big story was all the different sunfishes I was catching on the 'Duck. I couldn't keep them off of it! I have never seen so many in the shallow rocks this early in the year. 

My plan was to catch at least one nice bass to filet for supper, but I had a blast catching the brim anyway.
I caught about 25 sunfish and missed those two chunky bass. Not bad for 2 hours on the lake." ....Don in SC

\
Green Sunfish

Don Schmotzer foto

Bluegill

Don Schmotzer foto

Lake-run Red Breast

Don Schmotzer foto

Summary

    Those who try the Sneaky Duck come to like it; good reports follow wherever it is cast. Meanwhile, the fly gets experienced anglers like Don Schmotzer into the action.
Little else is needed to recommend it.

    
    Proven many times over, the Sneaky Duck checks all the boxes...

☑ Inexpensive to tie - common, easily obtained materials
☑ Appealing to the eye - fun, whimsical, even "cute"

☑ Versatile - can be tied in many sizes, many colors
☑ Stealthy - natural, quiet presentation
☑ Effective - consistently catches multiple species

    If we are honest, there are thousands of fly patterns that will catch fish. One of the greats in the fly fishing game had this to offer...

"The artificial fly pattern may be the most unique sporting element, or tool man has ever developed."

- Lefty Kreh

    With that in mind, lets check one more box for the Sneaky Duck...

☑ Unique - ... it is a unique pattern, in a field that is itself, unique.

    Yes, the Sneaky Duck checks all the boxes. 

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Writers should strive for a job well done... even half-baked ones like me. If you found value in this article, please like, comment, and share it. 

Do you want to add any of the flies seen here to your own fly or tackle box?
Do you have questions, compliments, or suggestions?
Email me at...dahutist@gmail.com

If you appreciate a no-drama, no-hype Facebook group, follow this link and come join us at: 

Palmetto Fly n Fish

Thanks so much for reading, and...

Tight Lines,

Dave Hutton

© All rights reserved, David Hutton/Palmetto Fly N Fish 2023 

References

1. Donald Charles Schmotzer, aka, "Don" 

2. Fly Tyer Magazine, Spring 2011 

3. "Bluegill Fly Fishing and Flies," Terry and Roxanne Wilson
 

4. Ultralight Fly Fishing.com

https://ultralightflyfishing.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=4686

https://ultralightflyfishing.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=94&t=6196

https://ultralightflyfishing.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=6167  

5. "Leftys Little Library of Fly Fishing," ©1993, Odysseus Editions

Float Tubing and Tackle Talk

 July 17, 2016...UPDATED April 2023

I paid a visit to the lake this morning. Up with the sun, on the water by 8 am.

    I took the Cumberland float tube to an area I've fished from shore many times. It is a small point with a boat ramp, and a tiny cove along one side. It has a small picnic site fronting the cove, and in the back, the cove is filled with driftwood that has piled in from the main lake.

   I started with surface bugs, as usual. But top-water was the wrong game. The fish weren't having my surface flies, and only once did a floating fly get a serious strike - and that fish self-released.

    But I'm no one-trick pony; I'll switch up in a minute if I need to. And this morning I needed to.

    Time to go subsurface - and that is where the bluegill were biting.

    The best fly this July morning was a small Cap Spider I first saw in the fly box of pal, Don Schmotzer. As he ties the thing, it is just a bit of fine chenille or dubbing for a body, with rubber legs and a gold bead head. I think of these as "slow sinking spiders," but Don calls 'em Cap Spiders, and that's good enough for me.

    Other flies that shared the catching duties were,

- Flash bodied soft hackle

- Wooly Nymph

- Cockatoo.... this Ward Bean wet fly is a fave of mine (You can see my history with this fly, here: The Cockaroo A link to Wards site is in the references)

    Some of the fastest action came while trolling along the rocks seen in the pics below. That is a trusted tactic once the water warms. A number of fish also came right off the end of the boat ramp, itself. You have to watch out for boats and stay clear, of course, but the ramp has a sharp drop-off on the end that attracts fish.

 
Tackle Trials
    The No Knot Eyelet Experiment kicked off today, with the eyelet holding fast, through many fish and some hefty snags.       The immediate benefit to the No Knot Eyelet is that it puts an end to hanging in the guides, like you see with looped leader connections. The last time I saw that was with super glued leader connections.

    Detractors say that the No Knot Eyelet stresses the line and causes it to crack where the eyelet is inserted. Others complain that they rust and eventually break. Those things may in fact happen with neglect, but they seem like things one can get ahead of with awareness and line maintenance.     Under the magnifier, it shows no signs of failure.
The torture test continues.

    These tackle trials also extend to my new bargain fly line, from www.discountfishingDenver.com. That line was $12 in 2016 ... in 2023, it is $19.99. My rod is designated, "5/6 wt," and the line is a WF6F... a Weight Forward, 6 wt. Floating line.

    So what does that mean? On weight forward lines, the first 30 feet are supposed to be thicker and heavier than the rest of the line. It is designed to be forward oriented on one end.     The opposite occurs with double taper (DT) lines; they are slightly thicker in the center but thin out toward either end.     The rod says, "5/6," however, so that means it is designed to use EITHER a 5 wt. double taper (DT) level line, OR.... a 6 wt. forward weighted line.    This can be taken as a general guideline. It mostly depends on how much line you have out: - Shorter casts favor a heavier front section on the line.

- Long casts require a lot of line out, so you can load the rod well without the extra front weight taper.     Such a rod might also handle line a bit higher or lower, say 4 wt. or 7 wt....  Little is absolute in fly fishing, and each rod is different. In my case, this Weight Forward (WF) 6 wt. line is just right, and it makes the line effortless to cast. In a float tube, you can closely approach your target, and that little bit of extra weight does the trick on shorter casts..

    How about that bargain line.... what do I think of it?     Well, I'm a hack - not a line expert... I can't really give a hardcore line report. What I can say is it flows easily through the guides and is maybe smoother than my Scientific Angler lines. That may also be because it's new.

    But it lays nicely in the stripping apron, is quite supple and has no tendency to kink or twist. In short, the line was trouble free. I never had to worry about it, and I suppose that says something.

    On that subject, I've also started using Scientific Angler's pure silicone fly line dressing. I applied it to this line right away, before using it. It seems to have made little practical difference that I can tell over the bare line.     But I feel that using it gives an overall improvement in line performance and longevity, too. So I'll keep putting it on.     In fact, I put it on all sorts of things. My only regret is it comes in such a teensy bottle!

PS I get no sponsor kickbacks for mentioning this stuff. I just like it. If you know of something comparable, please let me know.

Random Pics

From L to R: Cockaroo, well chewed
Red Cap Spider
Flash Body Hackle Fly
Cork Popper

The Wooly Nymph mentioned in the narrative is not shown, and is a mystery to me, today - that was seven years ago, after all...

But the large popper was NOT the one to use on a late July morning.

Regardless, this inspires me to tie up some July Bluegill Kits!

Thanks for reading!

----------<~~>----------

Writers should always strive for a job well done... especially mediocre writers like me. So if you found value in this article, please like, comment, and share it. 

Do you want to add the catching flies seen here to your own fly or tackle box? Do you have questions, gripes, or suggestions?
If so, email me at...dahutist@gmail.com

If you appreciate a no-drama, no-hype Facebook group, follow this link and come join us at: 

Palmetto Fly n Fish

Thanks so much for reading, and...

Tight Lines,

Dave Hutton

© All rights reserved, David Hutton/Palmetto Fly N Fish 2023 

References

1. http://www.warmwaterflytyer.com

2. https://www.facebook.com/groups/flyfishingsouthcarolina

3. https://www.discountfishingdenver.com