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Everything posted by navigator37
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Over the years, I found that some of my fly boxes were too big for my float tube pockets. I began to get into the habit of using tiny boxes which were compact and left lots of extra room on the water for other stuff. On lakes I'm familiar with, I take some select patterns from a big assortment, and put them into these small boxes, then head onto the water. I began making two types of fly boxes. Both are extremely inexpensive and are still durable. Didn't know if anyone on the board makes their own but I figured I'd just show you a few. The metal ones are cigarette tins/cases with foam inserted. The other is a clear, plastic case from a deck of cards with the same foam insert glued inside. It floats like a cork as well. The foam I use is that foam mat that links together for walking on, though many types of foam could be used. ( It's on the right side of the picture.) These little boxes are also handy for keeping at the fly tying desk for your finished flies as they don't take up much space. Anyone use anything similar?
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A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by navigator36: The Inferno Fly
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Unbelievable imitation!!!
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A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by navigator36: The Easy Floss Chironimid
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Yeah the colors on this one are pretty wild. Flash was the object of this one, something that really stands out in the sunlight.
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A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by navigator36: The Glimmer Fly
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You're welcome. Just got some new flashabou and krystal hair and plan on tying lots of variations.
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Sorry, I forgot to add that if you don't want to lay the Krystal hair peices down on a cemented fly you can always tie in a long strand of it at the tail in the beginning and wind it around the body. Then tie it off at the base of the bead which I guess is easier though I don't know if it would look any better.
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Most parts of this fly are very simple to tie. The placement of the Krystal hair/Krystal Flash however, is a lot different. It is not wrapped around the fly but is laid on the flies freshly cemented body instead. It is an alternative to painting a fly and the sparkle is incredible. Another option that could be used with this method is taking pinches of glitter and applying it the same way. I have included eyes in this step by step. For them I use liquid paper (it dries super fast) and permanent fine black marker. Here goes... 1. Start out with a basic thread wrap on a small long shank hook with the bead head on and the tail tied in. As you wrap the thread to form the fly like this, remember to cement the start of the thread, and cement again, half way through. This may seem like a lot of thread to use but on a small hook like this it's not too bad. 2. Then the thread will no longer be used and is tied off. Cut off very small pieces of Krystal hair or micro Krystal Flash That are a little smaller than the fly body. 3. Rotate the pattern on it's side and apply a thin layer of cement along the body.(I use Hard as Nails for this). Don't get any cement on the bead of the fly yet. With your fingers or tweezers, take one to four strands of Krystal Hair Pieces and lay them down on the cemented side. If they are out of line, simply take a needle and position them the way you want along the body. It doesn't have to be perfect. Wait a few minutes and rotate the fly on it's other side and do the same. Let the fly sit on either side and let the Krystal Hair set on the cemented body. If a piece of the hair seems to be off the body a little too much, it can be gently pushed down to the cement with your fingers or a needle. ( It's easy to do that when the cement is half dried.) Let the fly now dry completely. For the first real coat of cement, bring the fly up to it's original position and get a generous drop of cement, first applying it along the top/back of the fly. Then as the cement is working itself around the flies body, keep adding a little more cement here and there, so you establish a nice even coat. Be careful not to get any on the bead or the tail. You will notice now that with the proper amount of cement on the fly, the cement will begin to hang off the fly depending on which way you have it positioned. As this happens, rotate the fly right side up and then up side down so the cement dries over the fly evenly. When the cement does not run anymore, make the eyes which are of course optional. Again, I use liquid paper for the white, and a fine marker for the pupil. At this point, take the cement and go over the dried body generously one more time including the eyes which you can now gently spot once with the cement as well as the rear half of the bead. Then, as before, rotate the fly, right side up (let sit) and upside down (let sit). This again gets the cement to dry over the fly evenly. As simple as this fly is to tie, it is more time consuming than most. The results however, are a very durable fly for such a small size. Try experimenting with different color thread body, different color Krystal Hair, or even a tiny cone head. There are tons of variations.
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I'll do a step by step for you soon. Most of the fly is easy, so I'll focus on how the Krystal hair is applied. The cement is important as well. I use Hard As Nails for the body and apply it over the Krystal Hair.
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Glad you liked the fly. Almost everyone uses Krystal Hair/Flash on the fly as outer body material that hangs off the fly. If you haven't tried it as ribbing or as body material with clear cement on it, you'll be amazed how that sparkle comes out when cement is applied to it. The pattern, by the way, can be wrapped with Krystal Hair as well, if it is tied on at the rear. I just prefer to lay sections down and cement over it with this one.
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A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by navigator36: Tiny Terror
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Thanks you guys. The regular bead idea might work well.
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A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by navigator36: The Anchor
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I came up with this one a while ago. Most of the leech patterns I've seen are hairy looking. Although those patterns, some of which are famous, work well, I think the trout might be taking them for a dragonfly nymph. This one is just tied simple so the marabou folds back against the hook shank on retrieve. I should have named it the ' streamer leech' because it's tied like one.
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A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by navigator36: Black Flash Leech
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Phantom midge larva...Anyone fish them?
navigator37 replied to navigator37's topic in The Fly Tying Bench
A combination of things I guess. From years of experience in fly fishing, research in books, exploring lakes, and contact with people on forums like this. Snorkeling in lakes, is another great thing to do. It gives you a fish's eye view of a lake and lets you observe the insect life and structures underwater. It's amazing though, how much more I still have to learn. -
Just curious if anyone here has fished the transparent form of Phantom Midge found in lakes and ponds. I have read a few articles suggesting that when the trout are selectively feeding on these, that you might as well pack it up and call it quits for awhile. The pupae are another matter as many people imitate these patterns. I am tying some patterns up for next year and may try it anyways just to see what happens. These are made with a simple body of Danville clear mono and cemented through the wraps very well. The naturals are up to 1/2 inch in length. The variations I made here are size 16's with an upturned eye.
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Thanks. The black and yellow is really good as well.
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A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by navigator36: Pike Duster
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Is it possible that the fish rely less and less on color at a certain depth and rely instead on movement, the shape of the fly and scent instead? I know a lot of these studies vary about the fish's vision and how it sees. There is also the big question of different fish seeing different colors better than others. Therefore, bass, pike and trout may be able to see red better than bluegill, suckers or carp. I believe that may be the case. These studies emphasize how a fish sees. They assume fish of different species all see the same with respect to different colors. I think they are in error. Just my two cents...
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In all my years fly fishing, I have never questioned the use of red materials in tying flies. Some of it's use comes from the fact that there is red, of course in the insect life I was imitating. On attractor flies, I used it because I thought red would look flashy and catch the attention of a pike or trout. However, recently, I have come across many studies and articles involving the emphasis that the color red, when submerged, is the first color to disappear to the fish's vision. According to the color spectrum, ( red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet) red is the least visible color to the fish when it submerges ten feet or deeper. Many fishing line companies rave about their invisible red fishing lines now. Would it make sense then, to tie with red materials for flies fished deep? It just doesn't make sense. Trout routinely scour the bottom of lakes for midge larvae which are as red as can be. I've found tons of bright red larvae in a trout's stomach. Are these studies on a trout's visible abilities flawed? I will keep tying with red, I suppose, but are the fish actually seeing it, or are they focusing in on another color on the fly while the red remains invisible to them? I hope this isn't a pointless topic, but I wanted to see what everyones take is on this. Have you ever been unsuccessful with a fly until you tied red material on it? How important is red?
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A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by navigator36: Chenille Dragon
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It comes in spools like fishing line does. It comes in diameters of .5mm to 1.5mm in colors of clear, green and black. I get mine at Michaels craft store and Walmart's craft section. Punch the names in on the net to see what it looks like.
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I have recently been experimenting with Stretch Magic or Bead N Stretch cord for different flies and started making some good dragonfly nymph eyes. By making mono eyes, sometimes the burnt eye can separate from the mono or can be a little stiff to work with. It's ok, but if you try this other stuff, you'll probably be very pleased. - After the eye is made with a lighter, it cools very slowly on the end of the cord. This allows you to carefully roll the cord at an angle and make the eye shape you like. You can make the eye perfectly round or elongated, etc. - When you burn eyes with this stuff, you can burn the eye on the blue part of the lighter flame to keep the eye a lighter color, or on the higher orange part of the flame to make the eye darker. By experimenting with the burning technique, you can achieve a wide variety of tones and shapes of eyes. - Caution: Because this type of stretch cord cools slowly, it can drip off the cord and onto your skin, or you could roll the cord around to form it's shape and you could flick some onto your skin as I've done. Protective glasses would be good. - Once the eye had hardened it still remains as soft as the original cord and will not pull or come off. It's great stuff for dragon and damselfly nymph eyes. Upon burning the eye, I hold a 1 1/2 inch piece of it at an angle as shown so the melted spot runs down the cord slightly without dripping off. Then when the size of the melted eye is what you want, simply roll the cord between your fingers and blow on it as it slowly cools. I love this stuff.