Rainy Day Rattler - Tube Flies

[letumgo 0]

A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by letumgo:

 

Rainy Day Rattler - Tube Flies (click link for more info)

 

[GHow 0]

More great work letumgo along with the others. Tell ya the truth I'm so old school and embarassed. I can see the construction BUT I have no idea of how a tube fly works, rigging or any benefits Can you give us (me) a little run down please :dunno:

[letumgo 0]

Ghow,

 

First let me say it is great to get a posting from you. I am a BIG fan of your "Howser Clouser" fly. I bought a bunch of Neer hair last summer and tied up a bunch of them for my own fly box and they worked great. I really like your recent simple damsel fly (great pattern and simple to tye). Thank you for sharing your patterns.

 

In terms of your question about tube flies, I'd be glad to share what I understand about tube flies. Basically, a tube fly is just like any other fly, but tied on a hollow tube with a flexable piece of tubing located where the hook bend is normally located. The fly is attached by first threading your line through the center of the fly and then tying on the hook of your choice. I've been using Daiichi XPoint style X510 (3X short/3X heavy), or Model 1650(2X short/2X heavy), or Model 2450(tube fly multi-use O'Shaughnessy bend). The hook sizes that work best are sizes 4 thru 10.

 

Tube flies have a number of neat features that got me interested. This is only my first year fishing them, so I'll share what I've read and what little I've observed first hand.

 

- From what I've read, tube flies are supposed to have better hook holding power than a standard fly

- When a fish is hooked, the fly slides up the line out of the way. This helps minimize the chance of a fish using the shank of the hook as a lever to pull loose (the longer the hook shank, the more advantage a tube fly would have over a standard version of a fly).

- Tube flies are supposed to last longer since they slide up the line and are not cut up by the teeth of the fish (although I've seldom worn out a regular fly due to to many fish biting the fly...)

- Last week I was fishing a tube fly minnow pattern and I noticed a neat feature that I have not read anywhere else. Basically, I found that I could rotate the hook to change the behavior of the minnow pattern when it was retrieved. When the hook bend faced downwards, the pattern rode with its belly down and back up (same as a fresh minnow). But when I rotated the hook point off 30° to 40° to one side, the fly would flip over onto its side when it sat still (kind of like a wounded or dead minnow). I also rotated the hook point upwards and the pattern became almost weedless since the hook was hiden in the flash material.

- I've read that you can mix and match fly bodies and tails tied on hooks (think of a wooly bugger tube fly body with the marabou tail tied on the hook only). I havn't played with this feature much yet.

- The tube bodies can be made from plastic Q-tips (very cheap and easy to learn on), ballpoint pen liners, plastic tubing, or metal tubing (aluminum, brass, and copper). Each tube material has a different density, which will change the sink rate and behaviour of the fly that is tied on it. I use metal bodies for the ones I want to sink quickly, and plastic for the flies I want to sink very slowly (I find that they almost hover when tied with all synthetic materials - not surprising, but still pretty neat).

 

The January Edition of Hatches Magazine had a great article called "Tying the Tube Perch" by Nick Pujic. This article does a nice job showing the detailed steps involved in tying a tube fly.

 

I bought a couple of books that were very helpful getting started with tube flies ("Tube Flies - A Tying, Fishing & Historical Guide" by Mark Mandell & Les Johnson/ISBN 1-57188-036-4) and ("Hairwing & Tube Flies for Salmon & Steelhead" by Chris Mann/ISBN 0-8117-3176-6)

 

Anyways, I found tube flies to be an interesting concept and I decided to give them a try this summer.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks again for your contributions to my fly box...

[fly time 0]

That is one great lookin fly, great job, and keep up the great work!!! :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:

[Guest]

Can't go wrong followin' what Pujic does! That's a great looking streamer letumgo, and you may have just convinced me to give tube flies a try!

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Looks great! I like that tubing material for the rattle flies. I think the mono braid is stronger than the plain mylar and will hold up better to fish eating it. Even with epoxy covering the mylar, the mylar type tubing breaks open after a dozen or so redfish.

Nice job.

Kirk

[Mr. Vegas 0]

woohoo got my hmh tube fly kit in today, so now the race is on to the dollar store for some tubes Amazing fly ray!!

[letumgo 0]

Kirk - I've also tyed these with Flexicord, which seems to be very durable. I got better at tying these and posted another version that I like better than the one shown above.

 

Yellow Rainy Day Rattler Tube Fly

 

Dustin - If you are just learning to tye tube flies, you may find these articles helpful. They have some step-by-step photos that show how to make a few different types of tube fly patterns.

 

Lake Erie Shiner (Tube Fly Article)

Simplicity Minnow (Tube Fly Article)

Letumgo Diver (Tube Fly Article)

Letumgo Minnow (Tube Fly Article)

 

 

[tyrite 0]

Great Zonker style tub!!! the radial would be just great.

 

thanks Glen

[airbornemike 0]

Charlie Bisharat has been messing with a tube fly design for warm water stuff, its suppose to be extremely weedless.

[Jackpott 0]

This fly would be an absolutely superb pattern for African Tigerfish! Very nice fly!

[letumgo 0]

:bugeyes: AFRICAN TIGER FISH???!!! Now that sounds like FUN. I may need a bigger rod...