Tube Flies for Steelhead

[steelhead1975 0]

I bought the book "Fly Fishing for Great Lakes Steelhead", and I think it's quite good. I'm pretty new to fly fishing, and fly fishing for samonids. Anyone try tube flies? They sound really good, how they rotate around the hook shank. I can see them being irrestible to fish, but I'm not sure.

[Hywel 0]

Tube flies for Salmon and Steelhead totally *rock* - IMO!

 

Most people's conception of a tube fly is a saltwater-type streamer pattern that's tied 'in-the-round'.

 

I've been dressing 'traditional' NW flies like McMillan's "Paintbrush" and have recently tied other GNW (hair-winged) patterns like, "Borden's Special" and the tried and true "Green Butt Skunk" They look and fish just as well (if not better) than their 'iron cousins'.

 

I've also been experimenting with composite patterns in which the hook itself is an integral part of the 'whole' fly - and interchangeable.

 

If you'd like a few photo's or Rx's just drop me an e-mail and I'll oblige.

[Guest]

Yup, they work quite well. From at least the NW standpoint. Actually, what I like to do is tie the fly in the "round". If I tie them up in a standard tie (as if it looks like it's on a fly hook) I usually use the soft tubing for keeping the hook in place or jam the hook up into the actual tube material.

 

Sky's the limit. But for us, it really helps on our bigger flies we tie here. Especially when we prefer to use a smaller hook (can tie a body of a 2/0 fly but have a size 4 hook).

[steelhead1975 0]

Interesting! Well you've sold me. What tubing do you use for it, and where can I get some? I've never tied "in the round", but I think I can get a fishable fly.

[Guest]

I get all mine from HMH. But is easy to make your own from the cheap Qtips (usually store brands). You can make some pretty nice flies. In fact, you take a traditional hairwinged fly, and put the wing 360 degrees. Work pretty good.

[Hywel 0]

Ditto (for me) on the HMH Tubes...especially their Micro Tubing. They also carry cones and colored junction tubing that I highly recommend. John and Dana at HMH/Kennebeck are terrific guys to deal with, and they have a product line and customer service that's second to none.

 

I've also been using Eppendorf-style lab pipets (10ul) that make for a very durable tube fly and because of the taper in the pipet, it yields a much smaller head and negates the need for using a keyhole or junction tube.

 

If you want to get away from the simplistic style of tying a tube fly 'in the round' make sure you check out Jurij Shumakov's work on-line, or in Chris Mann's book, "Hairwing and Tube Flies for Salmon & Steelhead". Alot of Jurij's work can be found on ("the other site") Salmonfly.Net and on Rackelhanen, a Scandinavian web-zine.

 

 

 

Hywel

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

Hywel, I agree about Yuri's flies (Jurij). He does excellent work. I've been emailing him for quite awhile now. We've been exchanging flypics and fish stories on a regular basis. A great guy to talk to, and ties a MEAN spey fly. His site gives alot of awesome info.