Faux Fox dubbing brush minnows

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

That cortisone shot I got yesterday did wonders for my throat and fever enabling me to get to the vise this morning. I tied up a few flies for the synthetic swap I'm in and used the remnants to make these little #2 minnows.

 

Kirk

 

 

Fluffed out to show the underbody and collar of wrapped faux fox brush at the head.

 

[Peterjay 0]

Kirk, those babies will take anything, anywhere. Love 'em, especially the tails - how do you get that bicolor effect? I've been meaning to dye some wool two-tone to get something similar, but I haven't had a chance yet. I've done it with hackle, and it came out really well.

 

BTW - sounds like the flu bug has struck. Mrs. & I have also been knocked down since Christmas. Add a pinched neck nerve, and about all I'm good for is surfing with the laptop. I'm almost ready to call for the rubber truck to come get me. Hope you're well soon, mon ami.

[FlyFishin'Jam 0]

Sweet Minnows! Just the right amount of flash. Have a stinger on the end and steelhead would crush that hotspot on the tail.

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Peter, doc tested for flu, she said not the flu but a viral infection so no medicine for it; if it were flu, she said she had medicine. I did get a cortisone shot that relieved alot of weakness and other symptoms.

 

Thanks Peter, I look forward to watching the reds in shallow water fall over themselves to eat these. The bi-color is done when I make the dubbing brush, I'll place about three or four inches of one color and about a half inch of contrasting color alternating like that until the wire is full and then twist it up. Depending on how long your dubbing brush machine is and how long the tails w/hot tips, you can make a few to a half dozen or more tails from one brush.

 

Thanks Jam, I always wondered why ya'll put stinger hooks on those salmon flies. I didn't realize they go for the tip like that, always seemed to me that a big fish like a salmon would just inhale the fly and any hook upfront would stick them.

 

Thanks,

Kirk

[FlyFishin'Jam 0]

Kirk i am sure other people are more expert about what the salmonids do, but once they enter a river they are not feeding and typically just want to kill things, but they won't hold a fly for very long at all, feels like a sharp 'tap' and by the time you have felt that often they have already spat it out. I do know with spey's the general 'rule' is to not let any winging material go beyond the bend of the hook. (weird huh!?)

 

I have had experience with using salty streamers for salmon, in particular EP ties, and the hook-up rate is much small than using a short tied pattern or 'articulated'.

 

Anyway just kinda throwing it out there as these would work really well! I keep thinking of how to get fireline through that brush. I would throw something like this on the Skeena.

 

Hope you are better soon, i was coughing up bits of lung and sneezing giant green and yellow monsters a week or so ago. UGH!

[SCOwens 0]

I could enjoy enjoy having 1 or 12 of the red ones in my boat box haha

[Guest rich mc]

kirk , is there a way to make a very flexible brush usingsay braid or powerr pro instead of wire. ? rich

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Rich, I've never tried anything other than the thin wire. I think there was a discussion in the Fly Tying Bench forum above not long ago on the very subject. Quite a few people weighed in on it but I don't think anyone had any conclusive experience. Check out the post, it starts about 8 posts in where Mike asked about using something other than wire.

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=69587&hl=%2Bdubbing+%2Bbrush+%2Bwire&do=findComment&comment=522572

 

When I did the search, I found this one too.

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=70151&hl=%2Bdubbing+%2Bbrush+%2Bwire

 

Kirk

[Guest rich mc]

thanks kirk. i also thought using thread or line it would unravel. would adding a flexable cement to the thread , making the brush and allowing it to dry work to make a long fexible tail? i dont have a brush making tool yet or ild try it myself rich

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Rich, in theory, that should work; I've thought about it but dismissed the idea after realizing that when you twist a brush, the materials twist down onto the wire from a fluffy two inch rope to a quarter inch wad. That's when you stop, brush and tease out the fibers with your dog brush and twist again. I usually repeat that three or four times before the core is wrapped tight enough to hold the materials secure.

With glue on the core, the materials would stick to it making it hard to tease out and likely leave residue on the materials.

The wire core is thin enough that it wags a little but is stiff enough not to wrap back up around the hook when casting.

I have made some short dubbing loop/furled tails but even though the core is thread, it still is kind of stiff. That's not really a bad thing if you think about all of the stiff stick baits that are popular and successful for spin fishermen.

As for making the furled dubbing loop tail, just make your dubbing loop at the rear, load your materials, twist extra tight. Hold the now dubbing rope back in line with the hook for the tail with one hand and pinch a point on the rope the length you want the tail. Holding that point, bring the other end of the rope back forward and pinch down at the tie in point. The rope will twist back on itself a few turns. That's about the best I can describe; its okay but not as versatile as making a brush ahead of time. But that's something you can try without having a machine.

 

Kirk

[Fishypieter 0]

Those flies will be attacked by our Tigerfish in Southern Africa without a hesitation.

[Chefben4 0]

Nice ties kirk! Glad you are feeling better!

[Panama Red 0]

You have always had a hot butt...But this one tops the list

 

Great looking flies bro.

[SCOwens 0]

I might try to make one out of braid and CCG it so it stays together

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Thanks. My butt is my wife's...

 

SC, I used to make hot tipped bucktails by tying a small clump of rabbit, wool, yarn, etc to the end of a piece of hard mason - after burning a small stop in it first - the tie the mason into the wind so the little tuft of color stuck out the back or where I wanted it to.

Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

 

Kirk