Guest Report post Posted February 11, 2005 I'm getting ready to tie some flies for ice-out pike Would someone be so kind and fill me in on the difference between Fishair, Super Hair, Unique Hair, Big Fly Fiber, Neer Hair, Yak Hair, ect... Paul (Esox) recommended using a marabou, but we both agreed that any "colored" marabou has a tendancy to bleed. It would be nice to find a versatile material that would lend itself for ice-out pike as well as using it for some of the "combed" creations that pop up on our board on a regular basis Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dble Haul 0 Report post Posted February 11, 2005 I can give you feedback on three that you've mentioned, since I use them quite extensively. Super hair is synthetic. It comes in a wide array of colors and is slightly krinkled (not straight). It's fairly stiff for its diameter, and for that reason I use it a lot in saltwater patterns for stripers, blues, albies, etc. I only use it on one or two pike patterns becuase of its durability, but generally I prefer something with a bit more movement. Unique hair is also synthetic. It's nearly identical to Super Hair except that it's limper and has a bit more action. To that end, it's also less durable than Super Hair. I don't use Unique Hair in any of my pike patterns, because if I'm gonna sacrifice durability for movement, I'll go ahead and use natural materials that breathe even more. I use Unique Hair for several saltwater patterns, mainly for stripers. I've used Yak Hair before, and was impressed by its length and fluidity in the water. It blends well with other materials and flash, and did a great job until I found something better: Icelandic sheep hair. The sheep hair has everything Yak Hair does and slightly more. The difference in action in the water between yak hair and sheep hair may not seem apparent to all, but to me and the pike it seems to make a difference. I think it's because the sheep hair is a bit less dense than yak hair, making it more fluid in the water. A small amount of sheep hair can accomplish the same thing as a larger bunch of yak hair, so I save on materials in the long run too. Have fun. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted February 11, 2005 Thanks Mark Sounds like the sheep is the way to go. By your description it seems possible to comb it for other baitfish applications. Any specific color combos work better than others for the toothy critters? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted February 11, 2005 Mark when you refer to durability, is this a general reference or something unique to toothed fish? Have you found any problems with Sheep tangling? I think its great and the movement compares to Marabou, in my opinion. I can't say I've had a problem , but others have noticed it. One cure I've heard is to put a little Bucktail over it to control it. Shoe have you considered rabbit? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted February 11, 2005 Yup, I've entertained using strips, but the thought of blending the fibers seems like a better option. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dble Haul 0 Report post Posted February 11, 2005 QUOTE (wayne SW/MO @ Feb 11 2005, 12:40 PM) Mark when you refer to durability, is this a general reference or something unique to toothed fish? Have you found any problems with Sheep tangling? The durability issue is for all fish in general, but really shows itself when dealing with toothy fish. I haven't had any problems with the hair tangling yet, but that's probably because I use sparse amounts and usually collar it with other materials like you've described. Shoe- Here are some color combos that have worked especially well for me: White/red Yellow/red Yellow/white Chartruese/white Chartruese/yellow Pink/white Blue/white I've listed the primary color first, followed by the secondary color. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted February 11, 2005 That's a huge help. Thanks a bunch Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StY|EsoX 0 Report post Posted February 11, 2005 I like to work with rabbit fur, and pike love them. This material have a lot action in wather, also it is durabiliti to pikes teeth. I agree thet marabou is not best choice for pike flies, but this material have a great action and i use it on some flies. Try to tie some flies from polarfibre. Polarfibre have great action, but the fibres are short for big flies. Also try Black/Red, Black/Chartruese Black/Yellow combination of colour for your flies. In clear wather black color is very visible. Pike love Fluo-Orange color in combination with Yelloe, and Red too. Dane Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dble Haul 0 Report post Posted February 11, 2005 Dane, I agree wholeheartedly with you about the action and durability of rabbit strips. I have yet to see a pike ruin a magnum zonker strip (knock on wood). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Essoxfly 0 Report post Posted February 11, 2005 Don't forget Arctic fox, it looks very good in water and i even think the Pike's like to bite in it hackle feathers are also usefull as tails and much more durable than you might think. My prefered colour combo's is shown on my avatar Tight wire, Jakob, who just started experimenting with Goat Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MuskyOnTheFly 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2005 One trick I like to use when tying hackle feathers onto toothy critter flies is to attach them using small rubber bands, much like the ones that people with braces use. This allows me to replace a destroyed hackle feather tail when the rest of the fly is still good. The only problem is they do slide around a little bit so you have to tinker with it a little bit to make em stick. Icelandic sheep is an awesome material for pike/musky flies. It's extremely durable and will take the abuse of many fish. -Vandy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted February 12, 2005 Excellent info, Guys Just typical of this forum I might push the envelope a little and ask for the best patterns you guys use. I'm a greenhorn when it comes to pike on a fly, but some of the best waters are right outside my backdoor, with some very respectable fish and the season doesn't close. Don't be alarmed, they'll go back to fight another day. I'm sure many are in the database, but since this site has become so popular, it would take some time to find the proven patterns for pre/post spawn fish. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StY|EsoX 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2005 In 90% situation on wather Bunny Bug in red/white combination of colors will do the job. Also I like to fishing with diver/slider patterns on sinking line and short lider. Rabbit diver, dahlberg diver and mega diver are exelent for this fishing tehnics. Dane Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted February 12, 2005 I just placed an order with GC for a variety of colors, both in sheep and the long zonker strips in the recommended colors. This should be very interesting in the days to come The steelhead might get a break for a change One of our members (Esox) knows the waters I'm about to target and his very existance is based on the fooling of them. Fish in the mid-teems are very common, although they fall mostly to hardware. Sure would be nice to boat a trophy on a fly. Of course I'll be looking for the "black-bottomed" bays facing south and hopes of sight fishing for them is etched in my simple mind. Ah, mid-winter dreams... .... and something else to tie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Philly 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2005 I tend to use the artificial hairs for my pike/saltwater flies. Figure any material that can survive a few bluefish will survive a pike. Shoe: I use a variety of artificial hairs, Unique Hair, Fuzzy Fiber, Mirror Image. What I like to do before I tie the flies is blend the artificial hairs with flash material. With Unique hair I use either Polar or Sparkle flash. Fuzzy Fiber I blend with either Polar or Sparkle flash and on occasion Angel Hair. Mirror Image I'll blend with Angel Hair. My ratio is one pack flash to one pack hair. Some folks use as high as a 3 to 1 ratio. Depends on your tastes. Another material I starting to fool with is something called Awesome Hair. It's got to be related to Angel Hair, but it tapers better and really doesn't have to be trimmed to shape the fly. Nice and flashy should be able to tie a mean fire tiger pattern with it. Another pattern I like for pike is a Siliclone, I tie it with Polar Plus rather than wool. All white, Fire Tiger, Chartruese work well. One I came up with myself, call it a Spey Fleye. Combination of natural and artificial materials. Again all white or white with a chartruese collar seem to be the most effective colors. Related to this fly would be some big a** wooly buggers. One's in the 5-7 inch long ranged Find out what the most common forage fish are in the lake you want to fish. If there are a lot of perch, make sure you have a perch or fire tiger pattern in your box. Suckers, some gold flash mixed in with bronze or olive over white. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites