Little trick for those of you using pre-cut bodies

[TheCream 0]

I use a lot of the new pre-cut bodies out there, mainly the Cohen's Creatures and the Kiley Skinz products. Cohen's Hellgramite body has been super effective for me on smallies in the local flows. Something that always bothered me (I'm a perfectionist) is that whenever I tied one of these bodies on a point-up riding fly, and impaled the body over the hook point before tying it in, I always struggled to keep the body parallel with the shank. It would always ride kinked slightly up or slightly down. Maybe it matters, maybe it doesn't, but bottom line was it bothered me. The solution hit me yesterday morning, I tried it last night, and now I'm sharing it here. Wherever you want the body impaled, use a small hole punch to punch a larger diameter hole than the hook diameter. This gives you the greater margin for error to tie the body in and not have it kink up or down. I already had an 1/8" hole punch for a Trouser Worm foam carp fly variation I tie, and it was perfect for my test last night. Yea, they're purple, but they work.

 

 

I tested last night on a Kiley's Damzel tail and a Cohen Creature Hellgramite.

 

 

Both materials are so durable I doubt the hole will compromise much durability. I expect to snag and lose these before they ever get damaged.

 

 

The larger hole worked out great, as I had hoped. I'll definitely be taking this short extra step on all of these types of flies from now on. Hellgramites, damsels, craws, paddle tails, this trick should work with all of them. Obviously, if you're using a body like these and having the hook point down, it's unnecessary since the hook bend/point won't interfere with the body. But, for hook point up flies, I thought it was a fun little trick.

 

[mikechell 0]

Excellent idea, Cream. I thought about making a longer cut, rather than just poking the hook through, but that might still cause the edges of the cut to pucker around the hook. Your method looks quite effective.

 

Even if you are using a "gender opposite" colored hole punch.

[SILKHDH 0]

Now be nice. It's not nice to make fun of someone's MAGENTA (LOL) colored hole punch. Nice idea and nice patterns there Cream.

[TheCream 0]

My hole punch identifies as a man.

[Kimo 0]

The hole punch looks lavender on my screen.

Kimo

[cheech 0]

I invented that Cream!!!!

[josephcsylvia 0]

A side question thats still related. Does anyone cut their own bodies out of ultra suede if so where do you get it?

[Mike West 0]

A side question thats still related. Does anyone cut their own bodies out of ultra suede if so where do you get it?

I do...you can get it any fabric store.(JoAnns, Cloth World) Made templates out a acetate and use those to cut out crawdad bodies.

Tandy Leather makes a leather punch like that with numerous different size punches on one wheel. I have one in storage some where.

[flytire 0]

[TheCream 0]

A side question thats still related. Does anyone cut their own bodies out of ultra suede if so where do you get it?

I have some sheets of ultra suede I ordered from rusuperfly (Cohen) a while back.

[mikechell 0]

Some of you will not know what I am talking about.

I had a pair of knee high moccasins. When they wore out, I kept the suede and have cut a few bodies out of that. I haven't actually cut any for flies, but I used to cut a lot of 'worm' bodies and crawdad claws for jigs.

[mvendon 0]

Some of you will not know what I am talking about.

I had a pair of knee high moccasins. When they wore out, I kept the suede and have cut a few bodies out of that. I haven't actually cut any for flies, but I used to cut a lot of 'worm' bodies and crawdad claws for jigs.

 

 

Were they kind of like the ones Chief Jay Strongbow used to wear ?

 

[mikechell 0]

I saw that picture, MV ... and threw up a little.

[Brian Myers 0]

 

Some of you will not know what I am talking about.

I had a pair of knee high moccasins. When they wore out, I kept the suede and have cut a few bodies out of that. I haven't actually cut any for flies, but I used to cut a lot of 'worm' bodies and crawdad claws for jigs.

 

 

Were they kind of like the ones Chief Jay Strongbow used to wear ?

 

chief_jay_strongbow_stat.png

 

Of course they weren't mvendon, Mike's were magenta not white.

[mikechell 0]

I don't know what kind of fantasies you've got about me, Brian ... but no, I never wore magenta. I am not even sure I know what particular color "magenta" is. But I am glad you do, in case I ever need someone to help me buy something for Wife.

 

Mine were just like this:

 

 

Which, it turns out, are still available at Cabela's.

 

http://www.cabelas.com/product/MINNETONKA-FRONT-LACE-BOOT-DS/1995465.uts?productVariantId=4171606&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=04156981&rid=20&gclid=CIupu-X-4s4CFc0lgQodVKUBMw&gclsrc=aw.ds