Mylar Tubing

[troutinturnie 0]

Any tips for tying in Mylar Tubing and folding itself back over the hook shank? The fly I'm trying to tie is the floating minnow pattern that requires you to tie the tubing in at the eye and fold it back over to the rear of the hook over the foam. I'm tying it in alright but every time I try and hold it back over itself it separates and spreads all out.

 

Here is the link I'm following. Any advice would be great.

 

[troutinturnie 0]

The threads Iv researched offer suggestions but nothing relating to folding the tubing back over itself.

[flytire 0]

did it unravel more than shown in the video?

 

i had one brand of tubing that would unravel just looking at it and another brand that didnt unravel

 

maybe thats happening to you

[troutinturnie 0]

Ya it completely unravelled right to the eye of the hook. I tied one successfully and had 4 unravel.

[Poopdeck 0]

Light heat to the end with a lighter to melt the frays together before folding? Never made one but this makes sense to me.

[mikechell 0]

It's wasteful, and there's no real way around it. Use a longer piece, heat the ends as suggested above.

Or, you could use UV to secure the end in a round shape before cutting it off.

 

[tjm 0]

Like said maybe that brand of tubing, or maybe use a larger size tubing so that the stuff has more room to turn. Pinch tubing right at the end might help, longer piece might be easier to pinch off and can be cut back after.

I think that this is one of those times when you have to try every thing and see what works for you. I tried these once and found that I just don't like mylar tubing. I did just slip some over the hook without turning it inside out.

[flytire 0]

while this is similar you could tie them like this

 

 

push your piping to the bend of the hook and tie down. then retie the thread at the head

 

[troutinturnie 0]

Awesome thank you for the suggestions. Ill try them out and post a response here in the next few day.

[Philly 0]

Mylar tubing is a pain to work with, especially trying to fold it back over itself or even slide it over a foam body. I use either E-Z Body braid or Flex-o tubing for that style of fly. It's a woven tubing, and comes in various diameters and colors. I also used it to bullet proof my salt water poppers. Much easier to work with than Mylar tubing. You can google it on line. I think J Stockard and Cabela's carry it.

[troutinturnie 0]

thanks!

[JSzymczyk 0]

back in the dark ages we used to measure whatever length of tubing needed, paint a ring of clear Hard-As-Nails around that point, wait for it to dry, then cut it. It more or less kept the ends from fraying and stayed flexible enough to do whatever you want. Keep the core in the braid until after you cut what you want for each fly.

[Hogan 0]

Melt the ends with a lighter. This not only fuses the tubing ends, it provides a 'ridge' to start the tie so the thread doesn't slip off