Attaching Rubber Legs

[Guest]

I've been messing with putting some rubber legs on a "wooly bugger" pattern giving it that hellgramite look and am having some slight trouble with the rubber legs. At what point should I be adding adding the legs and what is the best way to anchor them to the hook?

 

My attempts have been coming out uneven and one leg goes in one direction and the other leg goes in another direction. Nothing it behaving real consistant!

[Guest]

Whenever I add rubber legs, I tie them to each side. I'll precut the legs, then fold them in half around the tying thread, then lash them to one side, then the other. I try to keep my thread wraps tight & in one spot, and usually make about 5-7 wraps. Each leg then comes out about the same length & angle. It should look like it was tied in a figure eight.

 

If you're wrapping a body, tie in your tail, & body materials, including any ribbing materials first, then tie in your legs, and afterward wind your body materials forward. I try to space the wraps with my body materials so that each fly is the same, and take one turn thru the leg sections. You can get a little variance in the positioning of the legs depending on how tight to the legs you wrap the body materials, and depending on what the body material might be.

 

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you will get a leg that just won't behave, but in most cases it will seldom matter to the fish.

[Guest]

Thanks for the tips Jim, I guess it all comes down to practice

[Guest]

For a rubber legged bugger or nymph or something else where you are wrapping the body material, I tie in the tail, hackle and chinelle first. Then advance the thread to the middle of the shank. Tie in the legs either along teh shank or in a figure 8, it doesn't really matter. Then, as I wrap the body, I position the legs between wraps. This allows me to spread teh legs out and only tie them in once. The tying thread holds them to the shank, but the body wraps hold them in place. This way you can move them a little after they are in to get them back to the right position you want. I think having legs spaced along the body looks more leg like than having a clump coming out each side.

Dan