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Carolina Fly

STEP BY STEP - All About Craft Fur

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Ask and you shall receive ... Lots of questions about these style flies so here it is. This is by NO means the only way to do it ... but it's how I do it.

 

Start with a Gama Finesse Wide Gap hook. (My new favorite hook).

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Run your thread (white) down the shank until you're in line with the barb.

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Cut a clump of craft fur. Attach it to the hook shank. Use some superglue if the hair starts to turn on the shank.

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You'll have a step here. It's not a big deal because you'll be covering it up. I like to taper it some with the thread.

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Bring the thread back to the front of the hook and create a dubbing loop. Bring your thread back up front and throw in a half hitch.

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Wax it up.

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Cut a clump of craft fur and slide it to the top of the loop.

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Again.

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One more gin.

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That should do it. Now spin.

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Wrap your "fur hackle" up the hook shank making sure to pull the fibers back as you wrap.

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When you get near the eye, cross your thread and tie off. Pull the fibers back and create a small thread head. Whip finish.

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Messy Right?

 

Trim it up. Start with a clean cut underneath and then work off that. Should look like this.

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Now color it up. I use Copic markers.

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(Fire Tiger for Streamer)

 

Ready for eyes. Use the Goop.

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Done.

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Any color you want. Options are limitless.

 

Coldwater

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Warmwater

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Saltwater

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All the best,

 

Thomas

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Well done. Thanks for posting. One question: what are copic markers and where do you get them? Well, two questions I guess.

 

Dave

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Thank you! I can do flies like this with kinky fiber, and someone had mentioned in your last post you could make a dubbing loop to do this with craft fur... always something that's tricky for me. Seeing this is a HUGE help. thanks for taking the time to do this.

 

Question: I think you are, but to be clear, are you using the "underfur" and longer hairs in the craft fur? OR are you just teasing out the long fibers - sort of like one would do with deer hair?

 

Again, thank you for showing this!

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Thank you! I can do flies like this with kinky fiber, and someone had mentioned in your last post you could make a dubbing loop to do this with craft fur... always something that's tricky for me. Seeing this is a HUGE help. thanks for taking the time to do this.

 

Question: I think you are, but to be clear, are you using the "underfur" and longer hairs in the craft fur? OR are you just teasing out the long fibers - sort of like one would do with deer hair?

 

Again, thank you for showing this!

 

Yes, use everything.

 

- Thomas

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Thank you very much Carolina...I had never thought about "dubbing" the head like that...it makes sense now. Thanks again!

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the craft fur pieces that michaels sells-is it long enough?

marc

 

It's what I use. The fibers aren't very long but if you clip them at the "hide" they are long enough for flies like this in the 2 - 3" range.

 

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Carolina, beautiful flies. That was nice of you to put a SBS up for guys that have never done this before.

To address the comment about the length that was asked above. The size craft fur used on Carolina's is about as long as you need for almost any baitfish head. To make the fly larger/longer, try tying in saddle hackle, bucktail or other synthetics in for the tail. There is also a longer craft fur being sold by Targus I think called Crafty Fox Fur that can be used for a larger fly.

Barred saddle hackle makes for a really nice tail. What I usually do on those is to tie in the saddle and then tie in a clump of synthetic hair or ram's wool and then loop dub either synthetics or ram's wool for the head, it transitions really nice in to the longer tail that way.

 

Kirk

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nice flies and step by steps. My question is about the color on the third fly from the bottom. The chartruse to be specific. Is that a copic and if so what is it's number.

Thanks ,Fred

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awesome. Thanks for posting...I've been trying to figure this out.

 

Question about your hook...it looks like a pretty sweet hook, but I've never fished that kind before. I see a lot of similar patterns with that shape hook too. Can you explain the advantages? I know on muddlers and other streamers, I've seen the hook closer to the tail of the fly. Just curious and hoping to learn something.

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Also, those copics aren't cheap. Got a small set at Michaels, make sure to use a 50% off coupon. Use google to find one.

 

Any fading or washing out in the water?

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