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Fly Tying
kimjensen

Your favorite synthetic for making baitfish.

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Steve Farrar Blend is my favorite even though it costs an arm and a leg, my next choice would be Senyos Lazer Dub followed by EP. I must admit that i have caught my biggest redfish on craft fur baitfish pattern but the fly i used wasnt pretty

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I like Nylon, it sinks immediately and has a sparkle and translucent just like juvenile baitfish.

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For me it's a toss up between craft fur, polar fiber or flash blend. If I had to pick one, I would probably go with the extra select craft fur

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They all have pluses and minuses - no particular one can do everything, but they all have their place. One thing I won't do is spend a fortune on trendy "must-have" stuff when there are cheaper alternatives available. A lot of the blends that go for big bucks can easily be made at home for a fraction of the cost. I don't mind spending money, but if I can get three colors for the price of one, I'm gonna jump on it.

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Yes SF blend is kind of expensive. Fortunately not all stores have the same price :-)

Just got a few colors home to experiment with. It's very new to me to tie baitfish patterns, so I'm learning what to order and what to skip :-)

Extra select craft fur seems pretty inexpensive. The slinky fibers mix looks quite nice too and is a little cheaper than SF blend.

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Just tied a couple baitfish with SF blend. It is actually quite a stiff material. Looking forward to see how it swims.

 

I hear you on the price point. That's also why I search for the cheapest place to buy since not all stores have the same price for the same stuff. It's easy to get carried away with all the bling. :-)

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Steve Farrar Blend is my favorite even though it costs an arm and a leg, my next choice would be Senyos Lazer Dub followed by EP. I must admit that i have caught my biggest redfish on craft fur baitfish pattern but the fly i used wasnt pretty

Like reading my mind with the SF Blend and Senyos but EP Fibers is too unruly you need a comb to fish with it.

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Agreed Betty; just a thought here- i am sure that we have all received a coupon from Orvis for $25 off of a $50 full price order so i am thinking about getting about stocking up on SF Blend and Senyos Lazer Dub

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Agreed Betty; just a thought here- i am sure that we have all received a coupon from Orvis for $25 off of a $50 full price order so i am thinking about getting about stocking up on SF Blend and Senyos Lazer Dub

Good idea......half price at the end of the order.

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I have a problem with SF flash blend holding too much air, it's boyant. Tested it in the kitchen sink. Had to push it under Water before it would sink.

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I have a problem with SF flash blend holding too much air, it's boyant. Tested it in the kitchen sink. Had to push it under Water before it would sink.

Try tying another one using half the fibers. If that doesn't work, reduce the amount of material some more. You might be surprised how little you actually need to make the fly visible. You can also wrap the shank with lead wire - just don't use too much, or it'll affect the action of the fly.

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I agree with PJ, with SF fibers and EP fibers, a little goes a long way. Plus, but using minimum material, you can get some great translucent baitfish that really work well in clear water.

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