Missouriflies

Hi, just thought these turned out O.K. and thought I'd share I had the caddis on my mind for a while before I did it, then afterwards I happened to be looking at crayfish on google images and was noticing that the head extends pretty far beyond where the claws come out so of course I had to give it a whirl. Caddis: Body is synthetic and bucktail blend. Body extension via 12-16lb mono(tie it in at about 5 inches long then cut after dubbing. I left the first inch of the loop bare and worked it back then wrapped forward in one go. ostrich hearl for the head. Crayfish: Same concept but used two loops...one for the extension then tied in the claws and another to finish it out then did a weed guard cus thats usually how I roll. oh and the dubbing is squirrel tail and synthetic. ps anyone wants dubbing...

Do you know what the mono loops do? I can't think of anything ...

Video is now posted at the bottom of the original post -its all pretty cheap except the compressor. -it strikes me you are almost equating drugs with other good things, why even mention drugs in kids programs (it's ok..., I'm just contemplating the ramifications of such slogans) hope it helps

Uneik(ei?ie?) Needloft plastic canvas yarn (100%nylon) and Red Heart "super saver"(walmart or other stores)100% acrylic

it allows you to blast a high pressure air stream into the container without building excessive pressure or shooting dubbing out all over the place..and to do large loads.

After hearing and seeing some of the canned air dubbing mixer thingies I had to customize for productivity. I used to use a coffee grinder to turn yarn into dubbing, no longer. Meet Cotton Candy 1.0. One giant crouton container, a grinder with a cut wheel, some silicone, some old underwear, and an air compressor...Im one happy camper.

I don't buy anything but Uv Ice dub. My new Dubbing blender should take care of the rest... I just cut your yarn and blast away.

Thanks Crawfly, I think you are correct. for what i do, bigger fatter flies with longer stiffer fibers, i think the loop is the way to go. even though i often have to stop, unspin the loop, thin, tie down, add a hackle, then respin and finish the head and eyes...I like the results i get. Dubbing is just so much "fun" and produces the best bodies..., can't tell you how much my flies, fly tying, available options, have improved since i started dubbing flies and making my own dubbing. Do it!

Yeah, thats funny cus this guys flies are not delicate or fine, perhaps he builds layer over layer...I will stick with my loop, does me just fine.

Another vote to save your stuff, or give it away. A guy who worked down the hall from my mother gave me the vise I still tie on today...some twenty plus years ago when i was 12ish. Hell of gift that guy gave me...still using the saddle hackles as well, all 10 or 12 of em.

Touch dubbing...whats that? A guy i know says he touch dubs with high tax wax...I assumed it was just wax the thread pinch and roll...just googled it...I think i like loops for big bodies, takes some extra steps especially when tying i a collar behind the eyes an then finishing the head, but something to play with none the less. All good descriptions and advice, thank you all.

Hey Panama(and everybody else), thanks for the feedback! I like what you said because I'd love to be a two pronged fresh/saltwater tier...I've always thought that most of my patterns could possibly be good for bone fish. Seems like a bit of leap for me having never fished salt...Something for me to do some more research on i think.

This is how I roll....uniek needloft plastic canvas yarn (maybe Walmart or Michaels)... and Red Heart super saver yarn(walmart or online) This stuff is Cheap! get as many or few colors as you need. you want whites and blacks of both type and then probably red yellow and blue if you want to mix like a painter or get greens browns reds etc etc. Get yourself at least 2 or 3 types of UV Ice dub. and a small coffee grinder. the needloft is pretty sick. coarse transparent and shiny so typically if im doing a black fly , i cut about 1/2inch pieces of yarn into the blender and blend for a bit in on off pulses, the needloft sometimes doesn't separate fully, so pic those out till you get nice shinny "dubbing" so for black its going to be red heart black (softer material almost like cotton but its acrylic) then some needloft white (which is like clear micro sparkle) and maybe some brown too, you know...its like highlights and then throw in some uv olive or blue or black whatever suits you(just a little for me)...I use a dubbing loop typically and I actually like the fibers a bit long, even long enough to coat the tail on some of my flies, it will slick back when you get it wet...gives a unified transparent bait fish appearance and looks great in the water, lots of fun to play with, but messy. its not hard. the soft yarn goes with the thick and makes everything manageable. For cray fish i like any yarn and squirrel tail mix, which is thick and nasty and not a "good looking" dubbing to most fishermen but the fish think different. and....then you got all the feathers you use, stick to the weby marabou stuff around the base of hackles, and furs like rabbit, muskrat, pine squirrel, hares mask etc...never ending mess of goodness. you can play with the length at which you cut the pieces for different sized flies. i go right around 1/2 inch plus or minus depending.

I've almost always dubbed with a loop. Tonight i tried some wax on some smaller flies than i normally tie (usually 8 is my small limit but these were size 12). It was Ok but different, aside from getting all waxy the fibers tend to wrap vs stick out like they do when i use the loop (i know about brusing them out). To some extent it was easier but when wrapping around or through legs and chain eyes I had a bad feeling the dubbing was hardly held down. Can anyone elaborate on the pros and cons of wax vs loop dubbing. I'd be really interested to hear what anyone has to say on the topic. thanks

Great fly!! Would you mind providing the material list for this fly please? the black one or the metal one? im not sure if your joking or not...so the black one.. thread:210 denier hook:Gamakatsu Sl 45 Bone fish size? 6 myabe 4 if forgot already eyes: XL bead chain tails: turkey feather body:black yarn(mostly),brown, green, red yarn and clear sparkle yarn..coffee grinder blend Collar:crayfish orange inda hen back probably a decent all around warm water fly that might take a trout maybe. its all warm for me these days. The other fly....sheet metal, rod iron, steel wool, and wire! This one I like better than the first...size 4 so i have have room to get it to look right, still not to big for a nice trout..i tie size 8-2 impressionistic over realistic (mostly)