Head Cement

[breambuster 0]

My apologies to all you Shakespeare lovers.

 

I have had several discussions (PMs) lately on the subject of head cement. There are those who claim that bluegills can smell it and will avoid taking flies if it is used. I would like to hear from the bluegill fisherman here on this subject. Do you use head cement or not? What about super glue for bead chain eyes?

 

If you don't use it, do you do anything else besides a whip finish to keep the head from coming undone?

 

Thanks

 

Breambuster

[NMflyguy 0]

i use a double half hitch and head cement on all my flies. my grandpa in Iowa gets most of them, and he has caught literally hundreds of panfish with my flies. usually they manage to rip the fly to peices after 5-10 fish, but i dont see the heads come apart too often.

[Guest]

I think the question of them smelling it to be a farse..... I've caught way too many bluegill on my flies for them to be able to smell the headcement, paint, and god only knows what is in the synthetics that compose the fly.

 

The trout don't seem to care, along with steelhead and salmon..... Most everything that you smell from the headcement is the solvent. When dry, the solvent has evaporated and/or cured depending on which head cement you use. What is left shouldn't be able to be "smelled" by fish. At least my experiences say they don't mind it.

 

steve

[sandflyx 0]

I think they can sometimes, Its a solvent or petroleum product....WOULD YOU PUT GAS ON YOUR FLY ????

or fish after handleing gas ??? I make sure the flies have had plenty of drying time before I use them....If I'm going to use them the next day I just make sure I put a whip finish in...

[Guest]

I've been using water based varnish for years and never had one trout complain

 

 

OSD.

[mcfly 0]

QUOTE (OSD @ Jun 10 2004, 09:33 PM)

I've been using water based varnish for years and never had one trout complain OSD.

I use the waterbased stuff myself and every time I do I think "How the heck is this NOT going to fall apart under the water"

[Guest]

Mcfly

Once the water evaporates or dries the cement is no longer soluble with water.

In other words your flies won’t fall apart

 

OSD.

 

 

 

[mcfly 0]

Yeah yeah yeah.. I read that part on the bottle but there is always this little voice deep inside my brain saying "I don't believe it" among other things

[breambuster 0]

Do you know of an online dealer that sells this water soluable head cement? Does it have an odor?

 

Breambuster

[Guest]

I guess you mean dose it have a odor?

Yes but not strong like thinner based cement.

And the best thing about it is you can thin the cement with water

(Before it dries of course)

Most manufactures of tying materials sell a water based cement the one that comes to mind is Loon

 

OSD.

[breambuster 0]

Yes, Odor. Excuse my atrocious spelling! And terrible typing. It's late. I corrected it. Thanks for the reply. I'll check around & see if I can find the water soluable head cement. There are no local fly shops here. If I get something, it has to be mail order.

 

 

[Guest]

try greencaddis.com!

[Guest]

I actually have my doubts about the stuff (heads cement) ever since they quit making "Pharmacists formula", None of the currently available brands that I have tried are worth a crap IMO with the exception of Fleximent.

 

Try this....take a little loop of tying thread and lay it on a piece of paper, put a generous drop of whatever head cement you are currently using on the spot where the thread crosses itself. Once the stuff has dried you will probably be able to easily blow the thread off the paper and the thread will not even be stuck to itself. Maybe it is the wax in the thread or whatever, but I just don't trust it to help keep a fly from coming undone. I do a 4 turn whip finish and coat it with fleximent. At least Fleximent adheres to itself and will build up where you want it.

Some of the thin stuff that I see alot of guys using will soak into the whole fly before building up a glossy head.

 

When it really matters, I use Zap A gap, Epoxy or Hard Head depending on what I'm tying. And fleximent just because it produces a glossy head without soaking in too much.