notenuftoys

Why a substitute? Is Senyo Laser Dub no longer available? I depend on that stuff for mayfly wings.

Not sure about Mike's reason, but when tying large bass streamers a single bag doesn't go that far. A cheaper option is always good.

Got a reply

According to FTD Artic Wind is a long fiber close to Laser Dub and Starburst is like Ice Dub

Going to order a little of each.

Thanks for sharing the response, Mike. I might have to order some too.

Maybe it was the New Year's Eve bourbon, but I was sitting around thinking about what to tie when I got the idea of a smaller version of a Matuka. I started with a size 12.

I'm not sure if the local craft store has the right size. I've bought smaller bags the same size as some of the Hareline materials at Hobby Lobby. But I've never looked for the bigger bags.

I don't like split shot at all - just a personal aversion to using it. I found success using a tungsten bead #18 or 20 zebra midge with an unweighted trailing nymph.

So to answer the OP's question, I use both beads and non-beaded nymphs as conditions and "style" dictate.

Ever been sitting around and all of a sudden an idea for a fly pops in your head? No? Seek counseling? It's a mental illness? Yea, all probably right.

Anyway, the idea was to make something leggy and jiggy. (This fly needs a porn name.) So I tied on some rubber legs, Krystal flash and rabbit hair in a dubbing loop. And it turned out like this.

I mentioned it before, but this Coq de Leon saddle with Chickabou is quickly becoming my favorite for buggers. I ordered one on a whim, but now I'm gonna buy different colors.

I decided the saddle feather was probably long enough to wrap up the shank, so I did a quick test in a pot of water. The movement of the hackle was impressive! Anyway, here's the one color I have, with other colors to come in the near future.

Yea, what flytire said. Lot's of good options for you.

flytire, I didn't know you were on instagram. Just gave both of y'all a follow.

Guys, thanks so much for the information! For woolies, can the barbs be trimmed shorter? I have several lakes in the area that are stocked with hybrid stripers. Looks like it's time to experiment...

No, don't trim the barbs. If you're gonna be tying a bunch of buggers it'd be worth spending the $20 for the Whiting Bugger pack. Different size feathers allow you to get the right size for the hook. I'm a big fan of these packs and they'll last for almost forever.

I like schlappen because it's softer and moves better than saddle hackle, but it larger so works best on big flies. I use it for bass flies tied on size 2 and bigger.

 

 

Last week I ordered some different materials to play around with. Notable among them are:

• Trouthunter CDC dubbing - see it on a fly I posted in the December flies. I'll be ordering more for sure.
• Whiting Coq de Leon saddle w/ chickabou - I started working on a bugger using both the chickabou and saddle feathers. First one wasn't too good (tyer's fault) so I'll try again tonight and post it on the December flies thread
• Whiting Brahma saddle w/ chickabou - see a fly I posted on the December flies. I'm a big fan of Brahma for soft hackles.
• Montana Fly thread - haven't tried it yet, but reviews indicate it's a cross between UTC and UNI.
• Nature's Spirit Grizzly Collaring Hackle - I prefer to collar my wooly buggers, so I created a few buggers with simi seal and a hackle collar. I'll forgot to take pictures so I'll get those done tonight.

 

I can't wait to see them.

 

Here's the collared seals.

Here's the fly from the Coq de Leon saddle. It's almost a one material fly except I mixed ice dub with the fluff in a dubbing loop for the body. It's not the prettiest fly, but I think it has all the right things fish care about.

I prefer to collar my wooly buggers rather than wrap hackle up the body. Maybe it's lazy, I'm not sure. But I think done right it pushes more water and using the right feathers provides enticing movement. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. ;-)

Anyway, I picked up some grizzly collaring hackle from Nature's Spirit and created a Collared Seal. A simple bugger with simi seal body and a collar of grizzly hackle.

All that money I've wasted on materials when all this time I just needed this app. Dang, hope my wife doesn't find out. ;-)

Competitive Angler shows this hook and bead storage system as new and sells it for $55, here:

https://competitiveangler.com/shop/accessories-tools/bead-storage-solutions-tiny-container-bead-storage-tray/

I've been using it myself for a while. It is good, but it's a beading crafter's storage system and you can get it for $27 on Amazon, here:

https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Ward-Bead-Storage-Solutions/dp/B00DV8YERS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545022470&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=darice+beading+tray+82&dpPl=1&dpID=41C0qqZI4-L&ref=plSrch

And a mixed size tray for $15 here:

https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Ward-Bead-Storage-Solutions/dp/B00DV8YDPG/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1545022364&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=darice+beading+tray&dpPl=1&dpID=41FVpKKHwtL&ref=plSrch

Oh wow! I love these. Thanks for sharing, chugbug.

I store beads in the small round containers, similar to this. But I could use one that has different sizes.

Last week I ordered some different materials to play around with. Notable among them are:

• Trouthunter CDC dubbing - see it on a fly I posted in the December flies. I'll be ordering more for sure.
• Whiting Coq de Leon saddle w/ chickabou - I started working on a bugger using both the chickabou and saddle feathers. First one wasn't too good (tyer's fault) so I'll try again tonight and post it on the December flies thread
• Whiting Brahma saddle w/ chickabou - see a fly I posted on the December flies. I'm a big fan of Brahma for soft hackles.
• Montana Fly thread - haven't tried it yet, but reviews indicate it's a cross between UTC and UNI.
• Nature's Spirit Grizzly Collaring Hackle - I prefer to collar my wooly buggers, so I created a few buggers with simi seal and a hackle collar. I'll forgot to take pictures so I'll get those done tonight.

Got some new material last week so I spent some time this weekend playing around. Both flies are tied on the awesome Firehole hooks. The first is Nature's Spirit barred turkey biot body and Trouthunter CDC dubbing. I got this dubbing to achieve this exact look when wet.

This second fly is from a Whiting Brahma saddle w/ chickabou, using PMD turkey biot body and Nature's Spirit golden olive peacock for the thorax. I love the yellow segmentation from the biot.

I've had a half-dozen or more flies listed on Etsy, and haven't sold a single one. I tie for fun and had a bunch extra sitting around, so thought I'd throw 'em up on Etsy to see if I could get a little extra spending money. Yea, that didn't work.

A couple guys I know who tie for a living have developed their own flies, marketed them locally, and then when word got out saw demand start to grow. Oh, and they aren't little trout flies that can be tied overseas for a quarter a piece. They are bass and saltwater flies.

Every Tom, Dick, Harry and Jane has tried to tie flies to sell at some point or another. It ain't easy. And if you enjoy it as a hobby, the worst thing you could do is turn it into a job. There's no way in h*** I could sit down long enough to churn out 20 dozen nymphs. Shoot me first.

I've caught a number of catfish on the fly before, and they just go to the bottom and sit. It's like dragging a log up. And that in stillwater.

The longest fight I've ever had with a fish was a steelhead, on the Deschutes. With a 6 weight. On a size 18 zebra midge. He was a fighter for sure, but I was also fighting the current. He'd run out into the fast current and it was all I could do to pull him over into the slack water. Then he'd race out to the fast water and we'd do it all over again. Took at least 20 minutes. If he'd been in stillwater it wouldn't have taken near that long.

I've love to try out some of the exotics in Aftrica or South American. Or that Mongolian fish someone mentioned.

Seems like your "what to use" question is answered. Please, pretty please, post pictures when you're done. This would be a tremendous addition to a fly tying table! I love the idea.

Haven't noticed if the ca works better or worse than laquer, but it did stick the herl to the hook well enough.

 

I'm gonna stick my neck out and say the one on right is the one with CA on the wraps, the one on left think coated with uv.... They both look nice

And we have a winner!!

Had some time to play around with these quills again. I tried both chugbug's method, laying down some glue then wrapping the quill, and using Loon flow resin.

Which is which? Either way, I like how they turned out. I do believe viscosity matters.

I broke out the little bag of grouse feathers and decided to go buggy. A simple soft hackle with fox squirrel and grouse, but I used the split thread technique for the dubbing. Tied on the Firehole 633 hook, which is my favorite for wet flies.

Bit the bullet and picked up a new Renzetti .... tied a few of these first

Congrats on the Renzetti. I've been using one almost 10 years now and love it!

I discovered Simi Seal and it's now my favorite material! Well, not quite, but I'm not sure how this escaped my attention for so long. By the way, LMB love rubber leg tails on buggers.

If you put on too thick a coat of UV resin ... it will flow away from the light as you set it. The resin itself prevents the UV light from passing through, so you're only curing the part facing the light. That drives the resin away and once you've completed the rotation, the last of the resin pools up and leaves a "lump."

Thin coat and cure, thin coat and cure ... repeat until desired thickness and look is achieved.

Thanks. I think using Loon thin is part of the problem. I'll try another one using Loon flow.