IgotWood

An old fishing mentor of mine used to steam his flies. As I recall, he would steam his flies periodically throughout the season as each of the different hatches were ending. This guy had flies that he had fished for several years. He did this mainly to clean the floatant off of his flies. It didn't do any damage to the material, and didn't change their appearance either. Not sure if it removed any scent, but I would think it does.

Thank you guys!!! I think this will be fun. I've been experimenting a bit with very big deceivers, and a few others. It's just funny to be tying for a species I know nothing about! And he is only beginning to pike fish this year too. Thank you for the color recommendations. That was a big help.

So, a friend of mine is planning to target pike this season. He asked me to ties him a bunch of flies, which I am obliged to do. But, I have ZERO experience with pike. What colors/combos, and what style flies do you pike guys like??

Address, please!

I just got word that the movers are coming in two weeks (moving to VA). If you don't mind, I am going to tie something different, maybe an Icepick, for which I already have materials. I'll get them in the mail by next weekend.

So, I bought some of that body tubing....it's a pain in the @$$!!!! I burned through about half the pack before I got it right. I was melting the end too much, which kept it from expanding it to fit over the rest of the fly when you turn it inside out on itself. And it is tough to judge where on the hook you want it. So, about 5 flies later, and half a pack of tubing, I finally got it right! It is a very interesting material and I believe I will be using it quite a bit for some new skinny water, night time trout streamers

Cool fly! ...Not to get off topic, but it looks like a piece of briar behind that fly...are you a pipe smoker??

I'd like in on this please. I have a fly with no name. It represents a small bass.

Great video! Thanks for posting! I may have missed it in the video....what size tubing? 1/2, or 1/4?

I used to do a ton of night fishing with dries. One particular river here in CT has hatches that well well into the night, and some even drag in daybreak. If I plan on staying for the night hatch, I dumb it down and make it as simple as possible. I am stationary, I don't move. It is very difficult to move quietly, and to keep getting re-set up every time you move. You know where the fish are...don't move! Next, I shorten my cast. If I screw up a cast and make a mess of my line, it's a wrap for the night. For tippet?....go heavy! 4x-3x for flies 10-14. Now for the flies...I keep this simple too! For mayfly hatches, I fish either a usual, and/or a spent-wing (often times I'll fish two flies). For caddis, it's usually an x-caddis or something very simple. I spend a good bit of time NOT fishing, but listening to the water. I listen for clumsy fish rising and make a mental note of where they are. Cast to the general areas where you think the fish are. LISTEN, watch your line to detect any change in your drift. Set the hook whenever you think it's a fish. Most times it is not, but the fish don't spook very easily at night. Often times, your line just comes tight and you're on, without ever detecting a strike. And lots of time the fish take the fly on the swing when it's submerged. Almost all of the fish over 18" that I have taken on this river were caught at night fishing just as I described. This has been effective for me even on nights when the hatch ended early, before dark. I have never tried fishing stimulators, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Give it a try! Also, don't shy away from fishing a mouse

Did you use "denatured" alcohol? It does not contain water.....usually the source of the 'milky' appearance. Hope you get it worked out, this worked for me. ahhhhhh....thanks!

Perhaps this will do the trick! http://www.blacklight.com/items/BLRS365

Thank you for the input! I have tried the alcohol trick, and it left cloudy, hazy appearance to the resin. Perhaps I will buy new lights....but maybe a bit more expensive and of better quality.

With the booming increase in use of UV resins, and the wide variety of them on the market, I am desperately hoping to solve two major issues I am having. First, the "tack"! I have been switching between Clear Cure Goo, and Loon, in all the varieties of both brands. Sometimes they cure well, but mostly, they still have some tack after spending several minutes under the light. These results are the same whether it's Flow, Thick, etc... Next, the lights. I have heard, and read that you need to use the lights specifically sold for each brand. So, I bought two CCG lights, and two Loon lights, each at about $20+ (which is WAY too much for a rinky dink light made in China). The major problem I have with the lights, are they are super cheap. They keep breaking on me. The button to switch the light on/off keeps getting stuck, and it falls apart when I take it apart to fix it. Now, I have four...FOUR $20 light, all of which were purchased about 6-8 months ago, and none of them work. I have taken them apart, reassembled the switches, changed the batteries.....still broken. Is it me? Are there any other suggestions for lights? I am very frustrated. Please help!

Rubber leg stonefly! I tie it on a #6, with golden olive chenille, and natural barred legs. I also do VERY well with a soft-hackle prince, however, I dumb it down a bit because I hate tying goose biots! Rubber legs for the tail (trimmed short), peacokc hurl up the abdomen wrapped with tinsel or wire, two pieces of flashy material for the wing (I use flashabou), and some Hare'e dub in various colors for the thorax, and a partridge soft-hackle (optional). No wing case, no legs...very simple, fast, and deadly effective. I tie these in sizes 10-16, and in several different colors, but the standard peacock is most productive for me.

Can't wait to see these! I have been wanting to buy some of that body tubing. I've watched a couple of tying videos, and it looks like a pain in the @$$ to tie with. What do you think of it?

Again, guys...THANKS! This thread is already very helpful to me. I am completely illiterate in terms of freshwater lake/pond fishing. I am moving to York County, right next to Williamsburg. It's 45 minute north of VA Beach.

Guy, I really appreciate the info! Thanks! There are many opportunities in VA, however, I think the LMB scene will be the most convenient, and most frequent for me. I do plan on taking advantage of some of the trout fishing in western VA, but it's hours from where I'll be living. Do any of you fish at night for LMB? To be honest, the only daytime fishing I ever do is for trout.

Hey folks. I am moving very soon to Virginia. I have spent my entire life saltwater fishing and trout fishing in a few local rivers. I will be moving soon to an area with a few good sized lakes close by. I read a little bit about them on the VA DEP or DNR (or whatever thewy're called) website. These few lakes are apparently known to have good populations of LMB, striped bass, perch, and grass carp. I think I'd be more interested in targeting the bass. I don't know ANYTHING about freshwater bass fishing! I will be fishing from a kayak. What types of flies would I want to be fishing around April and May? One of the lakes is quite shallow, no more than 20' at its deepest point. One side of the lake is only a few feet deep, with lots of cyprus trees. Supposedly, this is the place to fish for larger bass. Not sure what time of year to target them in that type of water. Any advice would be a huge help for me! Thanks!!

Food for thought... Have you ever caught the same fish twice? I can recall many fish that me and my buddies have caught more than once. In fact, two years ago I caught a big rainbow that had a very distinct black marking on the right side of its lower jaw. A few weeks later, a friend caught the same fish in the same general area. Two years later, this past fall, I caught the fish again. The marking is so obvious, that I am 100% certain it was the same fish. Caught it again in the same pool. Over the next month, three other friends caught the same fish. Most fly fishermen practice catch & release. And thank goodness for "fly only" and "C&R" areas. I don't know the facts here, but I would assume that these days, the mortality rate is pretty low. And I think that due to the increase in popularity of the sport, online forums, and social media, more fishermen are better educated today, and safe handling is practiced more. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to connect with nature in this unique way, and unlike hunting, we don't have to kill an animal to enjoy it.

I don't have much to say on this topic. I've just never thought of it. I guess if it bothers you, do what you need to do. Or, perhaps try "pointless fishing". I had read a couple of articles about it years ago. I also recall a few dry fly yuppies on one of our local rivers in CT who practiced it. They were a group of about 10 guys who would tie flies, and cut the point off of the hook. To them, that was all it was about. They tried to spread it like the Gospel to some of the other fishermen for a season or two....I don't think it took off like they had hoped.

I fish straight through the winter. I am a real b**ch in the cold. I dress appropriately, and I choose my days. As long as it get above freezing, and I don't have to pick ice off my rod all day, then I'm good. Most important, FEET! Silk socks, and a thick pair of wools over the silk. Second most important, HANDS! I prefer Orvis Barbour fingerless gloves. They are, by far, the best gloves I've worn! They get wet, you shake them off and put them back on. Because they're cheap, I usually carry two pairs, and swap them out half way through the day.

I have been night fishing for quite some time. It sure is fun! Many of the best fish I've caught, came on a streamer well into the night. This year, I was hitting fish at night up until Christmas!!!

I got you flies. Very well done. I seen your return address. I spent 6 months in Bath, ME when I was on the Haliburton. Kevin Awesome! I was one of the last crew onboard Enterprise. I'm just wrapping up a recruiting tour now, and headed to USS Gerald Ford some time within the next two months or so.

There are hundreds of tutorials on youtube, and vimeo. Just search, "articulated streamer" and pick on that you like. They are simple enough to follow. Good luck!