Question about Biot Bodies

[NoVaTyer 0]

I am currently tying biot body BWO parachute flies. In sizes 14-16, goose biot works fine, but when I tyr to tie a size 18 the good biot seems too big, out of scale so to speak. What should I use for biot bodies on smaller flies?

 

Thanks

[fishinbub 0]

Are you tying it in by the tip?

[carlp5351 0]

In a package of Biots you will get variety of widths. Look for the narrowest you can find. Soak in water for about 10 min, tie in at the tip. Don't cut any off. I can tie down to size 24 with goose biots, have to be careful on the biot selected.

 

Carl

[Claudia 0]

Tie it in by the tip, and take one near the end of the strip.

 

Claudia

[nemoblackdog 0]

There's actually 4 different ways to wrap a biot on hook - all starting with the tip.

 

There's the "rib out" look, and the smoother "rib in" look. For each of those, you can tie with the natural curve or against it. For the smallest of flies (and I go down to #24 sometimes with goose biots) going with the natural curve and "rib in" gives the cleanest look.

 

Check out Charlie Craven's pictures posted here:

 

http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com/thread?id=591067

 

One caveat when reading that thread - it's implied that with any given side of the bird you can only get two of the four combinations. That's not strictly true, because you can get the other two by wrapping around the hook the in direction opposite to what you normally do.

 

It all sounds too complicated, but once you give it a try, it's not so hard to figure out what this all means.

 

Again, for small hooks - "rib in" and "with the natural curve".

 

 

 

 

 

[Futzer 0]

I agree with all the above advise, and I also will use wing feathers from other birds for smaller biots, Duck wings and even sparrow wings for really small stuff. It is impossible to find those dyed in any color, but a permanent pen like a sharpie or prizmatic pen works fine. A.K. Best writes about using dyed hackle stems, and sells them. I use those sometimes on really small flies, 28s and lower.

Also don't forget that sometimes you need to soak the biots in water and they will bend better with less splitting. I lay down a drop of thin cement to the base thread, right before I wrap the biot, and this will keep it from breaking from fish bites.

 

Cheers Futzer.

[NoVaTyer 0]

Thank you all for your replies. I did not realize that the biots near the end of the strips were that small and that water would make them more pliable. Do any of you coat the bodies with, for example, Flexament to make them more robust?

[Futzer 0]

Thank you all for your replies. I did not realize that the biots near the end of the strips were that small and that water would make them more pliable. Do any of you coat the bodies with, for example, Flexament to make them more robust?

 

 

I use griff's thin, but any thin cement will work, and I only put it under the biot on the thread base. So wrap the biot over the wet cement. I try not to put cement over top of things on flies I fish, I don't think it helps catch more fish.

 

Cheers, Futzer.