First Attempt Dahlberg Diver

[jamesbrock3 0]

So I just recently acquired quality hair for spinning bass bugs. This is my first attempt of a Dahlberg Diver (and Spinning Deer Hair in General). Could you tell me what I need to do in order to improve it? Thanks! I also tried to put a weed-guard on it!

Tied on a 2/0 Gamagatzu B10S Series, using 4/0 Kevlar Thread, all materials were purchased from feathercraft!

[Fisherboy0301 0]

I'm gonna say make the head smaller so you have a flat edge on the collar, with almost a 90*angle. Holding it over a boiling pot of water helps make the hair stand out straight.

[artimus001 0]

great looking fly.

 

spinning hair is one of those, "I ROCK" skills. a whole new world of flies become available with this skill. divers, muddlers, poppers, etc.

 

i just started tying divers for the first time as well. since bass/pike season has started, my flies have just been getting bigger and bigger. i've gone from tying 1.5" wooly buggers to 6" divers, lol.

 

 

one possible tip (i might be wrong); shave the underside of the head so it sits a little lower in the water, for better 'diving' action'.

 

following for more tips because i really don't know sh!t, lol.

[Bruce Derington 0]

Diver looks good , often times it requires to be fished, then if it doesn't "track" properly, tune it up. I tend to tie in multiple feathers (for kickers) maybe a few strands of Krystal flash. Your tying skills are fine, tie a few , fish em and make corrections. More often I've been coating underside with CCG, helps in durability and keeling

[Bryon Anderson 0]

Looks pretty good - I would second what Bruce said about testing it on the water and seeing how it performs before making any corrections. You may find that you want to make the collar a little taller and make sure you coat it with something like Clear Cure Goo to make it as stiff and as near-waterproof as you can. It's the collar that ultimately makes the fly "dive", so you may find that making it more prominent gives the fly a better action. Then again, you may find that it does what you want it to as is, in which case you're good to go.

 

My other suggestion is actually about photographing flies -- they're much easier to see in detail in photos if you put them against an opaque, solid-color background. A medium blue color seems to work well. I just leave mine in the vise and prop one of my kids' blue folders from school behind the fly and it seems to work well. Just a thought.

 

Your spinning and packing of the hair on this fly look great, btw - tightly packed, neatly trimmed, symmetrical from what I can see. Nice job.

[artimus001 0]

a few tips that i use with for spun hair flies.

 

1) wrap a piece of card stock around the bend of the hook to provide an angular reference for trimming the head.

 

2) i'm using thinned Shoe Goo for my collars. i add just enough acetone to make the mess spreadable. i support the backside of the collar with a piece of parchment paper, stapled to card stock. this gives me a solid base to build on, and form. the parchment peels off clean after the goo is set.

 

3) for super float and water resistance, flies like my Morrish Mice now go for a swim in liquid silicone after they are tied. after the solvent has evaporated, i have flies that don't get water-logged or sink.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

 

3) for super float and water resistance, flies like my Morrish Mice now go for a swim in liquid silicone after they are tied. after the solvent has evaporated, i have flies that don't get water-logged or sink.

I'm intrigued by this -- how long do you soak them in the liquid silicone? How long for the solvent to evaporate, and is there any detectable odor left behind?

[artimus001 0]

i soaked it for about 20 minutes, let it sit overnight, and there is no smell.

 

it has passed the toilet bowl kool -aid test next to a heavily trimmed back fly. after a good dunking and quick shake (two false casts), the treated fly was good to go. the untreated one became what we all know, a hard to cast, soggy mess. i think that this would be a good way to use the thin hair patches we can get.

 

for canucks, Canadian Tire is where i got mine (camping section).

 

this was a tip that i picked up off the web. originally the idea was presented for dry flies.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

i soaked it for about 20 minutes, let it sit overnight, and there is no smell.

 

it has passed the toilet bowl kool -aid test next to a heavily trimmed back fly. after a good dunking and quick shake (two false casts), the treated fly was good to go. the untreated one became what we all know, a hard to cast, soggy mess.

very cool - thanks for sharing that

[djtrout 0]

Agree also with Bruce. From what I see I think you'll want to flatten the bottom a tad, and shave the top a bit more in front of the collar. Key is how it runs when you fish it, so yeah I'd be inclined to fish it and see. Trim the nose down to create a steeper angle with the collar if you want a more pronounced dive.

Looks good. Feathers are not overdone. My first divers looked like feather dusters ... actually there's a use for flys I might not fish any time soon ...