Flat Tinsel Bodies - Any trick to making them truely flat?

[flytire 0]

The link is to show tyers the original recipe as created by art flick

 

Obviously from the time it was created to now variations have been born. Somebody added the ribbing and its perfectly acceptable

 

Polar bear is hard to find so tyers substitute white buck tail while the black bear is now substituted with black buck tail.

 

So I'll say it again as I said in my first post

 

You tied a very good looking fly!

[bellevue.chartreuse.trout 0]

Thanks!

[crazy4oldcars 0]

BCT,

I really like the flies, even the one with the bump on it would catch fish. I love seeing your progress thru this thread. Really good work.

 

Kirk

[crazy4oldcars 0]

I had put it in a PM, but thought I would throw it in here for general consumption.

It is easier to stack hair if the stacker is taller than the hair is long. That way the force is better contained in a downward direction. Plus you can tap it harder because you don't worry about the hair flying out on the down stroke. I have a tall plastic pill bottle that I use for long hair.

 

Kirk

[flytire 0]

My stacker measures 3" long and it can stack the shortest hairs to the longest buck tail without any problems. If need be shorten the hair by snipping the butts

 

Clean the hairs properly by getting rid of under fur, short hairs and combing to make stacking easier

 

No need to tap as you would hammering a nail

[RCFetter 0]

BCT, that is a beautiful fly. I'm just starting to learn bucktails and this thread is a great help.

[Crackaig 0]

It just occurred to me that I have been giving advice on a pattern I have never tied. Well in some way that isn't true, I wasn't talking about any pattern but about technique. Still that was one pattern that was outside my experience, so I've had a go.

First the original pattern

Then your variation, BCT

I didn't have any skunk hair for the black so used the black bear given as an alternative. Also, since I have moved my fly tying kit to a new location, my stock of read wool seems to have disappeared. The fastest way to make it turn up will be to buy more! I've used hanked floss instead.

 

That aside what have I learned from tying this? Well I don't understand the choice of polar bear for the white section of the wing. this is purely an academic point as most don't have / can't use polar bear. The choice is even stranger when considered with the advice to substitute a softer hair than bucktail if polar bear isn't available. Certainly the patch I have is much harder and stiffer than buck tail. However the quality of polar bear varies enormously. The original may have used very different hair.

 

If, like I have, you use a very long shank hook, be careful not to ping the hook when you have finished winding the body. This may be the place to slip a half hitch on just to secure the tinsel before continuing.

 

When tying on the second and third layers of the wing hold them slightly off the top, towards you, so the rotation of the thread draws the wing section on to the top of the previous layer.

 

Black bear is a hard hair, i.e. it doesn't compress. There is no point in trying to use a locking turn to secure it. I locked in the polar bear and bucktail separately. Despite the smaller head I can assure you the wing is secure.

 

I realize that it is common practice to make the heads of streamers very long. However the style just doesn't appeal to me, so I have done them with a head such as I would put on a salmon fly. Another style thing is that I can't avoid the feeling that the original without rib or beard hackle is somehow incomplete.

 

Flies this large are something I seldom use, but I think I may just give these fly box space, and see what comes of fishing them. I'm sure they would be great for sea trout in salt water. (Though I will have to tie them on different hooks).

Interesting pattern, it would make a great test pattern for technique.

Cheers,

C.

[crazy4oldcars 0]

I didn't find any of my previous ties of this pattern. (I often let beginning fly tiers go through my boxes and take any and all that they want.) I tied a few yesterday on size 6 aberdeen hooks, and I can honestly say that BCT has done a MUCH better job of learning this pattern than I have. All of mine will be fished, but they aren't very pretty. I am going to give them a few more tries this afternoon. All of my silver/gold tinsel is in size small. I have some gold pearl and some clear pearl that is wider. I used the gold pearl because it was opaque.

I like the shorter throat. I think it will help keep the fly from wanting to turn on its side when retrieved. Mine are actually shorter than yours, proportion wise, Crackaig. Mine are about a third of the hook shank.

 

Kirk

[bellevue.chartreuse.trout 0]

Wow, the difference between your ties and mine is astounding - Crackaig! Very nice work there! While certainly I am not the skilled tyer that you are, I think that there may be a 'hair' quality issue that I'm dealing with that is affect my ties - ...maybe.

 

I'll have to look around and see if I can find other hair that may behave better for me in this sort of tie. I have never been so concerned about tying to original recipes in the past as I just want to catch a few fish and enjoy the tying process. Like you stated about the head size - I don't really care if I alter some component of a tie if I'm trying to achieve a particular characteristic.

 

I suppose each tyer has to be the judge for themselves - to point.

 

But clearly you are a masterful tyer there Mr. Crackaig! Hats off to you - wish I'd get my hair to stack like your examples. If I find some hair that behaves better... that is the quest! (have an am using the dryer sheet and trying to only use the straightest hair from the bucktail).

 

BCT

 

I used a TMC 5263 - size 4 (a 3XL hook I think) on the Blacknosed Daces. I'm using a Mustad 79580 size 4 ( a 4XL hook) on some Mickey Finns now)

 

Kirk - no matter what hook size you use, I think the impression of a baitfish is the idea! If 'they're' onto baitfish, then I'm sure yours will get them at least thinking, if not taking!