Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => Fly Fishing Cafe => Topic started by: BC Fishing on January 28, 2016, 10:51:23 PM
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This dry fly was a big hit for all species (except pike & wallaye & catfish who take only large poppers) in Europe in 2015, so I decided to give it a try.
It's drifted like a dry fly, or beetle, swung across the current like a water boatman, or popped like a popper/terrestrial. Foam makes in unsinkable and the offset hook is just fantastic.
Quite an easy tie as well, takes no time at all.
I hope this helps:
1) Create the offset body. Use foam, peacock hurl, tinsel.
2) Attach long hind legs to the circle or scud hook (I used deer hair)
3) attach the foam body from step 1 to the mid section of the hook
4) cover the attached section with a few wraps of brightly coloured dubbing.
5) add white wings on both sides.
6) wrap dry fly hackle on the head like on a traditional dry
7) whip finish
(http://s2.postimg.org/dn6t1h2bd/12606926_1009852352418545_936558666_n.jpg)
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Lately I have been tying prototypes, got 4-5 of each idea so far, and they happen to be all ties on size 16's.
Will be testing them when I get home.
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(http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p603/sallynam1/GP1.jpg)
GPs
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Been tying chironomids lately to fill gaps in my box and add some new patterns to try out. Here are a couple pics of what I've had to refill in the box
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a80/Flaming_Hook/20130531_152159_zps53gueua3.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Flaming_Hook/media/20130531_152159_zps53gueua3.jpg.html)
^^^^ I tie these with smaller beads now
Pattern on the right --- Dirty Olive. one on the left is a variation I came up with and does work almost as good
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a80/Flaming_Hook/20130605_213829_zpsdzpdrfrp.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Flaming_Hook/media/20130605_213829_zpsdzpdrfrp.jpg.html)
Always must have some tiny black/silver in the box for early season but damn they get destroyed quickly
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a80/Flaming_Hook/20140420_123827_zpso99xeoxn.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Flaming_Hook/media/20140420_123827_zpso99xeoxn.jpg.html)
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Always must have some tiny black/silver in the box for early season but damn they get destroyed quickly
Lovely photo of your chironomids in action! Thank you.
Have you tried using UV resin to help with the durability? The english version of the chinomomid, the "buzzer", is more often than not finished with a clear coat of uv.
I'll try making a few and post a few photos!
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Here it's common to add a clear coat with brushable super glue - loctitie/LePages being the preferred brand. You can also use Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails clear nail polish or Loon Hard Head.
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Lovely photo of your chironomids in action! Thank you.
Have you tried using UV resin to help with the durability? The english version of the chinomomid, the "buzzer", is more often than not finished with a clear coat of uv.
I'll try making a few and post a few photos!
The little silver/black ones get mangled because the white paint chips off and the fact they are size 16 scud hooks sometimes I have to use forceps to remove them which ruins them usually
I actually just started using the Loon UV Thin to coat my c-mids after the LePage super glue kept driving me crazy going cloudy 50% of the time >:( I'm really loving the resin, took a few flies to get the coating nice and thin and spread perfectly
here are a couple new patterns into the box coated with UV resin
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a80/Flaming_Hook/20160206_150409_zpsmnydnr8c.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Flaming_Hook/media/20160206_150409_zpsmnydnr8c.jpg.html)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a80/Flaming_Hook/20160206_165145_zpswt2maeib.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Flaming_Hook/media/20160206_165145_zpswt2maeib.jpg.html)
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here are a couple new patterns into the box coated with UV resin
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a80/Flaming_Hook/20160206_165145_zpswt2maeib.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Flaming_Hook/media/20160206_165145_zpswt2maeib.jpg.html)
Nice ties.
Does the Loon UV Thin dries quickly and are non sticky?
Also I hope these are not hooks purchased from Fred's, you know, the imitation Tiemco they carry that will straighten out. Just asking because of the gold color of the metal.
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Lepage's brushable will go cloudy if you breath on it or fix the fly on a drying post made of certain kinds of foam that are not CA stable. I've also found that clouding occurs if the coat is too thick, if it's touched and found older thicker CA is not reliable. There are quite a few threads on this in the tying section on Flybc.ca.
http://forum.flybc.ca/index.php?showtopic=54570
I haven't used UV glues but I've heard various reports that it can remain tacky and needs to be coated with CA or nail polish anyway. I was in Michael and Young a couple of days ago and they have Tuffleye UV kits on sale for about $58 from the reg price of $105.
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Also I hope these are not hooks purchased from Fred's, you know, the imitation Tiemco they carry that will straighten out. Just asking because of the gold color of the metal.
I tried a pack of those once, some of the hooks snapped when I debarbed them...that's why I always debarb prior to trying.
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Nice ties.
Does the Loon UV Thin dries quickly and are non sticky?
Also I hope these are not hooks purchased from Fred's, you know, the imitation Tiemco they carry that will straighten out. Just asking because of the gold color of the metal.
You have to use a UV light to cure the resin and takes about 15-20 seconds for a full cure. I wouldn't say they are tacky but if you put on too much they have a rubbery feel to them and seem to have some sort of moisture left behind which I just wipe with my finger before taking them from the vise (its not tacky or sticky so I'm not sure what it is)
It takes a few flies to get it perfect I'd say because you don't want your c-mids with a clear casing around them which is how my first few ended up LoL :-\
I've used so many different things over the years and had settled on Loctite but then they stopped making the brushable and it became LePage which I believe is NOT the same formula because it seems a lot more sensitive to clouding because my Loctite never clouded on me and I haven't change any of my tying habits between the two brands, very frustrating and the reason why I changed to something else.
I hear the Deer Creek resin is even better than the Loon and probably what I'll order when this bottle is empty
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Loctite and LePages is owned by the same German company and comes out of the same factory in Ireland. You can draw your own conclusions from that. CA is CA and the formula is varied for specific characteristics such as viscosity. Some dry very hard others are somewhat elastic. CA glues set on exposure to water vapour. Loctite brushable is sold in the US while LePages here in Canada. I've had very few issues with either.
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You can also get brushable zap a gap which is a Ca as well
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FYI - if you want to buy good hooks at good prices then check out these two places. I buy mine by the 100 packs and it helps if you know the hook style(s) you are looking for
www.canadianllama.com
www.togenenterprises.com
both of these are Canadian companies with fast shipping and great hooks and beads (only thing I've ordered from either)
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I personally like to use ccg hydro on my chironomids. It is easy to work with, and it cures hard and shiny.
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I haven't used UV glues but I've heard various reports that it can remain tacky and needs to be coated with CA or nail polish anyway. I was in Michael and Young a couple of days ago and they have Tuffleye UV kits on sale for about $58 from the reg price of $105.
Here's my experience with UV.
After seeing the price on those fly store UV kits, I found an alternative.
I bought a:
- UV laser (Ebay prices range from 1$ to 8$) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhZUWNKPF-o (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhZUWNKPF-o) (I got this exact one!)
- Loon UV Clear Thick for 16$
- Loon UV boat repair for 8$
- Loon Fluorescent Hard Head 8$
If you go to other countries, you can buy UV cured nail polish for cosmetics - this is what many European fly tiers use and swear by - and it costs only 1$-2$ over there, for all sorts of brands. In Canada, a tiny bottle of Sally Hansen UV cure cosmetic nail polish goes for 18$ and up..
The UV laser cures instantly ( I mean, instantly! 1 second to penetrate a big blob of goo when forming a 3D streamer eye) and is super powerful, lasts for many years on 2 x AAA batteries. Cons: its too powerful, reflects in your eyes from ANY surface.. I close my eyes before turning it on just to be safe.
To contrast the laser, a UV light, depending on the frequency, takes longer to cure. 5-10 seconds for decent quality ones.
The LOON UV clear thick was amazing stuff in my experience. Very nice, very workable. Not sticky. You can really model hair /fur fibers with it. When Loon Hard Head Phosphorescent cracks and falls of my fly within 1 false cast, the UV thick clear stays on, stays clear, and stays elastic so it doesn't crack. I haven't tried the UV boat repair yet, but bought a pack. Some tiers use it since its cheaper and apparently works just the same?
I also use UV cure on thread wraps when making loops on fly lines. It stays quite flexible so the line doesn't crack over time.
I've not used UV boat repair but after a few youtube video deomnstrations, it seems like a decent product. If it doesn't stay complely clear, ill just use it to finish the heads of my flies, form nymph legs or hold things in place.
Loon Fluorescent hard head is a nightmare. The bottle glows in the dark, quite noticeably! But the flies with a big blob of the goo applied & dried does not glow. The goo is clear when wet but becomes completely white when dry. Useless, in my opinion. After experimenting with different coats, drying methods, the stuff фдцфні cracks, crumbles and falls off your fly even while its sitting in the fly box... Maybe I got a bad bottle of the goo?
You can also get UV electronics & smartphone syringes that are used for gluing smartphone screens, for 2-3$ on Ebay, however most have a lesser quantity than the 8$ bottle of UV boat repair, but keep looking for deals and you might find something great.
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Good info. Thanks to everyone.
I think the problem with my UV light is that it is not strong enough. It takes me 2 mins to cure a set of streamer eyes and it is a bit tacky still after it hardens. I was using loon knot sense.
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Loon hard head is not a uv cure, are you using a uv light on? If so you are damaging the product by using uv light on it, causing the problems you are experiencing
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got this at Crappy tire for $12
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mastercraft-ultra-violet-led-flashlight-0653032p.html#.VsHdN9BdJG4
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got this at Crappy tire for $12
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mastercraft-ultra-violet-led-flashlight-0653032p.html#.VsHdN9BdJG4
I have this same one too. I haven't had a curing light before so I can't compare really but this one is a little weak, it takes me definitely more than 20sec to fully cure and it's still tacky to touch. I'm using Loon UV fly finish for tying, fly line custom loops, etc. Maybe another agent would dry up quicker.
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Hmm. Judging by it's ability to 'light up' florescent fly materials there's plenty of UV rays. UV resin should set in strong sunlight & I have never seen any lights or resin rated by the amount of UV lumins or whatever. Watching a few videos of Davie McPhail using UV resin he uses the same size torch but holds it an inch or less from the fly. As I said above I have seen others tyers comment that Loon UV products don't seem to set as desired.
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I bought a tube of Loon UV Boat repair and tried the light on a drop of it - rock hard & clear in 20 seconds. The UV Boat Repair is more like a gel. Next I'm gonna try it on fixing eyes to a fry fly.
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(http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p603/sallynam1/20160216_1751491.jpg)
works fine excepting getting those little stick on eyes on the fly head. I find putting a little dab of gel on then putting the eyes on with tweezers then an additional coat of UV boat repair then hit it with the light holding it within a half inch and rotating the vice head slowly works best. Dry it has a feel similar to aquaseal so I have been coating them with Sally Hansen's hard as nails as a finishing coat. The gold tinsel has also been similarly coated.
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I have this stuff and while it dries hard and clear there does seem to be some sort of residue left behind that I just wipe off with my finger. Its not visible except on my finger you can see a shiny smudge. I have had a couple of my chironomids go cloudy looking with it as it appeared I may have not set it fully and it actually "let go" of the materials. I just easily picked it off and coated the fly again.
https://loonoutdoors.com/product/uv-clear-fly-finish-thin
The UV light I have is similar to this one and I also hold it within an inch of my fly now that I figured out closer gets a better cure.
http://www.amazon.ca/Ultra-Violet-Blacklight-Flashlight-Torch/dp/B00CHJDXVK
PS - If you really shop around you can find cheap uv lights you can order that will show you how many lumens they put out. Next one I buy will be 800+ lumens and has only 1 bulb instead of several little ones. I think the one I have now is between 3-400 lumens
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I have this stuff and while it dries hard and clear there does seem to be some sort of residue left behind that I just wipe off with my finger. Its not visible except on my finger you can see a shiny smudge.
I noticed this as well. After I posted above I was looking at UV nail polish on Amazon and in the reviews/Q&A section one manicurist/ beautician commented she always use alcohol to wipe off the nails painted with UV polish once dried. She also recommended leaving nails under the lamps for at least 60 seconds - thought those lamps may not be as strong to avoid burns - it's UV that causes sun burns after all.
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Loon hard head is not a uv cure, are you using a uv light on? If so you are damaging the product by using uv light on it, causing the problems you are experiencing
No, of course not. I apply the "Loon hard head phosphorescent" and let it cure for 1 day minimum. It sits away from sunlight, at room temperature, untouched.
I am simply comparing my unique experience with these products: UV glue > nail polish > superglue > loon hard head phosphorescent.
I tried creating 3D eyes with a dab of black nail polish for the pupil and a drop of clear glue. I tried UV glue "thick", clear nailpolish, hard head phosphorescent for the clear portion of the eye. UV worked flawlessly. Nail polish was too thick to administer and 3/4 eyes would end up a mess.. hard head fluoro was same as UV during administration, but turned completely white after an hour, giving the "boiled fish eye" look ;D If you work the goo immediately after placing the drop, it will cure white and remain white. However, if you place the drop and leave it alone, after 2 weeks, the white colour almost completely fades away, resulting in a semi-translucent look. However, the eyes did not glow in the dark, unlike the bottle of the phosphorescent stuff.
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Fly Fish Food has a fairly good post about the different resins and lights and variations.
He did a comparison between many of the named brands and not so known brands.
He examines heat, tack, odor, applicator, and durability of them.
It is about 1/2 through in the post where he has a chart on his results.
http://www.flyfishfood.com/2015/10/uv-resin-shootout.html
Hope it helps, it did for me as to which one to try.
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My version of a purple peril. Sadly, it didn't work too well on the Kitimat this year.
(http://i.imgur.com/ImNiwDr.jpg)
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Been playing around with some 5 minutes epoxy.
(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP1243_zpsijeesrtr.jpg) (http://s64.photobucket.com/user/shanni_shani/media/IMGP1243_zpsijeesrtr.jpg.html)
Looks similar to flies finished with UV resin but I suspect would be more durable.
Tom
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Been playing around with some 5 minutes epoxy.
(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP1243_zpsijeesrtr.jpg) (http://s64.photobucket.com/user/shanni_shani/media/IMGP1243_zpsijeesrtr.jpg.html)
Looks similar to flies finished with UV resin but I suspect would be more durable.
Tom
I would say your assumption will be correct. 3 fish until my UV resin started to peel off. decided to go back to the super glue for durability. Yes the resin makes the flies look a bit more realistic but I want flies that will last me awhile
UV resin I was using is Loon thin fly finish
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5 minute epoxy will yellow in a year or so. Most folks used longer set epoxies & put the flies in a turner or some sort. A BBQ rotisserie motor is perfect and I just stuck a trimmed foam dink float in it and could put 3 or 4 flies on it. You can also rotate it by hand for 15 to 30 minutes. Sticking a half dozen flies in the cork of an old or broken rod should do the trick. I found Great Planes 30 minute epoxy worked well. I got it from a Hobby Shop. Here's a link to find a local dealer - there are several near my home city: http://www.gpdealera.com/cgi-bin/wca56910ap.pgm?V=GPD. Rod wrap epoxy is also excellent. Just paint on a very thin film & rotate.
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5 minute epoxy will yellow in a year or so.
I coat it with Loctite after.
Tom
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A few of the latest...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Speychucker/IMG_6091.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Speychucker/media/IMG_6091.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Speychucker/IMG_6069.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Speychucker/media/IMG_6069.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Speychucker/IMG_5414.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Speychucker/media/IMG_5414.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Speychucker/IMG_4612.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Speychucker/media/IMG_4612.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Speychucker/IMG_4500.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Speychucker/media/IMG_4500.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Speychucker/FullSizeRender_1.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Speychucker/media/FullSizeRender_1.jpg.html)
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Hi Speychucker,
I love the taper on your electric eel fly (pink head, blue collar and black tail). Do you mind telling us the way you achieved it?
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Hi Speychucker,
I love the taper on your electric eel fly (pink head, blue collar and black tail). Do you mind telling us the way you achieved it?
The tail is rabbit strip with the leather cut to a point (not much of a point on this on ). The rest is cross cut rabbit wrapped around the tube. Hope that helps.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Speychucker/FullSizeRender_3.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Speychucker/media/FullSizeRender_3.jpg.html)