Fly Swap Update

[Adam Grace]

I second that, Thank You David!

I can't wait to see all of the bugs.

[Hairstacker]

Well, thought I might as well start figuring out what to tie for the sculpin swap so I threw some materials on the table tonight, started strapping them together, and tied this one fly. Thinking maybe the head needs to be a little smaller and the herl a little shorter. . . . Never tied a sculpin so just trying to figure one out, ha. Anyway, just an experiment.

[SullyTM]

Hairstacker...OK...now I'm bummed! I like your Sculpin tie. I've never tied a sculpin so last night I tried tying some deer hair just to see if I could get a good head on a hook and then trim it...What's your secret? Mine looked bad. I used a batch of deer hair about the thickness of a pencil...A couple of thread loops and then I fanned it out but it doesn't look thick. Should I double the thickness of the deer hair? I'd like to participate in the sculpin tie swap but not if my fly head looks like it's starving! Thanks...

Also, I too want to thank David for the First Annual Kiene's Forum Fly Swap. He has sounded like a kid in a candy store and who can blame him. It's always nice to get presents. I don't care how old you are. Thanks again "D" for all the effort. Thom

[Jgoding]

Hey guys, I got to see all the flies yesterday too! They're damn good if you ask me as well. Ok my flies were a bit small... but the biggest nyphs I ever tied!!! I can't wait to try it out on the American either! Or even the Yuba....

I think we should all make an effort to post recipes.... maybe I will ask Eugene and Bill to start a new Topic area for recipes for fly swaps.

For the next swap, I will start a new thread, just remember, it is a crawdad or sculpin swap, your choice of one or the other. I see many people are going for sculpins, so I am going to tie a crawdad which I have never done either. It should be fun and interesting!! Lots of cool websites to check out for ideas as well, do some research if you think you need to, I know I am. virtual flybox has a cool site... onlineflytyer.....global flyfisher..... I suggest you check these sites out for pattern references etc.

Going to generate the March Swap thread now, please come and confirm you're participation.... looking for a nice 12-13 people again..

Thanks Guys!

[Hairstacker]

Hi Thom! No, do not double the thickness of the stack of hair you're using. If I understand you correctly, you're relying on a single stack of hair to form the head. That won't do it. To tie the fly I posted, I used at least 5 stacks of hair, each one less than the thickness of a pencil.

On the fly I tied, I layed the first stack of hair with the tips pointing toward the rear of the hook, held down the portion of hair with the tips so they wouldn't flair, and cinched the stack up with a couple of thread wraps just like you did. Thus, by holding down the portion of the hair with the hair tips, the tips of the hair didn't flair but the butts flared nicely. I added a couple more thread wraps on top of the first two thread wraps to ensure this first stack was secure and then rotated the hook in the vise so I could stack another small bunch of hair on the bottom of the hook, underneath the first batch I stacked. I let this second batch flare completely (i.e., both tips and butts).

I noticed the sides of the hook were kind of bare, so I stacked small batches on each side of the hook to go along with the first two stacks of hair.

I then took a section of a drinking straw and used it to push ALL of the hair back so that I could then grab and hold the flared hair back with my finger tips. This allowed me room to do a couple of thread wraps on the hook in front of all the hair stacked thus far. So, at this point, I have one portion of hair on top stacked with the tips pointing backward, a few stacks on the bottom and sides that are flared completely, and the thread is hanging down from the hook in front of all the hair stacked thus far. I have not allowed any of the hair thus far to "spin," mind you.

I then took my finger tips and firmly pushed backward toward the bend of the hook in order to ensure the hair stacked thus far was fairly tightly packed. I then "spun" a batch of hair IN FRONT of all that stacked hair. To spin, I just put on a couple of thread wraps around a bunch of hair like you did and, as I'm cinching up the second thread wrap, I let go of the hair and start pulling the thread, which allows the bundle of hair to spin around the hook as it's flaring. And while it's starting to spin around the hook, I'm adding a third wrap and fourth wrap of thread. (Naturally, you need a strong thread to spin hair -- I use Orvis "G," which works well for me) Moved the thread to the front and did a whip finish. Voila!

If this were a surface-floating deerhair bug, I would have stacked hair on top of previously stacked or spun hair. By stacking bundles on top of bundles and ensuring bundles are tightly packed against each other along the hook shank using your fingertips, you can get a really tight head for, say, a deer hair popper. But for a sculpin fly, I've read it's preferable for it NOT to be too tightly packed, as it will be easier to make it sink. So, I'm purposely not trying to get a tightly packed head and so didn't stack any hair on top of hair. Anyway, really hope this helps and hope you don't get discouraged enough to forego the swap. I initially wasn't sure about a sculpin swap myself but I couldn't resist wanting to see a dozen sculpin patterns. Take this swap as a challenge to get this technique down. That's what I did on the last swap with those &%@* goose biots on the Golden Stoneflies I tied. Do you know, I tied THREE of those things before I figured out how to make the tail biots flare by tying them concave sides out? Doh. Hey, come to think of it, maybe when you see one of those I tied, you will be encouraged! (In other words, "If he's willing to turn in THAT, then what the hell?")

[SullyTM]

Hairstacker...Your instructions should help. If not, I could be tying a crawdad pattern...

? How far back from the hook eye did you start the hair tie-in. I know the hook size dictates this so let's say a size 4 or 2. And, please bear with me, if for example your clump of deer hair is 2" in length do you tie in the thread using a 50/50 split of the hair stack? I'll definitely tie a few heads tonight and let you know how they came out. Practice makes perfect! Thanks for the help.

[Hairstacker]

Thom, I started the hair tie-in about 1/3 of the hook shank back from the eye. I tied the pictured fly on a size 8 TMC 5263 (2X heavy,3X long) hook. For the size of the fly I actually tied, I probably would have been better off with a size 6 hook.

For the first stack of hair, I tied it in about 1/2" from the butt end of the hair, as I didn't care how long the hair would stream back over the rear, I was more concerned with how big the flared-butt portion was -- I didn't want the flared-butt portion to be too short to trim later into a head. For the rest of the hair bundles, I tied them all in using a "50/50 split of the hair stack," as you say. In fact, if I'm not laying in a "wing" of sorts over the back of the fly like I did in this case, I ALWAYS tie deerhair bundles in using a "50/50" split, regardless how long or short the deerhair is -- it's going to end up getting trimmed at the end anyway. I hope this helps and please feel free to ask more questions if I can be of any help. Please don't give up because, once you get it right, you'll slap yourself on the head when you realize how easy it is to stack and spin deerhair. Plus, once you get it down, you'll be able to tie up all kinds of cute bass bugs!

[SullyTM]

Hairstacker...Thanks. Maybe when I get this down I'll even catch some bass! My local reservoir should be heating up for some Springtime action. I picked up dark dear hair today to go along with my light colored hair...Maybe I'll combine the 2 colors? WAIT!!! I haven't even tied a good one yet! Have a good weekend. Thom

[Hairstacker]

Oh, and Thom, this all reminds me of something I read once in Charlie Waterman's book, "Black Bass and the Fly Rod." Charlie knew a fly shop owner who trained his tiers to make beautiful hair bugs, but this fly shop owner had instead chosen to give Charlie some shaggy rejects that beginners had sweated over. Charlie wasn't exactly enraptured by the gift until the fly shop owner explained that the rejects fished better than the "good" ones. He explained that they wouldn't sell in stores, but they'll catch more fish because the ragged edges create movement in the water. Charlie noticed he was right when he actually fished them. So, no one who's more interested in catching fish than displaying flies should have ANY problems with your flies. That's how I look at it anyhow.

[SullyTM]

Amen! Fish don't know what's good or bad. If the they're going to strike on movement, then reject flies could be the ticket. I caught my first Chinook on a Mickey Fin and believe me it wasn't pretty, but I did get the basic form done correctly. I've been tying for 2 years and I've put more time in the past 6 months than the first 1 1/2 years. This first flyswap was a very good thing for me. My local shop even knows me by name...kind of like Norm on Cheers! I'm flying this weekend. There are a couple of steelheads that need catching. Thanks again.