The Fly Thread

[Lancer09]

Yes. I have been letting the paint dry then just supergluing them on. I'm out of the UV stuff and haven't got around to getting more, and a new light.

 

I just don't trust the paint to have a strong enough hold on the eyes to keep them down. If I had uv I probably would just set them onto the paint, and when that was dry UV over the top of all of that. 

 

 

 

 

[Lancer09]

[BilletHead]

  The Chartreuse shuttlecock turned out pretty good. Comparing this one and the previous white one they are sized different. White one is four inches on a #2 B10S, this one is on a #1 B10S five inches to the back of the saddle hackle, add an inch to make it six to the back of the flash.  Kind of neat to tie up. Layers in front of each other a bit daunting thinking materials are beginning to wad up but this gives it the large hollow type profile that won't collapse while stripping back,

BilletHead

[BilletHead]

  Something new to me and more shuttlecocks,

Lets talk articulation. So I have made many streamers with one articulation. Like the action a lot. Been looking at the fish spines since they came out. Waited until last week and broke down last Saturday and bought three sizes. 10,15 and 20mm sizes. I had seen a pattern for a worm/sluggo/fluke tie. Did three. A black and purple using UV seal-X blend and another purple (Jungle Juice mix from the old backcountry outfitters) Size #2 B10 hook. They came out right at five inches. Did a bait fish too using the fabric paint for a head to attach eyes to. Took an hour off to hit a pond to see what kind of action they had. A bit windy and water real cold but went to a shallow end where the dark vegetative bottom would be a bit warmer.Tied on the black one and with hip boots on stepped into the water. Instantly could feel the cold. Started fan casting into six inches to three feet deep. Twitch pause and repeat like using a jerk bait. Several casts later a good tap on the pause. One to hand. Small but the first of the season. In twenty minutes had five to hand. Felt good. Hits were hard, Four on the black and one on the purple with black head. Threw out the bait fish too. All had the most amazing action. No foul ups on the casting either. Depending on the strip speed the things will wiggle, dart and dive. The profile would slim down a bit on the strip and on the pause fluff back out with the material looking like it was breathing. I will be tying more for sure and I know Mrs. BilletHead will want her own. I have only found one draw back about having a spouse who enjoys the same sports I do. She has to have her own rods, reels, fly's, waders, vests, etc, etc, etc. Fringe benefits are great though . So photos now. The first fish, little one but made me happy. Oh and I thought I would share this. I took him out of the water, laid him on the grass and took his photo. He told me it was ok and he did not even feel the hook pierce his jaw or me unhook him. I told him thank you and turned him loose and he waved his fin good by to me. The others I unhooked in the water. They all were pretty quiet but one who said ouch when I did a strip set. Guess some fish feel it and some do not,

 The new batch of articulated flies. So with four sections including the hook, then a non slip mono loop attaching to the tippet there is four sections that move independently there is much movement,

 And last the cumulative bunch of shuttlecocks,

BilletHead

[Flysmallie]

I got spanked standing next to someone last weekend using a wiggle minnow, it won't happen again. Well not until next time. 

 

[Flysmallie]

[BilletHead]

   Those look nice Ronnie,

Have made a couple but need to work up some more. Were they using sinking line on those?  Been messing with the shuttlecocks more. Got out the copic pen air brush. Tying them in white and then hitting them with the brush two toning them. Have made a dozen more after these. Incorporating big rattles into them too. 

BilletHead

[Flysmallie]

I like those!

 

Yeah the sinking line is the deal on the wiggle minnows. I had tried them years ago on floating line and they were decent. But on a sinking line it's a whole new deal. I keep trying to tell myself that Jeff's line was a faster sink rate than mine so that's the reason he put it on me but even I know that's not true.

I'm going to go with what I have for now until I see how they perform. Might have to put testing into the hands of a 12 year old girl but I'm okay with that.

 

 

[Lancer09]

Wiggle Minners with synthetic tails have always been my best. I like marabou but I think anything with real weight kills the wiggle a bit. I fish a LOT of the geen foam cylindered ones with olive slinky hair in the tail.

It's a killer fly. 

[BilletHead]

    I can see those on sinking line just floating right off the bottom. When I made and tried I used floating line and did catch some nice pond bass. I think in certain depths of water floating line can do just as well. Not on these wiggle minnows but weighted flys. Last week the Mrs. and I made our first trip to the Spring River in OK. Water temp 54-56. Went to the first shoal and really got into the nice female white bass. They hit in anywhere from on a cut bank in a foot of water to the middle of the run in five foot of water. She was using floating and I was using sink tip. At one time I had a call on the cell and she hit three in a row as I was talking. We quit at noon because of the wind. Fun times. Now to yesterday forum member curtisce met me in Joplin and we went. Fished the first two shoals. Caught 40 to 50 whites but all were males. Milting all over the boat as we hauled them in. Both of us were using sink tip. We caught them against the bank as soon as the clouser hit the water to again no more than five foot deep. We seen a young man catching whites using a float with a jig maybe a foot or more deep. So in certain places in shallow depths floating would be just fine. Some action picts from yesterday.

    BilletHead