Fly Tier’s Little Helper – Part 3 – Flea Comb

Here’s the third part of „Fly Tier’s Little Helper“. I will show you things, which I’ve used since some years and which helped me tying my flies or organize my tying place.

The flea comp is a very important tool on my tying desk and I use it a lot. I often see, that many people doesn’t prepare their tying material before they tie it in. The result is a fly which looks… let’s say crumpled. Almost every hair, natural or synthetic should be combed.

fox hair before and after combing

fox hair before and after combing

It’s for example also very usefull to comb out the under wool of deer hair.

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Even for fast smaller dubbing mixes I use the flea comb. You can see it here in this video:

[vimeo width=“600″ height=“500″]http://vimeo.com/109836543[/vimeo]

 

In my pike streamer box is also a flea comb. Sometimes pike flies made with natural hair become felted after fishing and the attack of some fish. Let them dry and then use your flea comb. After using it, the flies will look almost like new.

You can get a flea comb in every pet shop for usually something around 5,- Euro. A great tool on your tying desk, which you will love after a short while.

Squids for the Baltic Sea

Everyone is talking about Squids in the Baltic Sea right now. Why? You can read it here on Globalflyfisher

It’s a nice and interesting written articel by Martin Joergensen. Martin is from Denmark and he is close to the sources, so why should I write it again? ;-)  Thx Martin!

So, I don’t got any squid patterns in my fly box for sea trouts. That’s why I was testing a little bit on my tying place. These are the first two patterns.

First try, unweighted

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The second try is weighted in the front and I put the eye on the second part and just the mantle on the main hook.

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Magic Shrimp #6

This is the last Magic Shrimp for a while, because I have to order new material for the legs.

This shrimp is very translucent und I think it will work very good on cloudy days with clear water, when the body gives a nice „bling bling“ in the water.

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Magic Shrimp # 4

This time I tied a natural – sand – colored shrimp. This is the fourth try. Now, after a little bit of experience in tying these little fellows, it’s getting faster and easier every time. Fun tying!

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Magic Shrimp

Rune Westphal designed a nice shrimp pattern. It’s like a Perfect Leo Shrimp from Kern Lund with an translucent rear body.

This is my first attempt with this pattern. I tied the front and the mouth part a bit different with CDC and Arctic Fox. It’s not perfect, but for the first try, I’m quite satisfied.

Magic Shrimp

Here, you can see the tying video of Rune:

[youtube width=“600″ height=“400″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKMmtfuB9tg[/youtube]

Wet Fly „Struppi“

I’m not a wet fly guy. If I remember right, I fished wet flies less than 10 times in more than 20 years of fly fishing. I don’t know why, but it was not „my style“. I prefered more natural looking patterns like CDC dries, nymphs and emerger. I know, that wet flies are catching a lot of fish and some also imitate insects like stillborns or drowning duns, but…. I just don’t like to fish them. That’s also the reason, why I don’t have much experience in tying wet flies. I tied less than 12 classical wet flies in my life.

This year I’ll promised myself to give them more often a chance. That means, that I have also to learn to tie them. Most important, I have to know the materials, especially the feathers for the wings and how they react, when you tie them in.

„Struppi“ is one of the first wet flies. It’s kind a freestyle march brown. It’s not a „pretty“ fly, but looks very fishy. I mixed a little bit of Ice Dub into the Hare’s Ear Dubbing and so there are some light reflexes in the body. I ribbed it with mono and the tail and the front hackle is made from partridge. For the wing, I’ve used mottled turkey. As hook I choosed a Kamasan B 405 # 12.

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Struppi

 

Orange Struppi

Orange Struppi

Yellow Struppi

 

Easy Caddis Larva

That is a simple weighted Caddis Larva. Not too many materials, just a few tying steps and no expensive materials. Just a good fishing fly.

Materials:

  • Hook: Gamakatsu F22 #10
  • Thread: Uni 8/0 Black
  • Weight: Lead Wire
  • Tail: Natural CDC
  • Ribbing: Mono
  • Back: Stretch Flex Clear
  • Dubbing: Abdomen Hare’s Ear mixed with Ice Dub, Thorax Peacock Dubbing Brown
  • Coloration: Marker Pens

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Dry Fly # 14

Materials:

  • Hook: Maruto D82BL # 14
  • Tail: Coq de Leon
  • Body: SLF Master Class Dubbing Dark Damsel Nymph
  • Hackle: Whiting Rooster Cape Dun
  • Wing: CDC Tan
  • Thread: Uni 8/0 Black

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Last flies for 2014

I finished the last flies for 2014 this morning, five sculpins # 6.

I wish everyone a great party and all the best for 2015! I thank you all for the nice comments, emails and support during the whole year! See you in 2015! Tight lines!

Holger

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X-Mas flies

Used some quiet hours for some tying of nymphs for my fishing in the next year.

Materials:

  • Maruto C47 BL #14
  • Small tungsten beads in copper and black nickel
  • Coq de Leon for the tails
  • Copper wire and mono for the ribbing
  • Pheasant for the abdomen
  • Peacock dubbing brown for the thorax
  • Pheasant for the wing case
  • Partridge for the legs
  • Bug Bond Lite to secure the wing case and the thread

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