Sparkle Mayfly

Sparkle Mayfly. Wings are two colors of CDC (natural and white from Trout Line) with a few strands of very thin flash. There’s a little sparkle in the wings. It’s hard to show that on the picture, in reality, it’s looks very posh! Thorax is normal dubbing, wingcase is made from pheasant and the body is made with Polish Quills, secured with Bug Bond. Tails are synthetic Mayfly Tails. For the hook I’ve used a D23BL # 14 from Trout Line.

IMG_4977 (Medium)

Fly Tier’s Little Helper – Part 2 – Hackle Pliers

There are a lot of tools for the fly tier on the market. Some are good, some are useless, some are expensive but worth the money, some are cheap and still super usefull.

I used a lot of different tools and gimmicks in the last 20 years, and in this series I want to show things, which worked well for me and I’ll try to tell you why.

Part 2

Every fly tier needs a good hackle plier. You can find a lot of different pliers on the market. This are the two types I can highly recommend.

1. Dorin Hackle Plier

IMG_4388 (Medium)

You can buy it normally for less than 5,- €. It works great and has a lot of power holding different materials. I use it often, when I have to tie with a high strength, especially ribbing with mono. Just wind the mono two times around the wire. The only negative point for me is, that my finger does not fit into the loop of wire.

IMG_4389 (Medium)

This is the Dorin hackle pliers I use. It looks a bit shabby, but it’s over 13 years old.

IMG_4392 (Medium)IMG_4390 (Medium)

From time to time the plastic tubing is damaged and the materials begin to slip. To solve the problem is very easy.

IMG_4394 (Medium)

Just push the tube over the edge and cut it. Now it works like brand new. You can see, that it’s not necessary to do it often. Like I said, the one on the picture is more then 13 years old and it was used very often. There is still some tubing left. ;-)

IMG_4398 (Medium)IMG_4401 (Medium)

Here is the expensive one. C&F hackle plier. About 30,- € for the cheapest model. Well, a lot of money, but it’s worth every cent. It works perfect as an all around hackle plier. You can tie with it many years and it still works like on day one. The rubber pads are missing on mine, but that’s no problem. Still working great.

IMG_4396 (Medium)

The secret of success. The tip is rough in a microscopic way. Hackles, feathers and synthetics are hold very well.

IMG_4402 (Medium)

This is the rotary version of the C&F, which I sometimes like to use when tying smaller patterns.

Well, that’s it! My two cent on hackle pliers. These are the pliers I use since many, many years without any problems. Still working perfect.

Fly Tier’s Little Helper – Part 1 – Bug Bond Pro Light Mains Adapter

There are a lot of tools for the fly tier on the market. Some are good, some are useless, some are expensive but worth the money, some are cheap and still super usefull.

I used a lot of different tools and gimmicks in the last 20 years, and in this series I want to show things, which worked well for me and I’ll try to tell you why.

I begin with something very special, the Bug Bond Pro Light Mains Adapter.

IMG_4322 (Medium)

When you look at my flies, you’ll see that I work a lot with uv resin. No matter if I tie dries and nymphs or streamer and flies for pike, seatrout, asp, …

Working with uv resin means, you have to use a uv torch with maximun battery power to harden the resin. I often saw people using a torch with low power, wondering, why the resin won’t cure like it should.

Bug Bond offers a nice solution for the power problem: An adapter for your pro torch to connect it with your power supply at home. You just have to screw the adapter into the torch and you have a super strong uv torch every time.

IMG_4325 (Medium)

To connect the adapter with the torch, you have to screw off the switch at the end.

IMG_4327 (Medium)

Maybe you’re asking yourself how to switch on the torch without the switch at the end? With the Kit comes a solid foot switch like you know them from sewing machines. Just put your foot on the pedal and the torch will do it’s job.

IMG_4323 (Medium)

IMG_4324 (Medium)

The torch is always hanging from on of my lamps on my tying desk ready for some action.

IMG_4320 (Medium)

I f you like to use uv resin for your tying, then I can recommend you the Mains Adapter. It’s super nice to use, you got always maximum curing power and you don’t have to care about the batteries.

I use the Adapter now several months and I don’t want to miss it.

The last fly of 2013

This Caddis Pupa, tied on a Daiichi Klinkhamer hook # 14 was the last fly I tied in 2013.

Some food for trout and grayling

Autumn is almost over and the winter is coming… I already miss to fish for trout and grayling, which I’ve done this year not often enough….

Quill Body CDC Emerger No. 2 – Step By Step

It’s the end of April and the trout and grayling season will start soon.

Here’s another very good emerger pattern, which imitates some different may fly species, depending on the colour and size. It’s tied on the new Daiichi 1167 Klinkhamer hook, designed by the famous dutch fly tyer Hans van Klinken.

The Daiichi 1167 got a stronger wire compared to the Tiemco 212Y for example, which makes sure, that the abdomen hangs deep in the surface. That’s really important and that’s the reason, why this pattern got no tail or a trailing shuck, to make sure, that the abdomen is hanging deep in the surface.

The quill body is covered with a thin coating UV Resin.

 

Materials:

  • Hook: Daiichi 1167 # 14
  • Abdomen: Polish Quills &Tack Free UV Resin
  • Thorax: Oliver Edwards Master Class Dubbing
  • Wing case: CDC
  • Wing: CDC
  • Legs: Partridge

 

Put the hook into the vise, do a layer of thread and tie in a stripped peacock quill. Wind the quill around the hook shank and catch it with the tying thread.

 

Put a little drop of Tack Free UV Resin on the stripped peacock quill and spread it on the abdomen. Cure it with your UV torch.

 

Tie in two CDC feathers for the wing case. Then tie in the tip of another white CDC feather as a crippled wing.

 

Dub the body and tie in some partridge fibres to imitate the legs. Fold each CDC feather to the hook eye and catch it with the tying thread. The CDC wing should be exactly in the middle of the feathers.

 

Cut the CDC feathers for the wing case and do some turns with your whip finisher to create a little head. Varnish the head, if you like. That’s it, ready for fishing. ;-)

tight lines

Holger Lachmann