Chain streamer

[djmyers]

any thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

 

[TUNA]

Very nice, maybe something less bouyant than hair, to get it down? I would use the way it is though. It looks like it would come alive in the water as well.

 

[sandfly]

Nice dude, how about a step x step

 

[bam]

Do you have any hooks toward the back of the fly? If not I could see a lot of missed strikes if you're chasing trout...

Otherwise, looks like something I need in my box!

 

[gfen]

TUNA wrote:
Very nice, maybe something less bouyant than hair, to get it down? I would use the way it is though. It looks like it would come alive in the water as well.

Muddler heads push water and make noise. Rather than use something different, just don't pack it as hard and it'll absorb water much easier. A rougher, more open head.

http://www.midcurrent.com/articles/flies/likakis_muddlers.aspx
At each step of the evolutionary path, the complexity of the pattern increased. And (usually) the density of the deer-hair head increased as well. The original pattern with its sparse head is long forgotten, and few fly fishers would pay money for one. Indeed, they demand Muddlers with tightly packed heads.

 

[TUNA]

Thanks, gfen I'll have to try that out next time I TRY to tie streamers.

 

[djmyers]

Materials tied in order listed:
Tail: 2.4mm bead chain (14 beads)
Hen pheasant bou
Krystal Flash or Flashabou
Brown Marabou
(I tied in 3 locations of about 4 feathers in each spot. Between each tie in left a bead (two gaps) between them to allow the chain to have motion too.)

Hook: #4 6xl
12 - 15 wraps of .035 lead
(attach beads to hook)
Brown Marabou (palmered)
Copper UV Polar Chenille
Brown Marabou (palmered)
Wing: Hen Pheasant Bou
Collar: Deer hair
Headeer hair

 

[ratgunner]

Looks like a good pattern for pike and bass.

 

[jayL]

The deer hair head is popular with the kelly galloup crew. I am not too wild about it, but I do tie some patterns with it.

Fish it on a sink tip and watch what happens.

 

[djmyers]

What other type of head material would you recommend?

One person I was talking with recommended putting it on a short hook and just putting a wing on it with dumbell eyes and make it a shorter pattern. I might play with that too. Just looking for more possibilities. I thought about one of those new "fish skull" heads but don't have any of them on hand yet.

 

[jayL]

Sculpin wool, large chenille/yarn, hackle, and marabou have all worked well for me.

 

[gfen]

Wool would push water, too, but will also take some time to soak up the water and lose the boyouncy. Bouyoncy. Bouyancy. Floatability.

Those other items won't work as well for the pressure wave thing.

 

[jayL]

I've found that wool soaks and sinks MUCH quicker than deer hair. Because it's not hollow.

The other items work fine to move water, but you've got to layer them with thread wraps between them, among other techniques that I have fussed with.

 

[gfen]

jayL wrote:
techniques that I have fussed with.

Too much work.

I've never really tied much in the way of wool, so I just presumed that until it got wet, it was way bouyant. Boyant. Buoyant? Buoyant!

 

[jayL]

gfen wrote:
Too much work.

You tie royal wulffs.

And I always had trouble with that word. Remember that the root is "buoy" as in lobster buoy and you got it.

 

[gfen]

jayL wrote:
You tie royal wulffs.

And I always had trouble with that word. Remember that the root is "buoy" as in lobster buoy and you got it.

I do, there's not alot of work to them, really. I usually skip the second hackle coz modern stuff is long and quality. The trade off of herl-silk over herl-herl isn't any more time consuming than spinning dubbing.

I can't spell buoy right, either, most of the time.

 

[jayL]

Just say it in slow motion and it spells itself. It also entertains those around you.

 

[jdaddy]

bam wrote:
Do you have any hooks toward the back of the fly? If not I could see a lot of missed strikes if you're chasing trout...

Otherwise, looks like something I need in my box!

qft

 

[TUNA]

I was given a nice Sculpin imitation that had a head made out of a material that I've never used before. Jay what kinda material did you use for the head?

 

[mcwillja]

bam wrote:
Do you have any hooks toward the back of the fly? If not I could see a lot of missed strikes if you're chasing trout...

Otherwise, looks like something I need in my box!

Nice tie but I agree with Bam. I can't tell from the picture but you may have some missed strikes without a hook in the rear of that streamer. Not all big fish strike the head to knock the streamer out before eating it. I fished streamers on Spring Creek and the Delware where my tail was too long and they were quick stricking the tail and missing the hook because it extended past the hook too far.