Chewee Czechs

[lv2nymph]

At the Sumerset show I found a product called U.V. Chewee Skin. First thought was Czech nymphs, picked up several colors to try out. I really like the colors which don't really show like they should, but they're very cool. You get really great segmentation with it. When you squeeze them it's like soft rubber very lifelike.

Here is what it looks like, 2 or 3 different colors show on some of these you just can't tell in the pic, this stuff looks so much better in hand. Can't wait to dunk these guys.

 

[blueheron]

Nice!

 

[whheff]

I have that stuff but I never thought to use it like you did. Very nice flies.

 

[gaeronf]

Apparently after a while it rots so I think some people use softex. Never used it so I don't know! Sweet bugs!

 

[SBecker]

Those are really nice! Like them alot.

 

[StarvinMarvin]

I'll take a dozen of each color!!

 

[tyeager]

other than the colors being different....
how does it compare to wapsi thin skin or even a scud back for what you are using it for

 

[lv2nymph]

Hey, thanks a lot guys. I'm really pleased with the way the material handles and it's appearance after being tied in. The results were just what I was hoping it would be. Thin skin, scud back, and a niche product ( flexibody ) are as thin as paper. Years ago flexibody was twice as thick as the pack I bought three months ago to replace a color I ran out of, plus there was not as much of it in the pack. The chewee skin is three if not four times thicker than anything I've seen to date. When stretched it's still at least twice as thick, something I've been searching for for a long time. With thin skin and the like when you wrap the rib you do get segmentation but to maximize this you really have to pile on the dubbing making a soft bed for the wire or mono to dig into. With the thickness of the chewee skin and the rubber like texture deep segmentation can be had without effort. Also, when complete it feels so well, chewee it almost feels like one of those exercise balls you squeeze in your hand. It's not the end all I'm sure, but as far as my little part of the universe is concerned I've found what I've been casually keeping my eyes open for for years. Plus there's a lot more colors available that I will be getting.
Oh, and "G"man this is the one time I hope you don't know what your talking about. ;-) I'm pretty sure that it's a rumor started by the makers of softex. :roll:

 

[gaeronf]

Let us know how it goes! I did a little bit more searching and found the same, it does rot/disintegrate over time. I've never used it it's just what I found in reviews as I googled it. Like I said, let us know I'm interested to here how it goes!

 

[krott243]

What did you dub the bodies with?

 

[lv2nymph]

I used the creamy/white colored belly fur from an Australian opposum pelt for the body.

 

[attackone]

there is another fly that they use the chewy skin and wrap it up the hook shank, makes a really nice fly

 

[attackone]

 

[dubthethorax]

proportions are great! Try hitting the top part of the thorax with a black sharpie. Sometimes that does the trick. If you search on google, Jan Siman's tutorial on his forum is great.

 

[lv2nymph]

Thanks Dub, I'll check him out. You're right about darkening the thorax, I have a few pattern books of Czech, Polish, and Slovak ties and what I noticed was some had the darker thorax and as many did not. I have ties that I've done that to and some I don't, like the ties here are brighter in tone and I liked the look without it on those particular ones. Some of the tyers had darkened the thorax as far back as three segments. I always figured it was tyers preference on that, Would you happen to know about this? I'm tying one now with a dark back and I'm going to use the dark hairs from the back of the opossum for the abdomen and at the thorax some uv black dub along with black wire rib, and was planning on hitting the thorax with a marker on that one( if needed). Thanks for the insight. You can't tell in the pics but at the thorax where the colored dubbing is, the darker dubbing shows through the back and actually makes the thorax a darker color than from the thorax back. ( that's the reason I tried to match the thread up with the thorax color )They really look a lot better in person, thought that was a pretty cool touch. Thanks for the pic Attack.

 

[mutzinbaugh]

StarvinMarvin wrote:
I'll take a dozen of each color!!

+1, i till take a dozen also.

is there a difference in australian opossum and pa opossum?

 

[SBecker]

When they flush the toilet the water goes the opposite way.

 

[lv2nymph]

mutzinbaugh wrote:

StarvinMarvin wrote:
I'll take a dozen of each color!!

+1, i till take a dozen also.

is there a difference in australian opossum and pa opossum?

I was told by several different shops that the Australian opossum has a nicer/softer coat, which is what led me to it. At first I had a bag of the strips ( all one color dark) I was talking to Kevin at performance flies and this came up, ended up getting a hide from him. As you already know the whole hide of any animal is so much better as far as different tones of color goes. I've never had the opportunity to do a side by side comparison of the two but quite a few patterns call for it. It does work nicely for these I think. Perhaps someone with a little more hands on knowledge of this will chime in. I kinda looked around about this some and did read many times that opossum's are a pita to skin and tan.

 

[IdratherbePhishing]

those are nice flies nymph!

 

[lv2nymph]

Thanks alot, I've got some other colors tied up now and really like them all. I do like the effect this material gives this fly. Glad I found it.