Testing Articulated Streamer, 7/2/14

[Night_Stalker]

I've been relearning tying and catching up on the new materials developed in the past 35 years.

As a teen I would design some crazy bugs and streamers with non-conventional materials. I have been using some of my old flies and making new. I have purchased a lot also.

I took out an articulated streamer that I made the other evening and tossed it on a sink tip. All was great until my streamer express 50 ft line wrapped around something in an 8-ft deep hole. This is the second time I have caught the line and not the fly/leader. This time I had to pull until the fly line broke. I guess I wanted that tip to be shorter anyway.

This is why you take photos of your test fly patterns as you test them…a musky, tree or submerged thing could keep it.

The third cast gave me a nice tug from a 15-16" Smallie.

 

[lv2nymph]

That, is one cool looking streamer. Nice job.

 

[DyberryBrookies]

Very nice tie night! Here is an articulated Baby White sucker i tie for big angry browns!

 

[Brownie101]

Nice flies guys.

 

[DyberryBrookies]

The tail is from this grey fox i tied up in my cable restraint last winter.

 

[DyberryBrookies]

Skinned, fleshed, and tanned this guy using steeped hemlock bark haha then i stitxhed up a wicked hat too!

 

[Fishidiot]

Good thread on two points.

I think it is worth remembering - especially for those who don't typically use sinking lines or fast sink heads - that you really need to keep an eye on how solid your loop construction is. Stream bottom debris can really snag sinking lines in ways that are surprising for folks who are accustomed to floating lines. It's bad enough in rivers - wait till you try fishing from jetties in the salt.
Anyway, I build my own loops and use Superglue and Kevlar thread in liberal quantities and check them throughout the season. This produces somewhat unwieldy knots but I know that when that line gets down in the rocks and woody debris, that I can really lean hard on it to pull free from the junk. Nevertheless, in spite of strong links, anyone can still lose a sinking head from time to time.

Testing flies is also critical as many flies look great in the vise but perform poorly or twist line when you actually tie 'em on and fish 'em. Nevertheless, when you come up with a new variation or design and it performs great in the water...it's a great feeling.
Other flies need only one cast and I cut 'em off and send 'em to the trash can.

 

[DyberryBrookies]

Articulated dace

 

[BrianMyers67]

I've never fished a sink tip line but like using add on sink tips with my standard floating line and have found (river /stream fishing) that you need to keep the line moving in toward to you ( slow retrieve at least ) or it will wrap up almost every time. 3 to 7' sink tips made from Rio T8 have been my favorite with crayfish patterns and without some tension and inward movement the line gets a little belly and wraps up on rock , branches and weeds. It's surprising how badly snagged it will get especially in rocky spots. One thing with Rio to check especially after a year or two is the entire section , not just the loop. On a 7' section of T8 that was two or three years old , I had it break toward the center with a fish on last year. As it gets older the Rio begins to look (for lack of a better term) dried out and faded. It's time to retire it at that point. Last year in the Conestoga was a decent smallie swimming around with at least 3' of sink tip hanging out of it's mouth.