After participating in the streamer fly swap (thanks again
@JimNovo) I’ve been noodling about giving a streamer a “spine” without relying on a long hook. Because I tied these and though I like the look I thought it would be better if the body/tail that extends beyond the hook shaft had more structure.
So I wrapped two lengths of bead chain together (quick and easy) and got a nice articulated spine that looks like this (1mm brass chain and purple thread so it’s visible - black chain and black thread look much better).
Like a spine it flexes within a limited range but not beyond, which makes it stiff enough to wrap with hackle, dubbing or whatever.
Someone with more tying skill could do a nicer job, but you get the idea.
What am I going to do with this? I don’t know yet, but I think wrapping something like this with wet/hen hackle and tying it on at the hook bend could make for a streamer tail with a spine, dubbed mini “eels” (spine = not worms) or other creations. Fortunately it’s quick, easy and cheap, so whatever is no big investment.
Or it might be useless. 🤷♂️ Anyway, thought I’d share.
