Question:
Several people have entered into a purposeful discussion of the best way to use two flies…… related comment, but not on topic exactly…. I drove a very good friend of mine to the hospital with the second hook ( the one not in the fish) deeeeeeeppppply embedded in his finger. This hook was driven into his finger when the 10 pound steelhead he reach for… suddenly thrashed about. Months later, infection etc… he still has scars…. I fish with only one fly now…. Alan E. Hoover
Yep, had that happen also Alan. I was posing with a nice rainbow for a photo when the dropper with PT nymph flicked onto my index finger of my dominate hand. When the shutter clacked the fish went flying and I got the hook deep. It took me a couple of hours to cut that thing out with the fileting knife during lunch break. It sure was hard casting with that thing in there the remainder of the morning. -Burton — L. Burton Hawley 2330 NW Hummingbird Corvallis, OR
Response:
Several people have entered into a purposeful discussion of the best way to use two flies…… related comment, but not on topic exactly…. I drove a very good friend of mine to the hospital with the second hook ( the one not in the fish) deeeeeeeppppply embedded in his finger. This hook was driven into his finger when the 10 pound steelhead he reach for… suddenly thrashed about. Months later, infection etc… he still has scars…. I fish with only one fly now…. Alan E. Hoover Anglers’ Rest Powhatan, Va *the trout teach many, lessons*
Response:
It took me a couple of hours to cut that thing out with the fileting k Damn, Burton. Fishing must have been slow if you took a couple of hours for lunch break! :^) I saw a flyfishing show over the weekend that featured atlantic salmon fishing in Iceland. They have an interesting regulation there. The stream must be "rested" from 11:00am until 4:00pm (that means no fishing of any kind) every day. Of course, at that latitude daylight goes until 10:00pm so there is plenty of time.
That’s an intresting concept. It might be worth trying on some of our streams in the summer. Different hours though. -Burton — L. Burton Hawley 2330 NW Hummingbird Corvallis, OR
Response:
It took me a couple of hours to cut that thing out with the fileting knife during lunch break. It sure was hard casting with that thing in there the remainder of the morning. Damn, Burton. Fishing must have been slow if you took a couple of hours for lunch break! :^) Tight Lines, preferably attached to ‘fish’, Charley
Nah, actually it was a good morning – pretty long. It was just a long slow process cautiously getting down to the barb. I’m no surgeon and had to wing it. My fishing partner was taking a nap. When I got ready to attempt pulling it out, I left the camper so I wouldn’t wake him if I yelled. I grabbed it with tweezers and it popped right out. That was the only one I forgot to pinch the barb on – talk about fate and retribution. 
-Burton — L. Burton Hawley 2330 NW Hummingbird Corvallis, OR
Response:
Several people have entered into a purposeful discussion of the best way to use two flies…… related comment, but not on topic exactly….
Fishing a team of 2 or 3 flies is common in Ireland and Scotland especially where Seatrout and Salmon are expected on the same water. I invariably fish a double or triple hooked Salmon pattern on the tail with two droppers for Seatrout. If it is blowing a full gale and I start to tangle I might cut one dropper off. I have one friend who regularly fishes a team of 4 flies but he is so expert that he has the nickname of "Tightlines" I drove a very good friend of mine to the hospital with the second hook ( the one not in the fish) deeeeeeeppppply embedded in his finger. This hook was driven into his finger It took me a couple of hours to cut that thing out with the fileting knife during lunch break.
This hooking yourself business has cropped up before but I’ll say it again anyway. You do not have to go to the surgery or take a knife to yourself. Put your thumb very firmly on the eye end of the hook. Tie a bit of stout lanyard around the bend of the hook and give a firm pull away from the direction of the hook’s entry. You have to be bold. It works. There’s a bit of blood and it hurts, but you will be fishing again in 5 minutes. Mind you I’ve never tried it with a hook in the eye or eyelid. Has anyone ? — Ian McCowen – Polwarth Manse, Greenlaw, Berwickshire TD10 6YR SCOTLAND (fine old books on Shooting, Fishing, Natural History bought & sold)
Response:
It took me a couple of hours to cut that thing out with the fileting knife during lunch break. It sure was hard casting with that thing in there the remainder of the morning.
Damn, Burton. Fishing must have been slow if you took a couple of hours for lunch break! :^) Tight Lines, preferably attached to ‘fish’, Charley
Response:
Here in Taupo we regularly use two nymphs on the bigger rivers. The first nymph is very heavy, we are not allowed to add lead to the line, and the second nymph, lighter. The second nymph is invariably tied off to the bend of the first hook, about 12 to 18 inches behind. If casting where it is possible, the best technique is to allow the nymphs to hit the water on the back cast, this ‘water haul’ helps to straighten out the line and fully load the rod. As several others have noted, try and cast an open loop, and also try and change the ‘plane’ at which the rod moves from the forward to back cast. Even so it is all pretty ugly to purist casters, but it gets the job done. We also tend to use shooting heads or weight forward tapers that have a short forward section. Despite all the above this type of casting is called here, chuck and duck, definitely a hard hat area. — Tony Bishop Fish with Bish Taupo New Zealand – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : I have tried fishing two files, actually nymphs on on one line and I : cannot find a right way, or right knot to use, so they will not tangle : up all the time. I cast short, not much longer than the lenght of the : leader and the leader that the fly is on (the shorter one) tends to wrap : around the leading one. I tried using a thicker line, a realy short one : too; did not really help much. I tried to tie the second leader to the : base of the hook, I tried the eye of the hook; if I use thin tippet and : I kept loosing flies when setting the hook(poor fish..) Is there a knot : I could use that will prevent that? Or what should I do? Thanx for any : advice, Arek.
Response:
Burton, your ability to control the situation ends when a fish takes one of the flies. That’s when the worst tangles happen. Yeah, especially when a big fish is making a run and that second fly gets it’s barb caught on a rock. Argh…!
Etched forever in my memory is such an experience with a large rainbow on the Madison River. I was fishing a salmon fly with an X-Caddis on a dropper. The fish took the caddis (as usual), and just when things were approaching the point where I was thinking about a net, the fish made a pass by the boat and the salmon fly got caught on the anchor line. The salmon fly came to an abrupt halt. The fish, caddis fly and dropper didn’t. I just stared at the errant salmon fly for some time, trying to fully absorb the reality of the situation. The image is still vivid. In fishing, as with everything else, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Fishing two flies may well double, or at least increase the probability of hooking a fish, but there is a price to be paid. That being said, I still do it on a regular basis. Tom Hewlett-Packard Laboratories Phone: (970) 229-3531 External Research Program FAX: (970) 229-6198 3404 East Harmony Road Fort Collins, CO 80525-9599
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : I have tried fishing two files, actually nymphs on on one line and I : cannot find a right way, or right knot to use, so they will not tangle : up all the time. I cast short, not much longer than the lenght of the : leader and the leader that the fly is on (the shorter one) tends to wrap : around the leading one. I tried using a thicker line, a realy short one : too; did not really help much. I tried to tie the second leader to the : base of the hook, I tried the eye of the hook; if I use thin tippet and : I kept loosing flies when setting the hook(poor fish..) Is there a knot : I could use that will prevent that? Or what should I do? Thanx for any : advice, Arek. : Arek: : The only thing I could add to the previous post is that you may : need to pay more attention to your casting. Open that casting loop a : bit so that you’re not throwing a very tight loop and you sure need to : make sure that the back cast is fully extended before starting the : forward cast so that east doesn’t meet west. I generally will use the : same diameter tippet for the point fly as I’m using for the top one. : Jim There is some debate whether to put the heavy fly at the end or the lighter fly. My experience is that if you cast a tighter loop, put the small fly on the end. If you can cast a wider loop, put the heavy fly at the end. Pete
Use a lob cast or a circle cast. Very few tangles using two flies with these casts. –tony
Response:
I have tried fishing two files, actually nymphs on on one line and I cannot find a right way, or right knot to use, so they will not tangle up all the time. –I tie a Bimini twist, snip the loop at lengths desire for top and
dropper. I works really well. dj
Response:
2 nymphs…deadly, but beware. Your chances of foul hooking the fish as he rejects the first fly is hugely increased. Your chances of mortally wounding the fish as the trailer wraps in its gills is also greatly increased. Not that you should worry…just truth. One whitefish this weekend had a nice 6cm gash in its belly from being foul hooked on my dropper #20 coachman, guts visible. kilt it. smoked it. et it. — TimW Halfordian Golfer
Response:
: I have tried fishing two files, actually nymphs on on one line and I : cannot find a right way, or right knot to use, so they will not tangle : up all the time. I cast short, not much longer than the lenght of the : leader and the leader that the fly is on (the shorter one) tends to wrap : around the leading one. I tried using a thicker line, a realy short one : too; did not really help much. I tried to tie the second leader to the : base of the hook, I tried the eye of the hook; if I use thin tippet and : I kept loosing flies when setting the hook(poor fish..) Is there a knot : I could use that will prevent that? Or what should I do? Thanx for any : advice, Arek. : Arek: : The only thing I could add to the previous post is that you may : need to pay more attention to your casting. Open that casting loop a : bit so that you’re not throwing a very tight loop and you sure need to : make sure that the back cast is fully extended before starting the : forward cast so that east doesn’t meet west. I generally will use the : same diameter tippet for the point fly as I’m using for the top one. : Jim There is some debate whether to put the heavy fly at the end or the lighter fly. My experience is that if you cast a tighter loop, put the small fly on the end. If you can cast a wider loop, put the heavy fly at the end. Pete
Response:
I have tried fishing two files, actually nymphs on on one line and I cannot find a right way, or right knot to use, so they will not tangle up all the time. I cast short, not much longer than the lenght of the leader and the leader that the fly is on (the shorter one) tends to wrap around the leading one. I tried using a thicker line, a realy short one too; did not really help much. I tried to tie the second leader to the base of the hook, I tried the eye of the hook; if I use thin tippet and I kept loosing flies when setting the hook(poor fish..) Is there a knot I could use that will prevent that? Or what should I do? Thanx for any advice, Arek.
Response:
I have tried fishing two files, actually nymphs on on one line and I cannot find a right way, or right knot to use, so they will not tangle up all the time. I cast short, not much longer than the lenght of the leader and the leader that the fly is on (the shorter one) tends to wrap around the leading one. I tried using a thicker line, a realy short one too; did not really help much. I tried to tie the second leader to the base of the hook, I tried the eye of the hook; if I use thin tippet and I kept loosing flies when setting the hook(poor fish..) Is there a knot I could use that will prevent that? Or what should I do? Thanx for any
I fish this way most of the time. The "dropper" leader is usually lighter than my main leader because the fly is always smaller. I use no special knot, but have seen a blood knot reccomended, as well as the Surgeon’s knot. The length of the dropper leader should be around 4 inches (18 inches up the leader from the "point fly"), much longer than this and it twist around the main leader, too short and it takes action out of the dropper fly. I think the key is not to have a weighted fly on the dropper. Just a small nymph, wet or emerger. -Burton — L. Burton Hawley 2330 NW Hummingbird Corvallis, OR
Response:
Arek, You can you use what ever size tippet you prefer and secure it to the gape of the first hook with a regular old improved clinch Knot. Or you can place a loop somwhere in your leader and attach the two leaders loop to leader loop…no knot. They will tangle once in awhile…It wouldn’t be fly fishing if you didn’t get a tangle or two now and then. One the leader material starts to become twisted…replace it right away….will prevent snarls. Good luck. Email me with any questions.Works for me…I am sure there are probably other methods…we do not usually false cast these set-ups much… Regards, James Uncle Jammer’s Guide Service Vermont Fly Fishing, Hunting, River and Woodland Outings http://pobox.com/~uncle
Response:
I have tried fishing two files, actually nymphs on on one line and I cannot find a right way, or right knot to use, so they will not tangle up all the time. I cast short, not much longer than the lenght of the leader and the leader that the fly is on (the shorter one) tends to wrap around the leading one. I tried using a thicker line, a realy short one too; did not really help much. I tried to tie the second leader to the base of the hook, I tried the eye of the hook; if I use thin tippet and I kept loosing flies when setting the hook(poor fish..) Is there a knot I could use that will prevent that? Or what should I do? Thanx for any advice, Arek.
Hi Arek I’ve always used and "in-line dropper system." Start by tying on your first fly, then tie an 18" or so piece of tippet to the bend of the first hook. Tie your second fly on the second piece of tippet. I use a Unit Knot or Clinch Knot (improved). I have fished up to three flies in this manner but two are easier to cast. Also you can fish a dry fly as your first fly with a nymph under it using the dry as your strike indicator. Or for old folks like me whose eyes are not as good as they used to be use a larger dry fly with a real small dry fly as the dropper. The bigger dry will give you a fairly good idea where the small fly is located. Good Tying & … — Tight Lines ….. Al Beatty BT’s Fly Fishing Products http://www.btsflyfishing.com Tiemco quality hooks, under $6.00 pkg/50
Response:
I have tried fishing two files, actually nymphs on on one line and I cannot find a right way, or right knot to use, so they will not tangle up all the time. I cast short, not much longer than the lenght of the leader and the leader that the fly is on (the shorter one) tends to wrap around the leading one. I tried using a thicker line, a realy short one too; did not really help much. I tried to tie the second leader to the base of the hook, I tried the eye of the hook; if I use thin tippet and I kept loosing flies when setting the hook(poor fish..) Is there a knot I could use that will prevent that? Or what should I do? Thanx for any advice, Arek.
Hello Arek, I have experienced the same problems as you describe. The best (to date) solution for me is to tie the first nymph to the end of the tippet and then attach a second piece of tippet to the bend of the first nymph with an improved cinch knot. I use 18 to 24 inches of tippet and tie on the second nymph. Using heavy nymphs requires a special technique – the chuck and duck. You might want to experiment on the placement of the heavier nymph– first or second fly. I also use the technique with the first fly being a dry fly and the second either a small nymph, soft hackle, or in some cases, another too small-to-see dry fly. The first fly becomes a fishing strike indicator. Good luck and let us know how your experimenting works out. Vic’s Fly-By-Night http://www.navicom.com
Response:
Arek writes, in part: <<I have tried fishing two files, actually nymphs on on one line and I cannot find a right way, or right knot to use, so they will not tangle up all the time…… In Maine, it is illegal to use split shot with a fly. So, I first tie on a bead head (or other weighted nymph) and tie my "intended lure" onto the bead head’s hook bend with about two feet of tippet of the *same* size. I have no problems with the flies getting tangled — they are for all intents and purposes a single strand. With this method, I can experiment with the size of the bead head to get deeper or shallower depending on the type water I am fishing. Another way to do it, and it is easier, is to tie on about 2-3 feet of tippet using a double surgeon’s knot or barrell knot and leave a foot or less of the tag end intact — i.e., do not cut the tag end short. This works just as well as the first method and is easier to tie. I sometimes use a large dry fly (#12 Elk Hair Caddis tied with CDC feathers) tied to the leader and about 2 feet of tippet (same size!) tied to it’s hook bend, with an appropriate caddis nymph tied on as the dropper. The dry fly then acts as a strike indicator — I once caught a small brookie on the dry fly and while landing it, a larger brookie took the Rhyacophila nymph! I lost the larger trout, but managed to land the little fella — fun and games when you have two on at once!! Sorry for the rambling reply, but I hope it helps. Good drifts, Paul LaCourse
Response:
I have tried fishing two files, actually nymphs on on one line and I cannot find a right way, or right knot to use, so they will not tangle up all the time. I cast short, not much longer than the lenght of the leader and the leader that the fly is on (the shorter one) tends to wrap around the leading one. I tried using a thicker line, a realy short one too; did not really help much. I tried to tie the second leader to the base of the hook, I tried the eye of the hook; if I use thin tippet and I kept loosing flies when setting the hook(poor fish..) Is there a knot I could use that will prevent that? Or what should I do? Thanx for any advice, Arek.
Arek: The only thing I could add to the previous post is that you may need to pay more attention to your casting. Open that casting loop a bit so that you’re not throwing a very tight loop and you sure need to make sure that the back cast is fully extended before starting the forward cast so that east doesn’t meet west. I generally will use the same diameter tippet for the point fly as I’m using for the top one. Jim
Response:
Arek, I have tried fishing two flies, actually nymphs on on one line and I cannot find a right way, or right knot to use, so they will not tangle up all the time. your ability to control the situation ends when a fish takes one of the flies. That’s when the worst tangles happen.
Yeah, especially when a big fish is making a run and that second fly gets it’s barb caught on a rock. Argh…! -Burton — L. Burton Hawley 2330 NW Hummingbird Corvallis, OR
Response:
Burton, your ability to control the situation ends when a fish takes one of the flies. That’s when the worst tangles happen. Yeah, especially when a big fish is making a run and that second fly gets it’s barb caught on a rock. Argh…! The salmon fly came to an abrupt halt. The fish, caddis fly and dropper didn’t. I just stared at the errant salmon fly for some time, trying to fully absorb the reality of the situation. The image is still vivid.
That’s why I added the Argh! I’ve had this happen a couple of times, once with a nice steelhead on. Image my embarrasment when I finally realized I was fighting a rock. You are right the image is very vivid. -Burton — L. Burton Hawley 2330 NW Hummingbird Corvallis, OR
Response:
Arek, I have tried fishing two files, actually nymphs on on one line and I cannot find a right way, or right knot to use, so they will not tangle up all the time.
What I do is tie the larger of the two flies to the end of the tippet, then tie a second tippet to the eye of the first fly. The second tippet is usually about 18" long, and often of a smaller diameter than the first tippet. The second fly is tied to the end of the second tippet. This method does not seem to have a significant effect on drift or hooking. Tangles are almost impossible to avoid if a dropper is used. Most casting tangles can be avoided with a bit of care, but your ability to control the situation ends when a fish takes one of the flies. That’s when the worst tangles happen. Tom Hewlett-Packard Laboratories Phone: (970) 229-3531 External Research Program FAX: (970) 229-6198 3404 East Harmony Road Fort Collins, CO 80525-9599
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Arek, I have tried fishing two files, actually nymphs on on one line and I cannot find a right way, or right knot to use, so they will not tangle up all the time. What I do is tie the larger of the two flies to the end of the tippet, then tie a second tippet to the eye of the first fly. The second tippet is usually about 18" long, and often of a smaller diameter than the first tippet. The second fly is tied to the end of the second tippet. This method does not seem to have a significant effect on drift or hooking. Tangles are almost impossible to avoid if a dropper is used. Most casting tangles can be avoided with a bit of care, but your ability to control the situation ends when a fish takes one of the flies. That’s when the worst tangles happen. Tom Hewlett-Packard Laboratories Phone: (970) 229-3531 External Research Program FAX: (970) 229-6198 3404 East Harmony Road Fort Collins, CO 80525-9599
What we used to do for two flies, was use an extension of the heavier leader material to tie the dropper to. Sometimes you needed two or three x-ratings differential to assure you wouldn’t tangle. This required good knots where the two mono sizes were joined. Jim N.
Response:
I have tried fishing two files, actually nymphs on on one line and I cannot find a right way, or right knot to use, so they will not tangle up all the time.
I use a surgeon’s knot to attach a tippet, and I tie one fly to each of the two tippet tails. I leave one tail long (18") and one short (6"). I tie a big dry fly to the short tail and a nymph to the other. Then I cast great big wide loops. It works OK for me. Yes the casting is a little laborious, but it is pretty exciting when you get two lunker dace on at once! Keep your stick on the ice, Thos.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Arek, I have tried fishing two files, actually nymphs on on one line and I cannot find a right way, or right knot to use, so they will not tangle up all the time. What I do is tie the larger of the two flies to the end of the tippet, then tie a second tippet to the eye of the first fly. The second tippet is usually about 18" long, and often of a smaller diameter than the first tippet. The second fly is tied to the end of the second tippet. This method does not seem to have a significant effect on drift or hooking. Tangles are almost impossible to avoid if a dropper is used. Most casting tangles can be avoided with a bit of care, but your ability to control the situation ends when a fish takes one of the flies. That’s when the worst tangles happen.
Hi Tom and Arek, I tie the second tippet to the bend of the first fly with an improved cinch knot and then tie the second fly on the end of the tippet. I usually use about 24" of tippet. I have experimented with using the heavier fly as the first or second fly. I think fewer tangles are encountered when the heavier fly is on the bottom. Again experiment with using the a dry fly as the first fly with a lightly weighted nymph, soft hackle, or a tiny dry fly as the second fly. The first fly serves as a fishing strike indicator. — Vic Brockett Vic’s Fly-By-Night http://www.navicom.com/~vic
Response:
Question:
Bob, how about…. You don’t feel self-conscious in the doctor’s waiting room with a size 12 Cream Variant in the top of your head. You see nothing unusual about standing in water so cold that ice rings are forming around your legs. Now pass the head cement, I need a hit! Steve
Response:
……. Criteria for FFA membership: ……. (5) Your wife helps you pluck the feathers off a road-killed grouse and knows enough not to tell anyone about it.
Respectfully requesting the second word of criteria #5 be changed from "wife" to "spouse". The tagalong-if-he-has-to part of the family dislikes being called a "wife" and he has even managed to scrounge peacock feathers for me. —Jewelee
Response:
Jewelee — Right on … will make the change as noted. (PS: I should have been more thoughtful. I certainly never considered my spouse a tag-a-long … she outspots me and every guide in the Keys. and outfishes most anglers) Welcome to the FFA. THANKS….BobE. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – ……. Criteria for FFA membership: ……. (5) Your wife helps you pluck the feathers off a road-killed grouse and knows enough not to tell anyone about it. Respectfully requesting the second word of criteria #5 be changed from "wife" to "spouse". The tagalong-if-he-has-to part of the family dislikes being called a "wife" and he has even managed to scrounge peacock feathers for me. —Jewelee
Response:
snip (9) You know the latin names of all the major insect hatches on your home stream, but you can’t remember your kids’ birthdays.
snip Your kid’s name is Caddis. Ross Wilson
Response:
snip (9) You know the latin names of all the major insect hatches on your home stream, but you can’t remember your kids’ birthdays. snip Your kid’s name is Caddis. Ross Wilson
Or Windknot.
Response:
Geeze … and I thought I was clever when I nicknamed my kid "Lefty." 
BobE. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – snip (9) You know the latin names of all the major insect hatches on your home stream, but you can’t remember your kids’ birthdays. snip Your kid’s name is Caddis. Ross Wilson Or Windknot.
Response:
snip (9) You know the latin names of all the major insect hatches on your home stream, but you can’t remember your kids’ birthdays. snip Your kid’s name is Caddis.
On the other hand, maybe it’s really Rhyacophila! 
-Burton
Response:
Ok…you guys are in, but when are your kids’ birthdays? I know one of my kids was born about 23 days after the opening of trout season, but can’t remember the other three.BobE. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – snip (9) You know the latin names of all the major insect hatches on your home stream, but you can’t remember your kids’ birthdays. snip Your kid’s name is Caddis. On the other hand, maybe it’s really Rhyacophila! -Burton
Response:
Having concluded that fly fishing is an addiction, I am starting a NP-organization called Fly Fishing Anonymous (FFA). We’ll have our first annual meeting somewhere appropriate (how about So. Andros Island in May?). Anyone who meets the following criteria can join. (Since this is the first posting, please feel free to add your own suggestions for membership. All reasonably addictive behaviors will be considered as eligibility for membership.) Thanks…BobE., Rochester, NY Criteria for FFA membership: (1) You currently have callouses and line cuts on both index fingers. (2) You own at least six hook hones. (3) You don’t feel self-conscious standing in line at the checkout of a crowded discount store with six bottles of Sally Hanson’s hard as nails. (4) You know why Hunt Valley has displaced Cockeysville as the center of the flyfishing universe. (Hint: See Bernard’s new business card.) (5) Your wife helps you pluck the feathers off a road-killed grouse and knows enough not to tell anyone about it. (6) You have expired fishing licenses from 4 or more states. (You get to be president if all four of the licenses are valid.) (7) Bob Berger and Chet Pryor know you by your first name. (8) You not only know the rational behind the sizing system of fly tying thread (size A to 9/0), but you also know what the sizes relate to in actual diameters. (9) You know the latin names of all the major insect hatches on your home stream, but you can’t remember your kids’ birthdays. (10) You have fished alone from 11 pm to 8 am in both freshwater and saltwater. Other suggestions are more than welcome. Thanks. BobE.
Response:
Question:
Hello, I have read various suggestions about using Albolene, a cosmetic product, and Scotchguard to waterproof dry flies. My question is has anyone tried to use Albolene to condition and waterproof a floating fly line? Furthermore I am curious if anyone has used Scotchguard to further waterproof a floating fly line. After several hours on a stream or river, and alternating between nymphs and dries, I find that my floating line becomes a sinking tip, hence I have to work to fish the evening hatches. I use an Ultra 3 #6 floating line. Does anyone have any experience with these two ideas? Thanks, G.
Response:
My question is has anyone tried to use Albolene to condition and waterproof a floating fly line? Furthermore I am curious if anyone has used Scotchguard to further waterproof a floating fly line.
Neither is likely to work. To get any chemical supposed beneficial (because of low density or waterproof-ness) into the coating of a fly line, you would need to use a solvent. If you found a solvent you could use (e.g. that operated on fly line plastic at room temperatures) it might indeed transport beneficial chemicals into the plastic — but you could not then remove the solvent, so there would be a high risk it would either turn the line sticky (non-shooting) or continue to dissolve, i.e. releasing other plastic chemicals into water. In manufacturing, liquid components of plastic fly line coating are not merely dripped onto the core. They are also "cooked" at controlled temperatures and pressures, so as to make the plastic, or at least its outer skin, as inert as possible. The home tinkerer can easily alter this outer skin with solvents — but is not likely also to be able to render the outer skin inert and suitable for fishing for weeks or months. — | Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs, | | Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734 |
Response:
writes: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hello, I have read various suggestions about using Albolene, a cosmetic product, and Scotchguard to waterproof dry flies. My question is has anyone tried to use Albolene to condition and waterproof a floating fly line? Furthermore I am curious if anyone has used Scotchguard to further waterproof a floating fly line. After several hours on a stream or river, and alternating between nymphs and dries, I find that my floating line becomes a sinking tip, hence I have to work to fish the evening hatches. I use an Ultra 3 #6 floating line. Does anyone have any experience with these two ideas? Thanks, G.
First off, a dry fly and a fly line are two diferent things! Do not wse the mentioned dressing materials on a fly line you want to use anymore, unless you have checked them out on a piece you have cut off the line. second, if you properly sealed the end of your fly line it will remain a floating line. If you did’nt seal it, cut off the end and seal the cut end with flexament(or a simalar product) then put on a loop attachment and you will find that your line will not soak up water by way of the cut end. Bryant
Response:
Question:
I made a nice find on a low-cost fly-tying storage box. I bought a Flambeau 22060 toolbox that has six sliding drawers each about 12 by 8 inches. Two are 3 inches deep and the others 2 inches deep. The box opens on one side with a fold down panel. The box is marketed for hand tools so the cost is resonable at $45. For people with lots of hackes you will need a separate cedar box for storage of those large items. Compared to nice wooden boxes and cordura/plastic fly tying boxes($100 to 300) this is a cost-effective solution I wanted to share. Question: does anyone have a mail-order source for Lamson reels that have good prices. Kent
Response:
I made a nice find on a low-cost fly-tying storage box. I bought a Flambeau 22060 toolbox that has six sliding drawers each about 12 by 8 inches. Two are 3 inches deep and the others 2 inches deep. The box opens on one side with a fold down panel. The box is marketed for hand tools so the cost is resonable at $45. For people with lots of hackes you will need a separate cedar box for storage of those large items. Compared to nice wooden boxes and cordura/plastic fly tying boxes($100 to 300) this is a cost-effective solution I wanted to share.
When I was growing up, my Dad had a room with bookshelves filled with 1-gallon glass jars (from commercial kitchen quantities of mayonaise, mustard, ketchup, relish…) filled with cured necks, elk and deer body fur, dyed deer tails, polar bear fur, calves tails, squirrel tails, peacock eyes, yarns, etc. He had friends who hunted and fished and he would trade flies he tied for furs and feathers they got hunting. Also, it used to get us kids upset because we could never pass a roadkill without Dad wanting to get out and cut the tail or something. His collection has dwindled over the years but the idea of using glass bottles to see everything on the shelves is very appealing. The closed jars keep out bugs and seal in the smell of all the cured flesh, fur and feathers. Dad kept his threads in wooden cigar boxes labeled by color. He had a boxes for white, black, brown, and misc. colored threads. Each spool had its own bobbin that he hand made from old coat hangers (back when they were of sufficient guage to be worth anything). He bought head cement in quart tins and poured it, a small amount at a time, to a baby food jar and applied it with a needle stuck eye-end-in to a small piece of wood. His hackle pliers were made from a coat hanger as well. He decided on the length of wire needed, flattened out the ends and bent it appropriately. He then glued two small, thin pieces of rubber (from an old gasket he found) inside the gripping faces for the dual purpose of a better grip on large hackles and to be gentle on delicate hackles. They worked like a charm. Except for his Universal vice, most of his tools were hand made. Flytying doesn’t have to be an expensive proposition. A little imagination and craftsmanship is all that is needed. These days he’s sometimes too slow to react to a rise but he’s still the best fly tier I know of. I’d rather fish his flies than anyone else’s. If you don’t lose them in the bushes or in the mouth of that big one you tried to force out of some fast water, you can fish the same fly all day. Too many times I’ve had to switch flies because one I bought in a shop became unraveled in the mouth of the first trout to hit it. — Steve Hammond * ^ // * / Scientific Computing Division /* / _][ National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO ______
Response:
[Original orticle deleted] – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -When I was growing up, my Dad had a room with bookshelves filled with 1-gallon glass jars (from commercial kitchen quantities of mayonaise, mustard, ketchup, relish…) filled with cured necks, elk and deer body fur, dyed deer tails, polar bear fur, calves tails, squirrel tails, peacock eyes, yarns, etc. He had friends who hunted and fished and he would trade flies he tied for furs and feathers they got hunting. Also, it used to get us kids upset because we could never pass a roadkill without Dad wanting to get out and cut the tail or something. His collection has dwindled over the years but the idea of using glass bottles to see everything on the shelves is very appealing. The closed jars keep out bugs and seal in the smell of all the cured flesh, fur and feathers. Dad kept his threads in wooden cigar boxes labeled by color. He had a boxes for white, black, brown, and misc. colored threads. Each spool had its own bobbin that he hand made from old coat hangers (back when they were of sufficient guage to be worth anything). He bought head cement in quart tins and poured it, a small amount at a time, to a baby food jar and applied it with a needle stuck eye-end-in to a small piece of wood. His hackle pliers were made from a coat hanger as well. He decided on the length of wire needed, flattened out the ends and bent it appropriately. He then glued two small, thin pieces of rubber (from an old gasket he found) inside the gripping faces for the dual purpose of a better grip on large hackles and to be gentle on delicate hackles. They worked like a charm. Except for his Universal vice, most of his tools were hand made. Flytying doesn’t have to be an expensive proposition. A little imagination and craftsmanship is all that is needed. These days he’s sometimes too slow to react to a rise but he’s still the best fly tier I know of. I’d rather fish his flies than anyone else’s. If you don’t lose them in the bushes or in the mouth of that big one you tried to force out of some fast water, you can fish the same fly all day. Too many times I’ve had to switch flies because one I bought in a shop became unraveled in the mouth of the first trout to hit it.
Wonderful and wonderfully written rememberance of a classic fly tier! No fishing father could hope for better than this kind of education for and memory from his son. Well said Steve! — Steve Hammond * ^ // * / Scientific Computing Division /* / _][ National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO ______
Dr. James B. Comly (Jim) Physicist, Artificial Intelligence 1 River Road Phone: (518)387-5920 Schenectady, NY 12301 Fax: (518)387-6845
Response:
