Newbie questions...

[Kiwi]

Hi Guys

I am brand new to fly tying. I want to try and make a couple of patterns for casting with an ultralight spinning outfit. My questions are...

1)what can I use to weight a wet/streamer fly with so it will be heavy enough to cast.

2)I also want to try and make a weighted floating cicada / grasshopper imitation that is heavy enough to cast but still buoyant enough to float. What materials could I use that would be buoyant enough to float and compensate for the weight need for casting. I have seen some hopper flies tied with strips of foam, would this work?

Thanks in advance.

Kiwi

[Gr8flyz]

Kiwi, that first part of your question is fairly simple, you can combine various items to get enough weight. But you may be better off just tying the fly patterns on a jig. many good fly patterns can be tied on jigs. Woolly Buggers are a good example.

You could combine, for example, a tungsten bead with barbell eyes, and/or lead wire wrapped along the hook shank. It would however be more expensive to make when compared with using a jig head. Nothing wrong with just tying on the jig, especially if you're using spinning tackle anyway.

For weighting flies, various metal beads, barbell eyes, metal cones, and wires are available. Lead barbell eyes are available up to 1/4 oz, so getting enough weight should'nt be a problem.

The second part of your question is harder to answer, and accomplish. Using subsurface flies with spinning tackle is realitively easy to do, but topwater makes it difficult. Most people who use a spinning rod with flies, use some sort of weight added so they can cast. Many use bubble casting floats, worm weights or other weights. But for use with floating flies that would most likely defeat the purpose of using the fly.

Unless you can devise a "fly" that is more like an ultra light topwater lure, I doubt that you'll have enough weight to cast with the spinning rod. Flies & the materials used to make them are light weight for a reason. Your "fly" would most likely be much larger than what you're trying to imitate, and much heavier. It's more likely that you would be better off just getting ultra light topwater lures to use with the spinning tackle. Of course, if you're really wanting to tie flies, then perhaps getting a fly rod would be the logical way to solve the casting problem.

[Kiwi]

Thanks Jim

Appreciate the help. I'll get some jig heads in to try. I'll keep trying with the topwater weighted fly idea. A lot of the back country rivers here you haven't got the room to cast a fly rod because you're hemmed in by bush or cliffs preventing a back cast. So something you could cast with a spinning rod would be an ideal solution.

If I come up with anything sucessful I'll let you know.

Thanks again.

Kiwi

[Gr8flyz]

If you take a look at some of the "fly" imitations that lure companies have come up with, like Rebel crickets & hoppers crankbaits, and others for ultra light spin tackle, they are all big when compared to the real thing, or to fly tyers imitations, in most cases. I tie a big hopper pattern for bass, it's about 3 inches long, on a 1/0 hook. It's made for the fly rod, and is still too light for my ultra light spin tackle. If I made it heavy enough to cast, it would most likely sink.

I know what you mean about the brush & over hangs, I fish a few places here that are like that. I rarely attempt it with my fly rod, and just stick with the ultra light. Unfortunately there are limits to everything!

Let us know if you figure it out & come up with something that works!

[Maze]

Kiwi,

Don't let weight be of too much concern for an UL rig. If you email me, I'll give you a neat little trick for throwing and fishing unweighted flies with UL spinning rigs. It works great, is easy and ine~~ensive and if modified to fit surroundings, needs and weather, you can have the time of your life catching fish you never knew were even there!!! One last idea, just for the heck of it and a shameless plug for a true friend (lol), give the "Deadly Streamers a try with your UL rig. I've used both the regular and the unweighted with Great Success! George has a great product and it will go well with your idea and my tricks!

Maze

Mid Stream Custom Rod

&

Tackle

[Kiwi]

Thanks Maze

Appreciate the help. I have left you a PM.

I have already purchased some of George's "Deadly Streamers". Most impressed with them, beautiful piece of craftmanship. Very professionally made and presented. Can't wait to test drive them.

Thanks again

Kiwi

[Maze]

My pleasure Kiwi. Just got a chance to read the PM and this. Just watched a fly fishing video shot in your neck of the woods. Nicely done, good info. and great surroundings. Need an instructor from the States who's rates are reasonable(food and shelter),?! lol Drop me an email and I'll send you a short article you may like and I'll give you some ideas that work for me. You'll really enjoy "The Deadly Streamer", regardless of the size/weight or color you pick. They do produce, especially if you experiment with them. I have some special tricks I'll share with you. I still owe the boss a coupleof reviews and the tips as well. Not much of a computer person so I had some trouble with posting them on his site and then procrastinated. He's a real good man though and still talks to me! lol George, I know you're watching! LMAO Try building a rod yourself, just for that type of fishing and you'll experience even better results. Factory rods are fine, but just like anything else, they can be made better. It's easier and usually less expensive to build one rather than modify a completed rod. I'd be happy to walk you through it. Got a web cam? Can even build one together! If not, I have the course I teach printed up and could send it to you. It's thorough, 8 sessions long but written clearly. I can't take the credit for that. Cam Clark, of RodCrafters is the creator. If interested in building, go to www.rodbuilding.org and post for someone close to you. I remember another Kiwi posting in the recent past and I am friends with an Ausie that teaches classes in the Sidney area. I know materials are tougher to come by, but we can defeat that easily enough. I can ship them with the professional how-to advice of a good friend who just happens to be a US Customs Agent!! The benefits of being a Cop (one of the FEW!). Make that a recently retired/disabled Cop. Glad I could be of at least some help. Keep in touch with both me and George(DeadlyStreamer)!!! Oh, and send pictures of the catches!!!

Maze

[Kiwi]

Thanks Maze

Let me know your email address and I'll drop you a line, or you can email me at jrebel@xtra.co.nz

I'd love to have a go at building a rod. We used to build rods out of cane when we were kids so I know some of the basics. Supplies are hard to come by here but I thought about cutting down an old fly rod to make an UL rod. Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again

Kiwi

[deadlystreamer]

Hey you guys, I'm always playing with something and coming up with something wierd. Here's a thing you can do. If you have a hook and some split shot and some paint (I used powder) you can make a pretty slick weight to get that plastic worm or what-ever down where you want it.

I'll put some hair or something on it before I'm done with it. Just an idea of what you can do with the odds and ends in your tackle box. Have fun and great fishing.

[deadlystreamer]

Hey! I think I forgot something. Sorry about that. Here it is.