Really nice one Shorty. So here’s where I struggle. Patterns with down hair wings with hackle wrapped over the top. I try to get the hair lashed down and create the ramp of thread so it’s smooth. Then I wrap the hackle over the top with close wraps just like you did. But it won’t stay put. The hackle stem slides back and forth and looks like crap. I’ve tried a really slim dubbing noodle. I’ve tried super glue. Wrapping tighter. Wrapping looser. Wraps closer together. Wrapping behind the thread. Shiny side of the feather forward. Shiny side facing back. Sometimes they look decent. Sometimes they are garbage. I got nothing. So I just tie and fish beetle patterns and parachutes instead. Any tricks or other thoughts…?? Thanks a bunch for anything you got.
Well, you could tie in the hackle at the hook eye BEFORE putting the dubbing on, wrap the dubbing from the eye back to the wing and leave the thread hanging just in front of the wing. Then wrap the hackle back to the thread and tie off just in front of the wing. The other thing I neglected to mention was that I used a saddle hackle which is a little more supple and kind of sinks in to the dubbing, holding it in place. Hope that helps!
I don't know how I got here because I was searching up something completely different but I like this art so I'm gonna sub.
Welcome aboard!
Thanks for sharing Great fly one of my favorites for pan fish.
Oh yeah! Get some rubber kegs on it and bluegills go nuts!
Gidday Shorty. Im pretty new to fly tying and find your tips very helpful. Thankyou.
Thanks. It is always rewarding to know that I am being of help to people like yourself. Thanks for the input.
Stimulators are great fun to fish & quite visible on the water for those of us who don’t see as well as we would wish.
There are one of my faves to fish and to tie.
Nice job as always and great explanation. I to think the curved shank hook is the way to go.
Yeah, they just don’t look right to me on a straight shank.
Nice tie Shorty
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.
Really nice one Shorty. So here’s where I struggle. Patterns with down hair wings with hackle wrapped over the top. I try to get the hair lashed down and create the ramp of thread so it’s smooth. Then I wrap the hackle over the top with close wraps just like you did.
But it won’t stay put. The hackle stem slides back and forth and looks like crap. I’ve tried a really slim dubbing noodle. I’ve tried super glue. Wrapping tighter. Wrapping looser. Wraps closer together. Wrapping behind the thread. Shiny side of the feather forward. Shiny side facing back. Sometimes they look decent. Sometimes they are garbage.
I got nothing. So I just tie and fish beetle patterns and parachutes instead.
Any tricks or other thoughts…?? Thanks a bunch for anything you got.
Well, you could tie in the hackle at the hook eye BEFORE putting the dubbing on, wrap the dubbing from the eye back to the wing and leave the thread hanging just in front of the wing. Then wrap the hackle back to the thread and tie off just in front of the wing. The other thing I neglected to mention was that I used a saddle hackle which is a little more supple and kind of sinks in to the dubbing, holding it in place. Hope that helps!