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John
Thank you for the input!
I see where the word "ride" is problematic and leads to the semantics confusion. While tying, the hook point should be down. That makes it opposite the eyes and while fishing means the hook point should ride up.
Tying the tips to the trailer is designed to produce a tapered body and with most (better) schlappen the taper is greatly magnified. The example is more of a string leech! ;)
The extra overhand knots to attach the articulation thread are needed because Spectra is slippery stuff. I tried a lot of different ways to tie the schlappen to the trailer and the direct approach with the Spectra is faster, easier, and leads to fewer broken schlappen, which was a real problem when anchoring them with thread wraps.
Another pattern we tie does not use a trailer hook and the schlappen is just tied with the Spectra and spun. It works quite well...
Thanks again for the help!
art
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Art -
I was wondering if the schlappen would be strong enough to handle the more direct method of furling with an incorportated stinger hook that I suggested, let alone if it would be available long enough to do the extended body you want for this fly. Taper is another issue, and I wasn't sure which way you wanted to go with that.
Your method actually twists the schlappen and spectra at the same time but you might be able to twist only the spectra and then let the spectra furl gathering up the schlappen as it does so ?? ( Another illustration of furling technique is available in the current FOTW Duck's Green Drake which incorporates tails in an FEB. In that fly, the tailing material is not twisted with the body material, but gathered up as the body material furls. ) If that could be done, you wouldn't have to do all the knots ??
The other materials suggested by Wally ( longs for cutts ) would be strong enough and long enough to use the more direct method to incorporate the hook, but as you pointed out, you have to be careful with the cheniles to be sure you twist them against the twist of the thread in the chenile.
John
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Breaking the schlappen has only been a problem when trying to control it too tightly... Once I started allowing it to "creep" a little during furling, breaking it became a non-issue. Schlappen can be had VERY long if you buy whole chicken skins...
Please get over the knots! ;) Lashing the schlappen to the trailer with a three overhand knots is extremely easy! I usually do either six or twelve bodies at the same time and it takes just a few minutes to prep them. I then furl them all and hold them with metal paper clamps, usually several per clamp. The rest of the tying goes quite fast that way.
I use UV Polar Chenille with the schlappen for a "secret" pattern variation here, but the addition is cumbersome to add and outside the scope of what I wanted here... Chenille does not make anything easier, IME...
On Saturday my son caught two rainbows on these on the Kvichalk River that would be literal "Fish-of-a-Lifetime" for almost everyone, almost everywhere. Bending a switch rod into the cork and holding it there for 10 minutes or so with just a furled tail holding fish and rod together leaves me using a LOT of glue and believing in doing everything possible to make my articulations tough... And Riley did not change flies, just kept catching fish on the same leech... ;)
thanks
art