Separating flies?

[MikeZRed]

First, most sincere apologies if this should be in the Fly Tying forum, I debated for a while, smoked a cigarette, debated some more, and then the coin came up tails.

I've been trying to figure a way to tell the difference between two flies of the same pattern where one is weighted and one is not, or one is weighted more heavily than the other.

For instance, a black wooly bugger with no weighting doesn't really look any different than a black wooly bugger with a lead underwrap.

Since I'm a nooB, I thought you more experienced guys (and gals, never forget the gals) might have come up with something to handle this.

Thanks in advance,

MZR

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

One method is to "code" you flies with the tying thread. For example, use black thread for heavy weighted versions, and dark brown for medium weight, and light brown for non-weighted versions. In the end, all that really changes is the head colour, since the dubbing and what not covers the rest of the tying thread. All you have to do then is remember the code (I just went with "as the colour gets lighter, so to does the fly" for the above example).

This, of course, assumes you are tying your own flies.

- Jeff

[pspaint]

What Jeff said is what most of us, who tie our own flies, do. Generally, some type of color coding.
The only other thing I can think of is to put them in different compartments, so they're seperated.

[LadyFisher]

This is an oldie, tie the heads on the unweighted with the usual black, for the weighted, use red. Red is often considered a fish-getter itself, so no harm done.

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LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL

[rookie]

Don't feel bad. Wooly buggers are the first thing I was taught to tie. I went home and practiced making a few dozen and realized I had weighted some, and some I didn't. I took a reloading scales and weighed them all just to find out which were and were not. I really like LF way of keeping them seperate.

Steve (Rookie)

[nighthawk]

Good advice from all of the above. It is also thought that red immitates the flash of gills.

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Eric "nighthawk"

American veteran and proud of it!

[JeffHamm]

Hi,
The Cosseboom is "properly" tied with red thread because apparently it's creator was convinced that red headed flies caught more fish. Story goes (which I probably read here anyway) that he had a bet with a friend that his red headed fly would outfish the black-headed version. He won by catching 5 salmon to 1 that day (or something like that). His idea was that the red head was a "blood spot", which suggested a wound, making it "easy prey".

- Jeff

[DavidInMD]

Even if you don't tye, a knotted thread around the head, bend, or eye would do it.

I suppose you could try a dab of marker or paint somewhere, but it might be more likely to wear off.

I'm guessing scratching the hook would invite rust, unless you don't care if it doesn't last more than a day.


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Keepeth they back cast out of the freakin' flora.

[DougPeterson]

I dab a small area near the barb with red nail polish to highlight the weighted flies. Small dab is for lightly weighted, lots of red for heavily weighted.

[MOturkE]

Do what I do...

Open your fly box and allow the wind to blow your flies into the water, them that sinks fast is the weighted ones, them that sink slowly probably ain't.





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There's almost nothin' wrong with the first lie, it's the weight of all the others holdin' it up that gets ya'! - Tim