Head Cement & Hook Eyes ...

[DaleW]

Around these parts there are several marl ponds created when the marl was mined for building road beds. They run from maybe 35 to 50' in depth (heard tell of some being deeper), but these ponds are great for bream (bluegill) fishing. Bream are an honest fish and when they are "biting" they'll hit on serveral things - poppers, dry & wet flies, nymphs, streamers, terrestrials. I like to get out in the pond with the canoe and cast toward the shore, and since the pond drops off quickly, try and cast to right about where it's dropping off deep from the shore. One of my favorite and productive wets has been the Olive Palmer. Cast him toward the bank, let him settle and then gently stripp back toward the deep.

God forbid, I bought maybe a dozen of the Olive Palmer wets (still have this knack for hanging flies in the trees!). Cannot remember where I bought them - eBay, some fly shop, Cabelas(?). Anyway, I have never encountered with any fly of anykind, the tenacity of cleaning the head cement from the hook eye. I have one of those nippers that has the needle in the other end for doing just such a task, but I push the needle through the hook eye and when I pull it back the damn cement re-seals itself! Had a bear of a time setting there in the canoe, in the middle of the pond, trying to clear the hook eye so I could tie the fly onto the tippet. Finally had to get out my pocket knife that has a sharp point and just work both sides of the hook eye in order to clear it of the head cement. My question is, what kind of goop have I encountered, or has there always been this kind of head cement and I've just led a sheltered life(?)
Inquiring minds want to know ...!

[okflyfisher]

use a hot needle or pin at home

[Allan]

Ut's probably just some lacquer put on in a sloppy manner. Best thing to do is be ready with your favorite fly and do what okflyfisher suggested, "use a hot needle or pin at home".

[vicrider]

First thought I'd have is a Flexament or similar concocted soft seal. I have read on other threads of using Shoe Goop and mixing it with some other products. Maybe this is what the commercial tyer is using and it stays soft enough to just get poked thru without actually breaking, then resealing.

[DaleW]

Thanks for the replies. I'll tell ya, this gook that was on the hook eyes of these flies was the likes of nothing I've ever encountered.

As suggested, I got all the culprit flies out and laid them in a row, got a couple of sweetie's needles, some matches and I was about to perform surgery, when I was asked what I planned on doing with HER needles. I explained and was told not to even consider fouling up the needles - instead she got a pint bottle of 91% isopropyl alcohol out and suggested I might try that first. So I pour out a little of the alcohol into a bottle cap, dipped the needle and poked it through the hook eye a couple, three times and that did the trick!

Lord knows it's hard taking advice from wimmen (especially when it works) ... and considering they don't even fish!

[Uncle Jesse]

Lord knows it's hard taking advice from wimmen (especially when it works) ... and considering they don't even fish!

That may be so, BUT they have years more experience with nail polish that we do.