Head cement on bluegill flies

[chusha]

I have just read that, since bluegills use their sense of smell to evaluate the flies,
we shouldn't use head cementn them.
This is bad news because I have recently tied 120 flies for some neighbors for their bluegill fishing.
I carefully glued the thread wraps on every one of them!
Thanks for your help.

[bonedog]

I may be wrong and others may disagree but I really don't think it would be a big problem. I read in Terry and Roxanne Wilson's book that they do not use head cement but I don't think it is water soluble and just don't think it matters much if at all.
My 2 pesos,
bd

[millerwb]

I use it all the time and it doesn't stop the BG's from biting my flies.

[Gardenfish]

I think that is a bogus claim. Dozens of bluegills last year say as much.

[Grubb]

I always cement mine...

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Spelling and Grammar not subject to judgement...

[Bamboozle]

Bluegills not hitting something?

Does that really ever happen?

I caught them on everything including materials stored in moth balls, painted plugs and poppers, and painted bare hooks.

My all time best fly is a hook shank painted white for contrast and wrapped with horsehair dyed red and wrapped on the hook. These days you could substitute thin vinyl rib. All I know is when I put one of these in fromt of a bluegill; paint, head cement and all they killed it.

[OkieBass133]

I rarely if ever cement a head. Your flies will still work just fine.

[Peter F]

Chusa, Like the others I don't believe the head cement makes a difference. In fact, is there really any more smell coming from the head cement after it dries than there is smell coming from the bucktail, fur, dubbing, feathers, foam that the fly is made of???

But going forward, if it concerns you, on your next batch of flies try this tip: before tying off, was a couple of inches of thread and then whip finish a couple of times. The wax will help "hold" the thread wraps together.

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Peter F
www.fishingwithflies.com
pfrailey@hotmail.com

[check your fly]

I do a fair amount of BG fishing (about 4 times a week during the spring and summer) and tie almost all of the flies I use (as do most of the BG fishers I know). Sometimes I cement and sometimes I do not. I have not been able to tell any difference. However, I think there may be some effect from head cement BUT there are many variables that are in play. I think head cement is a small part of the BG's decision to strike.

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Chuck Hitt

[BigCliff]

If you're concerned about the smell of your flies, try grabbing a bit of moss or other natural lake/river content and rubbing it all over the fly. Both Dave Whitlock and Joe Humphreys recommend doing this for any subsurface flies.

For whom it may concern, Nicotine has been proven to deter fish as well. This method can at least help to overcome any nicotine residue on a fly that hands might have tranfsferred to it. (Works for me anyway)