Tinsel
I tie a lot of warm water flies using tinsel.
I was in Wal-Mart and Dollar General the other day and found iciciles for cheap. The stull looks like it'll work on the flies I tie quite nicely. Got a couple packs of silver and a couple packs of holographic.
Jeff
I've been using tons of it. I use individual strands for wing cases on nymphs. clear/holographic makes adandy flashback case resembling the ari bubble on emergers. I found some black mylar strands( shreds?) at craft stores, that I use for cases on small black stonefly nymphs. A strip of holographic gives a Whitlock's Sheep Shad a very interesting sheen. Great stuff!!
Randall Sale
the Kytroutbum
Tied a fly I thought would work for both trout & gills. Got the idea from a muddler minnow
pattern. Used that Holographic Tinsel.
Tim
Try a little before your buy a lot.
I have tried several types of tinsel, both opaque, and translucent, and all have not performed well. The opaque tinsels all tarnished and lost their luster and some a apparently had a coating that delaminated and came apart. None were as fluid as flashabou and other similar materials and did not perform well when incorporated into streamer patterns. The opaque materials that I tried also came apart and were to stiff for most applications.
Other tyers have apparently had some better experiences but I have yet to find anything that was satisfactory.
I've never really been worried too much about how long stuff lasts once tied. I use these on bluegill and bass and regardless of the materials used, a couple dozen fish and the fly has been beat to shreds anyway, and that is assuming I don't hang it in a tree or snag it on a log before the fish beat t to death.
Here's one of the most effective tinsel flies I tie. For some reason, this combination is very effective as a minnow imittion on bluegill, bass and crappie especially early and late in the year.
Jeff
Waly's fly shop.
I have found big bags of assorted feathers at Wally world very cheap. All natural colors, but many different patterns, Non-slip ponytail holders (I have two grandaughters) make good worms, legs, and other appenages. If one shops and observes one can find all sorts of potential materials.
Check any non flyshop feathers to see that the dye doesn't run when wet! Many do. Coat the tinsel bodies with Sally Hansen's, head cement, or epoxy to prevent tarnish. I always coat any tinsel body to protect it.
We don't have any fly shops around here either and I guess I'm old fashion but I'm still sort of scared to order stuff online, although I got a great rod from albright the other day and I'm dying to try it out. Anyway, we went Christmas shopping Saturday and I bought a pack of craft cord at Hobby Lobby. The cord has something that looks just like flashaboo running through it. I don't know how well it'll hold up, but for $2 I got 10 yards of material and it looks like it has 2 strands of the stuff running through it.
hNt
"If we lie to the government, it's called a felony, when they lie to us, it's called politics." Bill Murray
Cheap Tinsel is cheap tinsel!
Like Tailingloop, my experience with Christmas tinsel has been spotty.
Too often, iIt ties up into beatuifull but very short lived flies. Sometimes you'll be surprised at how quickly your beautiful colors washed out into clear plastic...
I'd advise ya' to still play with it... Just don't incorporate it into patterns that you want to last...
isnt that christmas icicle/tinsel that goes on trees a little too thin and flimsy to use as a fly tying material unless you double/triple it up??
does plastic tinsel tarnish?
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