Has anyone fished this? I'm looking for a durable attractor pattern that doesn't require a lot of expensive hackle. I clearly need to cut the foam strips thinner than my first attempt but don't know if it's worth working on more.
Gary LaFontaine's air head
Has anyone fished this? I'm looking for a durable attractor pattern that doesn't require a lot of expensive hackle. I clearly need to cut the foam strips thinner than my first attempt but don't know if it's worth working on more.
I can think of few acts more selfish than refusing a vaccination.
What kind of foam did you use? Original calls for packing foam; I'd switch to 1mm or .5mm if I were tying small.
Regards,
Scott
I have some thin packing foam but I cut the strips too wide at nearly the hook gape width. I just have a hard time believing they will work.
I can think of few acts more selfish than refusing a vaccination.
Trust in Gary.Originally Posted by rainbowchaser
Regards,
Scott
Rainbow,
This site shows someone's tying of Gary's Airhead. That is not too interesting.
However, the view from the water is, I believe, an indication that it likely will be effective for you.
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this linked web page.
http://www.swedneckflyfishing.com/airhead.htm
Last edited by Byron haugh; 11-10-2015 at 05:06 AM.
i've used them as an emerger especially for PMD's out west. Can't say that they work all the time, but when all else failed I have used them with some success. It is such a weird looking fly that I never reach for one first. I used the foam sheets that some electronics are packed with. Very easy to tie and float great.
Thanks guys. I'll work on tying some more of them as I need flies for a dozen new fly fishers next spring and want to keep to hackle costs down.
I can think of few acts more selfish than refusing a vaccination.
The underwater view shows how sparkling and transparent the packing foam can be. Some packing foam is much whiter and not as clear.
Reminds me a bit of this photo on Troutnut: http://www.troutnut.com/fullsize/picture-im_uwphoto/193
I've tied and used Airheads. I don't recall catching many fish, but I didn't fish them very thoroughly, so not much of a test. I have caught many fish on other packing foam flies, though.
The Air Head is one of those patterns I always have in my trout box. Sometimes fish will come to it readily but sometimes they will ignore it. I dont use it often but will tie it on when more traditional attractors do not work. Sometimes I just use it just to use it. I also often use it as part of a dry/dropper combo where it makes a great floating indicator that sometimes catches fish..
Gary wrote in his book "The Dry Fly: New Angles" about about this pattern being an important stonefly immitator for some stonefly hatches. He also writes about this fly in his book "Trout Flies" where he describes part of the development process that involved observing it from underwater looking up. One of the keys is the thin transluscent packing foam. Gary's old Bookmailer website used to sell the foam and still may but you can often find it packing for electronics devices. Opaque craft foams do not create the same visual effect.
Once you get it down it is an easy fly to tie.
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