Nice job, that should appeal to a number of critters down your way.
That’s a beautiful fly; excellent trimming.
Regards,
Scott
Snook will love that!
Okay, after staring for a while, how did this come about? Did you use the EP fibers then trim/shape as you would deer hair? Interesting pattern.
Thanks,
Mike
That is exactly how I did it Mike, although the EP does not flare like deer hair, I put a hank of it on, pull the fiber back and tie the thread in front to help hold it up. After I get the amount of EP on the hook that I want, I use a toothbrush to comb it back, and use curved scissors to trim it the way I want. and glue the eyes on. The tail is buck tail by the way. Just make sure you let the EP get all the way around the hook or you have to tie more on to get the body full.
Here is the pink one with a white one
:
A quick tip for tying on any material as described to build this body… Instead of wasting time brushing the body, with each hank of hair tied in just catch the hook eye with your thumbnail and “twang it”… or at least get some sound out of it. The vibrating hook will cause the tied-in fibers to stand right up. It is amazingly simple and does a fantastic job!
Thanks Hap and RHenn. That gives me the clues to try it. Seems like you could do some fresh water patterns. Getting cool here in the north and that might tempt some big guys to come out and play. I’m no musician, I can play the radio, but even I could get a “twang” - I think!
Mike
Will have to try that Hap!
One more question. I found some EP Fibers on sale so I’ll get them. Looks like you put some flashabou in on the tail. What size hook did you use?
Thanks,
Mike
Very interesting; will definitely have to give that a try. Thanks for the suggestion.
Regards,
Scott
They are tied on #2 Eagle Claw Billy Pate hooks
Nice fly, thanks for sharing the fly and how you tied it.
Ronnie
Those would work well for the numerous threadfin shad we have here in the Tennessee river system!
should also do well on the smallmouths i hunt
I’m not trying to hijack this thread BUT I ask a related question. Is there a serious difference between EP fiber and the much less expensive Congo Hair? :???:
I have both Congo hair and EP fibers. There are some minor differences but not significant in my opinion. Wig hair is similar too and can be found in many colors from wig shops.
By the way, do axed search for “kinky muddler” to find Jonny King’s method for tying 3D baitfish patterns. Most of the instructions found on line use kinky fibre or slinky fiber oar Farrar’s flash blend but EP fibers or Congo Hair works great too.
Biggest difference is dealing with the Dungeonmaster, which can be a challenge at times; worth it when you compare the price. Those kinky muddlers are works of art.
Regards,
Scott
Suh-weet! You could even color markings on them with Prismacolors.