Supplies for tying tube flies- where to get?

[Fishyboy]

Last week I had the opportunity to fish for Atlantic salmon in the Gaspe region of Quebec. I had a blast, sight fishing over large fish for two days in crystal clear water, and ended up landing four fish - one grilse and three nice salmon.

My guide had me fishing mostly tube flies of various sizes and weights. I've been fishing and tying for many years, but haven't tied or fished tube flies before. I found the flies interesting for a couple of reasons. I most liked the fact that I could fish a long streamer using a very short shanked hook (we were fishing tandem salmon hooks in the tubes). The flies seemed to be constructed with a solid tube in the "throat" of the fly, followed by a flexible rubber or plastic part. I assume the rubber or plastic part either lines or slips over a brass tube.

Anyways, I'd like to experiment over the upcoming winter with tying up some tubes. I looked through the usual sites that I order materials from and didn't find any tube materials. Anybody know where I can order materials and also perhaps the name of a good instructional book on the art?

Thanks!
Troy

Fishboy;
Look around in here. "Q" tip tubes work for the tube part!!

[AScott Trout Flies]

Troy,
You could always use 'cotton bud' tubes, cut off the cotton 'ends', then bell the ends with a cigarette lighter. The tubing can be bought at any model shop, either brass or copper, in various gauges and lengths. Either that, or try [url=http://www.sportfish.co.uk:884cb]www.sportfish.co.uk[/url:884cb] for tubes, tubing, and trebles/doubles to fit.

Hope this helps??

Andy

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"My fishing is no longer an obsession, an addiction, or a mania; it's much more than that!
" - Dave Micus

[William Fitzgerald]

Troy I tie lots of tube flies for everyting from salmon to musky. For a vice holder I use the nut end of a bicycle spoke. I also use hollow Q tips-look for blue hollow ones in your family medicine cabinet. Use one hollow tube to get the correct dia bike spoke at any bike repair shop. Cup off the length(nut end) spoke that you want with a file(harden steel). Put the spoke in the vise slid on the tube and tighten the nut to hold the tube --then tie. Email me with questions.

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Bill

Bill;
It never ceases to amaze me how much you can learn here!!

[rriver]

Does anyone have a pointer to how you tie the tube fly on? Do you just thread the fly on, then tie the hook to the leader, and push it down?

Dumb question I know, but does the fly move on the leader or stay in place? What keeps it there?



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- rriver

[William Fitzgerald]

I should have added that some tubes can be purchased at a model airplane store in brass or plastic--the clear plastic added to the end of the fly tube comes from a pet fish store and holds the hook.

A tube fly has all the material tied on the tube. To fish a tube fly the leader or tippit on a smaller fly goes thru the tube and tied to the hook. You pull the leader so that the hook eye goes into the small clear plastic tube at the rear of the tube. When you get a fish on the tube should go up the line and you play the fish on the line and hook.

You can tie small flies for bluegill or very large for Tarpon. More tying material can be added to the hook for a long fly. One Hook Twenty Fies---in the fly box

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Bill

[Fishyboy]

Thanks for the suggestions all!

I really liked the salmon streamers I used. They had a rigid tube where the materials were tied and wrapped, but the lower part of the tube was soft plastic/rubber, and flexible where the shank of the hook fit in. Also, it was colored. I was successful with flies with yellow and green lower tubing. Generally how do you construct these two-part tubes?

Still looking for a US fly shop that supplies the stuff so that I don't have to go raid the medicine cabinet...

Cheers,
Troy

[Fly_Line]

Troy,
Try here:
[url=http://www.hmhvises.com/tubeflytool.html:cb151]HMH Vises[/url:cb151]

[ducksterman]

You might find this thread useful...I did and there are others if you do a search...searching under the Fly Tying forum seemed to work better...

[url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/Forum5/HTML/004041.html:69d80]http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/Forum5/HTML/004041.html[/url:69d80]

[This message has been edited by ducksterman (edited 20 September 2005).]

[This message has been edited by ducksterman (edited 20 September 2005).]