I love to "discover" new materials to play around with while tying flies. The latest find is called Silly Winks and it is available at Hobby Lobby (and probably Michaels) It is a super thin 1.5 mm thick foam-like material with glitter attached to one side. It costs 99 cents for a 12" x 18" piece which is a lot of material for the money. As you can see it comes in a variety of colors and it accepts colored markers very well. I decided to try it on a streamer pattern that I tie with Icelandic Sheep fur. I've caught more bass on this pattern/colors than any other pattern I tie. I used the Silly Winks to add "cheek pads" to the pattern to give a nice fishy profile and a solid base to attach the eyes. I've shown a series of photos to give you an idea of how I am using this material. I use a Colorado spinner bait blade to outline the cheek pads on the back of the Silly Winks. Then, I fold the material in half and cut it out so that I have two identical shaped/size pieces. I leave them connected at the narrow end and make a small slit to allow the eye of the hook through. Then, I simply tie the pattern, add the cheek pads, glue them in place with super glue, add eyes and give the head a coat of thin UV epoxy. It's tied on a size 2/0 worm hook and I put some lead wire wraps on the shank of the hook to ensure that it rides hook up. Just thought I'd share some photos of this material for others who like to play with new materials as they are tying up patterns.

Jim Smith
SIlly Winks Streamer.JPG