UV Cured Products VS Epoxy

[mahanvey]

Hey Folks... I was on vacation a couple weeks ago on the Texas coast, and talked with quite a few Coastal fly fishermen. All of the ones I talked to down there were sold on 30 minute epoxy rather than UV cured products. They all said that the fish "Turn Off" of the UV lures and they don't get half as much action from them. They are all convinced that the fish can smell the chemicals or something, even with Sally Hansons painted all over them to seal them...

Personally I truly haven't pain much attention to what I was fishing with when I was lucky catching fish or not, So... What's your take on this? Do any of you think that the UV products produce less takes from freshwater fish? If so... why?

[DonO1]

One thing I have noticed about UV coating is that it takes direct sunlight to really cure the material well. A UV light just doesn't do it fully. It's OK for setting the shape, but it will remain tacky and get dull. (Maybe this uncured surface is what the fish smell- just guessing). So I tie up a bunch, freeze them with a UV flashlight, then set them on a styrofoam block on a windowsill in the direct sunlight. I leave them there for a few hours. After that, it's hard to tell the finish from epoxy, but it is lighter by weight. I haven't noticed freshwater fish turning off to UV flies, but fishing is way slow here this year with the high flood-stage run-offs. My vinyl-coated flies perform just fine, so I'll have to do some comparisons between vinyl, UV, and Epoxy, and throw in some Soft-tex flies for good measure.

I'd like to hear from more gulf coast and Florida fishermen on this.

[Flyfish Dog]

Use denatured alcohol to wipe off residue and coat with Sally hansen HAN. I would nor even bother with Epoxy much anymore. I dont have any trouble getting fish on them and have not notice any thing less. Although epoxy is more durable but just about everyone will turn white into ugly yellow.

[mahanvey]

Well flyfish, I've rarely had trouble with 30minute Epoxy turning yellow. The only time is when I left a half dozen of them in my trunk in 105 degree heat like we are having now. They turned a little yellow, AND got very brittle. That's when I found out that epoxy over-cures in heat and begins to get glass like. Heat kills shelf life of epoxy also. If you've made up some flies to fish with, you need to keep them cool so they will last longer. I guess I'm rambling, but I've had good results with epoxy and UV type chemicals, however I've never paid attention to whether or not the fish were turned off by the UV stuff. I will now though.

[FishnDave]

I haven't tried any UV-cured flies since the weather heated up...but I had tied up some Myakka Minnows using Clear Cure Goo (a UV product). They were catching quite a few fish for me just after ice-out this year.

[Flyfish Dog]

I got a bunch of popper bodies that have not been out of the dark and the white bodies have turned yellow so I am still looking for the perfect epoxy. I been using CCG this year on my streamers and they been perfect even after taking a daily beating.