I wonder whether it’s me… or whether others have also noticed that flies that use a lot of deer or elk hair seem to rust quicker (dry more slowly.) It seems to happen to me especially with flies which use spun and/or packed hair, such as muddlers, bass bugs, and at times elk hair caddis (though not as often.)
Is there anything I can do to prevent rust besides letting them dry well before they are stored again?
I look forward to your replies and thank you ahead of time.
By far the best thing is to make sure the flies are fully dry before putting them away. Nothing will rust away all your flies faster than being in a fly box with damp/wet flies.
First of all, welcome to the group. Let us hear from often. There’s lots of good information and good people here.
Second, your question. Yes Yes Yes!!! No matter how carefully I dry my EHCs, they seem to rust. Even EHCs I have never fished, seem to be more prone to rust than other flies in the box. I’m always weeding though EHCs and throwing out the really rusty ones. No problems like that with other flies. Strange! 8T
You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it’s a real short camping season.
[This message has been edited by Eight Thumbs (edited 15 July 2006).]
Glad - and sad - to hear that I’m not the only one having rust problems with elk and deer hair flies! There’s got to be a way to protect the hooks. I’m going to try Orvis’s new “No Rust” fly boxes: right now for ten bucks you get the medium-sized fly box plus twenty flies, and to top it all ther’s no shipping cost.
Though not an end all rust thing, On certain pattern’s I like to first add a full length layer of thread and coat it with cement before tying the fly…Does seem to help but not a rustproof solution…
“I’ve often wondered why it is that so many anglers spend so much money on,and pay so much attention to.the details on the wrong end of the fly line.If they took as much care in selecting or tying their flies as they did in the selection of the reel and rod,They might be able to gain the real extra edge that makes it possible to fool a fish that has,in fact,seen it all before” A.K.Best
Everyone wants to excel in this sport but at the same time we let traditionalists place restrictions on our tactics, methods, and ideas. I always assumed that fly fishing was a sport that allowed imagination, creation, adaptation, investigation, dedication, education, revelation? : Fox Statler, On Spinners (Not the dainty Dry Fly kind) “Spinner’d Minner Fly”
Usually my flies don’t last long enough to rust, too many trees etc, lol. But I find that one of those little bags of silicone found in new shoes/trainers helps quite a lot.
