I just started tying these dudes this winter. I’ll be using them for warmwater species this spring and summer. So far, I’ve been glueing eyes on with flexament, and I’m starting to question the durability of them. How many fish can you catch before the eyes fall off? Are they still effective without them?
I always use Marine Goop to adhere the eyes to my bairfish patterns. It remains flexible and the eyes stay on for quite a while, certainly several dozen fish at least. If you do lose an eye, simply replace it when you’re back at the bench and you should be back in business.
Jim Smith
I have tied a few of those and found that Zap is better. Need to be real careful and not get any on the eyes themselves. I don’t know if flexament has enough “body” for that job. Could be wrong. As far as effective goes if would depend somewhat on the pattern you use; flash, contrast etc. but my opinion is that eyes make any streamer that much more effective.
For #3/0 saltwater tarpon EP flies: Amazing Goop - Plumbing which is clear or even Fletch-Tite works well. There’s a few other products that are better, but more expensive & don’t last all that much longer especially if the fly is going to be snapped off or jumped off & only gets cast once .
I use goop also. It is very effective for this purpose and dries slightly flexible.
Zac,
I tie my most of my ep minnows to have a flat profile like a shad or a bluegill. I use super glue on the back of the eyes and then squeeze them together on the fly either at the hook shank or slightly above. this helps to flatten out the head of the fly and give it the wide flat profile I want. I haven’t had but a couple eyes come off, even on the tiny ones that I use for crappies that may catch 100 or more fish in the course of the day.
I like Goop as well; seems to be pretty durable. The flies probably aren’t as effective without eyes but I’ve caught plenty of fish on them, at least until I can get them a new set of peepers.
Regards,
Scott
Sounds like I’ll have to see how this stuff does, and give the Goop a look as well.
I tied up a half dozen or so in a size 10 tonight to use for bluegills. (But bluegills don’t like minnows, so I don’t know what I’ll use 'em for! ;))
Got a few in a size 4 and plan on some bigguns in 1 or 1/0 before too long. They are a breeze to tie and they look like they’re gonna work alright. I may have to send a few south to see how durable they are…
Thanks guys! I knew I could count on you.
Zac
Amazing Goop - Plumbing contact adhesive & sealant can be bought at Wal-Mart.
Instead of adding my eyes directly onto the “hair”, I cut teardrop shaped mylar (potato chip bags) cheeks and tie them in like junglecock nails.
You can glue eyes directly onto the mylar, or just “harvest” eye shapes off the bags
On flies that I plan to use on very aggressive and toothy fish, I do it a bit differently as well. I take a bit if plastic bead chain, the kind where heavy string is used to hold the beads. I cut off two beads and hold them with a pair of needle nose pliers betwen the beads. I then heat one of the beads over an open flame until it softens. Still holding it with the pliers, I press the softened bead against a flat surface making a flat disc. I do the same with the other bead so I have two flattened discs attached by the heavy string. Then, I simply tie it in place like regular eyes. This gives me a solid “platform” to stick the eyes to so they stay on for good. Since it is a little more work, I only used this for some of my streamer flies. The ones I tie for bass, crappie etc. I just use the Marine Goop to attach them to the treamer “fur”. Just one more way to do it.
Jim Smith
One trick I use is to remove the glue on the eye with alcohol before I attach them, started doing this when I noticed that the eyes that came off seemed to leave the residue of the glue at the place I attached them. I also use Goop to put them on, but as of late, I started using Clear Cure Goo UV system to attach them, seems to hold up fine.
It depends on the profile I want. If I want a flat shad-like or bluegill type profile I’ll use the thick version of zap-a-gap much they way several folks have already described. If I’m looking for a narrower, minnowish profile, I’ll coat the whole head (after attaching the eyes using just the sticky they come with) with Loon Hard Head. As the hard head dries, it compresses the fibers, creating the narrower profile, and also locks the eyes in place. It dries clear, so it doesn’t matter that the eyes are covered when I coat the head of the fly.
Would Aleene’s Fabric Fusion have any merit?
I don’t know, Duck. Betty had some at our tying meet last week. If she’s got it with her this week I plan on giving it a try.
On EP Minnows, which are supposed to be gossamer-thin, I use Lock-tite Superglue Precision Gel and push the eyes together. Unless some really viscious saltwater monster smacks the snot out of one of them, they’ll last through as many fish as the thread and fibers will. But in saltwater, nothing is bulletproof. I’ve had fish crush an epoxy coated flat waxed nylon thread head! That one really shocked me. LOL It was a brand new fly, too. For thicker patterns (which you didn’t ask about), the Goop products work as well as anything I’ve found because they are a silicone-based sealant containing a bonding agent. It’s almost as handy as duct tape and parachute cord!
I have been using Loctite Repair Extreme glue, blue tube with black cap. I got it at walmart and has been the best stuff so far.