What is the easiest and least messy way to tie the “flattened head” area so frequently seen on salt water flies?
depends on what ya tying… i have a small thin plastic cutting board like wallmart sells cut in 4 peices for flattening heads of some flies… i just put the fly between 2 peices & press untill the head is flat like i want it to be, when its dry i take it out…
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff231/bugman9/SNV30259.jpg
Ray:
Are talking about wide body flies that imitate bunker and herring that have a narrow profile when viewed head on?
The pattern above is high tied, and the shape is held initially by coating the head area with thinned Flexament. Once it sets up I finished coating it with a light coat of silicone
With these two, and the top one is a better example. It’s just three pieces of material stacked on top of the hook. A small amount of 5 minute epoxy is worked into the head area, and I just hold the wing in the shape I want and just before it completely sets I add the eyes and squeeze them together. A second coat of 5 minute epoxy is applied and the fly rotated to get the final shape
The sample shown by Philly is exactly what I’m looking for. I’ve been tying for many decades but never for salt water. Now I want to tie up a bunch for my nephew to use in the tidewater area of the Hudson River in New York. I know from zero about salt water.
Thanks !
tye em a “hollow fly” by bob popovics
http://www.flyfisherman.com/northeast/dshollowfleye/index3.html
or GOOGLE up “spread fly”
Yep, it was an Al Cambell FOTW: http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/052702fotw.php