flyand tie. thats a good idea and im definitely gonna try that. thanks 
F&T
You canā¦ 
itās technically possibleā¦any one can delete their own post
But Iām not sure I want you too 8)
???its blank
youāre too fast for meā¦
:lol:
As an experiment you might try coating the skin with Sally Hanson or spraying it with clear lacquer to see if that would make it more durable. If that worked it might make a good thorax cover. If you have the material, it is worth trying since you would have nothing to lose.
Just thoughts and nothing moreā¦
i have another idea,
wingcases on nymphs.
Iād have to think that you could firm up the skin with a coat of Fleximent if you think it needs it. I had a 5ā bull snake in collage that I kept in my dorm room (until they made me get rid of itā¦) and know from experience that the skin is tougher than you think.
As for fish liking or not liking, everyone has focused on the scent and ignored the love/hate relationship that fish and snakes have with each other. While things started out euphoric in their unusual cross-species union, the honeymoon was quickly over after off-hand comments as āyou smell like fishā and āyou hiss in your sleepā. Now estranged and separated, with respect for their mutual friends they still occaisionally end-up at the same parties and catch each otherās eyes across a crowded room.
All right lets quite kidding snake shedded skins are not durableāskins make the nice hat bands and belts. Use to catch rattlers to collect venom then leave them go againāmy dad never did like the moving rag bags hanging in the garage. I once found a youngster with a coral snake in his pocket a nice warm spot no fangs, they have to chew. Talked him into leaving it go. All should know āRed and Blackā BILL
DDRRedneck500, I am working now with coating a shed skin from a milk snake with various products to see if I can make it more durable. Mith my many snakes, hopefully I can find a coating that will make them durable enough to be used as wings. I will let you know how this turns out. John
thanks thats awsome, ill probably try that a bit too.
Have you ever written one of those Romance Novels??? :shock:
Doug :lol:
Ok here is my first attempt at useing the skin. I first coated the skin with Daves Fleximent. This made the skin fairly duable and still flexable. I just tied it on as wings for a very simple hopper. The photography is not real good but you should get the idea. Hope this helps John
bassman, that looks really good! im still working on my own fly using snake skins. but yours looks like it will definitely catch fish
I will be trying them out tomorrow. We will see if the fish will take them and also how long the wings will last. That is not a real good looking fly. But I wanted something simple for the first try with the skins. I will let you know how it does. John
Sorry I have not gotten back on this one yet. It has been so hot here and the water is so warm that I do not think it is good for the fish for me to try catching them I will wait until things cool down a bit. Sorry for the delay. John
Bassman, That hopper Is pretty cool!
flyandtye,
Using that logic: Wouldnāt flies, the ones we tie, have the scent of humans on them and wouldnāt that frighten off the fish? Letās not get caught up in applying a learned or educated behavior to trout. If they learned, youād never see a trout after its first C & R. We only elevate their āsmartnessā, or as Lee Wulff said, āThey are very sophisticatedā to compensate for our inability to catch them. In my case, trout are very intelligent fish.
Oh, back to the snake skin: How about applying some pliable glue (like Fleximent) to the skin and cutting out the wing pad for nymphs or an overback body. I donāt think it would work well for dry flies.
Deez
No ideas for flyās but here is something to seeā¦
http://www.rodbuilding.org/photopost/sh ā¦ all/page/1
http://www.rodbuilding.org/photopost/sh ā¦ photo/4663
Amazing! Iām concerned about a application to a fly rod because of the contrast. He is quite a artist!
Doug