mix and match tube flies??

[chadk]

OK, this may have been tried, or altogether written off as a bad idea... But has anyone tried doing 'modular' tube flies?

For example, your fly box at the river could look like this: Hooks, beads, various collars, various bodies, various tails. Each section is tied on a mini-tube.

You could do a black collar, purpble marabou over orange marabou. Or no collar, orange body, etc etc. Make it 'egg sucking' by using a bead on the lead or add a bead in the middle or tail section.

Anyway, has this been tried? More hassle than what it would be worth? Maybe it could be a new internet gimmick - buy the kit online for only 3 easy payments of $19.99!!

[halcyon]

You have an interesting idea. One that has been done before and in fact is explained on a tying DVD somewhere or magazine article published in the past few years. Great minds it would seem:cool:

Also, Anglers Workshop sells an interlocking tube system to allow to connect various different tube sections together.

Regards,

[chadk]

Thanks. The interlocking tube system sounds interesting. That was the part I was having difficulty working out. I was imagining small beads between each section, but even then, I wonder how well the fly would stay 'inline'. So if you can actually connect them easily, all the better.

Another thought would be to have the tubes sort of 'tongue in groove'. A tapered end on the front of each tube that fits snugly into the next. A toothpick or something could be inserted if the fly coming appart is a problem.

[Steve Rohrbach]

Tube Flies: A Tying, Fishing & Historical Guide by Les Johnson and Mark Mandell includes this concept of mix and match.

Roger Stephens has been using his Sequin Tube Clouser and has recently started cutting the back of the tube off and using a bead to keep the back of the fly moving. It is tied with clouser style eyes so the front piece stays down. I have not noticed any problem with the hook spinning behind the clouser tube. The front of the tube is cut at a 45 degree angle. The sequins in front of the angle cut result in the fly darting on every strip. The bead and cut behind result in more action than a traditional clouser that I believe results in more strikes.

Give it a try Chad, you will like the results.

[thewaker]

I tried that for a week on the Dean a few years back. Essentially the same thing. I just had a bunch of tubes in different colors, all tied out of crosscut bunny. I was calling it the Ka-Bob tube fly. I had as many as 4-5 different tubes above the hook.In clear water maybe one or two stacked. As water clarity went away, I stacked um up to produce a large profile fly. Black,purple, orange,red, whatever the water clarity dictated. It worked well and I caught fish. It was kind of fun to mess around with different colors of heads and tails by just rearranging the set up. Just tie up some tubes and Ka-Bob to your hearts content. As far as the tubes staying together, I did not have a problem. Once into the swing everything seemed to slide back to the hook conection.

Mark

[Hal Eckert]

Yes, the old atlantic salmon fisherman used this technique especially in Iceland and UK. Its been written about in some old FF books, like the Col Joseph Bates book - Streamers & Bucktails - The Big Fish Flys 1979.

:beer2:

BG

[Derek Day]

I just started doing that this season. I tie up a bunch of different options, and some with egg sucking heads, others without and some in different types of tubes (plastic, brass, alum. ). I haven't had any problems with flies staying inline. Along the lines of the sequin tube flies, you could tie some "keeled" tubes and cut them at an downward angle and use a sequin. I've been using a keel on some sculpin tubes I've tied up, I stretch a piece of pencil lead in my bench vise and tie it in on the bottom side of the tube. This keeps the tube riding a right side up. You could probably combine these elements and get something that acted like a jointed plug that might just be killer.

[Hywel]

Tony Pagliei, a long-time contributing tyer for HMH and a staff member of tubeflies.com, has used 'convertible' tube flies for years - so the concept isn't exactly new or cutting edge.

A 'convertible' fly is simply a dressed tube fly hook that is interchangeable with a dressed tube fly body.

Pagliei's technique yields some interesting and effective patterns that will generally bring fish to the net.

Hywel

[Hywel]

Tony Pagliei, a long-time contributing tyer for HMH and a staff member of tubeflies.com, has used 'convertible' tube flies for years - so the concept isn't exactly new or cutting edge.

A 'convertible' fly is simply a dressed tube fly hook that is interchangeable with a dressed tube fly body.

Pagliei's technique yields some interesting and effective patterns that will generally bring fish to the net.

Hywel

[Hywel]

Tony Pagliei, a long-time contributing tyer for HMH and a staff member of tubeflies.com, has used 'convertible' tube flies for years - so the concept isn't exactly new or cutting edge.

A 'convertible' fly is simply a dressed tube fly hook that is interchangeable with a dressed tube fly body.

Pagliei's technique yields some interesting and effective patterns that will generally bring fish to the net.

Hywel

[Hywel]

Tony Pagliei, a long-time contributing tyer for HMH and a staff member of tubeflies.com, has used 'convertible' tube flies for years - so the concept isn't exactly new or cutting edge.

A 'convertible' fly is simply a dressed tube fly hook that is interchangeable with a dressed tube fly body.

Pagliei's technique yields some interesting and effective patterns that will generally bring fish to the net.

Hywel

[chadk]

If it's worth saying once, it's worth saying 4 times I guess ;)

[halcyon]

If it's worth saying once, it's worth saying 4 times I guess ;)

Or possibly just likes to hear himself ;)

[Hywel]

Whoops!

Sorry for the double-post!

Halycon,

"Or possibly just likes to hear himself "

Actually, I'll let my tying speak for itself.

You?

Hywel