Egg Fly Help

[baccala]

I've been tying some egg flies. My first try. Been doing OK but bottom seems to come out spares. Anyone have a pointer to fix that?
Thanks
Tim

 

[MONSTER BROWN]

This should help check it out.

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[iflifish]

Pick up one of these:

TCO Fly Fishing

With just a little bit of practice, this tool makes tying glo-bugs incredibly fast with virtually no wasted material.

 

[eddavidson9]

i base mine loosely on LW's

Glo Bug Step-By-Step

i prefer regular yarn (not mcfly foam) and flat waxed 6/0 or flymaster plus, no need for GSP;

1: tie onto hook with ~6 wraps of thread to secure it; wraps should be in a single layer, touching, and end where you want the centerpoint of the egg

2: take 2 full strands of egg yarn (and optional 1/4 strand for yolk/blood dot), pinched tightly with ~1/2 - 3/4 inch extending from fingertips

3: holding yarn off hook (by ~1 inch), take thread up and over yarn, but do not bind down and do not let go

4: immediately in front of the (partial) thread wrap you just took around the yarn and hook, make 1 full wrap around the hook only

5: pull on bobbin while lowering yarn to hook shank to tighten (use max pressure without breaking thread/bending hook)

6: with tension still on thread, make 1 complete wrap BEHIND yarn tie-down point

7: 1 more wrap in front

8: bring thread up behind the yarn and make 1 complete wrap 360 degrees around the yarn-tie-down wrap only (between hook shank and yarn)

9: wrap in front of yarn and whip finish

10: trim thread and yarn and use fingers to fully form egg

i know, it sounds weird, but it works great and once you get it down, they fly. key is to use as few thread wraps as possible, all as tight as possible and close together as possible.

feel free to experiment with flash, egg-veils, etc.

also, estaz, estaz, estaz; even easier than glo-bugs and work great.

even if the eggs are a little sparse on the bottom, the fish will prob not mind as much as you do.

 

[MONSTER BROWN]

Tried what Eddavidson9 suggested today. Very easy to do and creates a good looking egg fly thank you eddavidson9.

 

[eddavidson9]

glad it worked for you. im sure it can be improved but its the fastest most reliable yarn egg i've come up with so far. good luck!

 

[Burtbords149]

It sounds like the yarn is being held down by one single thread wrap is that right? I'll give this a try definitely. Do the flies ever come apart?

 

[eddavidson9]

It sounds like the yarn is being held down by one single thread wrap is that right? I'll give this a try definitely. Do the flies ever come apart?

correct. make sure you are using good thread (if you're apprehensive about it breaking, you can use GSP but its not neccessary and is a bit more slippery so use care). this one holds up as well as any i've tried and much better than pom-poms. make sure to use enough tension and the yarn isnt going anywhere; the wrap between the hook and yarn helps tighten it even more. chances are you'll lose the egg on a rock or mash it trying to remove it from a fish before it ever has a chance to come undone. with eggs, i'd rather be able to tie them quickly and have lots of replacements than tie them to be indestructible. that said, with good thread and a good whip-finish, these are solid.

 

[eddavidson9]

i should add that i started tying them this way because i previously had issues with the yarn spinning around the hook and eventually breaking the thread when trying to bind directly to the hookshank with 2 wraps. tying them this way helps lessen the spinning tendancy and you can get a lot more tension on the thread without the yarn spinning and breaking the thread.

 

[smittin]

I would just add that sucker spawns are easy to tye and work really well

 

[Burtbords149]

on that note when you folks tie sucker spawns do you use an entire strand of egg yarn, or do you split it in quarter? or do you use some other material, not egg yarn

 

[Broadheadscreek]

Hi BB,
If you use glow bug yarn split it into thirds gives you a nice look and is not to bulky.Good colors are oregon cheese , peachy king and apricot. Also angora works very well in similar colors and it is harder for the trout to spit.

on that note when you folks tie sucker spawns do you use an entire strand of egg yarn, or do you split it in quarter? or do you use some other material, not egg yarn

 

[eddavidson9]

on that note when you folks tie sucker spawns do you use an entire strand of egg yarn, or do you split it in quarter? or do you use some other material, not egg yarn

depends on the size of the hook, but i generally use 1/2 strand of egg yarn for sizes 8 or 10, 1/4 for 10 or 12. there are countless other yarn materials too, i like the twisted 3-strand stuff...dont know what it's called. havent caught enough fish on them (havent fished with them enough) to know what the fish prefer if anything.

these egg patterns are ruining me for tying...i dont have the patience to sit down and tie just a couple of anything more complex after turning out dozens of eggs in a sitting.

 

[eddavidson9]

Hi BB,
If you use glow bug yarn split it into thirds gives you a nice look and is not to bulky.

most yarns split nicely in half; i'm too lazy to go 1/3rds so i just take the 1/2 or split it evenly again to 1/4.

 

[Broadheadscreek]

Thank you Ed some good info. Just finished tying 4 dozen for the next trip. Have you had any luck with the blue glow bug yarn?

 

[eddavidson9]

i started tying with light blue this year...but i've also been swinging for the most part this year so i really dont know yet. got +/- 450 eggs tied up so far, hopefully most of which will see the water between 11/14 and 11/22 (5-guy 9-day trip across the state); i'll let you know what worked best on the 23rd

last year my best egg was a blue-and-peach estaz. browns steelies atlantic smolts and half-dead salmon all loved it.

 

[leakywaders]

last year my best egg was a blue-and-peach estaz. browns steelies atlantic smolts and half-dead salmon all loved it.[/QUOTE]

Was that blue and peach togehter on the same fly? Blended to gether or 2 different flies.

Your Egg method works nice. thanks

 

[Broadheadscreek]

Hey Ed with you on the swing thing! Got to love it when they smash it on the end or any where in between for that matter. Going to do some spey fishing this year can't wait to give that a go. Malinda is going to hook me up with a rod next time I'm up. I got a Hardy gem to put on it.

 

[eddavidson9]

Was that blue and peach togehter on the same fly?

yup. I tie both strands in at the same point near the rear of the hook and make 1.5-2.5 wraps with both strands; gives it a barred or striped effect (rather than half one color, half the other). dont know if thats the look they prefer, but once again, it's quicker than tying material in twice.

add a tuft of yarn, marabou, flash, etc if you like.

 

[eddavidson9]

Hey Ed with you on the swing thing! Got to love it when they smash it on the end or any where in between for that matter. Going to do some spey fishing this year can't wait to give that a go. Malinda is going to hook me up with a rod next time I'm up. I got a Hardy gem to put on it.

got a 7 wt switch. some day i'll go full spey (when i can afford it) and start throwing the heavy stuff. need a reel upgrade first, the albright POS just isnt making me happy. right now i love just being able to effortlessly change between indi fishing and 2-hand swinging with the same rod and line just by changing out leaders.

 

[Broadheadscreek]

Ed I think I'm going 7-8 wt want to try a few out and see what best suits my casting style. I saw a lot of people fishing switch and it looks pretty versatile and like you said effortless. I currently use a Orvis Powermatrix 10' 7wt and am happy with its performance on both salmon and steelhead. But am looking forward to that beautiful cast you can lay out with a spey rod fish or no fish it is amazing to see.

 

[jlajoie]

got a 7 wt switch. some day i'll go full spey (when i can afford it) and start throwing the heavy stuff. need a reel upgrade first, the albright POS just isnt making me happy. right now i love just being able to effortlessly change between indi fishing and 2-hand swinging with the same rod and line just by changing out leaders.

If you want a decent midgrade reel, check out the Lamson Konic. Sealed drag mechanism, good build quality, and under $200. I have one that I use on my 5 wt., and have no complaints whatsoever. Check the latest Cabelas catalog, or find them cheaper on the dirty ol' eBay.

 

[The Royal Coachman]

What is your favorite hook for egg patterns?

 

[Broadheadscreek]

I like DAIICHI X120 and Gamakatsu C14S they are strong and sharp a little on the pricey side but worth it in the end.

 

[iflifish]

on that note when you folks tie sucker spawns do you use an entire strand of egg yarn, or do you split it in quarter? or do you use some other material, not egg yarn

For sucker spawns I just buy the Glo-Bugs micro yarn. It's 2mm while the regular size Glo-Bugs yarn is 8mm. For colors, I also like the peachy king, apricot supreme, and oregon cheese colors, as well as moss (actually a pale chartreuse), cream delight, and pink lady. Micro yarn is also good for making the dot in a Glo-Bug. For this I use the cerise color most of the time.

Micro yarn: Glo Bugs® Micro Yarn - $1.45 : The Bug Shop

 

[jcstikfish]

What is your favorite hook for egg patterns?

Mustad Signature Hooks

Tied with Mcfly Foam is my starting point for single "glo-bug" egg.


~James