Fly Slama Jama

[Zach Matthews]

Neal Osborn –

I got ahold of some braiding materials from my local “Beauty Supply.”  Man did they look at me weird when I, a bald guy in a suit, walked in to buy the most colorful hair extensions they had.  🙂

They didn’t have any white, though.  I ended up getting kind of a bottle blonde “Kanekalon” material.  I’m tying striper flies – I think this stuff will work well.

Zach

[bluetick1955]

I did the same but I don’t think I got the right thing. Mine look like long pony tails???

[Neal Osborn]

Laughing as I read 😀

If you need some hair i got the proverbial “truck-load”

[Zach Matthews]

Neal I know what you mean – there’s too much of this stuff here to store.

[Zach Matthews]

The proof of concept fly took permanent marker really well too, just FYI.

[Anonymous]

maybe the greates name for a Post ever.

[Zach Matthews]

I said I’d post a pic and here it is.  Neal is doing some even more creative stuff, but this is a very fast bigeye baitfish to tie.  

Fly Slama Jama
Hook: Gamakatsu 3/0 4X heavy x-short
Tail: White Kanekalon 70% / Silver Lite Brite 30% Blend
Flashtail: 1/8″ hank of Silver Flashabou
Body: Red Lite Brite dubbed up to eye
Wing: Chartreuse Kanekalon 70% / Peacock Green Lite Bright 30% Blend
Overwing: Pencil-lead thick hank of Peacock Green Lite Brite
Thread: 6/0 Mono
Eyes: Large Holo Eyes
Glue: Shoe Goo/Goop/Tuolene

Instructions:
Start thread at point of hook and wrap back to bend.  Yank off a 6″ long pencil-lead think hank of red lite brite and roll it in your fingers to make a rope.  Start at thread tie-in.  Next tie on the first hank of White Kanekalon/Silver Lite Brite, about 2X the hook length, on top of the lite brite (on top of the hook).  Then, add the Flashtail on top of that, extending it back about 3X the hook length.  This should overhang the blended fibers somewhat to make a nice tail to flick around.  Wrap the dubbing over the tie in points of the first white Kanekalon and the flashtail, then lock it down with a thread wrap.

[Zach Matthews]

PS, Bluetick, your membership should not have been revoked.

[Neal Osborn]

Zach, the Octopus hooks seem to be the right way to go.  After our discussion, I believe they offer a better profile mount for the material.

I have been using Kanekalon to tie legs for frogs and terrestrials.  I have also been tying some baitfish patterns like Zach and the other day we got together to brain storm some ideas on how to use this stuff.  My pictures aren’t very good, sorry about the quality.

Typical baitfish pattern with 100% kanekalon plus a bit of flash

Panfish pattern.  This fly caught a 2-3lb bass last week.

Cool little articulated “sex-dungeon-like” pattern. Don’t know if it will catch anything but it sure looks good underwater.  Easy to spin some dear hair on the head and it blends well with the wig hair.

One of my favorite “unusual” applications so far has been to twist the hair into cords and tie in knots to make jointed legs.  Works great on terrestrial patterns.  Here is a little frog imitation with mostly kanekalon plus some dear hair and flash.

[Zach Matthews]

Here’s another use for the material.  This is not my pattern; I copied one I got from the Fish Hawk which was originated by a Japanese man, but I don’t recall the name.

I also suck with epoxy, and I should have used 30 minute instead of 5.  I also probably should have glued the foam together with Zap a Gap prior to epoxying it.  And I should have been more patient about letting the colors dry.  And left the stripes off.  Having said all that, I think this will catch fish even as is.

That is a 7/0 hook.

[Chad Simcox]

Those would be killer for the big bass that live in the lakes here in SoCal.

http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.

http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox Instagram

[Neal Osborn]

Zach is on the money by using this hair fiber to make BIG bait patterns.  I had to teach myself how to make a crease fly today but after a few tries it came together nicely.  I have to agree that this cheap fiber makes some very large but light flies.  It also holds glue/crazy.glue/Loon.Hard.Head nicely.  I also found that you can easily “blend” red/orange fibers below the eyes on the ventral belly to make a gill shadow.  

I broke down and got a 300 grain shooting head sink tip line today to throw these bad boys.  

This is a 7 inch long fly tied on a 4/0 Octopus hook.

[Zach Matthews]

Hey Neal –

I like the baitfish but I think the coloration is a little too abstract; that’s probably just a style thing.

[none]

Zach, here’s the anchovies-like streamer I promised.

Jay

[bluetick1955]

You guys got a brand on that material? Mine is just straight and flat. No texture

[Zach Matthews]

I think it goes by “jumbo braid.”

http://www.doctoredlocks.com/store/kk_jumbo.html

Zach

[bluetick1955]

Thx, Yea I got the wrong stuff

[Zach Matthews]

Zach, please excuse the ignorance, but is that Lite Brite dubbing that you are mixing in with the synthetic hair or is there another version of Lite Brite that I am not aware of?

[Zach Matthews]

Yes and no.

[Neal Osborn]

You can get the same stuff at Michael’s craft store for $1.50.

[Author]

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