Neal Osborn
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Zach, here are some shots of the rubber-leg wooly buggers. I have been working out this pattern lately, almost got it the way I want. I think the key is to use Uni-Flexx or Spanflex rubber instead of standard Sili-legs or even Tenticles.
Original Orvis pattern
My first-attempts.
Dusty, you have to look hard to find pictures of the Gillbuster (and you still might not find posts on the internet). It has been removed from sites and from production for now. There is a story behind this but honestly I heard it from someone else and so I can’t repeat. Needless to say, pictures are hard to find. However, it is nothing more than small weighted dumbbell eyes, thread and a small rabbit zonker strip tied as a tail. Seriously, one of the simplest flies to tie and very effective, I will post a picture later tonight in the fly tying section under our recent rabbit fur post but I will call it something else 😉
Here is a shot of the fly in action 😎
Zach, funny you should mention about the dubbing bench and rubber. That is exactly why I bought the device initially. I saw this great fly at Orvis http://www.orvis.com/store/productchoice.aspx?pf_id=54G0&dir_id=1236&group_id=1260&cat_id=15330&subcat_id=15331&feature_id=17. My friends out west say they like it on the bigger rivers. So anyway, yes, the device makes great rubber hackle. I will post some pictures later. By the way, I believe the best rubber stretch material cut up as a blend is the Uni Flexx and I am pretty sure that is what the production guys are using for the Orvis flies http://www.uniproducts.com/eng/produits.asp#. I used Spanflex early on and it worked great, I just ran out of material (anyone know where I can buy more?)?.
Zach, I will post some pictures later tonight if I have time and discuss the Zuddler cone-head. Truthfully it was a real bitch to perfect the technique and I wasted a ton of material early on trying to get that nice little hair collar. I used the tutorial from Lauren Williams http://www.flyguysoutfitting.com/zuddler.html early on until I learned to do it my own way. Lauren does a great job on photographing his flies. The “trick” to this fly is getting the hair to spin “under [or within] the cone head, thus reducing bulk and allowing you to use a razor blade to spin-shave a nice donut-shaped collar. One last comment is about the cone size – Error on the side of a larger cone. My early flies had a small cone and the deer hair would not spin correctly, thus creating bulk at the head and collar.
As for the rabbit strips, I get them at either of the two shops downtown/Buckhead, no secret source per se. However, I always take the strips out of the package and look them over. It is amazing how the hides can vary from package-to-package. Especially with Pine Squirrel. Some are thin and some are thick, I have been known to buy a package of each to serve different tying requirements. Then again, I’ve been known to buy a lot of stuff for no good reason, ha.
Remember, when using fabric/leather cement to bond your flies avoid smearing and never wipe the excess off when wet or it will just smear into the fur and smudge.
Craig . . . as I mentioned above, I just started using furled leaders and so far just a small setup on my 3wt fiberglass rod. In your experience (and others) are furled leaders better on any “specific” weight rods/lines. In other words, is a smaller furled leader less responsive than say one put on a 6wt? Just curious and it’s always good to hear from guys who have the knowledge. Also, what is “garden hackle”?
Also, can anyone tell me about furled leaders for bonefishing? Is it worth it, etc?
