Tube Flies

Zak

Legend
Forum Supporter
Welcome! I don't think there's a separate thread (yet), but there are some nice tube flies in the What's in Your Vise thread.
 

Shad

Life of the Party
No moderator here (my opinion carries no weight), but as an end user, I think we could do with a thread dedicated to tube flies. We have a sub-forum dedicated to fly tying and entomology, after all, and that would let those interested (including myself, selfishly) find lots of info on tube tying, in one place, without having to seek it out among pages of information, most of which, albeit awesome, is not about tying on tubes. A thread entitled "Tube Flies" would be a very effective search result for curious, new members not yet familiar with the lay of the land...

That said, I can be convinced either way; it's always fun to browse the What's in Your Vise? thread....
 

Jake Watrous

Legend
Forum Supporter
No moderator here (my opinion carries no weight), but as an end user, I think we could do with a thread dedicated to tube flies. We have a sub-forum dedicated to fly tying and entomology, after all, and that would let those interested (including myself, selfishly) find lots of info on tube tying, in one place, without having to seek it out among pages of information, most of which, albeit awesome, is not about tying on tubes. A thread entitled "Tube Flies" would be a very effective search result for curious, new members not yet familiar with the lay of the land...

That said, I can be convinced either way; it's always fun to browse the What's in Your Vise? thread....
I’d be down for it.

I love tying tube flies
 

Jake Watrous

Legend
Forum Supporter
just call it Chewbs, akin to how our Norwegian friends call them...
Not taking advice from people who soak perfectly good cod in caustic lye.

And I say this having been a Poulsbo Vikingfest Lutefisk eating champion.
 

Zak

Legend
Forum Supporter
Sort of a Green Highlander influenced intruder......
View attachment 49077View attachment 49076
Nice fly! Do you think you could do a step by step? I'd like to try tying tube flies and I think I have the tool that is clamped in your vise, but I'm starting from scratch and haven't seen anyone tie a tube fly. For instance what is the green tubing at the rear of this fly and what is it for? And is the black cone head weighted? Do tube flies need a cone, or can they just be finished with a thread head and whip finish?
 

Mike Cline

Life of the Party
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Nick Clayton

Fishing Is Neat
Forum Supporter
There's lots of cool tube flies, and tubes definitely offer some advantages. I just find that I don't enjoy the physical act of tying on tubes so I don't do it as much as I probably should.

Just something about tying tube flies that just doesn't feel right to me. Lol. Dumb I know.

I do have plans to tie some topwater albacore flies on tubes this winter, mainly to see if they turn out any lighter tied on tubes compared to the larger hooks I typically tie them on. I have a hard time sourcing the correct size of slider head for my topwater flies. Seems the sizes I come across are either incredibly large, or a bit too small and don't keep the fly on the surface in the way I want. Thinking with a tube maybe I could get away with using some of the slightly smaller heads that I already have. Plus it would allow me to use a short shank hook which I prefer. When tied on hooks I find I have to use hooks with a fairly long shank in order to allow for enough room for the head and still have room to tie the fly. Also sometimes in this scenario I feel that the head starts to cover up the hook gap just a bit, but going to a larger hook tends to require an even larger head lol
 
Nice fly! Do you think you could do a step by step? I'd like to try tying tube flies and I think I have the tool that is clamped in your vise, but I'm starting from scratch and haven't seen anyone tie a tube fly. For instance what is the green tubing at the rear of this fly and what is it for? And is the black cone head weighted? Do tube flies need a cone, or can they just be finished with a thread head and whip finish?
Zak,
The green tubing is the hook guide. I would suggest checking out some of Sportfisher Pro Tube videos on you tube. It's a solid platform. The cone is definitely not necessary. I basically use it to break the surface tension of the water. And it just tops it off and makes it pretty to me! 4.jpg
 

Stonedfish

Known Grizzler-hater of triploids, humpies & ND
Forum Supporter
The best topwater searun cutt fly I’ve ever used is tied on a tube.
@roger stephens Delia slider squid topwater.
It has by far a much higher hook up ratio than others I’ve fished due to the stationary hook placement rather than one flopping around on a mono or braid loop.
SF
 

SpawnFlyFish

Steelhead
Forum Supporter
The best topwater searun cutt fly I’ve ever used is tied on a tube.
@roger stephens Delia slider squid topwater.
It has by far a much higher hook up ratio than others I’ve fished due to the stationary hook placement rather than one flopping around on a mono or braid loop.
SF
Roger Stephens is a legend in the sea run game but hardly gets any love on all the stuff I read. Been lucky to spend a little time with him and even sit down in his tying room!
 

Stonedfish

Known Grizzler-hater of triploids, humpies & ND
Forum Supporter
Roger Stephens is a legend in the sea run game but hardly gets any love on all the stuff I read. Been lucky to spend a little time with him and even sit down in his tying room!

He was kind enough to send me some of his patterns years ago with handwritten notes, which I still have.
Even though I’ve never met Roger in person, I feel very fortunate to have received his flies and the information that came with them.
I hope to meet him in person someday to thank him for his generosity and knowledge he has shared.
SF
 

Nick Clayton

Fishing Is Neat
Forum Supporter
I too have never met Roger, but I've benefited greatly from all the knowledge he's shared over the years. I've crossed paths with him a few times on the water over the years. Always a good feeling to pass him on the water cause I know I can't be too far from fish!

Years ago he sent me a handwritten letter detailing how he has his boat set up for fly fishing on the sound. Always thought it was incredibly kind and generous of him to take the time to write out and send me that information. I still have the letter amongst some other keepsakes in my fly tying desk.

I agree his topwater pattern is a killer!
 
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