What's in your vise?

Repurposed most of this from an early tuna fly. I think it's all Farrar blend. I used several copic markers to color it up and added a spawnflyfish head.
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This fly looks to have a facial expression that says, "Oh shit, I'm about to get chomped!"
😆. You just might be right!
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Nice ties. I love sili-legs like that. They look so good on this kind of salty fly. The only thing is, only the ends of the strands have the coloration like that so then I have a bunch of plain Jain remainder.

Throw em on a bass bug? At least the movement will be nice?
 
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Beeman

Winged Wet Fly

Body - Light green chenille
Hackle - Brown
Wing - Gray mottled turkey

Trout - Ray Bergman
 
This is my best baitfish so far. Probably need other eye sizes and stuff too. Tied the bucktail like a thunder creek. 8 3xl.
How do you get the bucktail to lay flat and not flair? Help wanted.
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Some 8 3xl hook. Red thread, pearl chenille, 6 strands crystal flash over. Then white bucktail below, light brown over the top, tied forward then pulled back, wrapped and whipped. Solaraz UV head. Add 3/16" waspi hollogram eyes, then solarez thick again.
 
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This is my best baitfish so far. Probably need other eye sizes and stuff too. Tied the bucktail like a thunder creek. 8 3xl.
How do you get the bucktail to lay flat and not flair? Help wanted.
View attachment 52041
What's the eye made of? That's probably the most realistic eyes I've seen on a baitfish. Baitfish and streamers don't really excite me that much so I don't tie them, but I would like to try one of these, what's the recipe?
 
This is my best baitfish so far. Probably need other eye sizes and stuff too. Tied the bucktail like a thunder creek. 8 3xl.
How do you get the bucktail to lay flat and not flair? Help wanted.
View attachment 52041
In addition to what @SpeyrodGB mentioned, take hair close to the tip of the tail vs. the base. Those have less air in them and typically won't flair much at all. That said, some tails just flair more, but using the above as a general rule is a decent guide to go by.
 
What's the eye made of? That's probably the most realistic eyes I've seen on a baitfish. Baitfish and streamers don't really excite me that much so I don't tie them, but I would like to try one of these, what's the recipe?
Some 8 3xl hook. Red thread, pearl chenille, 6 strands crystal flash over. Then white bucktail below, light brown over the top, tied forward then pulled back, wrapped and whipped. Solaraz UV head. Add 3/16" waspi hollogram eyes, then solarez thick again.
I don't have the materials for @G_Smolt 's pattern, but I think the river trout and lake crappie would dig something like that. Trying to get close.
 
I have found making a few loose wraps to hold the bucktail in place, then winding tighter wraps towards the head helps.
Loose wraps and selecting hair higher up on the tail has less air usually
In addition to what @SpeyrodGB mentioned, take hair close to the tip of the tail vs. the base. Those have less air in them and typically won't flair much at all. That said, some tails just flair more, but using the above as a general rule is a decent guide to go by.
I took from the wrong end. They were just exposed and easy to snip.:) The other part is the same thread control problem I have setting wings, but if I was able figure out the muddler head I'll get the rest. Thanks for all your help.
 
Loose wraps and selecting hair higher up on the tail has less air usually
Apparently I hadn't made to that last post before mine....Dr. Magill was spot on
 
I took from the wrong end. They were just exposed and easy to snip.:) The other part is the same thread control problem I have setting wings, but if I was able figure out the muddler head I'll get the rest. Thanks for all your help.
Oh, also make sure your wraps of chenille aren't super thick as to not create a dam, if that makes sense....edit: although, all that said, take 'er for a swim just to make sure it's not what you're after before tweaking anything. I mean, one of my steelhead strippers I had posted earlier which I really liked coming off the vise....took 2 casts and I'm like, "nope!" while one of the others looked super sweet.
 
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Oh, also make sure your wraps of chenille aren't super thick as to not create a dam, if that makes sense....edit: although, all that said, take 'er for a swim just to make sure it's not what you're after before tweaking anything. I mean, one of my steelhead strippers I had posted earlier which I really liked coming off the vise....took 2 casts and I'm like, "nope!" while one of the others looked super sweet.
I thought that might be an issue. Used holotinsel and coated for this one. The correct hair helps. Better thread tension too. This will give me a 1/2 doz to try.
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damn, I really like the look of that! Can't wait to hear how it fishes!
That's worth serious confidence points for when it gets wet. Thx
 
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