An other variation of a T-Bone. This one is the only type that i like to fish with a wiggle tail. In previous post i said that i don't like using wiggle tails as they act to much like a break on your fly and stops that side to side action. That said there is many versions of the wiggle tails (especially if you make your own). The trick is to use a thin wiggle tail like the slim version of the Pachiarni tails.After many designs i like a tail that is slim and not to much curved. A bit like the tails on the new hybrid lures like the Strike Pro Guppie.
The Guppie tail is made to wiggle without holding the lure back
This allows the fly to keep on its chosen course after each strips.
Compare this with an original wiggle, where you can see how wide they are and the curve is a lot more accentuated, narly like a full circle.
The final tie will give you a large fly that moves a lot of water, but it's a fly that is fairly light to cast.
As usual feel free to experiment with colours and shapes of tails but keep them thin (from what i experienced so far).
A new season is just around the corner here at the lodge and as usual i'm getting the place ready to welcome new and returning clients to the lodge.
This year we are refreshing the stock of float tubes. I remember before everyone wanted to fish from big boats in big loughs, as many believed (for some strange reason) that smaller loughs and ponds would not have pikes in many numbers and more importantly in sizes. But the last ten years this has changed immensely due to the arrival on the market of much better designed float tubes.10 years ago float tubes were like a tractor tyre with two holes for the legs and a huge backrest that acted more like a sail than a backrest..I didn't like float tubing in those days.Your sitting position was so low on the water that at best times you felt like drowning...But it didn't take too long for the major brands to improve on designs. Nowadays we have a huge choice in personal vessels and for all budgets.
Needless to say if you want something that last you need to invest a little. We have been using the tubes from Creek Company for a few years now, a nice tube but definitely not the best built. Stitchings didn't last long on them and a poor design for inflation lead to many twisted bladders, punctures and time wasted for me fixing them most of the time and for my clients on the water.
So it was about time to look somewhere else.
It's a good few of my clients that directed me towards the FLTB-5 from Caperlan. Caperlan is a fishing branch of a huge sporting chain called Decathlon in France.
All the reviews looked good and i had many good returns from my guests. Many of them do own a FLTB-5 and this was the reason i started looking into this model.
With the help of a client that works for Decathlon i managed to secure a deal and import 5 tubes ( 5 more are planned to arrive next year).
Like you will see in the video, they are pretty good at first sight and only time will tell how they last in the long run.
But i will make a follow up video at the end of 2020 to see how they are holding up.
Sometimes i need to get creative, and the tail design is a very important part of fly tying for pikes and muskies. The head gives you presence,volume and direction in a streamer, but the tail gives it life. I'm always thinking about new tail designs to create them magic moves to seduce a big girl!
If you're like me and always looking for inspiration and creativity you have to play with some faux suede! That stuff is just brilliant, it's super resilient to pike's teeth, it takes inks and paints so well, and you can make anything with it! It dries very well without any changes in the original shape .Tails, wiggle,wave, doubles,slims, long, fat ones! Crab claws, shrimp body, frog legs, possibilities are endless!
Like i mention in the video, i get a good few messages asking how to make your own tails. That video should help..I hope....That said i know the Ebay can be strange, some stuff i can buy here, people in other countries can't. Just try to get around it by maybe looking at different countries to ship where ever you live. Best of luck and get creative!
Made a fresh new logo for F.W.A! Might get a few cap done..?..
When i started my pike fly fishing journey many moons ago there was practically no help out there for tying flies.YouTube had very little and i had to find my inspiration somewhere else.
Big trout streamers tied in a much bigger version were my first pike flies. (Thank you Mr Galloup)
Sex dungeon , Boogie man and the articulated Butt monkey caught me so many good pikes here but i quickly got bored tying and fishing them, i needed to expand my catalog. So i turn my attention to saltwater flies and musky flies. And one particular fly really caught my attention, the T-bone. At that time bodytubing was non existent in tackle shops and i had to get the help from a few American friends to source that material.
Now you can find some in most good tackle shop or straight from FLYMEN FISHING COMPANY .
For the flytyer that need more colours, a wider choice of sizes or if you tie flies in large quantities it's worth having a look at TECHFLEX , after all bodytubing is a braided sleeving product used for cable protection and management called FLEXOPET.
Have a look on the Techflex website for a reseller close to you. I get mine from the German or Dutch resellers.
To this day i am still surprised why no more pike anglers tie or use T-Bones. When i look at the flies that are displayed in various social media platforms i rarely see any Bones....Is it because people are afraid in using body tubing? Have no confidence in using it on their flies? Well their loss....
Body tubing makes your fly so much more durable. I found pike teeth on a few occasions stuck in the head of my T-Bone while putting them up to dry after a day on the water...
It gives the fly a tremendous amount of volume and massive presence in the water by pushing water from the head and the volume created by tubing place inside the fly.
I get a lot of questions in what sizes to use, and i general i use the 1/2 inch -12.7mm Flymen website or the slightly bigger ones 9/16 inch -14.29 Techflex website for the heads of my larger flies and MiniBones . The 1/4 inch-6.35mm Flymen&Techflex for the body of the flies or smaller flies like perch flies.
And the 1/8 inch-3.18mm also for bodies of smaller flies.
Tips in using body tubing:
Make sure you cut the correct length, too long had your head will look like a cone and not round. Too short and you will simply struggle (this is usually the main problem people encounter ).
I usually cut a length of about 60/70mm for my heads and body parts.
Don't forget to burn each end to stop the tubing from unraveling itself.
I like to create a cone before placing it on the hook or shank.
When creating the cone like in the video, make sure both ends meet flush so when you start tying it you will capture both sides securely
To help the head sit better on your hook or shank, wrap an underlay of shammy leather strip, or a zonker strip ( remove the hairs and only keep the leather ) or a rubber band works too. This will give more surface for the head to sit and catch the glue resulting in a secure head.Nothing more frustrating the a head starting to spin after just a few fish caught.
As i said in the video i don't like using a wiggle tail on my T-Bones as it acts like a break and stops the fly from getting that side to side action they are known for. Hence the name T-bone as pikes love striking this fly after a strip when it presents itself sideways.
Feathers, a rabbit whip tail, wave tails are all good for the tail of a T-Bone.
That said if the fish are active and hit the fly on a fast straight retrieve then you can switch to a wiggle or dragon tail in the hope of triggering a larger fish.
Next video will be about the BigBoned , a larger size T-Bone that i love using. Then next in the pipeline is the MegaloBoned !So stay tuned and if you can go and subscribe to the channel it will help it greatly in growing.
Possibilities are endless with bodytubing, don't be afraid of it! Give it a go, it will take a few tries but once you get it right i can guaranty you that you will always have a T-Bone in your box!
