tying sabiki's?

 
      Looking for info about materials for tying my own shrimp flies. Can't be too hard eh?
  need something to do on these no-fish days.
   Thanks to all,
  boxofrain

i often tie my own shrimp flies, just so i can have a better[sharper] hook. i tie red or yellow bodies with red or white bucktail. as for sabiki's, i just buy the packages for $2.50. why are those rigs too long for the sabiki rod? i always have to clip a fly off the bottom.

I bought a big pile of used tackle, I got many many 3/0 siwash hooks.

They may not be owners or gamakatsu, but I have a hook sharpener.

So I tied a few too, note you can also put grubs on them, etc.

see

http://www.saltwaterflies.com

for lots of info on more complicated flies, and also materials.

but you can get white bucktail like stuff @ fisherman's warehouse too.

I tie my own. Basically, just tie a Clouser Minnow in Chartruese/white without the barbell.

If you aren't a flytier, here is what I did.

All your tying will be done in the space about 1/4-3/8  inch from the eye.
Tie some thread down in this space first to give the materials a good base, which keeps them from spinning.
Secure krystal flash (silver) (or even tinsel you find at craft stores) on the hook shank longer than you think you will need it.
Tie in a sparse bunch of Chart bucktail on the top of the hook.
Tie in a sparse bunch on the bottom.
Finish of the head off with thread to make it neat looking. A whip finish tool helps to secure the thread, or just use a few half-hitches.
Cut the krystal flash so it extends beyond the bucktail slightly.
Put some head cement on the head and your done. If you don't have head cement, you can use whatever clear glue you have. A coating of epoxy would work well and give you the longest lasting shrimp flies you have ever used.


You can get a big bucktail for $4 at flyfishing stores. and Krystal flash for $2.50. Use whatever hooks you have that are similar to the ones you see on the packs you buy.

This should give you enough material to tie dozens of rigs, plus they look much better. Experiment with colors...rock cod don't care.

Good luck.
Marc Mc

I saw a bunch of circle hook flies when I was looking around.

These hooks seem to be something people either love or hate, but
circle hook shrimp flys seem like a pretty good idea since the fish is
pretty much hooking himself.

There are more and more people experimenting with circle hook flies. It would be interesting to see if the rock cod would hook themselves. They probably would and you would have more potential for them being hooked safely.
I can't recall, however, seingn many circle hooks in my local flyshop....but then again, I wasn't looking.

Marc Mc

Designed and tied by Joe Carrillo. Rad Floss body and tail with glass beads, tied on lightweight circle hook to further reduce snagging; the wing of Krystal Flash over SuperHair is tied high to help the light keel keep the hook point up.  I saw Joe catch&release over 20 salmon with this fly while other fishermen with conventional flies were foul-hooking more than they caught

I recognize the hook as an owner mutu light circle, I had a bag of size 1's and caught a lot of fish on them,
including a halibut this last summer.

http://www.bouncerflies.com

also in the gallery at saltwaterflies.com you will see some flies on circle hooks if you look around.

I had a couple big circle hooks lying around, I tied on some tinsel and bucktail and put on a
grub body for fun. looks yummy.

At the end of last season I started attaching a shrimp fly to the top of my 3' leader as a teaser, at the swivel,
with an iron or heavy leadhead at the end, but once I reeled up two underlings,
one on the leadhead and one on the shimpfly. Another halibut hit an iron while I had a shrimp fly
up by the swivel.  maybe it looks like the little fish is chasing the fly.

A circle is less likely to snag.

So now I'm thinking this doesn't hurt and is a good way to experiment with a second lure while
bouncing a lure around the bottom. attach a circle hook shimpfly above your iron somewhere.

I am sold. That fly looks sweet and its a relatively easy tie. I will have to give circle hook shrimp flies a try.