Fly Fishing - Tube Flies: Likes, Dislikes, New Uses, Ideas?

kory_k · Location: New York, NY

It seems like more and more people are using tube flies these days and the ways they are using them is expanding. I have used them for steelheading for swinging flies for a long time and like them for a few reasons. Some of the reasons are
1. You can put the fly further behind the end of longer patterns reducing short strikes.
2. You can change the hook when it gets dull, but still retain the same original fly
3. You can use a shorter shank hook that is smaller and penetrates and hold better on large flies than larger hooks. This also is less hard on the fish when you intend to release them.
4. When you hook the fish, the hook is in direct contact without materials getting in the way.

Recently i have seen dry flies tied on tubes, but am a little skeptical of this. In a magazine article I even read about a guy who would put a tube dry in front of a tube woolly bugger and when he lifted it to cast it looked like the bugger was trying to attack the dry fly and he said he had some vicious strikes...pretty crazy what people think of. I also have had some friends use them in the saltwater but haven't done it myself yet.

Have any of you guys tried tying tube fly dry flies? How about saltwater tube flies? Any other applications that you have seen or tried for tube flies other than this? Anybody have any negative experiences with tube flies?

fishmadman · Posted: Sun 06/21/09 2:41 pm Post subject: Dry flies on tube

Sir.

We do not know of the story of the Woolly Bugger attacking the dry fly...But we have many years of experience with dry flies tied on tube. We have had tremendous success with different pattern's (like Bombers) converted into tube-flies.

Flies (even big monsters) become lighter.
The tube dries ride high and long on the water - compared to old school dries tied on big iron.
We use single, double or treble hooks in the end of the flies (fixed in a silicone hook guard) - The tiny wide-gape hooks has a high hook-up ratio. We use hooks like Owner size 6 50188 or equivalent Alec Jackson size 7 - Stinger Treble from Owner ST-36BC X size 16.
When you hook up with salmon - the fly slides up the leader.....and you won´t have problems with leverage (something that can occur with big irons like 4 - an upwards)

For more information please feel free to write us or go to our homepage on the subject - where you also find pages on riffling hitch..

Kind regards

Per Fischer, Jesper Fohrmann

www.fishmadman.com