Fishermen have been using artificial flies for a long time. This equipment is considered universal, as it is suitable for fishing various types of fish. Fishing flies have a high catch. In addition, with them, the fisherman does not need to regularly acquire new bait. Despite the presence on the shelves of specialized stores branded equipment, many anglers prefer to use handicrafts. According to experts, home-made flies are no less catchy. Moreover, judging by numerous reviews, it is much more pleasant if the fish is caught with the help of a bait made by hand. Information on the types of these bait, on how to make fishing flies, you will find in this article.
Getting to know snap
Flies or streamers are artificial baits that mimic insects or their larvae located both at the water's edge and in any of its layers. The equipment is designed for fly fishing or using a spinning rod. According to experts, using flies, you can fish in any way in a variety of reservoirs. Judging by the reviews, many beginner anglers are interested in how to make such a bait at home and how to attach a fly to a fishing line.
About the types of bait
Artificial fishing flies are:
- Wet. The bait is practically no different from a drowned insect, leech, tadpole or larva. The product is characterized by a thin body, the presence of a tail and legs. This type of equipment is used during fly fishing for salmon and grayling. Bait is effective from June to November.
- Dry. The task of bait is to imitate a dragonfly, a fly or a gadfly. To prevent these baits from being immersed in water, non-sinking materials are used for their manufacture, and thin wire is used for hooks. Lures float on the surface of the reservoir and are used for fishing in the upper layers. The fly data for chub, rudd, roach and other fish species are calculated.
- Streamers. They are considered the most difficult artificial bait. They remind fry that are in the feed base of underwater predators. Judging by the reviews, grayling pecks at the streamer well.
- Emergers. These bait mimic insects turning from pupae into adults.
- Nymphs. This species is an insect bait at an early stage of development. Those who decided to make such a fly should not be mistaken with the color, size and segmentation of the body. Salmon and grayling are excellent at nymphs.
Knowing the technology, having the right tools and supplies, making such artificial bait is not difficult.
Instruments
To work, the home craftsman will have to acquire the following materials:
- Vise. Essential for securely fixing fishing hooks.
- The holder.
- Scissors.
- A set of needles.
- Tweezers.
- Special holder for spools of thread. It is important that the thread is well tensioned during operation.
- Brush for painting and varnishing.
- Mortar.
- A lamp.
- Magnifier.
- Mirror.
- A combed needle. With its help, everything superfluous is removed from the workpiece.
About Supplies
The bait will turn out more natural if you use:
- Yarn. Both woolen and polypropylene and fur threads are suitable. Many masters pre-process it with a comb. The ends of the thread need to be a little subtle. You will also need a rubber thread. Its presence will give the body of the bait the necessary flexibility.
- Lurex. This material is recommended for those who are going to make fly fishing flies. Thanks to Lurex, the body of the bait is more brilliant.
- Wire. According to experts, there is only one type of bait, completely made of this material. Among the fishermen, the tackle is known as Cooper John. These fly flies are made exclusively of wire. However, in all other types of bait, the wire is used as an additional material.
- Bird feathers. Before use, they are pre-painted, clotted. In addition, part of the trunk in the feather must be exposed. Then it will be wrapped with thread and wire.
At the request of a home craftsman, you can use beads, beads, fluff, various rings and wool.
Working process
You can make an artificial fly as follows:
- First, a fishing hook is fixed in a vise.
- Next, you need to firmly fix the mounting thread and wind it along the hook. The remains of the thread are cut.
- Make a body base. At this stage, you need a woolen thread. The place of its fastening will be the middle of the forearm. As it coils, the body thickens.
- Make woolen villi. After wrapping around the mounting thread, they are tied to a knot and varnished.
- You will have to wait some time for the varnish to dry. Then wrap the bristles with lurex. This should be done in the opposite direction from the tilt of the bristles. Carefully cut off the leftovers.
What should I look for?
In order for the fishing flies to resemble an insect as much as possible, the design of the product must be equipped with a head, abdomen, wings, legs and bristles. The head should be made massive, and then varnished. The body of the bait is made with bright color. At the end of the work, the product is tested by throwing into water. The purpose of these actions is to check how the bait will get wet, how its color will change and how it will stay on the water. Fly fishing flies can have a wide variety of colors and shapes. Using a rich imagination, it will be easy to make both a fly and a larva.
How to make a dry artificial fly?
Judging by the reviews, to cope with this task is quite simple. For work, you need 5-centimeter wool. Experienced fishermen recommend giving preference to black or bright orange colors. Next, you need to equip the hook with wool. For bait fit hooks used in spinners. After the hook is removed from the bait, several wools are inserted into its ring, which are fixed with cambric.
To do this, put it on the hook ring. Using a needle or tweezers, the fly is fluffed. Due to the fact that the process of making such a bait is not time-consuming, many fishermen make flies directly on the pond before fishing. Judging by the reviews, the use of catchy hairs has a positive effect on bites. Mostly use such flies for the chub. Also, dry bait is well pecked by pike and perch.
About the pike streamer
This bait is suitable for densely overgrown ponds. The design may contain both an open and an unobtrusive hook. Some anglers use it with floats. If you plan to operate the bait separately, it is better to equip the leash with a small weight. In this case, casting will be much easier. For the manufacture of flies you will need a feather, lurex, wool and a hook number 10. The work is carried out in several stages:
- Using a thread, wrap the lurex to the hook.
- Fluff the material with an awl or needle.
- Attach a feather to the hook and wrap the thread.
- Fix the structure with varnish.
- Cut excess threads.
When choosing wool, you need to remember that too bright colors will look unnatural and scare away the pike.
How to tie a fly to a fishing line?
According to experts, the presence of a bait in the form of a dry fly already guarantees successful fishing. However, in order for the fish to bite, the bait should be properly tied. Experienced fishermen recommend hooking dry bait to the forest using a Dunkan or Turle Knot loop. If you have to fish with wet and nymphs, it is better to use the nodes Droper Loop or Rapala.
About the advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of artificial bait are its versatility, reliability and durability. Judging by the reviews, the flies do not fly off hooks during long casts. In addition, these bait have a large operational resource. Unlike hand-made flies, branded ones of lower quality. To make artificial bait at home, you will need inexpensive materials, which is considered an important advantage of homemade flies. The downside is that it takes a lot of time to make them. However, as experienced fishermen say, with the acquisition of experience, making artificial bait becomes much easier.
What will experts advise?
It is not advisable to use a rod that is too long during fishing. The best option is a 2.5-meter tackle. Before throwing artificial bait into water, a water-repellent should be applied to the product. Most fishermen process flies with silicone oil and alcohol. When knitting the nozzle, preference should be given to high-quality non-folding hooks.
Fly fishing flies are a good bait for the inhabitants of the pond. Thanks to the use of lightweight materials, the bait naturally lies on the water surface. Some fishermen hook rings upstairs. This makes it possible to perform quick and powerful hooks. However, there is a risk that the fish will see a leash ring. This may frighten her, and bite will not follow. If you hide the hook, the hook will be weaker. How to tie the bait to the fishing line, each fisherman decides for himself.