Fly Tying course # 18 Flying Mutantz
Flying Mutantz
After much response regarding my Mutantz pattern I published last year, here is the new and improved Flying Mutant that has fished extremely well for me this year, with a few new techniques that can be applied to other patterns.
On the warmest summer days the temperature rises in the south facing ant hills and triggers the annual swarming. Ants are not good flyers, so they leave the nest in large numbers to increase the chances of establishing a new colony. When they take to the wing they are at the mercy of the wind and end up where it takes them.
If they are unlucky and land on water, in any numbers! the fish go into a feeding frenzy. In extreme situations I have experienced that the trout will take just about any fly that is presented for them. But other times they can be so selective that they will only take the perfect pattern with the right silhouette, colour and behavior. Therefor its important to to have a good imitation too hand, and a more realistic ant imitation than this is difficult to find. Without of course going way over the realistic boundaries and tying a ultra realistic pattern. This is after all a fishing fly! Here I have made the two most characteristic body parts with melt glue, that shine just like the natural in the summer sun. You can also colour one half black and the other red, I have found that this works under most swarming situations for both black and red ants.
If you omit the wings and dont dress the fly, it has a in built drowning affect. Right after an ant has crash landed on the water and it begins to struggle the rear body part (abdomen) begins to sink, while it’s legs and wings hold it afloat a short while. If you are going to fish this pattern ‘dry’ I recommend that you that you impregnate it well with a floatant.
Melt glue can be obtained, not only in black and red but a whole load of colours.
Hook: Mustad R50X NP-BR # 12-18 http://www.mustad.no/catalog/emea/product.php?id=2285
Tying Thread: Dyneema
Body: Black melt glue
Wing : White or blue dun CdC
Hackle: Black cock
1.
Take a black melt glue stick and using a craft knife blade cut a small disc from the end of the stick.
2.
Once you have tied a few Mutantz the size of the disc needed will become more apparent to the hook size used.
3.
Cut the disc in half and then cut 1/3rd from the remaining 2/3rds. These two parts will make the larger rear half of the body and the smaller head.
4.
Secure you dry fly hook in the vice. Make sure that the hook shaft is horizontal.
Make sure that you have the glue for the rear part of the body close at hand. Warm the hook shank with a lighter. This doesn’t take much time just a second or so. This quick warm up of the hook will not effect its tempering!
5.
While the hook is warm, stick the glue piece to the hook in the correct position for the rear of the ant body.
6.
When the bit of black glue is stuck to the hook prepare your vice for rotation and keep one hand on the rotation handle of your vice. You can now proceed to warm and melt it slowly with the lighter. Dont use a direct flame on the glue this will overheat it and cause it to run and not flow, just hold the flame close to the glue. Once the glue is warm and begins to melt it will naturally flow around the hook shaft.
7.
While the glue is viscous you will have to rotate your hook to get the melt glue body distributed correctly around the hook shank and achieve the perfect body shape. Make sure that the rear body segment doesn’t hang too low and too far forward that it closes the hook gape and impairs hooking. Depending on what type of glue you are using the hardening time is only a few seconds. Once you have become more apt in using melt glue you can shorten the hardening time by blowing on the glue while rotating.
8.
The rear of the body is now finished.
9.
Once the rear part of the body has set you can repeat the process. But take car not to warm the front of the hook shank too much! this will also heat the rear again.
10.
Attach the smaller piece of melt glue just behind the hook eye.
11.
Once the glue is attached carefully warm the glue with the lighter and repeat the process for the head.
12.
The finished ant body parts.
13.
This is an easy technique I developed to form quick and perfect CdC wings every time. Take a small diameter tube fly tube and cut about one cm of tube.
14.
Select a CdC hackle with long fibers and stroke the fibers 90 degrees from the shaft of the hackle.
15.
Now stroke the rear fibers back and hold in position.
16.
Trim off the point of the CdC hackle as shown.
17.
Place the short tube section over the shaft of the CdC hackle.
18.
Slide the tube back along the hackle stem to form the wing.
19.
Attach your tying thread to the hook shank and wind back towards the rear body part.
20.
Now with the tube still over the hackle offer the wing up to the hook shank and tying thread.
21.
Tie in your CdC wing with a few turns of tying thread.
22.
Once secure trim off the excess CdC and the point of the hackle.
23.
Repeat the process for the second wing. One of the advantages with this type of wing is that the open fibers of the CdC hackle will allow air to pass through it when casting, unlike hackle point wings that have a tendency to work as propellers when casting and twist the tippet.
24.
Now select a cock hackle and draw put the end fibers.
25.
Trim off the fibers, leaving only a small amount. This will give the tying thread more purchase.
26.
Tie in the the hackle at the wing base.
27.
Wind the hackle quite dense forward to the ant head and tie off.
28.
Whip finish and remove the excess hackle and tying thread.
29.
The Mutant from above.
30.
The Mutant from below.
Fly Tying course # 18 Flying Mutantz
Flying Mutantz
After much response regarding my Mutantz pattern I published last year, here is the new and improved Flying Mutant that has fished extremely well for me this year, with a few new techniques that can be applied to other patterns.
On the warmest summer days the temperature rises in the south facing ant hills and triggers the annual swarming. Ants are not good flyers, so they leave the nest in large numbers to increase the chances of establishing a new colony. When they take to the wing they are at the mercy of the wind and end up where it takes them.
If they are unlucky and land on water, in any numbers! the fish go into a feeding frenzy. In extreme situations I have experienced that the trout will take just about any fly that is presented for them. But other times they can be so selective that they will only take the perfect pattern with the right silhouette, colour and behavior. Therefor its important to to have a good imitation too hand, and a more realistic ant imitation than this is difficult to find. Without of course going way over the realistic boundaries and tying a ultra realistic pattern. This is after all a fishing fly! Here I have made the two most characteristic body parts with melt glue, that shine just like the natural in the summer sun. You can also colour one half black and the other red, I have found that this works under most swarming situations for both black and red ants.
If you omit the wings and dont dress the fly, it has a in built drowning affect. Right after an ant has crash landed on the water and it begins to struggle the rear body part (abdomen) begins to sink, while it’s legs and wings hold it afloat a short while. If you are going to fish this pattern ‘dry’ I recommend that you that you impregnate it well with a floatant.
Melt glue can be obtained, not only in black and red but a whole load of colours.
Hook: Mustad R50X NP-BR # 12-18 http://www.mustad.no/catalog/emea/product.php?id=2285
Tying Thread: Dyneema
Body: Black melt glue
Wing : White or blue dun CdC
Hackle: Black cock
1.
Take a black melt glue stick and using a craft knife blade cut a small disc from the end of the stick.
2.
Once you have tied a few Mutantz the size of the disc needed will become more apparent to the hook size used.
3.
Cut the disc in half and then cut 1/3rd from the remaining 2/3rds. These two parts will make the larger rear half of the body and the smaller head.
4.
Secure you dry fly hook in the vice. Make sure that the hook shaft is horizontal.
Make sure that you have the glue for the rear part of the body close at hand. Warm the hook shank with a lighter. This doesn’t take much time just a second or so. This quick warm up of the hook will not effect its tempering!
5.
While the hook is warm, stick the glue piece to the hook in the correct position for the rear of the ant body.
6.
When the bit of black glue is stuck to the hook prepare your vice for rotation and keep one hand on the rotation handle of your vice. You can now proceed to warm and melt it slowly with the lighter. Dont use a direct flame on the glue this will overheat it and cause it to run and not flow, just hold the flame close to the glue. Once the glue is warm and begins to melt it will naturally flow around the hook shaft.
7.
While the glue is viscous you will have to rotate your hook to get the melt glue body distributed correctly around the hook shank and achieve the perfect body shape. Make sure that the rear body segment doesn’t hang too low and too far forward that it closes the hook gape and impairs hooking. Depending on what type of glue you are using the hardening time is only a few seconds. Once you have become more apt in using melt glue you can shorten the hardening time by blowing on the glue while rotating.
8.
The rear of the body is now finished.
9.
Once the rear part of the body has set you can repeat the process. But take car not to warm the front of the hook shank too much! this will also heat the rear again.
10.
Attach the smaller piece of melt glue just behind the hook eye.
11.
Once the glue is attached carefully warm the glue with the lighter and repeat the process for the head.
12.
The finished ant body parts.
13.
This is an easy technique I developed to form quick and perfect CdC wings every time. Take a small diameter tube fly tube and cut about one cm of tube.
14.
Select a CdC hackle with long fibers and stroke the fibers 90 degrees from the shaft of the hackle.
15.
Now stroke the rear fibers back and hold in position.
16.
Trim off the point of the CdC hackle as shown.
17.
Place the short tube section over the shaft of the CdC hackle.
18.
Slide the tube back along the hackle stem to form the wing.
19.
Attach your tying thread to the hook shank and wind back towards the rear body part.
20.
Now with the tube still over the hackle offer the wing up to the hook shank and tying thread.
21.
Tie in your CdC wing with a few turns of tying thread.
22.
Once secure trim off the excess CdC and the point of the hackle.
23.
Repeat the process for the second wing. One of the advantages with this type of wing is that the open fibers of the CdC hackle will allow air to pass through it when casting, unlike hackle point wings that have a tendency to work as propellers when casting and twist the tippet.
24.
Now select a cock hackle and draw put the end fibers.
25.
Trim off the fibers, leaving only a small amount. This will give the tying thread more purchase.
26.
Tie in the the hackle at the wing base.
27.
Wind the hackle quite dense forward to the ant head and tie off.
28.
Whip finish and remove the excess hackle and tying thread.
29.
The Mutant from above.
30.
The Mutant from below.
Fly Tying with a gun.
A melt glue pistol can be purchased for the price of a pint!
Tying with melt glue does require a little more practice and patience than most regular materials. But the results can be rewarding!
Virtual Minnow. realistic bait fish patterns are quick and easy to achieve with melt glue.
Melt glue is a material that one has to get used to using. Once its mastered, it can be put to use not only in developing new patterns but also as a substitute in existing ones. Melt glue guns come in various sizes from hobby to industrial, I find the hobby size not only the cheapest but also the easiest to employ. Another advantage with the hobby gun is the amount of different glue that is available.
Glue sticks are available in many colours and types,
Although I do use coloured glue, in most patterns I use the transparent or “regular” glue that can also be coloured with waterproof felt markers. The regular glue is also much easier to handle and shape than the coloured. In most cases, It has a lower melting temperature and a shorter drying time than the glues with added colour and glitter.
Molding bait fish bodies takes a little practice but the results are perfect every time.
Ant bodies take only a few seconds!
After tying with melt glue for over a decade and a half, nowadays Iuse my gun most to apply the glue, for patterns where a large amount of glue is required. Otherwise I melt the glue direct from the “glue stick” with a lighter, or I first cut the required amount of glue from the stick with scissors, hold one end of the glue fragment with needle nose tweezers and warm the other end with the lighter and apply it to the hook. I then continue to melt and form the glue with the lighter on the hook. The clear glue can also be coloured by applying a foundation of coloured tying thread over the hook shank before you apply the glue.
Transparent caddis pupa with olive melt glue.
Grayling Heroe trout egg is a combo of melt glue and Bug Bond.
Tying Mutantz:
The tell tale sign of flying ants, seagulls feeding.
Hook: Mustad R 30 94833 # 12-14
Tying Thread: Dyneema
Body: Black & red melt glue
Wing : CdC
Hackle: Black cock
On the warmest summer days the tempreture rises in the south facing ant hills and triggers the annual swarming. Ants are not good flyers, so they leave the nest in large numbers to increase the chances of establishing a new colony. When they take to the wing they are at the mercy of the wind and end up where it takes them.
If they are unlucky and land on water, the fish go into a feeding frenzy. In extreme situations I have experienced that the trout will take just about any fly that is presented for them. But other times they can be so selective that they will only take the perfect pattern with the right silhouette, colour and behavior. Therefor its important to to have a good imitation too hand, and a more realistic ant imitation than this is difficult to find. Without of course going way over the realistic boundaries and tying a ultra realistic pattern. This is after all a fishing fly! Here I have made the two most characteristic body parts with melt glue, that shine just like the natural in the summer sun. I have also coloured one half black and the other red, I have found that this works under both colours of ant swarming.
This pattern has i in built drowning affect. Right after a ant has crash landed on the water, the rear body part begins to sink, while it’s legs and wings hold it afloat a short while. If you are going to fish this pattern ‘dry’ I recommend that you that you impregnate it well with floatant.
For those of you that are not familiar with melt glue and Dyneema tying thread here´s a little technical information that should help you get started.
Melt glue:
Tying with melt glue does require a little more practice and patience than most regular materials. Melt glue is a material that one has to get used to using. Once its mastered, it can be put to use not only in developing new patterns but also as a substitute in existing ones. Melt glue guns come in various sizes from hobby to industrial, I find the hobby size not only the cheapest but also the easiest to employ. Another advantage with the hobby gun is the amount of different glue that is available. Although for this pattern I use a coloured glue, in most patterns I use the transparent or “regular” glue that can also be coloured with waterproof felt markers. The regular glue is also much easier to handle and shape than the coloured. In most cases, It has a lower melting temperature and a shorter drying time than the glues with added colour and glitter.
After tying with melt glue for over a decade and a half, nowadays I seldom use my gun to apply the glue, only for patterns where a large amount of glue is required. Otherwise I melt the glue direct from the “glue stick” with a lighter, or I first cut the required amount of glue from the stick with scissors, hold one end of the glue fragment with needle nose tweezers and warm the other end with the lighter and apply it to the hook. I then continue to melt and form the glue with the lighter on the hook. The clear glue can also be coloured by applying a foundation of coloured tying thread over the hook shank before you apply the glue.
Dyneema:
For the past five years I have used only one tying thread for all my fly tying, for everything from the smallest size 28 dry´s to the largest salt water patterns. There are so many advantages with tying with Dyneema it would require an article all on it´s own. Maybe I will publish that later?
1.
Secure you dry fly hook in the vice. Make sure that the hook shaft is horizontal.
Attach your tying thread and run it from just behind the eye of the hook all the way along the hook shank and a little down the bend. Make a couple of whip finishes and remove your tying thread.
2.
You will now need a stick of black and red melt glue.
3.
Cut a small piece of black melt glue and hold at one end of the glue in a pair of needle nose tweezers. With a lighter carefully melt one side of the glue. While the glue is hot, stick it to the hook in the correct position for the rear of the ant body.
4.
When the bit of back glue is stuck to the hook you can proceed to melt it with the lighter. Was the glue is warm it will naturally flow around the hook shaft. You may have to rotate the hook to get the body the perfect shape.
6.
Now attach your tying thread again in front of the red glue.
7.
Take a small bunch of CdC and tie this in up on top of the hook shank tight into the red body segment. The wing should be the same length as the whole body.
8.
Select a top quality black cock hackle and tie this in at the base of the wing.
9.
Apply a little black Antron dubbing to your tying thread and dubb the rest of the hook shank forward to the eye of the hook.
10.
You can now wind on your hackle in traditional dry fly style. Trim off the access hackle and tie off.
11.
Make a couple of whip finishes and remove your tying thread. Varnish. Your Mutant is now ready to swarm!
