Hot Heads

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]No, this is not about road rage or getting flamed online. It's about a new genre of flies and lures I have been playing with...and thought others might like to try making some too.

In recent years there has been an increasing use of beads...metal, glass and plastic...in the creation of various lures and flies. Something about a small circular spot of flash or color that definitely appeals to many species of fish. They can be anything from complimentary colors to dramatic contrasting colors. A lot of fly tiers like the extra bling that a brass, nickle or colored bead adds to their ties...as well as the added weight when using brass or tungsten beads.

I have been both tying flies and making lead head jigs for several decades. And a lot of the fly patterns I use are "knockoffs" of my favorite jigs. At least colorwise. The one thing I have never been able to reproduce in the flies is the addition of bright attractive eyes. I have always believed in adding eyes to the jigs and cranks I make. Too many times of having the eyed lures outproduce the same colors without eyes.

I have tried adding colored plastic beads to some flies and then painting eyes on them. Okay, but still not the same "custom" colors I get on my fancy glittered jig heads. So about a year ago I started messing around with different options for creating a bead that I could paint and glitter.

I saw a video on Utube about a process of using fast setting Gorilla Glue to make beads and shaped bodies. Tried that. Works but slow and messy. Takes a while for each one to set up enough to paint and finish. See the link embedded below.

I had already been using hot melt glue to add beads to the top of straight shank hooks to insert up into plastic tube jigs...to allow fishing tubes weightless or dropshot style. So I reasoned that I could do the same on fly hooks and then paint them in jig colors before tying the flies.

It worked. So far I have had only a few trips in which I could efficiently fish these new goodies but they do work. And I anticipate a busy and productive fall season with them...on both trout and non-trout species. There are a couple of other local BFTers who have some of these in beta test and their input has been more than positive so far.

The glue heads are neutral buoyancy. They neither float nor sink the fly. You have to use a sinking line to get them down, but they swim well at the depth you are fishing them. They are also good for "waking" on a cross-current or downstream presentation. They have also proven attractive to bass, bluegill, crappies and other stillwater denizens. Haven't tried them on carp or cats yet but I am sure they will be well received.

I am still experimenting with colors and sizes. There is virtually no color combination or glitter pattern I can't make with the supplies I have. So far I am sticking mainly with my "basic food groups"...as indicated in the pics below. Most of them so far are on size 4 through size 8 hooks but I have made them on as small as size 10 and as large as size 2.

With a bit of practice and dexterity you can make all kinds of different heads and bodies...for different patterns. Possible to imitate almost any kind of terrestrial or aquatic insect form...as well as crawdads or other invertebrates. They are great for streamers, muddlers, Clousers, etc.

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[AFFamily]

Pat you have an opinion on the UV materials yet?
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Materials? Anything specific? Lots of new paints, chenilles and fibers with UV enhancement now available.

I fully believe that a large part of the attraction of any lure is visibility...how well the fish can see it under prevailing conditions of light, clarity, temperature, etc. And under conditions where visibility is less than ideal a bit of UV brightener can't hurt.

I have several chenilles, body cords and Flashabou type things that have UV enhancement. I also have tried the painted lure final coating stuff with UV brightener. And I have tried to be objective in my experimentation and opinions. But I gotta admit that so far I have not been able to develop a "WOW" response for any of that stuff. I am sure there are times and places...and conditions...in which they will probably make a difference. But for the stupid Utah fish I go after those things have not shown a significant different in attraction or catch rates. There are other anglers who are totally in love with the stuff but so far all it does is add to my inventory without adding to my catch.

Guess I am probably not experienced enough or a good enough angler to be a good tester of that scienterrific stuff.
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[RockyRaab]

Very clever stuff indeed, TD. Great ideas for floating (Gorilla) or neutral (Hot) glue flies.
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[AFFamily]

Thanks for that Pat. I'm in the same boat where I understand the science of where the UV should be effective but haven't seen the results first hand. I did see a video a guy did of shad underwater and in low light conditions they had a spot near the tail that in normal light out of the water you couldn't see; yet when looked at underwater the diminished spot was very prominent. I was wondering if that's where some of the UV coatings could come into play.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]I have reviewed a few things on the Internet and watched a few programs on TV in which UV stuff was highly touted. And I have no doubt there are times, places and circumstances in which it can make a positive difference. But...like almost any new idea in fishing, hunting, marriage, etc...there are seemingly no hard and fast conclusions that are applicable to all situations.

I pride myself on keeping a "mental database" that I tap into whenever planning a trip...or trying to figure out the fish on a trip when "plan A" isn't working. Keeping a detailed log of past trips helps, but you still have to know enough to punch in the current conditions and to reason out a pattern.

There are just too many variables to be able to isolate one particular "Eureka" (UV materials) as the key to a future of lifetime fishing success. You gotta have the right tackle...and know how to use it. You have to fish where the fish are. You must make good presentations...at the right depth and the right speed. And...if you get it all right...I don't think actual colors or UV are going to make a great difference in most cases.

I mess around with colors and fancy patterns and glitter jobs in a continuing effort to find a "magic bullet". But if I am honest with myself, I have to admit that when fish are active, the actual colors don't seem to make much difference. As long as the fish can see what you are throwing you have a chance of getting bit. Of course, there are times when they are a lot more selective...and both size and color can make a difference...but that's what keeps me messin' with stuff.

All I need to keep myself humble is to remind myself of some of the things I have found in the innards of fish I have kept for the fillet knife. Any fish that eats cigaret butts, rocks, sticks, pieces of aluminum foil and other inedible tidbits does not qualify for the fishy equivalent of Mensa. And those things and others have all been found in fish species widely considered to be among the smartest and hardest to fool with artificial lures. And what really smarts is when one of my "latest and greatest" innovations can't buy a bite. That's when I rig up with a cigaret butt and swallow my pride.
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[AFFamily]

From the horses mouth. Appreciate your insight, also solves the mystery of why there is a pack of Camels on the Startoon Enterprise.
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[Therapist]

Question?? does the glue round upon it's own, or is there a special technique that you use to get it to ball up ???

Good looking stuff !!

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Sorry. Didn't provide very good instructions.

The glue forms a fairly perfect sphere through a combination of gravity and centrifugal force...if you rotate the hook slowly in a horizontal plane. I use a hemostat...as shown in the picture. But you can also get 'er done with a rotary fly tying vise.

The technique one needs to practice and learn is to slowly squeeze the hot glue onto the hook shank as you are rotating the hook. Then as soon as there is enough glue to make the size bead/head you want you prop up the glue gun and keep rotating the hook until the glue cools enough to set up. That is typically about 30-45 seconds. If you are using the clear stuff it will begin to turn slightly cloudy as it cools to firmness.

If you want to flatten or otherwise shape the round bead of glue, you can do so by squeezing it just before it cools to hardness. Wet your fingertips to prevent the hot glue sticking to tender flesh and then mold it to the desired shape.

By the way, the hot melt glue also works great for making small ice fishing jigs...on a small jig head. Pour the head then form a glue body. Paint it, add some glow and you got a "hot" ice fishing lure.
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[flygoddess]

Very cool. I never thought of buggers being bait fish and therefore no eyes.
Glue sticks comes in all sorts of colors too. I know I sold a bunch to Steelheaders.

But they are more for eggs and egg sucking leech




Did anyone else have problems with those Gorilla Glue ants sinking?
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[AFFamily]

With the Gorilla Glue I read that even with frothing in air bubbles before the glue sets there still isn't enough buoyancy to handle the weight of the rest fly.
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[Bamit]

Very cool TD....
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[TubeDude]

"I never thought of buggers being bait fish and therefore no eyes."

[#0000FF]A lot of things fish eat do not have highly visible eyes. But it has been suggested...and proven...that putting eyes on flies and lures can help produce a "reaction bite". Fish don't overly analyze things and don't remember or reason out that a leech don't gots eyes. But they often see them better and hit them harder if they do.

When I lived in Sacramento I knew a dedicated big trout fly flinger who probably caught more browns over 5# every year...from hard-fished waters...than all the rest of the local anglers combined. He claimed his "secret" was adding eyes to all of the big streamers he used. His reasoning was that if a big black fly was floating by it could be seen as just another stick or bit of weed by a wily old trout. But if it had eyes it had a better chance of eliciting an investigatory munch. And that's all you need.

Nice egg-sucking leech pic. I have tried some of the other colors but still prefer to paint them. The ones with glitter built in have a lower melting point and are almost too runny to work with. Better to use one that goes on easily but flows slowly so that you can both get a good round bead and a quick set-up time.

As with all GREAT ideas, this is not for everybody. We all tend to settle into our own preferred styles of fishing and our favorite flies and lures. As long as they get the job done that's all that matters.

All that being said, I would be happy to provide a few painted heads for you to tie some of your own patterns if you wanna.
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[high_n_dry]

Love the concept, and the action on those marabou flies I'm sure is very good with the neutral buoyancy of the glue. I'll have to make a few up and try them myself.

Thanks for sharing.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Lemme know if you wanna come over for some show and tell. There are a few little tricks that are easier learned by watching than trial and error.

These things are working great for bubble and fly, trolling or for jig and fly combos. Still a lot of R &D left to complete. That's the fun part.
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