congo hair clousers

[GeorgeMcFly]

made these using the congo hair from fly tyers dungeon its $1 a pack compared to ep fibers that are 7 bux and is basically similar. here are some in olive/pink/white, and silver/white, and all black. am gonna make more cause I got a few more colors to use.

 

[MrEsox]

Very nice...that congo stuff looks good to me. I got something that I use for clousers and a few other patters but its more plastic and thicker. This stuff looks to be thinner and more hair like. If you would not know it, you could pass the stuff off with buck or elk hair mixed

 

[GeorgeMcFly]

I highly suggest this congo hair! also get some watersilk and congo hair blended together! watersilk its even a silkier and shinier hair and its also a dollar too. 3 bux shipping and ya can't lose! ya can get 7 colors of congo hairs, water silks or blends of either of um all for the price of 1 pack of ep fibers and you can make ep minnows out of this stuff too and you get alot! also they have flashaboo and krystal flash for likw $1.50 too! the flash used in these is the pearl widow flash. looks like angel hair! also the h20 twist flash is the same as krystal flash. you can even get real hair like deer,elk! a big huge piece for like 1 dollar! my buddy got some and he was amazed at the amount he says its liek 2 times what ya get at a store for like 5 bux!! fly tyers dungeon ain't no joke! i'll tell ya that! for anyone trying ot get into tying and don't have alot of money go here! a 6 pack of dubbing is only $2.50 and others can be as low as 75 cents a pack! heres a link! you can pay by using paypal Fly Tying Materials | Fly Tying Recipes | Fly Tying Supplies | Fly Tyers Dungeon | Fly Tying Supplies | Saltwater Fly Tying Materials

 

[rmooney]

great clousers! the proportions look really good!

 

[GeorgeMcFly]

ya this stuff is easier than bucktail to get your proportions right. you can clip it to shape even after its done and tied like a ep minnow. I like bucktail too tho but I heard this stuff has more movement. bucktail ain't to hard to get right either tho as long as ya measure it up before ya tie it in. my problem is always trying not to crowd the eye. for some reason thats my biggest problem.

 

[kelkay]

If you crowd the eye, which all of us have done at times...get a carterizer. (sp?) I am trying out different stuff myself when I can. I love the congo hair look, and know I will order some one day soon. I like making baitfish patterns with Steve Farrar Flash Blend, EP 3D fibers etc... I just started doing this. Congo hair is more in my price range though...lol.

 

[tie one on]

I too have purchased items from FTD. I bought one of FTD Christmas boxes & have not yet tried the Congo hair, or Water silk. What patterns besides the Clouser do you use these materials ? I have not attempted to tie anything yet with these materials, so any help would be appreciated.

Your Clousers look great. What species do you target most with that fly ? I've never tied any, or used any of that fly. Since they are a weighted fly are you using a heavier rod to cast them ? What about leader, especially if you use them for Walleye. ( I've read Walleye like Clousers. )

Thanks,

Tie One On

 

[BigCliff]

The flies and that material do look pretty great. My only concern with them is that if the material is that much softer than bucktail, you may get into issues with it fouling on the hook too much. You'll also want to make sure you're tying it in extremely well and possibly adding some adhesive to help the thread grip that slick synthetic fiber.

The two main things bucktail has going for it is its natural taper and slight flare at the base. The taper means its stiffer close to where its tied in and thus a bit less likely to foul, while still being very pliable and wispy out at the tip. Its tendency to flare at the base means that the thread squashes it a bit where its tied in and helps the thread grip it better.

I'm not trying to say its superior to the congo stuff, just explaining part of why its not obsolete.

 

[GeorgeMcFly]

just made some using olive and white this time with green flashabou lateral line.
thanks for the tip big cliff. i was worried about the fouling myself and also the sinkability. tried one out last time out and no fouling whatsoever and it sinks very fast and also if you give it a few false casts it sheds water very well and dries out! all for $1 too. it has some stiffness to it but the water silk is not so stiff but if you get it blended with the congo hair the congo helps stiffins it up some. also kelkay asked what else this material can be used for. it can also be used to make E.P style minnows, the clousers like I just made or just about any other style minnows you want to make. anyone else got any other ideas what else it can be used for?
oh and I have targeted bass and steelhead and also bluegill with this fly. I even caught a carp on it too! clousers will catch any fish that eats minnows.

 

[sandfly]

move the eyes back further for a clouser to perform right, to many tiers tie the eye way to forward..

 

[GeorgeMcFly]

thanks for the tip

 

[kelkay]

If there is any fouling of the material in the hook...try this. I read about it in a book. (I did this for Flashtail Whistlers, but have not tried them out yet) Tie the flash material to shank of hook. Then take Sally's or head cement of some type...and wet down the material to at least 1-1.5 inches past the hook. That way that area stiffens up, thus making it harder to foul.

I cannot wait to try this stuff out, but my budget is out of kilter for a while, so I have to lay off ordering for a while. I bought a few colors of that SF blend...and it hurts the pocket book.

 

[GeorgeMcFly]

thats a great idea! I will keep that one in mind too! so far no fouling yet

 

[jimw]

Hey George
Softex will work well to prevent fouling but use it in a well ventilated area the way the stuff smell it has to be bad for you.
Hey Kelkay
how do you like the SF blend? i just picked some up at tiefest in MD and really like it kinda like a flashy EP fibre

 

[sandfly]

tie a loop of mono at the hook bend and horizonal to hold the material away from the hook bend.. tarpon tiers use this method as do striper guys to hold bunny strips away from the hook bend..

 

[kelkay]

Hey George
Softex will work well to prevent fouling but use it in a well ventilated area the way the stuff smell it has to be bad for you.
Hey Kelkay
how do you like the SF blend? i just picked some up at tiefest in MD and really like it kinda like a flashy EP fibre

I love the SF Blend...great stuff for bait fish type patterns!

 

[Steelhead Junkie]

That Congo Hair looks like some sweet stuff!!Looks like I'm stockin' up sometime soon