Ray's Floating Smelt
By Ray StoutRecipe:
- Hook: Mustad 94831 or 9672 #4
- Thread: Flymaster Plus White
- Body: E Z Braid Pearl (Medium)
- Eyes: Yellow stick-on
- Epoxy: 20 Minute epoxy rather than 5 minute(It yellows)
- Glue: Thinned down GOOP
Here are some of the items that are used in tying this fly. The round insert for the fly must be cut from the foam with a brass tube (9/32) for this size fly (3 inches)
Cut a piece of EZ braid to 3 inches in length. Remove the floss lateral line from the EZ braid. This floss is only required by the manufacture to hold the braid together.
You now want to insert the foam into the braid using a needle.
It shown look like this after inserting the foam
Next you want to insert the hook by pushing the head of the hook through the body.
This is what it should look like.
Now we can put the hook in the vise and start finishing the fly.
You must pull the material back from the head and wrap the hook with thread to give the glue something to hold to.
After wrapping the hoop pull the material forward and tie it off.
After tying off, clip any excess from the head
Finish wrapping the head to make a taped head.
Use needle to pack the foam firmly
Rotate the back of the fly between you fingers until you have the taper you desire and then make a few wraps with your thread and tie off with a half-hitch.
Cut a V in the tail and put on the stick-on eyes
Make the top black with a couple of strokes with a Sharpie pen.
Take the hook out of the vise and put thinned down Goop on the fly to hold the body to the hook
Finish the head of the fly by coating it with epoxy and putting in on a rotating machine to cure. You can shape the head with a damp finger just before the epoxy cures. After the head is cured, put the gills on the fly using a Red Sharpie pen.
Your finished product should look something like this. It floats and is flexible and has taken many large landlock salmon on the West Branch of the Penobscot. It also works well on most any other species of fish.
Tight lines and good fishing.
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