salvageable flys??

[fishingnoob]

I was at cool spring the other day and got my fly stuck in some low lying branches...I was able to recover my fly but also recovered some other flys that happened to be hanging in the same area on the tree...I'm just curious as to whether or not I'm wasting my time on keeping them...they look slightly discolored and are rusted but I was wondering if they can be salvaged if I clean them up and get the rust off...and if so..any techniques?

I might take some pictures of them and put them up if you guys need a visual

 

[Fishidiot]

Flies salvaged from trees can certainly be re-used and it's often a good thing to get them out of trees as monofilament line with flies attached is a bird hazard. However, if the hooks are rusty, they should probably be discarded. Rusty hooks are usually very dull and will break if pressure is applied. It depends on the extent of the rust.

 

[midnightangler]

If I can tell that they aren't as sharp as a new hook, I won't use them. If they're rusted at all they are finished as well. You can probably catch fish on them, but the possibility that they would fail is a deal breaker for me. You never know when you'll hook a nice fish that you don't want to lose.

 

[lv2nymph]

I feel the same as stated above. I'll take it home and tie a couple if I like the looks of it.

 

[Chaz]

Generally if they are the slightest bit rusty I chuck them out. Flies won't live long in that state. But if there's no rust I sharpen them and put them in my box, checking them each time out to see if they have rusted. Rusty flies break and won't hold a point.

 

[gfen]

On the ramifications of rusted hooks, a broken hook is a great story but a rusty hook is not a pleasing idea to jam into anything's flesh, mine or anything I intend to put back into the water.

A hook hone resolves tree dulled points nicely.

As Afish will tell you, I never waste anything. Except leaders from the ground. That was Maurice.

 

[boychick]

I wouldn't fish rusty flies for all the reasons stated above. I have found and salvaged flies. The ones I have kept are unique patterns or color variations of common patterns, I cut the point off at the bend and kept them as examples and then tied my own. Another thing to consider is tetanus as Gfen implied. I got stuck by a rusty hook when I was working one of these flies out of a bush. I wound up needing a tetanus shot because I hadn't had one since I was a kid.

 

[osprey]

For the rust an emory board , for the feathers and fur hold them in forceps over a pan of boiling water till they look fresher .....GOOD LUCK!!

 

[pcray1231]

If you go the chemical route, use alkaline solutions, not acids. I've used this on hooks, but never hooks with feathers, so be careful on how it attacks the feathers.

Lye, water, and zinc (or zinc oxide, which is easier to get). Dunk hook. Rust gone. It works faster if the solution is hot.

There are a few commercial products that do basically the same thing.

You can try acids, as they are much easier to get. They'll remove the rust. But probably the iron underneath too! You might be able to time it right to get the rust without too much damage. Examples would be white vinegar, lemon juice, etc.

Or you could do it electrolytically. Reverse the rusting process. For instance, you would put washing soda (not baking soda) in water to make it conduct. Attach rusted piece to negative side of battery. Attach something rustable and sacrificial on the positive side (rebar, etc.). Wait. Rust dissappears from the negative side, forms at double the rate on the positive side.