Biot Bodies

[BelAirSteve]

As I have said in my other posts, I am still very new to tying, but I am having a blast. I am reading a lot, and tying a lot. My home water is the Gunpowder, and the midge fishing is pretty good there in the winter. I have seen articles and videos on biot bodies for dry flies, but I wonder if anyone ties midges with biots for the natural segmentation effect.

 

[sundrunk]

Biots make for decent dry bodies..I wouldn't use them for less then, say, size 16 though..

 

[afishinado]

sundrunk wrote:
Biots make for decent dry bodies..I wouldn't use them for less then, say, size 16 though..

I agree with Sundrunk.

Quills make great midge bodies though. I use the very thin quill tops for midge bodies. They look awesome! I save the rest of the quill (the thicker part) for a normal sized dry fly.

 

[osprey]

Try using the biots for trailing shucks , you squeeze em with needle nose pliers and it gives it that segmented look then tie in at the bend of your midge , put a little floatant on there and you're good to go.

 

[reds]

Maybe, I am confused or a glutton for frustration, but I use biots primarily for size 16 and 18.

 

[sundrunk]

What are you frustrated about?

 

[troutslammer]

u can tie midges with biots , no problem ,

 

[reds]

Frustration comes from relegating self to smaller sizes.

 

[osprey]

I don't know about wrapping biots for fly bodies , will have to experiment there a little , to use them as a trailing shuck though , you can go as big as the biot , i'm sure 16 n 18 will work.

 

[littlelehigh]

Mike Heck ties a really nice midge pupae pattern with a biot abdomen down to a size 24 I believe. Don't limit yourself to 16 and larger for biot it just takes practice.

BelAirSteve,
I've been following your questions for a while now with very little input because I don't always feel experienced enough but the passion you show for tying and learning to work with different materials is obvious and great to see. I believe I have the same passion and desires as you to learn and tie all I can. Keep up the good work and the questions. Biots and quills make great bodies but take some getting used to working with. If you haven't tried the dubbing loop take some time to learn it. It really gives nymphs that buggy look!

 

[osprey]

LL................for someone who has been tying awhile but never used biots wrapped to form a body , could you give some suggestions , also the main question for me is which end to tie in (thinnest?) , a couple more questions would be , what size would you start with? what fly would you start with , last but not least , like hackle i have to guess that biots have a shiney , convex side and a dull concave side (i hope i got that accross right) which side up? or a little bit of both? THANKS it's cool to be able to ask questions of people willing to help.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

osprey - here's a link to a nice pattern that shows how to use biots for a wrapped body. The use of super glue makes them pretty durable.

The link is to Loren William's website - he's a PAFF member, and a former tier for the US fly fishing team.

Turkey primary feathers are really cheap - I just bought a pack of two large feathers at Cabela's for under $3, and they have them in a bunch of colors. There's hundreds of biots on each feather, so it's about as inexpensive of a body material as you'll find.

 

[sundrunk]

There's turkey biot and then there is goose biot..I find goose works better on larger flys #16..

 

[Heritage-Angler]

From the Fly Tier's Benchside Reference:


Turkey biots are probably the most popular
material because they are the longest,
most easily handled, and well-suited to larger
hooks. Shorter biots, such as those from
goose or even duck feathers, are better proportioned
to smaller flies, though they are
more difficult to wrap. These biots are generally
narrower than turkey biots, producing a
closer segmentation for smaller bodies and
are less bulky when the body is tied off.

 

[osprey]

Thanks.........good info and a good link , i like to be able to try out things i've heard about but never done , i bought both goose and turkey biots way back when there was still a "Herters" over the years i've used em for lots of other applicatios like prince nymphs and stonefly nymphs etc. never wrapped them for bodies though , i'm eager to experiment now. For a good fly try tying a giffiths gnat with a biot tied in at the bend for a shuck , you can trim them off if you need a fly without the shuck , squeezed between serrated needle nose pliers (hold them up to the light after) tie in the pointy thin end leaving the other end trail , sometimes when they are midging this one will really turn them.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

osprey - that's a really good tip about using biots for shucks. I've done the same thing for mayfly shucks for a long time. I clamp the biot in a pair of hemostats so the biot is completely covered by the jaws, and then heat the jaws with a lighter for a few seconds. Same results.

I've never tried this on a Griffith's Gnat, but that'll change today. If you look at a real shuck, the biot shuck looks pretty darn close. I hope the folks here were paying attention to your post, 'cause those things really work.

 

[MKern]

I like the way they look, but I'mn not fond of tying with them. They always seem to twist and are so tiny.

I prefer dyed peacock stems.

 

[djmyers]

I love tying with goose biots. One of my favorite patterns to tie and have had a good bit of success with is a BWO emerger.

 

[BelAirSteve]

I killled on the Gunpowder with a biot bodied trico this fall. Two wild browns, out of the same pool, in a size 18. When you fish that emerger, I assume you fish it in the film. Do you gink it up, and if not, can you still see the post?

Is the hackle just a dun like you would use on a dry, and is what is the tail, partridge? Do you think I could get away with mallard flank?

 

[bam]

Lay down some thread and tie them in at the point. By tying them in at the point, the segments will be smaller at the rear of the body. Biots are brittle so I'd suggest adding a bit of superglue to the thread base to make the fly more durable. Wrap the biot forward so the herl is on the trailing edge of the wrap and tie off. Depending on if the feather is from the right or left side of the bird, you may need to wrap counter clockwise so the herl is on the trailing edge of your wraps.