Stimulator Wont Float

L_soult

L_soult

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Joined
Oct 26, 2012
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155
Hi Guys-

I made a few Stimulators last weekend and I'm having trouble getting them to float if they get a little wet. They're only good for one cast in a flat pool. Forget about any riffles.

I tried powder and gel floatants. I'm thinking it must be my materials.

I used medium dry fly hackle, "deer body" for the wings and tail, and poly fiber for the body. The hook is a #14.

Also my heads on dries are always crowded and messy.

Any ideas on where I went wrong?


 

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You're not using a size 14 scud hook or anything, right? haha!

 
Use a smaller hackle around the body and stack about 5X as much deer/elk hair on top. Don't crowd the eye.

Get a hair stacker if you don't have one. A shotgun shell will work in a pinch. For the tail, don't trim it, but use stacked hair so the tips line up.

 
tie them a little fuller like this one fom the interweb

stimulator_salmon.jpeg
 
Other than what the other guys suggested, I tie mine with Elk not Deer.
 
Try it on a much large hook next time as well. Most are on a natural bend which can be a few times longer than a regular dry hook.


Always leave extra room to finish the fly. If you run out of room, then fix it. Practice doesn't make perfect; PERFECT practice makes perfect.
 
These guys pretty much said it all already but make sure you are using a dry fly hook. I use mustad c53s for my stimmies. Elk hair floats better than deer when you're just using the tips. And wrap you hackle a little denser. Finishing the heads is a little tricky because everything wants to slide towards the eye. In the riffle.com has a video of an easy trick that helped me for the head. You basically just leave the thread back from the eye where you start your head hackle and wrap the hackle against the thread and it gives you just enough tension so it doesn't slip.
 
I think you are new to tying. When you tie do you keep a photo of the fly in front of you and refer to it? Compare your fly to the one nfrechet posted and you'll see some obvious differences. Tying while comparing your fly to a picture and not proceeding until you're satisfied you're close to the photo is a great approach. There is a really good picture by picture tutorial for the Stimulator in Randall Kauffman's "Tying Dry Flies." After all, he invented it. I highly recommend this book even though it contains a lot of western patterns. The photos, descriptions and techniques are very good.

Also, tie simpler flies that may have similar materials, steps, etc. to a more challenging fly. Before you tie a Stimulator are you completely satisfied with the quality of your elk hair caddis?
 
Lots of good advice given above. The stimulator can be a challenging pattern to tie. As many above, I also prefer Elk Hair for its added flotation factor. Managing deer and elk while tying can be downright frustrating at times. Focus on your proportions - I prefer about 3X as much material for the wing as the tail. When tying in the wing or tail control must be maintained at the tip end of the hair as well as the thread end while making wraps, cinching it down and locking it in place by running some wraps through the butt ends. I always pinch the tip ends real tight with my off-bobbin thumb and index finger and maintain that control until it is locked in place. The second you leave go of the tip ends you lose control of that end. You can also angle trim your body hackle on top so that the wing lays a bit closer to the hook. After the wing is tied in the first couple of wraps of dubbing on the thorax can also be used to tighten down on a few of those wild wing hairs.

The stimulator is an awesome pattern in fast water mainly due to its visibility - the fish usually hammer it because if they snooze - they lose. So getting them tied so that they float well under those conditions can be very productive. Keep practicing - you will start to gain confidence in working with deer and elk hair over time. Good luck!
 
In addition, your hair is almost perpendicular. One cause is how you tied the dubbed body. The other may be that you tied the hair in while holding it on a slight angle. The hair should be parallel to the shank when it's tied. I think the fly fisherman mag had an article on tying in hair not that long ago
 
Here's an excellent step-by-step tutorial by Charlie Craven on tying a golden stimulator.

http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/details.cfm?parentID=33
 
not to nit pick, but it was invented long before kauffman put it in a book.

he even admits it himself in one of his books

see "improved sofa pillow" also
 
Not all poly dubbing is water proof or even repels water. Make sure your dubbing is for dry flies and tie it sparse. don't make the body to thick.
 
sandfly wrote:
Not all poly dubbing is water proof or even repels water. Make sure your dubbing is for dry flies and tie it sparse. don't make the body to thick.

^^ I think this is the winner....

Also grease it up with a gell or liquid floatant before getting it wet. Once wet its heavy and you will never get back to floating it until the water is removed. I mean you have enough hackle and deer hair to float an aircraft carrier there...I think yer boat has a leak.

After further review, your hackle seems too big and wispy (not stiff enough) to stand the fly up. I think the advice given is spot on...pictures, tutorials, make it match what is proven.
 
Agreed all above.

Five things:

Hook: Start with a thin-wire dry fly hook

Dubbing: Use the right dubbing. Proper dubbing technique using synthetic dry fly dubbing should make your fly float well

Hackle: Good stiff, web-free dry fly hackle of the proper length will make it float well

Hair: Not all hair is created equal. Here is an article about selecting the proper hair for tying hair-winged dry flies

Proportions / Technique: Take a look as the pics and tutorial posted above. Proper construction and proportions of a fly make it act properly in or on the water. In this case float.

Keep practicing and use the proper materials. Each fly you will will be an improvement on the last.....until voila!...a fly that floats and catches fish.
 
use plenty of albolene!
 
If its tied right you won't need the abolene..
 
Tie a foamulator. Use foam for the body. Floats like a cork with no floatant needed.
 
Hi Guys-

Sorry for the late response. Work's been killer. As mentioned by someone in one of the posts, it is very evident that I am very new to tying. I really appreciate all tips and advice. I think my dubbing was absorbent, and my hackle def sucked.

A forum member from the LV area that has a camp near my town took pity on me and offered to help me tie some flies over the weekend. This is just what I needed. I don't have time to go through the play by play of what we went over, but I can say that there was a lot of information which always seems to sink in a little better when I have live visual aids. In other words, I learn better by watching and doing.

I have some pics that I was going to post but my computer wont allow me to upload them for some reason.
 
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