Moser's Balloon Caddis
Good fast water floater, searching fly, bung etc. Especially if you are generous with the foam :).
I see it gets mentioned in dispatches here quite often, but there's not a step-by step. Apologies if there is, and I've conveniently ignored it :lol:
Hook: 10-18
Thread: Your usual general purpose thread, colour to suit rest of fly. I've used Camel coloured 8/0 Uni-Thread here
Abdomen: Synthetic dubbing in the original. I prefer synthetic/ natural mixtures. Colour to suit.
Thorax: I don't think the original used any dubbing at the head. I Like natural dubbing with plenty of leggy guard hairs; dyed brown squirrel here.
Wing: Deer hair of your choice
"Balloon": closed cell foam. Yellow Polycelon in the original, though I think you can use any colour, of around 2-3mm thickness. I prefer those with a more open cell structure, rather than some of the very dense, tougher foams.
1. Catch in , and lay a base of thread over the front half of the shank
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/_d_07/balloon/balloon1.jpg)
2. Catch in a wide strip ( I've used a bit 4-5 mm wide on the size 12 hook here) of your chosen foam and make sure to tie it down right at the eye
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/_d_07/balloon/balloon2.jpg)
3. Bind down the gubbins and take the thread to rear.
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/_d_07/balloon/balloon3.jpg)
4. Catch in your dubbing
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/_d_07/balloon/balloon4.jpg)
5. Dub a fairly plump body about 60% of the way up the hook
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/_d_07/balloon/balloon5.jpg)
6. Cut out a clump of deer hair, remove underfur and stack. Cut to length (usually) and tie in. Don't lose any sleep over flare or the odd wayward fibre. You want a good splay of fibres.
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/_d_07/balloon/balloon6.jpg)
7.Take the thread over the deer hair roots up to the eye ( or go directly to step 10)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/_d_07/balloon/balloon7.jpg)
8. Catch in some dubbing - I like it leggy.
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/_d_07/balloon/balloon8.jpg)
9. Dub back to the base of the wing
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/_d_07/balloon/balloon9.jpg)
10. Take the foam strip back ( don't stretch it unduly - you'll crush it!) and secure with a few turns of thread.
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/_d_07/balloon/balloon10.jpg)
11. Whip finish.
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/_d_07/balloon/balloon11.jpg)
12. Cut the surplus foam , under tension. I leave a bit of a collar; it does no harm.
Job done
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/_d_07/balloon/balloon-done.jpg)
From above
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/_d_07/balloon/balloonabove.jpg)
You can use other colours of foam if you like. If I'm using a less garish colour I'll slot a bit of "Hi-Viz" foam or yarn into the crease where the fly is finished. Sometimes throw rubber legs on too, Madame-X style.
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/_d_07/balloon/balloon-group-hug.jpg)
Cheers,
.D.
Nice flies there. Very functional.
TL
MC
Nice to see an sbs from you .D. and a very good one at that 8)
Quote from: Bandy Catcher on December 09, 2007, 06:20:03 PM
So.... Whit bit de ye attach the balloon to? :lol:
I've never tied flies with foam bitties on them afore. Is there a cheap source of foam for said flies that doesn't involve buying it from a 'Turpinry'. (Me speak for a fishing tackle shop - Dick Turpin and all that.)
Ta
John
:lol:
Craft shops are supposedly a good source (not tried myself).
.D.
Thanks for the nice comments, all :)
.D.
Quote from: wee bri on December 09, 2007, 09:43:48 PM
Nice dressing 'D'.
Is there a practical reason for your preference of that type of foam.
Does it float better.
I've only ever used the denser stuff.
One or two of mine have obviously gone wrong at the vice and when cast out they sit just under the surface film with only the merest amount of the foam visible to the eye.
Occasionally the trout have a preference for this.
cheers wee bri.....
Thanks :)
The softer "evazote" foams compress more readily - so they're easier to tie in securely and neatly. I think they look better too. I think a general rule of thumb is that the softer foams float slightly better, while the more dense ones (like Wapsi (?) Thin Fly Foam) are a bit tougher: but I could easily be wrong.
I think a second tuft of foam or yarn helps if they're hard to see because they ride so low. Same with foam beetles - never got into the little spot of enamel paint thing myself.
.D.
There's a new craft shop opened at Glasgow Fort, biggest in Scotland I think. Had a look round it today, foam sheets roughly 10" by 7", 55 pence or an assorted pack of 50 sheets was ?2.99, other interesting stuff too, eyes for fry patterns, marabou and various yarns.
John
Great photos there .D.
Re the Madame X-style legs. Do you use these on rivers or lochs?
I'm into a bit of rubber myself and wondered if you find that river trout are leg fetishists too?
Quote from: haresear on December 10, 2007, 01:51:29 AM
Great photos there .D.
Re the Madame X-style legs. Do you use these on rivers or lochs?
I'm into a bit of rubber myself and wondered if you find that river trout are leg fetishists too?
:oops: Thanks :)
:gay4 I swing towards spandex myself :P (Spanflex on those two anyway)
I don't do enough loch fishing to comment - though I'll be looking to remedy that next season. I'd imagine if they're partial to a Chernobyl Ant they'll go for just about anything. I used the black one on the peaty burns to good enough effect during the Heatherfly season in August, so there's no reason why the loch trout wouldn't like it too.
I've found the river trout to be pretty partial to them, especially on muggy evenings when the caddisflies are on.
And they look great sticking out of a trout's mouth . That's important :lol:
Cheers,
.D.
Quote from: crocach on December 10, 2007, 06:25:14 PM
Also very good if you have to share a room with Uncleboo whilst on Stravaiging duty.
Dual purpose? Now that is hard to beat.
Well, I just tied up a few of these in sizes 10 to 16. This is a damned easy fly to tie following this SBS - well done to you .D. I hope I'll get plenty of chances to use it. It looks like it is a low maintenance while fishing fly.
Biggest problem I had was figuring what kind of foam to buy. I went for Rainy’s Evazote which is about 1/8 " thick. I also bought some of the "crosslink" stuff above it and it is hellish hard. The Evazote is the dog's bollox. As I said above this fly is very easy (and quick) to tie using the SBS and the Evazote foam.
http://www.lakelandflytying.com/161/Sheets.aspx
Lakeland's website is not pleasant to use (in my opinion - it is painfully slow) but their delivery service is excellent
QuoteI just by a big bit of yellow plastazote block then cut it to size with a scalpel. I heard of a clever variant recently from a colleague which involved a wee bit iluminous polyyarn tied above the wing. He just charges it up with the torch. Helps for knowing where your fly is in the gloaming.
For luminous materials, the best way of charging them is to carry a battery powered camera flash and keep it in your pocket. Just put the fly in your pocket when you need to charge it and fire the flash. A great idea developed on Lake Taupo for fishing luminous lures for rainbows. They don't get many browns on these though and good old black is favourite for the brownies at night.
Alex
Quote from: admin on March 01, 2008, 09:42:34 PM
Biggest problem I had was figuring what kind of foam to buy. I went for Rainy?s Evazote which is about 1/8 " thick. I also bought some of the "crosslink" stuff above it and it is hellish hard. The Evazote is the dog's bollox. As I said above this fly is very easy (and quick) to tie using the SBS and the Evazote foam.
http://www.lakelandflytying.com/161/Sheets.aspx
Lakeland's website is not pleasant to use (in my opinion - it is painfully slow) but their delivery service is excellent
:oops:
Thanks for your kindly comments :)
I find it pretty tricky to get hold of the right foam (for me) too - few of the UK online flytying shops seem to stock more than one type. And they seldom state which type it is: it usually ends up being the harder stuff. I think ( I threw away the packaging long, long ago.......) most of the stuff I use was marketed as "polycelon" by Moser under the brand name Traun River Products. It's a little thinner than the Rainy's Evazote, but of similar character. So, I think you made the right call - I've got some too - it's what I'm using/ will be using as I run out of each colour in the older stuff.
That website does griiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind a little, doesn't it!
.D.
No need for embarrassment .D. I can only speak for myself, but all the SBS on this forum have vastly improved my own fly tying technique. I didn’t know half of these materials even existed, far less how to use them and seeing how it is done in photos with accompanying text is a far more effective way to learn than by text alone.
Great pattern and SBS, one of my favorites.