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I have been using 80lb fire line which wooks good but im sure there is better stuff out there. Anyone willing to share what they use?
Tying Steelhead flies with stingers!
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205 Posts
All I use is a single strand of 50lb. Mono. Tie the hook to the Mono using a bait loop. Just be careful when tying the fly as the stinger can and will get you every chance it gets. I find that the mono is stiff enough to kep the stinger were I want it withoout having to use shrink tube over the line for rigidity.
G
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·I use 80 pound fire line as well..Your right about getting stuck though...my hands are starting to look like swiss cheeze.
Finder
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2,702 Posts
Lately I have been usng 100lb Power Pro (on the recommendation of Gary at Riverside), but I am not all that happy with the results. The 100lb. is too bulky to use any hook smaller than a 1/0. When I started tying stingers I made the connector from 30lb dacron backing. In reality, if I get a fish in flowing water that I need 100lb (or even 80lb), am I likely to land it with even a 20lb leader??
The nice thing about using power pro or fireline is that you can tie it on as a loop, then you can complete the fly before adding the stinger hook, thus avoiding the "hook-ups" on your thumb and fingers. You can also change hooks when the one you have on dulls or breaks.
here is a trick guys.... use lighter fire line and then put a plastic tube over it cut on a bias same as the eye of the hook so the hook stays straight back.
Also keep the stinger hooks small.. u don't need anything bigger then a size 2.. bigger hooks tend to do much more damage to fish u are going to release.
Also keep the stinger hooks small.. u don't need anything bigger then a size 2.. bigger hooks tend to do much more damage to fish u are going to release.
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1,608 Posts
Stinger style
Over the years I have used all the above mentioned materials to attach a stinger style hook and have come back to 20-30 Lb. Dacron...the "cheaper" kind mostly White or the Bright Orange(SA'S).Professori is correct ...no need for fancy knots or tube ,you may as well use a Waddington Shank! The actual weight of the hook being used has a direct impact on the "flow " of the Fly. Mustad hooks are too heavy for a Backing Loop;however,Gami's are excellent as are Daichi and a few others from Japan. An interesting point here is that I have also noted fewer face and eye injuries to the fish with less rigid stinger set-ups. And getting the loop through the eye of the hook is less of an issue with the lighter backing material dimension.
C
Over the years I have used all the above mentioned materials to attach a stinger style hook and have come back to 20-30 Lb. Dacron...the "cheaper" kind mostly White or the Bright Orange(SA'S).Professori is correct ...no need for fancy knots or tube ,you may as well use a Waddington Shank! The actual weight of the hook being used has a direct impact on the "flow " of the Fly. Mustad hooks are too heavy for a Backing Loop;however,Gami's are excellent as are Daichi and a few others from Japan. An interesting point here is that I have also noted fewer face and eye injuries to the fish with less rigid stinger set-ups. And getting the loop through the eye of the hook is less of an issue with the lighter backing material dimension.
C
GUM floss threaders work great and are cheap as well. TYGER wire is probably the best stuff ive used but big $$$$. Fireline is OK stiff at first but use the fly a couple times and it goes limp. I went out with the wife shopping a couple of weeks ago and we ended up at Micheal's craft store. In the necklace making department there were spools of stainless wire in 8lb through 30lb test, this stuff seemed fairly stiff but if you bent it, it didnt kink up real bad like some of the wire ive tried. I havent tried it yet but it feels like TYGER wire but at about 1/4 of the price.
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stinger loops
I'm with Timdog on this one.
Tyger wire is probably the best.Very fine multi-filament coated stainless.
I have used coated stainless wire leader material,it is not as flxible as Tyger, but works quite well.Don't worry about having to get the wire throught the eye of the hook, just wrap it on, double over and wrap back.If that comes off you probably hooked a whale and are using way too heavy tippet.Doubled over on the tapered part of an UTE hook keeps the bulk down.If you tie it on the sides it also makes a great platform for mounting barbell eyes.
I'm with Timdog on this one.
Tyger wire is probably the best.Very fine multi-filament coated stainless.
I have used coated stainless wire leader material,it is not as flxible as Tyger, but works quite well.Don't worry about having to get the wire throught the eye of the hook, just wrap it on, double over and wrap back.If that comes off you probably hooked a whale and are using way too heavy tippet.Doubled over on the tapered part of an UTE hook keeps the bulk down.If you tie it on the sides it also makes a great platform for mounting barbell eyes.
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