Fig. 1: Example of the variety in size and colour between some steelhead fly patterns (Chris George Signature Series – Skeena River Fly Supply).
Fly Balance
From a practical perspective a fly should fulfill a number of criteria in order to consistently catch fish. There are obvious criteria such as the right size or the right colour. However, all the very good fly patterns have other, less obvious, qualities. In this article we are going to have a closer look at those aspects.
Fig. 2: Example of a Bulky fly vs. Sparse flies.
The weight of a fly is crucial. Obviously, if we want to have the fly sink faster we want to add more weight to it. The amount of weight that we add to a fly will not only affect the sink rate of the fly, it will also affect the way the fly swims in the water. The more weight is added to a fly the less movement the fly will have in the water. So, the first rule is to add as little weight as possible in order to still achieve the desired results.
The sparser the fly, the faster it will sink. So sparse flies require less weight than bulky flies to sink at the same rate.
Fig. 3: The Bulkley Bandit has a tungsten bead head. This type of heavily weighted fly works well on a long leader for deep, slow water.
When fishing with sinking lines, or sink-tips there are some further considerations in regards to the sink rate of the fly. In slow, deep water I often like to fish a light tip, long leader and a fly that sinks faster than the tip. The light tip will keep the fly moving while the combination of a faster sinking fly and a long leader achieves more depth than would be possible with just the sink-tip.
Fig. 4: The Tapam Special is a good example of a very large fly pattern that will cast better if a bit of weight it added to the fly in order to improve tracking during the cast.
The reverse is true too. When fishing fast, shallow runs, a heavy sinking line will dig in more and stay down. This can then be combined with a shorter leader and neutral buoyancy fly to keep the fly tracking in line with the tip.
This brings us to the next thing to look at: “neutral buoyancy”. In general I like my flies to have neutral buoyancy; meaning it will more or less suspend in the water. This will make it track straight behind the sink-tip. If a fly is too buoyant it will tend to rise above the sink-tip. This is often the case with bulky fly patterns that are un-weighted. In certain conditions this will reduce your catch rate.
The bulkier the pattern, the more it tends to be pushed up in the water column. The same holds true for current speed. The faster the current the more the fly tends to be pushed upward. This means that faster currents and bulkier patterns require more weight to stay down.
Now that we had a closer look at what implications weight has to the fly in the water, let’s have a look at the implications of weight to the fly in the air, the other medium that your fly spends a lot of time in.
Here we have to talk about aerodynamics a bit. Similar to the situation in the water, bulkier flies will have more resistance in the air, and similar to compensating for that with weight in the water, we need to compensate for that in the air. A big fly pattern will actually track a bit better when there is a bit of weight added to it. This is part of the reason why there is a bit of weight added to my large Tapam Special tarpon baitfish patterns. Without the weight the flies open the casting loop too much, reducing the casting distance.
Fig. 5: A Waddington style double wired shank from Skeena River Fly Supply.
The fly needs to ride horizontal in the water for a natural appearance. If you browse water tank videos you will see that a high percentage of flies tracks with the tail end down. Mostly this is due to the extra weight of the hook bend at the tail end. This is also the case for tubes, where the hook at the tail end makes the fly ride with the tail end down.
The logical way to resolve this is to add weight to the front of the fly. For hooks that can be done in a couple of ways; adding a bit of lead or alternative, or lead/brass eyes. For stinger/Intruder style of flies I like using double Waddington style shanks. Like the Skeena River Fly Supply stinger shanks or original Waddington shanks. This creates a bit more counter weight to the front of the fly to compensate for the hook in the rear. I also like to ad a couple of medium bead chain eyes. In combination with the Waddington type shank this balances most Intruder patterns nicely.
Fig. 6: The Pink Rhea Stinger is a good example of a single wing Intruder style pattern, which balances nicely with the use of a double wired Waddington type shank and a pair of bead chain eyes.
Fig. 7: Some examples of metal tubes. The tube on the right is a Skittle tube. Skittle tubes are great for distributing wait to the front of the fly pattern and help with horizontal tracking.
Tube flies have a wide variety of options for adding weight. Most of them involve brass tubes that can be lined with a smaller diameter liner tube. The brass tube can be placed anywhere on the liner tube, but generally is placed as far to the front as possible. The simplest way is to use a short piece of US tubing just behind the wing. For even more weight distribution to the front Skittle tubes are ideal. The have an additional bump at the front end, making it ideal for most standard style steelhead and salmon patterns. A good examples of this are the Derek’s Black and Blue and Derek’s Pink Fly in the weighted versions. These flies also have a cone head on the front, creating even more forward balance.
Fig. 8: The “Derek’s Black &Blue” (weighted version) , designed by well known Skeena system guide Derek Barber, is a good example of s classic Scandinavian style hair wing pattern that utilizes a Skittle tube and a cone to balance the weight of the pattern forward.
Cone heads are also a good way to ad weight and forward balance to a fly. Standard cone heads are usually made from brass. They are also available in tungsten and aluminum.
Yet another way to balance a fly is to add a brass bead behind the wing. This brings the weight forward without having the cone head visible in the front. It also is a great way to provide a wing support. The Formula 1 pattern is a good example of this.
Fig. 9: The “Formula 1” utilizes a brass bead behind the wing. This serves as a support for the wing as well as strongly shifting the balance of the fly forward.
Adding a bit of weight to the front of a fly also helps it to track upright, rather than “rolling over”. The extra weight pulls the fly down a bit which balances the fly for tracking. This is the other reason why the Tapam Special flies have a brass bead behind the wing; without it they tend to roll, with it they track true every time.
So, in summary, there are many aspects to consider when deciding to ad weight to a fly or not. Often there is some advantage to ad a little bit of weight. Next time you sit behind the vice contemplating your next fly, make sure to consider the fly balance. I am sure you will like the results!
