Tube construction

This tube construction is a result of several different sources of inspiration.
Mikael Frödin designed the turbo cone and the plastic tube system. The bait hook and knot combination was inspired by an article about steelhead tube flies in Fly Fisherman, the February 2005 issue.

The plastic tube system is built up by two plastic tubes of different diameter. The small one is just big enough to fit into the larger one. The turbo cone causes turbulence in the water, just like a muddler head. Fish feel this turbulence long before they actually see the fly. The turbulence also makes the soft fibers and hair swim better. You can find complete step by step tying instructions for Scandinavian tube flies here.

The hook is a octopus style bait hook with a turned up eye size 4. It is a really mean hook. Even though it is a single hook it always seems to be on the right spot at the right time. I have had this hook in my fingers more than once. Many different brands produce hook models like this. Owner has a really sharp, evil version and the colorful one on the picture is a Mustad 92569FR. The Trokar octopus hook is also very nice indeed.

The knot is a surgeon knot hidden inside the larger tube. Tied on a .015" (0,38mm) tippet, the knot is just big enought to fit into the tube and hold the hook in the right position. Just add soft fur and feathers and you have a salmon tube fly.

This rig allows fly fishermen to take advantage of the high-end bait hooks available on the market. It would be a shame not to. The rig also allows the angler to adjust how far back the hook should be placed on the fly.

This construction has several advantages:
- The fly is balanced
- It is light
- The hook is alway in the right position
- The wing moves more freely and does not get tangled as with treble hooks
- The cone causes turbulence

New for 2013!

In recent years, I think a lot of interesting things has happened in the carp- and specimen fishing equipment. The stuff carp anglers use to create their rigs, begs to be used on tube flies. I have thought about it for a couple of years and I have come up with a new method of rigging the trailing hook. It will be tested in the 2013 season. The use of octopus bait hooks and shrink tubing really exites me.
The shrink tube aligns the trailing hook perfectly.

You can download the step by step instructions in high resolution pdf format by clicking this link or the picture to the right. The file is 11MB.