CZCDNTM

Chicago-Zürich-Copenhagen Delayed Nutria Tube Muddler

Presenting: the CZCDNTM

What extensive travelling can lead to...

In Chicago a person who knows my web site steps up to my tying table and asks me to tie one of these:
A Full Metal Jacket Nutria Muddler

"Well, I can't" says I, "I'm only tying tube flies at this show!" Showing him the Q-Tips and my primitive tube vice tool a thought strikes me.
"Why not tie it as a tube?"

Muddlers and tubes go together very well.
So I get out my darning needles, my new tube tool as a backup, deer hair, my nutria skin, some tinsels and get started. And as hoped the fly comes out a beauty. Large but yet light, brutal but yet elegant. Just my kind of fly. I show off to the rest of the spectators and my fellow tyers at the table.

Full Metal Jacket Nutria Muddler Choose your favorite color

A variation of a favoite fly pattern of mine has been born thanks to that spectator.
I have this Illustrated Pattern Swap coming up. It's the third and I have been in both the earlier ones. I want to make something that's me, but hopefylly something different from what everybody else is doing.
A tube fly is different – a muddler is me – a tube muddler is a perfect choice.
Tube muddlers are not unknown to me. I have tied and fished a few in my time, and i like'em... so do the fish by the way.

I'm on my way back from Chicago. My trip over was a horror show with cancellations and delays and lost luggage.
I went from Copenhagen to Zürich, Zürich to New York, New York to Chicago.
And the my bag with all my tying stuff (and clean underwear) was three days late.
The trip back has only one cancellation and a four hour delay which gives me time to draw up sketches of the fly. I'm munching Swiss cookies and drinking espressos in the business class lounge in Zürich Airport. What a releaf after the thin American coffee. As time passes I dub the fly The Chicago-Zürich-Copenhagen Delayed Nutria Tube Muddler – or CZCDNTM for short.

I go over the tying process in my head, and let the pencil work on my newly aquired sketch paper. I'm not good at drawing, but things work out OK anyway.
I can see what's happening with the fly - so will the IPS audience... hopefully.

This is an unfished fly. It or any of its kindred has never touched water.
It will work. I fell the confidence as I hear the boarding call to the plane to Copenhagen.

I decide not to include tying instructions with my submission. Just some sound advice on tying tubes and muddlers. I consider both types great fishing flies and great fun to tie. Here are the points I want to stress:

Tubes: Play with some inexpensive tubes. I use Q-Tips. Cut off the cotton and melt a small collar with a flame. Use a large darning needle as your tube vice. You can always buy Slipstream copper tubes and an expensive Renzetti tube vice later. And remember: tubes require a lot of material and demand more than usual precision because of the large surface on the shank. Especially tinsel bodies are more than revealing.

Muddlers: Hair! I want to stress hair. The importance of the right material cannot be stressed enough in this connection. Don't use any deer hair. Most is not suitable. Get some that is suitable for spinning or stacking and make sure your source knows what they're doing when it comes to fly tying and knows what they have on their shelves.

Two different muddler dressings on a tube

Tying on a tube fly is quite easy. Any tube fly you tie, you leave a small piece og the tube uncovered by materials. After tying or before fishing you set a piece of rubber tubing over that rear end. The hook slides into the extension of that tube and stays in place while you fish. Tying on the fly is easy. Draw the leader through the tube, tie on the hook and pull the hook eye into the rear tube. You can selct a traditional treble hook, but a lot of fishers will choose a short shank single hook. There are specially designed hooks of both kinds. They have narrow needle eyes which facilitates slipping into the soft tubing.

The CZCDNTM can easily be transformed into a CZCFMJNTM.

Yeah, that's The Chicago-Zürich-Copenhagen Full Metal Jacket Nutria Tube Muddler. It takes nothing but a large brass cone. Slip it over the leader before you tie on the fly, and presto! You have a deep sea diver.
Fishing this thinggy is a challenge. Don't try casting a fly like this on your average trout rod. This is a big fly with weight and air resistance. It's ment to be fished on a two hand rod, but with some gentle movements it can no doubt be cast on a heavy single hander in the 8-9-10 range.

Neat stacking and close trimming is essential for the appearance of a good muddler

More flies

Tying instructions

Go to article start ^ User comments

From: Paul Submitted March 13th 2007 You can find tubes and tube kits at most fly tying shops, you can use q-tips, the ones with the hollow plastic tubes, or you can use tubing (plastic or metal) found at hobby stores. Most common sizes to use for tube flies are 1/8" or 3/32" OD (outside diameter). If you are using a metal tube, you will have to line it with a hollow plastic tube to prevent cutting your leader. From: Martin Joergensen · martin·at·globalflyfisher.com Submitted March 1st 2006 The tubes can be plastic tubes, which can be found in many well stocked flyshops. I have also used cotton swabs. Trim off the cotton and you have a nice tube. Some are too brittle to work, but some are sturdy enough to last. Martin From: Russ · takenafly·at·msn.com Submitted March 1st 2006 where could I find tube materials

Did you find the above interesting?
People who looked at the above also looked at these pages: Fly patterns Section: The best fly patterns from all over the globe Jan's Emerger Another new pattern from Jan Grandal-Johansen, this time a buzze... Tube Ressources Want to venture further into the world of tube flies? This list ... Sunray Shadow The Sunray Shadow is a true killer fly for salmon fishing. Tied ... Full Metal Jacket Nutria Muddler, variations This fly is in a way my 'signature fly'. It's a beautiful fly (i...	This other story related to "zonkers" might also interest you: Bunny Split Colorful pike fly: Two tails are better than one says Mark Dysinger, who is an avid pike angler. In this, his latest pattern, he has created a large and very lively fly for the mossy green predator of the lakes. And it can tempt a bass too... See how to tie the Bunny Split here, Click to see other stories with the keyword "zonkers"
A few random articles for your entertainment The Visitors - Day 2 Two days. Two teams. Six fly fishers. Very different and difficult circumstances. Kasper Mühlbach was invited by a Lithuanian and a German team to go fishing with them. Their role was to catch and pose. Kasper's role was to photograph. March 25th 2008 Ten Flies Simple Ties - (for bass, panfish, & trout) - Glenn and Andrea Van Benschoten - book review I'm sure newbies to fly tying feel an overwhelming sense of "what am I getting into?!?". Everything seems easy once you know how to do it, but that first step is always the most difficult. With "Ten Flies Simple Ties", Andrea and Glenn Van Benschoten are doing something about that. December 8th 2007 Bonefish Theme This is a first in the Global Flyfisher's history: a theme! This theme is about bonefishing, the hunt for one of the most sought after fish in the world: Albula Vulpes, the white fox or the ghost of the flats. September 13th 2005 New forum We did it! We exchanged our trusty old and lagging forum with a new and better one. Now, the forum isn't the busiest place on GFF, but this new software might do the trick and lure a few more people to share the fishing secrets with the rest of us. March 24th 2006