The Cone Head Tube Fly

A brand new way of tying tube flies

By Oivind Urkedal

Tying sequence for my favorite

Tube: 2 cm, 1½"
Rear 1/3: Copper mylar tubing
Front 2/3: Black floss and silver rib
Throat: Green fox (sparse)
Wing: Black fox and a couple of strands of flash.

click for large image
Insert the tube with the head to the left (I use a salmon hook without eye), wind the thread to the point where you will tie in the copper tubing and go back towards the head.

Insert the copper tubing and secure it well with tight windings.

With your fingers carefully roll the copper tubing towards the head. It's easy to get into trouble here because the mylar tube tends to get unravelled (as you can see in the picture above) when you turn roll it on the tube.
You can cut some of the excessive copper strands but I tie them all down. This might give you a bulky body but will secure the copper very well.

click for large image
Now that you have secured the tubing you can set the tube back in the vise the "right way".
Tie in oval silver tinsel for ribbing and black or charcoal floss silk for body.

Tie in green fox for throat (keep it sparse) and black fox for wing.

Tie in a strand of flash on each side of the wing. To get a smooth joint between the large copper head and the body of the fly, it might be an idea to wind the tying thread until you have a smoothened it out (remeber that the varnish will build up some).
Whip finish.
Varnish.

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User comments
From: Leonard S. Baum · lbaum·at·proskauer.com
Submitted August 12th 2008
Just returned from Iceland where I confronted this deadly fly for the first time. It was absolutely deadly in certain situations, such as where the salmon were bunched up deep at the head of a waterfall pool, and one needed a small fly, with low impact, and a small size to fish deep within a very short section of the river. The British anglers at outr camp used this pattern a lot (I had not been aware of them the last time I was there in 1999, as opposed to tube flies.)

Best was a very simple all black fly although Red Frances patterns also were good.

Your instructions are fabulous, and show how someone can make the fly without investing in an expensive tube fly vise or adapters. Thanks very much.

In certain situations these flies have no equal.

From: Leonard S. Baum · lbaum·at·proskauer.com
Submitted August 12th 2008
Just returned from Iceland where I confronted this deadly fly for the first time. It was absolutely deadly in certain situatuions, such as where the salmon were bunched up deep at the head of a waterfall pool, and one needed a small fly, with low impact, and a small size to fish deep within a very short section of the river. The British anglers at outr camp used this pattern a lot (I had not been aware of them the last time I was there in 1999, as opposed to tube flies.)

Your instructions are fabulous, and show how someone can make thefly without investing in an expensive tube fly vise or adapters. Thanks very much.

I certain situations these flies have no equal.

From: Glenn K. Roberts · gkroberts·at·gov.pe.ca
Submitted April 3rd 2008
Q. When the smaller tube is inserted into the larger tube (prior to tying), is there some sort of cement that is used to secure the inner tube within the larger one?

From: Alan Nolan · anolana·at·live.ie
Submitted March 2nd 2008
A well written article which opens up many possibilities and as often happens, sends the imagination of anglers racing!

From: Peter Moss · peter·at·pmoss12.orangehome.co.uk
Submitted July 14th 2007
A Nice Fly I will tie one and try it on our River. The river Erme in the South West of the U.K.
P.M ( Membership Sec of Cleeve Angling Club Of Ivybridge )

From: David Williams · dvwilliams·at·btinternet.com
Submitted November 26th 2005
I am very interested in the tubing used for this innovation - who can market the 'tubes' and where will I get them?

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