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Making The Cluster Egg Fly (pom-pom eggs)
Pom-Pom Eggs are easy to make!
By Steve Schweitzer
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Other than basic tying tools,
what's pictured is all that is needed to make pom-pom yarn eggs.
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What you will need...
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0x to 3x tippet material, cut in 6 inch lengths
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Egg
body colored glo-bug yarn (orange, salmon
red, salmon pink, etc.)
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Egg sack colored glo-bug yarn (pale pink, cream, pale yellow, etc.)
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A Pen Tube pom-pom tool
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A sturdy short shanked hook or egg hook (I like using Partridge's McHaffie Masters MM1B wet fly hook, size 8 or so)
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Making egg cluster and pom-pom yarn eggs could never be easier once you know the secret.
The key tool is nothing more than an old plastic pen tube, cut in half, keeping the writing end. Make yours by removing the pen ink tube and rollerball tip portion, then cut the exterior pen tube in half. Be sure to choose a pen similar to the one pictured. The plastic is easier to cut and the tip is just about the perfect diameter to make pom-pom eggs.
How do you use it, you ask? Let's walk through the process.
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| Preparing
The Tippet Material & Egg Glo-Bug Yarn
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Figure
1. - Preparing the glo-bug yarn and tippet material. (White thread is used in place of tippet for demonstration purposes)
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Strip
off a 6-inch length piece of 0x - 3x tippet material. Don't
go any shorter or you'll be in trouble from the get-go! I like
to use 3x because it is strong enough to withstand a fish or
two yet small enough to tie around the yarn and not be too bulky.
You'll see why in a moment. Now, cut a one-inch piece of the
glo-bug yarn you've selected to be your egg color. In this case,
I've chosen orange. Tie a loose overhand knot in the tippet
material, ensuring the loose knot is slightly towards one end.
Insert the one-inch piece of glo-bug yarn in the knot loop (figure
1) and draw the knot tight (figure 2).
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Figure 2. - Drawing the knot tight in the middle of the glo-bug yarn.
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Be
sure to keep the knot in the middle of the yarn piece. Tie one
more overhand knot to be secure about things. Trim the tag end
of the tippet material to about 1/16" from the knot.
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Figure 3.
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Figure
4.
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Figure
5. - A finished egg-yarn pom-pom.
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With
the tippet-tied egg yarn in hand, thread the tippet through
the larger end of the pen tube (figure 3). Draw the tippet through
the other end until the yarn is exposed approximately 1/4"
(figure 4). Using the sharpest scissors you have, cut the yarn
right at the tube tip. What remains is a puff of yarn. Work
the yarn puff with your fingers to form it into a round ball.
Make a few more, say 2-3, and lay them aside in preparation
for the next step.
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Figure
6. - A cluster of pom-pom eggs tied in at the middle of
the hook shank.
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Taking
three to five of the pom-pom eggs, one can easily make an egg-sac
cluster, complete with skein. Tie in the pom-pom eggs from the
tippet material in a random order so they protrude from the
hook shank about 3/8". Cut off the excess tippet material.
Don't crowd the hook eye. It's best to tie the pom-pom eggs
in near the middle of the hook shank. See Figure 6.
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Figure
7. - Preparing the skein sac material.
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Finally,
we must prepare a section of skein colored egg-yarn. Cut a 1"
piece of egg-yarn and carefully stretch it apart into a thin,
translucent section. Fold the translucent, rectangular piece
of egg-yarn around the thread, creating loose section like spun
dubbing. If you are comfortable doing the split-thread method
of dubbing, try splitting the thread in half and placing the
rectangular piece of egg-yarn in the split loop. It may be easier
to handle when completing the next step.
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Figure
8. - The finished Egg Cluster Fly. When wet, this fly closely
resembles a cluster of salmon eggs.
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Now
carefully wrap the folded skein material around the hook shank,
teasing the material backwards while doing so. When wrapping
the folded egg-yarn around the hook, be careful to wrap the
fold around the hook, allowing the long fibers of the egg-yarn
to flow back over the egg pom-poms. Figure 7 above doesn't do
a great job of showing how closely the fold of the egg-yarn
should be to the thread. (it's tought to keep it in place while
photographing without touching it!) The object is to get a uniform,
translucent "glow" around the egg cluster, creating
the look of a skein sac. Use a toothbrush to tease the material
back the way you prefer.
Congratulations,
the Egg Cluster Fly is complete! Happy Fishing!
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