After a period when we were unable to supply our discriminating tyers with the full range of Lagartun’s superior and unique products, the tide has turned and we are in the process of adding Lagartun back to our regular IN-Shop inventory and catalog offerings.
My personal affection for Lagartun was based on their threads, oval tinsel, and a few colors of Mini Flat Braid (Flat French Mini Flat Braid).
Lagartun threads earned a place as my #1 choice because they are strong (very strong) and lay very flat. I tended to tie with 95D and 150D, but it is available in 74D as well. I wasn’t very imaginative, most often tying with black, white, chartreuse thread. Needless to say, there are many color options that please a corresponding range of tyers.
What makes Lagartun Fly Tying Products so special?
Lagertun tinsels are produced in France, are genuine metal and tarnish resistant. the Braids are flat – really flat – with vibrant vibrant vibrant colors. The
The core of the X-fine oval Lagartun Tinsel is silk, but the core of all other oval Lagartun tinsel is a polyester – meaning that you can reef on it and it will lay very flat and help you compose very neat and tidy flies.
All of the Lagartun tinsels are varnished and are very tarnish resistant -they are also so much tougher than plastic mylar tinsels that the comparison is unnecessary.
The Lagartun, 95D, and 150D are polyester threads. These stretch a little, and they lay really really flat too.
I occasionally used Lagartun embossed french metal tinsel, but I devoured Lagartun oval silver and oval gold tinsel by the bucket load. I found it to be the smoothest, strongest, and it resisted tarnishing quite stubbornly. These oval tinsels make wonderful tags and ribs on steelhead and salmon flies: overall I just felt instinctively that the tinsels were truly a superior product.
The Lagartun product I used more than any others was the Flat Mini Braid, offered on spools. The shiny gold holographic and shiny silver holographic Mini Flat Braids were the staples of my Muddlers. The Fl. chartreuse, Fl. orange, Fl. Blue, and Fl. pearl were always a key ingredient of my Chinook Comets.
My newest Lagartun discovery is the Carded Flat Braid. This material is similar to Flat Diamond Braid – but quite different in several respects. First, it is slim and flat, and I mean really flat. The width is 1/8″ which makes it perfect for larger steelhead and salmon fly bodies, and especially for my Intruders. But the colors of this carded Lagartun Braid are really impressive and moves it immediately to the front of my material choices. I’m in the process of ordering roughly 20 colors of this carded Lagartun Flat Braid for and can already imagine them lined up on pegs in the Shop.
The Lagartun Carded Flat Braid is a woven metaloplastic material that is roughly 3mm (1/8″) wide. Metaloplastic is a wonderful material that I do not understand in a technical sense, but that makes me a very happy camper when I tie with it. It is strong, it lays really flat, it does not bulk-up when I tie it in or tie it off, and the colors are spectacular and permanent.
I have been tying with Lagartun again for about two months now. Listen to some of the colors: Rainbow, Sky Blue, Pearl/blue holo, Pearl/Fuchsia holo, Pearl/green holo. Pearl/red holo, Pearl/black + Peacock/pearl, Copper, Candy Pink, several Fl. colors, and my trusty holo shiny gold and silver. Lagartun Flat Braid is tough, lays flat, makes bodies as slender as you wish, and I have been creating AMAZING bodies on trout and steelhead flies from size 10 and larger.
Lagartun Micro Flat Braid is a product I’ve not yet tried out, but Ben Gherke, (our Lagartun Rep/owner) tells me that the micro flat braid has been very popular with trout tyers as bodies on Chironomids and with trout, steelhead, and salmon tyers as a colored ribbing material, or as a tag.
Like the wider Carded Flat Braid, Micro and Mini flat braids are a metaloplastic material that is super durable and wonderfully pleasing to work with.
Lagartun colors are vibrant and the range of available colors are a great asset on my bench.
There is more to Lagartun than braid and oval metal tinsel.
Micro Flat Braid.
All of these Lagartun products are proven quality and are nearly always the first choice of tyers who are crafting the finest classic traditional Atlantic Salmon Flies. More and more, Lagartun is showing up as a first choice among trout fly tyers.
The Caddis Fly Angling Shop is now stocking a basic range of Lagartun products on the wall and we would like you to shoot us an email, phone call or drop in to share your ideas regarding expanding the range of products we stock on a regular basis.
Lagartun special orders?
You bet. Let us know what you would like and we will let you know how soon we will be able to provide the thread, braid, tinsel, wire, mohair, or silk floss of your dreams.
We are pleased to have the opportunity to add Lagartun to our regular tying products and appreciate your patience as we work to adjust our working inventory and display arrangements. We think you will be thrilled to lash Lagartun onto your fly hooks and create superior flies of all sorts.
Questions? Ask away.
Jay Nicholas
Can you get the Lagartun micro flat braid in PEARL?
It’s something that is becoming extremely difficult to find.
Thanks,
Mike
From time to time we may be able to do so, please give the shop a quick call and ask about availability, and thanks very much. JN