Coho Bucktail with EP Brush forming the belly of the fly.
Many fly tyers have realized that various material brushes can be great time-savers when creating a belly on baitfish & streamer flies. I have been using these materials for several years and have found several brushes that all work very well for the flies I am tying.
I thought it might help folks who have not used this technique much to note four of the brushes that I use on a routine basis – I will show images of two of these.
The four brushes I use most often for white bait fish bellies are:
EP Craft Fur Brush white/white
EP Foxy Brush white white
Ep Sparkle Brush Pearl Magic
EP Senyo’s Chromatic Brush Live Bait
Jay Nicholas EP Craft Fur Brush white/white.
The EP Brush pictured above is the Craft Fur brush in white/white. This brush is my favorite for most of the flies I tie. It has the longest flowing fibers and a dense middle portion.
EP Brush Sparkle Brush Pearl Magic.
The EP Brush pictured above is the Sparkle brush in pearl magic. I reach for this brush when I want maximum sparkle and shine. It is not as full and bushy so I need to take more turns to full out the belly, and it is not as long or as flowy as the other three brushes, but is is very nice, especially for shorter streamers.
Step 1 creating baitfish belly with EP Brush.
Step 2 creating baitfish belly with EP Brush. I have tied the wire core to the hook shank in prparation for winding it like a hackle around the shank.
Step 3 creating baitfish belly with EP Brush. This image shows the brush after I wound it around the hook shank. This probably represents 5 or 6 full turns.
Finished Coho Bucktail. I added a top wing, lateral scale on the sides of the fly, placed eyes at the head of the fly, and finished it with UV cure.
Coho and albacore flies with EP brush bellies – I hope to put all of these beauties to work in the next several weeks, depending on ocean conditions.
I highly recommend the use of various brushes when tying a wide range of baitfish patterns for fresh and saltwater flies.
Jay Nicholas – August 2017
