I've tried a couple of times and its not worked out so well. Is there a certain technique to use when tying with EP?

Specifically a baitfish pattern EP.

1. Don't use too much at one time. If the clump you're tying in is the size of a pencil lead, it's probably to big.
2. Don't make the material longer than you need it to be. That's just more you will have to cut off later, and a lot bigger mess.
3. Keep your thread wraps to a minimum. Only use enough to bind down the hair. I'll usually use 2 wraps to hold it, bend it around, then add 2 to 3 more, then advance for the next clump.
4. The first piece of material should go on the bottom of the hook, in the gape. The second should go on top, about 1/16th of an inch, or slightly less, in front of it. That will help keep the bulk down.
5. Keep an eye on the far side of the fly. I've tied a couple of great looking flies. On the near side. When I turned them over, all I saw was thread wraps. <shivers> Nasty!
6. Contrary to what I have read, the colors do not blend very well after they are tied in. If you want the colors to blend, mix them before you tie them in.
7. If you want the top of your fly to be a different color, start tying it in near the back of the fly. Most of what you tie in at the front of the fly is going to get cut off as you shape the fly.
8. Before you start trimming the fly, brush it out with a toothbrush on both sides. I take the fly out of the vise to brush and trim it, and brush it on my pants leg. This aligns the fibers, and helps keep them evenly distributed around the hook.
9. Trim the fly to the basic shape that you want, then brush it out again. Repeat, ad nauseum, until you get the fly you want, then stop trimming.
10. (I didn't know this was going to go so long. Sorry.) Make sure you trim the sides, as well as the top and bottom of the fly. Panfish and shad(ish) both have a tall, thin profile that tapers back towards the tail.
11. (Last one, I promise!) These flies have a tendency to float until you drag them under. Even then, as you strip it back, it wants to stay just under the surface. I add a straight piece of .030" lead under the hook shank, from just behind the eye to the bend of the hook, to help sink it.

There you have it, my dissertation on the problems I had learning to tie the EP baitfish.

(BTW Congo Hair, from flytiersdungeon.com, works just as well as EP Fibers, and is a hell of a lot cheaper!)

Kirk

Appreciate it. Think I may have been using too much.

Check out what Fly Fish Ohio has to offer. This is what I used to learn to tie these flies. It even has a video.

Kirk