I had some good luck with eggs this past weekend, so I decided to learn to tie them. I've played around with pom pom's, but they are only a single color and there are limited colors available. The fish were biting 2-color eggs, which leads me to learning how to tie them. I read online about McFly Foam, egg yarn, egg tying tools, etc; but how do y'all tie them? What are the benefits and drawbacks of the different materials? How do you add weight to the hook? Or, do you just use split shot? Seems like there are a million ways to get an egg on a hook, I'm just trying to decide on a method before buying the materials.

Thanks, Eric

Hi Eric
The main materials you will need are different colors of
crystal braid for Meth patterns
Egg yarn
And I often use a silky white veiling yarn that mimics the membrane that hold fish eggs together and is often attached to single eggs when flowing in a river.
I have attached a couple of patterns that have worked for me, as far as tying maybe a youtube would help?
As far as weighing is concerned I have tied some with brass bead heads but usually put a split shot on the leader about 18 inches from the hook
Mike

I forgot to show you what the fly on the bottom left caught me
Mike

Thanks Mike and great fish!

Do you think white antron dubbing or yarn would work for the veil?

Hi
The white antron should do the trick, remember just a very small amount to just lightly veil the egg

Mike

If you decide to try to fluff ball method using yarn, one of the keys to success is insuring your thread wraps are right on top of each other. If you lay the thread wraps on side by side, the yarn will not flare out as well.

Thanks for pointers! I went and got the materials except they didn't have the stronger thread needed. I'll try with the normal 8/0 and see if I can do it. If not, I guess I'll need to order some. Suggestions?

When I tie egg patterns, I will wrap a #12, 14, or 16 Tiemco 2456 hook with two or three turns of .020 lead or tungsten wire. Wrap over the weight with 3/0 thread in your choice of color to match the egg color. I then use Egg Foo Yarn cut into 1/2" sections & stack it like a deer hair bug. The Egg Foo Yarn is braided. You slip it over the hook, take two turns of thread, pull it all back (toward the bend of the hook & lock it in place with a third turn between the yarn & hook eye. Repeat until you've covered most of the hook. Whip finish & add veil material if you feel the urge.

Comb & brush to fluff the yarn, and trim the egg to shape. The egg fly sinks & you have the option to add more weight via split shot if you want to.

JR

JR, is this at all close to what you are describing?

Here's a method that looks really interesting, but I wonder how it acts in the water. Seems like it would "flatten". Any experience with this type of egg?

http://hatchesmagazine.com/blogs/Hatches/2014/01/03/egg-tightlines-productions/

JABman08 that looks like a real winner. The red underbody bodes well. I will have a few of these in my box next time I am out and about!

Why are my eggs coming out looking like an afro with a part in the middle? I've tried cutting long and short. I've used kevlar thread and pulled really tight, 8/0 thread and pulled relatively tight. I've tried 1 strand of yarn up to 4 strands. They all come out flat on the under side of the hook and a defined line where the thread is all the way around.

I'm using Wapsi egg yarn on 12 or 14 curved hooks.

Thanks!

Can you post an image of one?

I know what you're talking about,I've tied a few like that. When you take the first thread wrap make sure the yarn is spread more or less around the hook to help reduce the flat spot. Also it takes a lot of thread tension to flare out the yarn correctly. Not sure if I could do it with 8/0 thread. These things are not as easy to tie as they look.

My vote, go over to the Allen Cabellas before lunch tomorrow. Some of the DFF folks are supposed to be there tying. Ask one of them to show you how they do it. Seeing it done helps a lot. (You might take a piece of yarn with you, in case they don't have any yarn with them. They'll have hooks and thread to show the technique.)

Just wondering if you had tried that method at the link you'd shared earlier ? That looks like a fine pattern and might avoid those stacking issues you've described.