Tubes for Tube Flies
Tubes are the backbone of these flies. The tube replaces the shank of the hook found in conventionally tied flies. Most tubes are metal or hard plastic. Soft tubing doesn't work well because it tends to curve and the tying thread may constrict the tube so you may not be able to remove it from the mandrel or thread a leader though it.

Hard plastic tubing in various diameters is available through some fly shops or in auto parts, home improvement, and hobby stores. Tubing available on spools will have a set in it. If the curve can't be removed, the bend limits its use to shorter tubes. Common household products such as Q-tip stems, the long plastic nozzles that come with some spray cans, and some straws are also useful.

Brass, aluminum, and copper make good tubes for weighted flies. Metal tubes are available through fly shops, or you may be able to find alternatives at a hardware store. Some metal tubes have a plastic insert to prevent line chafing. If you make your own tubes, you can insert a liner into the metal tube.

You can make your own tubes from any stiff plastic or metal or purchase them in uncut or presized lengths from a manufacturer such as HMH or Loop.

Most manufacturers' plastic tubes come with a lip on both ends to prevent thread from slipping off the fly and to provide greater purchase for the connector. If you make your own plastic tubes, melt the front and back with a flame to form these small collars.

Tubes range in size. Short tubes give anglers greater choice for hook placement through the use of different hooks or different length connectors, while long tubes, which provide ample room for tying a body, must have a rearmost hook placement.

Two excellent sources of tubes are HMH and Loop. HMH (www.hmhvises.com, 207-729-5200) has a wide range of plastic (large and small diameters, 0.5" to 3" long) and 0.5- to 2.5-inch-long metal tubes (aluminum and copper, both lined to protect tippet).

Loop's Bottle Tubes (www.loopusa.com or www.looptackle.se) come in two weights (light and heavy) and in chrome or brass. (Most patterns cover the entire tube so the finish is of little concern.) The weight is concentrated at the front of the fly giving great movement to the tail. Because Loop tubes are short, you can easily change your hook position by modifying the length of the connector.

Altered Splendeer

Connectors
Short sections of soft vinyl tubing called connectors slip over the hard tubing on which the fly is tied. They then slip easily over the hook eye to keep the hook in place while casting and fishing. Sometimes the connector is attached to the tubing before the fly is tied and integrated into the fly pattern.

Overly secure connectors are nuisances. The connector only has to hold the hook in position and should be easily replaceable. They can be made from 1/8- and 3/32-inch (inner diameter) vinyl tubing available from hardware and aquarium stores or fly shops. The soft connectors supplied with Loop Bottle tubes tend to tear after the fly has been fished for a while and may need to be replaced occasionally.

Connectors hold the hook's position relative to the fly and help to prevent the hook from fouling on the leader during the cast. They are convenient, but not necessary. Originally tube flies were tied in the round and connectors weren't used. Flies tied in the round, such as the Rhea Gunz, have the same appearance from all sides so the relationship to the hook is irrelevant.

Hooks
Short-shank, straight-eye hooks work best for tube flies, although any hook will work.

Below is a noninclusive list of commonly available hooks suited for tube flies. Experiment to find what works best for you.

Mustad 9174 (#2-8)
Partridge MM3ST (#2-8)
Tiemco 105 (#4-10), 2499BL (#6) for freshwater
Tiemco 800S, 811S, 600SP for saltwater
Daiichi 1640 (#2-20)
X510 (#4-8)
Loop 80531 Double (#2-8)
Gamakatsu C14S (#2-12), 00411, SC 15
Owner 5111, 5306
Varivas 990, 990S, 994S

Because barbless hooks make releasing a fish easier and penetrate a fish's mouth better than barbed hooks, you'll want to debarb all your hooks at the vise.

Fish love to attack large patterns. But large patterns, conventionally tied, require large, long-shanked hooks. These hooks sometimes lead to high mortality rates. Tube flies allow you to fish large patterns with small hooks, which reduces inadvertent harm.

Tube flies allow the use of the smallest possible hook with placement as far forward in the pattern as conditions permit. As I stated earlier, a smaller hook or a more forward hook placement often reduces trauma to the fish.

Some Atlantic salmon anglers think double hooks cause less damage to the fish's mandible because they distribute pressure over a greater surface area, lessening the chance that the hook can tear tissues. Double hooks are more stable during the fight, reducing the trauma that occurs when a single hook pre-releases and then re-engages and double hooks are often taken less deeply.

Adapters and Vises
Depending on your budget, you can take several routes to tie tube flies. One of the least expensive ways is to place a nail in your vise jaws to hold the tube. The head of the nail should be large enough to prevent the tube from slipping off.

You can purchase beads and cones specifically designed for tubes (above) or slip regular beads or cones on your tippet before tying the fly on.

Tube fly adapters fit into the jaws, stem, or base of your existing vise. HMH's Starter Tube Fly Tool ($24.95) fits in the jaws of most vises and comes with different size pins to accommodate different tubes. HMH also sells a tube vise converter for $59.95.

Renzetti sells a tube-fly stem attachment that fits the Traveler series. It has a 1/16-inch-diameter mandrel and a rotary tension screw.

Vises. Manufacturers also make vises expressly for tubes. Renzetti sells a tube-fly vise with a pedestal or C-clamp base that comes with a complete set of mandrels for $79.95 (www.renzetti.com, 321-267-7705). The vise handles tubes up to four inches long. Dyna King's Tube Fly Vise 2000 ($249, www.dyna-king.com, 800-396-2546) has a brass collett that holds mandrels for the tubes. Different diameter mandrels are included with the vise as well as a sample package of HMH tubes. HMH's tube-fly vise (www.hmhvises.com) comes in pedestal or C-clamp versions ($179).