r/Flies_Lures_Bait

Tube flies are built around a metal or a plastic tube. Tube flies have no built-in hook. The tube is part if the finished creation.

Channel have no built-in hook. They have no no built-in tube either. They do have a tube-like void or channel molded into the center of the fly.

How?

Choose any smooth surface needle, wire or plastic tube of the desired diameter.

Coat the (temporary) tube with mold release wax. Now coat the waxy wire with fast drying fabric ciment.

Once cured wet the wire surface with a slower curing fabric cement. Tie any large or small fly (wet or dry) fly on top.

Set it aside 20 minutes or so.

Pull the fly off tne waxy wire mold. You now have a channel fly.

Industrial (boat builder's) mold release wax is neither forbidden nor required. Bees wax and ski wax works too.

...remounting the hinged deck today, with big 12"inch gate hinges, was the last huff and puff work step.

It's all bolts, screws and finishing from here.

Splash down date depends more on whether weather than me now.