The Essential Hollow Fleye Baitfish Fly Pattern 

Thanks, Terrence! I appreciate it!

On of the best comments I'd have read and agree 100 %

Hey, Brian, I really appreciate it! Hope fishing's going well for you.

Hey SJB, I really appreciate it! Some awesome fishing in NZ, and not too far from the great stuff in Australia. Am I right? Thanks again!

Awesome to hear that they're helping someone out and not putting them to sleep. Thanks so much, Raevenswood!

Hey thanks, Eric! Glad I'm not the only one chuckling.

Hey Bobber, don't underestimate the power of bucktail! It requires the right types of bucktail and has a learning curve, but hollow fleyes and bulkheads are extremely effective for big fish. Thanks for the comments!

+Sean Mooney Hi Sean. I'm always finding various bits of flash and bucktail all over the house, little reminders of a tying session a month or two ago. I wish you an early spring, and good tying. Thanks for the comment, Sean.

Hey, Peter. Thanks a bunch!

Thanks again, Ted. I've found it to be critical for this pattern. I also repeat this step every time I use the bucktail version, since they have a tendency to get bent out of shape whenever I'm using them from the boat or on the bank in general. I appreciate the comments a lot!

Glad I could help, Marty. Good luck, and feel free to shoot me an email from the site anytime.

Thanks, Henry. Fly fishing and tying is fun, so why not laugh a bit? That's how I look at it anyway. Thanks again!

Hey thanks, man. Let me know how they work for you!

Thanks, Gary! Glad to provide some instruction and a chuckle!

+Patrick Brennan Thanks Patrick! Hopefully, it helps you catch a few more fish.

Hey, thanks, Marco! I appreciate it!

You're too kind, Trond! Thanks!

Hey thanks, Wally. I appreciate it!

Hey Bluesimon, I'm sure the Hollow Fleye in some form would crush sea bass over there. You could tie them up to 7 inches pretty easily, or you could tie them pretty micro down to around 2 inches with craft fur. Here's the article with video on that: toflyfish.com/craft-fur-hollow-fleye/ You can also add glow flashabou etc. if you fish at night. Good luck!

Thanks a ton, TOF! I appreciate it!

Hey, thanks, Robbie! Nice to see someone understands the addiction. Hope fishing's treating you well.

I agree on all of this. There are so many reasons I love this pattern, but another reason is because it lands softly. It's not always necessary to have that feather-soft landing, but many times, it's hugely important. The huge aquatic imprint of this fly is another reason I love it so much. Thanks for chiming in and adding some thoughts on the pattern.

Thanks Dustin, I really appreciate it! I wish I had more time for it, but I've just had to prioritize other things, including actually fishing. I plan to really begin posting quite a lot here in the near future, including more about fly fishing in general. Thanks again, Dustin! P.S. I did create this eBook with 6 other fly fishing travel experts if you're interested in travel. toflyfish.com/fly-fishing-travel-book/ Hope life's great!

Thanks, Jasper!

Hey Mike, yes, they work really well when you don't want to smash down the head on your fly pattern. They're surprisingly durable too.

Nice to know , I use the synthetic jungle cock eyes and they work great, but nothing like 3 D eyes

It's hard to resist good bucktail!

@@toflyfish ¹

Hey GW, Zap-a-Gap is NOT necessary. There are all sorts of glues. I just love the consistency and drying time. I've used it for decades, so that's what I use. Experiment and see what you like.

Thanks, Lutz!

Sorry for the late response. Alan, I've not worked with Unique Hair before, but it looks like Supreme Hair. Normally, I would not tie with this type of fiber for hollow flies, because there is little to no flair. I would simply tie the pattern with high and low ties, or with bullet style ties. Bob Popovics ties his Surf Candy with Supreme Hair, and he uses epoxy/acrylic to shape the pattern. Hope his helps!

Hey thanks for the comment! I normally use pretty much the same length of bucktail on Hollow Fleyes. The tie-in spot helps to balance the materials. With Bulkheads, I use much smaller length bucktail on the head. For me, Bulkheads are Hollow Fleyes up to the head, then you take the super hollow short sections towards the base of the bucktail and spin it to make a compact head. Hope that helps!

@@toflyfish Thanks for the tips. Will give a try using similar length for each bucktail section. But I am confused with your second paragraph, it is due to my limited knowledge in fly tying. I am not sure I know what bulkhead means in fly tying. In your last sentence you mentioned to spin bucktail to make a compact head, can I assume you meant to spin the bucktail like deer hair in a rolled muddler? Cheers!

I was just referring to another fly that's fairly close to the Hollow Fleye. Good luck with your tying!

@@toflyfish Thanks. Cheers!

Hey Sigurdur, for sure! Much of the time, it's better to use a different material like craft fur since bucktail is better for somewhat longer flies. Here is the pattern using craft fur: toflyfish.com/craft-fur-hollow-fleye/ I regularly make this fly around 2 to 3 inches with craft fur. Good luck!

and btw, were can i get my hands on them nice eyes? havent seen them before /Matte

Hey, thanks a ton! In my experience, the best place for tab eyes is Bear's Den Fly Fishing Co. They really have some great stuff, and you can order online. Thanks again!

Hey Jake Finn, tying flies can be an intimate experience! Glad to help out in any way I can.

Nice, man! Pink works on silver salmon and even smallies. Hope fishing's good!

@@toflyfish thanks! i made sure to stroke it into the correct position!

@@abfishes7629 😳 The fish are always the true judges!

Hey, Jason. With this and other similar patterns, the hook is very important--the lighter, the more erratic the action. The species that you're going after is also something you must take into consideration. For the most part with northern pike, smallmouth, and largemouth not in heavy cover, I have fallen in love with the Partridge Predator hook, CS86. You can go up to the heavy version for musky and larger northerns. 1/0 is standard for decent smallmouth, and 2/0-4/0 for larger species and bigger fish are perfect. Here's the article as well, toflyfish.com/hollow-fleye/. I hope this helps!

Bear's Den. 👍

Hey Joe! Try Bearsden. They have a ton of good stuff. Hope that helps.

Thanks.

Hey, thanks Tom! Glad to know I'm not alone!

Hey Chris. Do you mean can "a person" tie this fly in larger sizes with articulation or can "I" provide some tutorials of this fly in bigger musky sizes plus some articulation? Thanks.

yes can you show how to make the muskie sized fly

Hey Chris, I don't fish for musky enough to really have some amazingly different flies from those that are already out there. However, I do use hollow tying in some form on almost every musky or pike fly that I tie. There are some great links to fly pattern tutorials from a podcast that I did with Chris Willen on our site. toflyfish.com/musky-on-the-fly/ The T-bone, Buford, and Optic Minnow all have hollow/reverse tying. The problem with strict hollow tying is that you can't find bucktail that will tie patterns longer than 8 inches, and I actually use Bulkheads more than hollows for these size flies in most cases. I'll probably do a tutorial on Bulkheads in the future. Also, a final note, Blane Chocklett uses a tubing to really push and keep that hair back, so keep in mind that you can use tubing or thread for musky flies. Good luck!

i have some really course yak hair that might work its not hollow like bucktail but might flair a little if i build up a dam in front I will let you know if it works out

Synthetics don't work quite as well for me when tying hollow flies. I don't know if this is synthetic or natural yak hair, since both exist in the fly tying world. These longer fibers can be great for making tails. You can really use bucktail to make a large dam right in front of the fiber to give the illusion of bulk. You might like Icelandic sheep/streamer hair, but pick out your own since each bit of hair can vary in length tremendously. There are also other less common products for creating longer patterns. Shoot me an email from the site if you have any more questions. Thanks!

Hey, Logan. Not really. The reason I say this is because the fly's magic, in my mind, is from its potential energy when the fly is submerged with a sinking line. This comes from the bucktail and the denser head. Now if you want a more subtle action, then tie the fly with much less bucktail. The fly's action won't be as erratic in this case, but it might do the job for you. You can also use a heavier hook. For me, I want a light hook and a relatively dense fly, because this will give you a great action. Play around with it and see what works for you. When it comes down to it, your best bet is to use the craft fur version. You can definitely use this pattern with a floating line, but it's hard to find craft fur that will tie flies longer than 4.5 to 5 inches. I love the craft fur version; it absolutely destroys fish, and I use it as my main minnow pattern for flies 4.5 and below. Make sure to give it a nice dense head. toflyfish.com/craft-fur-hollow-fleye/

toflyfish thanks for the reply. I will look at the craft fur. I don't need anything bigger than 4". it will be for river bass.

Hey Tom, there are quite a few factors for me when I choose my hook. How you want the fly to act in the water: lighter hook and denser fly = more darting action; heavier hook and sparser fly = less darting action. If you're going for really huge and powerful saltwater species like GTs or smaller fish on the reef, this will make a huge difference in hook selection, as you know. If you are tying smaller flies, then you might try craft fur--I have a video on that. An overall great saltwater hook is the Daiichi X452. I love this hook and think it's the best bonefish hook by far. It's got a great overall shape for baitfish as well. The Partridge CS86 should have enough room for 4 Hollow ties since it has a pretty long shank, if you use it. Try working on your spacing and sparsity of your first two ties. Then, work on getting those last two ties really close. If you want less movement in your pattern, you can tie more sparsely on all four ties. Hope that helps!

Thanks = Understood :-)/ I'll keep practicing.

Hey Michael, Bear's Den is a great place to get most things having to do with fly tying. Thanks!

Tab eyes.

Hey, I appreciate the comment! Thanks again!

Hey John, 3/16" in this video. Here's the page, which might answer any other questions you might have. Hope this helps!

Hi David, I've used Regal Vises as long as I can remember. The Medallion or the Revolution are very good options. The Revolution is a true rotary. I prefer the clamp version myself, but the pedestal version is available if you like. There are four jaws, and I prefer the Big Game or the Traditional. They changed the Traditional, so now it's not quite as versatile as it once was. If you tie mostly larger flies and nymphs, the Big Game jaws are the best option. They will tie smaller flies too, but not as easily as if you were to use the Midge head. Hope this helps. Thanks!

Thanks I Just Ordered the Regal Revolution I was only able to get the traditional Jaws I will order a big Game jaw set from some where. I am looking forward to tying on this new vice. Thanks for the information on the Regal I will love it for years to come I bought the pocket pedestal.

Awesome, David! I hope you like these vises as much as I do. Happy tying!

Awesome, David! I hope you like these vises as much as I do. Happy tying!

Hey Shuhail, this pattern will work for GTs for sure, but it depends on the situation. I'm not an authority on GTs, but there are many GT flies similar to this pattern like the Semper and the GT Slammer. Good luck!

The perfect fly does that to me! :)

Obrigado!

Hey Samuel, "necessary" is all relative. It will make your fly way more durable. One tooth or shred from a gnarly predator will cause your fly to disintegrate! I coat any fly I have in glue or lacquer, even my midge imitations. Try both ways and see what works for you though. Thanks for chiming in!

When you stroke and caress a fly this much........things tend to get messy. Just enjoy the process and keep a napkin handy

Hey, thanks, Speysider! That about sums up most of my videos...at least the quirky part. Thanks again!

Hi Stephen, I agree that we should use any tying method that catches us more fish and that gives us more confidence. However, "moving with the times" is at times just as mindless as using what you've always used. The fly fishing industry has more gimmicks than a low-scale carnival. It's an exciting time to fly tie, and there are tons of improvements, but the Hollow tying method/reverse tying is going nowhere. From the biggest musky flies to white bass, this method produces absolute fish catchers. I could go on and on why this method of tying is useful. Including, the Bulkhead method, these flies have unreal action. My Hollow Fleyes produce a walking-the-dog action virtually unrivaled by any other fly pattern, except for maybe flies like the Airhead and other similarly hollow flies. The Hollow Fleye comes in whatever density you want, so the action is based off of your tying technique. That being said, I appreciate your comment that we should think outside of the box. Nothing is set in stone in fly fishing/fly tying, and each species requires different conventions and triggers. If the species you go after prefer something different, then feel free to use what it takes. I'm all for seeing what other tyers produce, and I've learned the most from other tyers. That is a big reason why I have produced this video, so that others can learn the technique and then improve on what they learn. I will definitely disagree though that this technique is useless. Thanks for the comments.

More volume with less material/weight, that is the key for this type of fly. BUT there is a thing, you really need to use less material, like 1/3 of what have been used

It definitely won't be the last time!

My work here is done!

My life's story! Thanks for the comment, Dustin.