Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the Fly Fishing Forum forums, you must first register. 
Please enter your desired user name, your email address and other required details in the form below. 

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account.  Note that passwords are case-sensitive. 

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself. 

Email Address:

Log-in

User Name

Remember Me? 

Password

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic. 

Additional Options

Miscellaneous Options

Automatically parse links in text

Automatically embed media (requires automatic parsing of links in text to be on). 

Rate Thread

If you like, you can add a score for this thread. 

Topic Review (Newest First)

08-18-2003 08:46 AM

Bee

For the cotter keys I have use, I have used wire cutter to cut a portion of the short piece of the key off by perhaps 3/8 of an inch, then I use needle nose pliers to fold the long piece back , forming a loop end in the process, Thus, it is a waddington shank except the front does not bend up at the tie in point, like a salmon hook would.  I guess you could do that but I have not on the ones I have made, but I have thopught about tying in a small swivel on the fron t of these flies, ?  Anybody done that?  Also, I am using heavy backing for the loop for the hook, and I am tying it in along the cotter key shank, and locking it dwon so it goes through the back loop of the cotter key..thus if it bust loose elsewhere you have a safety hook of sorts(for what ever it is worth)...the thread-through the back eye with the leader, mentioned above, is perhaps a better approach.  The weights available are quite interesting nd there is no question you can use some keys that are interesting casting as they can be heavy heavy if you get aggressive on the size of the cotter key..but they will get DOWN. 

08-17-2003 12:49 PM

fredaevans

NC, made a call to one of the folks who

uses cotter keys.  His answer is that (1) you're right, if you don't get the thing clamped down tight in the vise jaws (he uses very large jaws for this) you're in trouble from the get go.  He also uses very heavy thread (kevlar?)  so he can cinch down and keep the key 'closed.' 

To attach the hook he runs the leader through the opening of the cotter key (apparently he will bend up the "eye" on lighter ones), leader through this, down the side of the fly, through a short section of soft plastic tubing (same stuff you'd use for fish tanks), attach hook and slide tube/leader/hook on to the straight end of the cotter key. 

Jimmie noted the hair pin idea of his above.  I've seen what he's looking at doing and it appears to be a very cool idea.  Looking forward to seeing some of these 'converted' to flys. 

fae

08-17-2003 11:11 AM

JDJones

Women's hair pins

also make a good substitute for Waddington shanks.  They are probably available in many colors but only one size and weight.  And boy are they cheap!  $1.00 for a pack of 75. 

><///('>
JD

08-17-2003 09:35 AM

nevada caster

cotter keys

To use them as Waddingtons, do you put a bend on the other end to hold the hook? 
To fish them as tube flies, how do you keep them open.  I find that as I progress through the tying that I ofen compress the key, which loosens all of the previous wraps and the fly falls apart. 

08-15-2003 02:32 PM

fredaevans

Know a coupe of other folks who use cotter keys rather ..

than Waddingtons.  For them, initially, it was a cost/avaliability thing.  They've come to a similar conclusion given all the choices in size, wt.  etc.  And if you fish them like a tube fly they go on the leader quite nicely. 

fae

08-15-2003 02:26 PM

Bee

cotter keys substitute for waddington shanks

I have been tying a little bit with waddington shanks purchased from JAck.  As I ran out of the purchsed shanks, I visited a hardware store and looked at the cotter key selection, bought a few in various sizes and weights, took the pliers to them, and lo and behold, I have an incredible array of sizes and weights of semi-waddington shanks, or sons of waddington, or something akin to a waddington shank.  Anyway, just a thought in case you run out of real waddingtons...