# Playing with EP



## Fishsurfer (Dec 14, 2014)

Well I have been putting in a lot of time on this PC and it seems like I am making excuses not to fish. I busted out the fly box and was doing an inventory and I remembered something I have been wanting to try; EP fiber Clousers and EP crack fly variants. I had purchased assorted varieties of EP Fibers and Near Hair, that is very similar, and started putting some together. These types of fibers are pretty incredible because of the way they absorb water. The shape can be manipulated by trimming or piling in the right place to produce a very effective fly pattern. I use a lot of flashabou types with them and also colors that I know produce hits. If any of you are working with EP Fibers or similar, please post pics of your flies. I, as many of you, will get stuck on one pattern or idea and it really helps to see other points of perspective. The first set of pictures are of them dry (nothing special here) with the second set of the same flies but wet.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

I use a lot of EP. The shrimp I usually add a back of Steve Farrar fiber. Same on the mud minnow. The crack like fly is Steve Farrar tail. I do that I craft fur too.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

EP is tough and will last through many fish. Same story on the Steve Farrar. I will lose the fly before the fish destroy it.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

These mud minnows I usually weight them with a bead on a jig hook. You can weight them in different ways. I try to do that more now with patterns that work is to have different weighted versions from unweighted to the tungsten beaded. 

The shrimp I put a Pyrex rattle on top of the shank. I can add a little lead wire if I don't want the weight of the heavy tungsten bead. Adding the wire to the rattle's top side insures the fly will ride point up. 

My crack fly I tie with bead chain all the way to medium Dumbbells. I use more of the small and extra small dumbbells more than any.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

People tie a lot of tan crack flies, but I do mine in a lot of colors. The Steve Farrar makes better tail material than EP. Steve Farrar gives a different look to the crack fly vs the more normal craft fur. 

Here is a crack fly in silver.


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## southpaw (Feb 25, 2009)

EP, Congo Hair, and SF blends are all really versatile materials for building collars and bodies and they're really durable which is a huge plus in my book. As Karstopo said, I don't usually use it for tails. There's better synthetic materials out there for that if you ask me (Craft fur, psuedo hair, etc).

Typically with EP (I actually use congo hair or water silk, same stuff at 1/4 of the price), I will dub it into a brush for crack flies or different shrimp patterns or I X-wrap it to make bodies for crab flies or baitfish patterns. The beauty of making your own brushes is you can tailor them to whatever you need. Control the width, alternate colors, add micro legs or flash and whatever else you can dream up.

Crack Flies, already mentioned










Smartt shrimp variation










EP Shrimp










EP Crabs










Kwan










Apparently I don't have any pics of the EP baitfish I tie, but they're super easy. Just google it.


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## Whipray (Mar 12, 2007)

A couple of versions of Redfish Crack


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## Ripin' Lips (Jul 3, 2012)

i've been tying baitfish patterns with the EP 3" craftfur brush. Its so simple that even a idiot like me cant mess it up. I tie in a little flash material first and then wrap the brush towards the eyes and stop just behind the eye. It makes for a sexy fly that you cant screw up. I'll post some pics tonight.


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## Ripin' Lips (Jul 3, 2012)

the pink and purple fly is my go to fly. the tan and chartreuse fly has a small rattle tied in behind the fly.


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## Joe. T. (Jun 7, 2008)

the stuff EP puts out makes tying simple. i started using ep tarantula or streamer brush with the micro legs for the head just makes it look more buggy.EP fiber goes along way i would suggest using it more sparsely particularly on mullet patterns.


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