Gerbubble Bug

Can anyone lead me to Tom Loving's 1920's traditional Gerbubble pattern?
With Google, Yahoo and meta search engines all I can find is spun hair
versions and Gerbubble signs. A picture would also be interesting to see.

Was his original Gerbubble body made from a bottle stopper cork body, from
balsa wood or both?

Did he make the body out of two halves and glue them together or did he cut
slots on both body sides and insert the hackle and glue it into the slots?

Has anyone seen a Gerbubble body made out of foam?

Thanks.
John

Fly tying and fishing for Bass and Panfish by Tom Nixon has the original
pattern in it I believe. I'll have to check. I know I have a pic
somewhere. It was made of grooved balsa.


--
Joseph D. Cornwall
http://www.flyfishohio.com
Fly Fishing Warm Water Rivers


"John" wrote in message
...
Can anyone lead me to Tom Loving's 1920's traditional Gerbubble pattern?
With Google, Yahoo and meta search engines all I can find is spun hair
versions and Gerbubble signs. A picture would also be interesting to see.

Was his original Gerbubble body made from a bottle stopper cork body,
from balsa wood or both?

Did he make the body out of two halves and glue them together or did he
cut slots on both body sides and insert the hackle and glue it into the
slots?

Has anyone seen a Gerbubble body made out of foam?

Thanks.
John

All the pics and the couple of vintage examples I've seen show the wider end
over the eye. I've always been curious about this pattern. I've tied and
fished Murrays deer hair version, but never messed with the balsa. I did
make a couple of the balsa Woolfolk Minnows - real pain in the a** but cool
looking. I may have to play around with making a couple. Send me a pic if
you work something out.


--
Joe Cornwall
http://www.flyfishohio.com

"John" wrote in message
...

"Cornmuse" wrote in message
...
Fly tying and fishing for Bass and Panfish by Tom Nixon has the original
pattern in it I believe. I'll have to check.

Thanks Joe. I'd appreciate it.

I know I have a pic somewhere.

That would be helpful. Any pic would be more useful than the Gerbubble
signs
g Did Tom Nixon have the big end toward the hook eye like the sign
drawing? Or was the big end over the gap which would help offset the
weight
of the hook gap?

It was made of grooved balsa.

I read somewhere balsa was used originally but I've never seen the
origional
pattern. I'm experimenting with foam for the body, synthetics wound into a
one sided hackle brush instead of hackle and you KNOW how I love rubber
legs. g

The theory is to avoid humped shank hooks by tying the hackle brush hackle
side out on the hook. Then tie in crossed rubber legs. Then fold over
the
trapazoid-shaped Gerbubble foam body after super gluing it,

Thanks for your help and good luck on your great book! It is a fun read.

John

"Cornmuse" wrote in message
...
Fly tying and fishing for Bass and Panfish by Tom Nixon has the original
pattern in it I believe. I'll have to check.

Thanks Joe. I'd appreciate it.

I know I have a pic somewhere.

That would be helpful. Any pic would be more useful than the Gerbubble signs
g Did Tom Nixon have the big end toward the hook eye like the sign
drawing? Or was the big end over the gap which would help offset the weight
of the hook gap?

It was made of grooved balsa.

I read somewhere balsa was used originally but I've never seen the origional
pattern. I'm experimenting with foam for the body, synthetics wound into a
one sided hackle brush instead of hackle and you KNOW how I love rubber
legs. g

The theory is to avoid humped shank hooks by tying the hackle brush hackle
side out on the hook. Then tie in crossed rubber legs. Then fold over the
trapazoid-shaped Gerbubble foam body after super gluing it,

Thanks for your help and good luck on your great book! It is a fun read.

John

"Cornmuse" wrote in message
...
All the pics and the couple of vintage examples I've seen show the wider
end
over the eye. I've always been curious about this pattern.
Seems the body is trapezoid shaped with the big end forward like you say.
That placement must give a lot of hickeys during the retrieve!!

I've tied and fished Murrays deer hair version, but never messed with the
balsa.
Racing balsa weighs about 4 pounds/cubic foot. Evazote foam weighs the same
while cork runs 8 to 12 pounds per cubic foot.
Gotta believe big ole momma bass will toss foam less than that hard old
balsa.

But I'm folding the little end next to the eye so that big monstrosity of a
bug will float more horizontal than if the big end was toward the eye! It's
probably gonna be wind resistant and a pain to cast anyway!

I did make a couple of the balsa Woolfolk Minnows - real pain in the a**
but cool
looking. I may have to play around with making a couple.
With all the new synthetics out nowadays it makes sense to use that stuff
instead of normal hackle barbules sticking out the side. I'm testing by
making hackle brushes from stainless and copper wire to dub all this glitter
stuff and foldling.all on one side so they stick out when the foam is folded
over. So far so good.

Send me a pic if you work something out.
Will do plus I will post the pattern here. If you find the original picture
please post it. Wonder what that turkey looked like in 1920 g

Good luck.
John



--
Joe Cornwall
http://www.flyfishohio.com

"John" wrote in message
...

"Cornmuse" wrote in message
...
Fly tying and fishing for Bass and Panfish by Tom Nixon has the
original
pattern in it I believe. I'll have to check.

Thanks Joe. I'd appreciate it.

I know I have a pic somewhere.

That would be helpful. Any pic would be more useful than the Gerbubble
signs
g Did Tom Nixon have the big end toward the hook eye like the sign
drawing? Or was the big end over the gap which would help offset the
weight
of the hook gap?

It was made of grooved balsa.

I read somewhere balsa was used originally but I've never seen the
origional
pattern. I'm experimenting with foam for the body, synthetics wound into
a
one sided hackle brush instead of hackle and you KNOW how I love rubber
legs. g

The theory is to avoid humped shank hooks by tying the hackle brush
hackle
side out on the hook. Then tie in crossed rubber legs. Then fold over
the
trapazoid-shaped Gerbubble foam body after super gluing it,

Thanks for your help and good luck on your great book! It is a fun read.

John