# EP Brushes



## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Look at Congo Hair save some money


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## bonehead (Dec 9, 2016)

Congo hair is great and I use it with my flies sometimes, but it does not shed water like EP. Very similar to casting rabbit/zonker flies like a bunny. 

Brushes are very durable, at least in my experiences, and although they seem pricey up front they do last and give the fly a longer life. You may also want to look into Senyo's Laser Dub, around 2$ a package and you can make baitfish heads in any color you can imagine.


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## Gervais (Nov 28, 2016)

after buying lots of EP brushes I’ve determined I really like the foxy brush and it’s very hard to replicate. I use it for shrimp patterns and bunny heads. Also the 3” grizzly works well for baitfish heads and you can put marabou and more flowing materials behind it for more movement than just EP fibers. Overall they are very easy to tie in and taper evenly with a razor. Other than those two I don’t by anymore of the others


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

bonehead said:


> Congo hair is great and I use it with my flies sometimes, but it does not shed water like EP. Very similar to casting rabbit/zonker flies like a bunny.
> 
> Brushes are very durable, at least in my experiences, and although they seem pricey up front they do last and give the fly a longer life. You may also want to look into Senyo's Laser Dub, around 2$ a package and you can make baitfish heads in any color you can imagine.


Love the laser dub!


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## Pierson (Mar 16, 2016)

Ohhh yeah, the brush is definitely a great way to make some sexy flies in no time at all. Watch some videos on how to do it well, and make sure you use a bodkin or the tip of your scissors or something similar to pull out all the fibers that get wrapped over. It is easy to tie an ok fly with no experience, but with a little care and technique, you can tie a super sexy fly just as fast and easy.

I like the Foxy brush and the Senyo Chromatic brush best. Get some tail material (craft fur, polar fiber, regular EP, whatever you like) tie that just before the bend of the hook, wrap the shank in EP brush, slap on some dumbbell, bead chain, or even some 3D eyes, trim it to your liking and you have a deadly fly that can be tied in under 5 minutes. Good luck!


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## k-roc (Feb 8, 2018)

The craftfur brush is really cool too. I'll tie in a tail of black craftfur, then do a couple wraps of purple/black craftfur brush (this just adds a sweet color blend), and then a head of 6-8 wraps of 1.5" purple foxy brush for the head. Basically Drew Chicone's peppermint punisher. Easiest fly ever!


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## RJTaylor (Oct 4, 2017)

Thanks for the info everyone, it looks like I will be giving them a shot.


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## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

All of the EP brushes have their place, and they really make tying a beautiful fly a quick and easy task. I've tried others and they're not bad - I just think the EP brushes are superior.

I use a toothbrush to tease the fibers out and brush them back 3x per revolution around the shank. A rotary vise makes this easier. You'll build far less bulk and get your money's worth from the different fiber components of the brush you're using. You want the wire core as close to the shank of the hook as possible to avoid covering over your last revolution.

They're pricey, but whatevs. This is what we like to do so who cares? You don't need the entire kaleidoscope of colors in order to tie and effective fly. Obviously the wide range of colors and brush types lends itself the artistic aspect of fly tying, but you can limit your colorways and still catch just as many fish as the wildest color combos you'll ever see.

We don't really know how fish see color, anyway.

Definitely try the brushes out. I use some type of brush on almost every fly that I tie.


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## Tx_Whipray (Sep 4, 2015)

I use them a lot for Redfish crack, which is the fly I fish probably 50% of the time. Purple, tan, olive, an black are the colors I keep handy


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## GullsGoneWild (Dec 16, 2014)

oh I love me some EP craft fur brushes! I tie the majority of my redfish flies using this material. Its just makes a sexy fly in what seems like seconds. I'm personal to the two-tone craft fur brushes especially the pink and purple. I think the top and bottom flies have rattles. middle does not. I usually add one to two pieces of flash which is really apparent in the bubble gum flies below.





  








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GullsGoneWild


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May 24, 2018


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

I figured out how to make my own brushes, but it's a PITA. The good thing tho, you can have a lot of spare materials that you don't use anymore, but blended with the right materials, they can be very useful.

I do like and use the EP brushes. Yes I hate the price. I have a friend that is very good friends with Enrico and he usually brings him a nice big care package when he comes and stays with him. So he'll throw me a few from time to time. I feel like I'm a dog waiting for table scraps! Lol I've personally met Enrico and his wife. They are great people. So I support their product regardless if I find another alternative source. Just will buy both. 

Yes I do like the foxy brushes and if mostly what I use in the brushes. I tend to shy away from the really flashy brushes, since I've found that too much flash tends to turn off fish, except for trash fish. So brushes with extremely sparse to no flash for me. Then I add in what I want. Usually going less flash than more. 

I didn't know they made brushes out of congo hair. I'm hoping someone like fly tier's dungeon will start carrying good but inexpensive brushes.

Let me give you a freeby tip from my fly tying desk. Those of you who tie crab patterns or toads, forget the old del merkin style shell bodies. Instead, use a brush and palmer it tightly for a big bushy body. Once tied off, then go back and get your trash can under it and start shaping your crab shell body with a good pair of scissors. Your crab flies will never look so good! You can also use the crustation brush for a very crabby look.










Btw, this is my own crab design. It's flat on the top and bottom. All my crabs have swam sideways for the last 20yrs. I use to tie them out of spun deer body hair, but the EP sinks faster. This pattern uses lead wire to help get it down.

Those of you that participated in the Tarpon fly swap, that tarpon crab I tied was a sparsely version. If you don't like them, send them back cause my last 2 just went bye, bye and I can use a few more. 

Ted


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## Seymour fish (May 13, 2018)

permitchaser said:


> Look at Congo Hair save some money


Love Congo Hair. Brushes can add more bulk than you need and require extensive fiddling and trimming thus don’t really save time either. The flies tied with them might leave you wishing you had done better, alongside your buyers remorse


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Seymour fish said:


> Love Congo Hair. Brushes can add more bulk than you need and require extensive fiddling and trimming thus don’t really save time either. The flies tied with them might leave you wishing you had done better, alongside your buyers remorse


It's easy to go too tight and bulky with palmering brushes. So your right with that statement. But I've found if you space it out with some baitfish patterns and especially shrimp patterns, it can work very well.


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## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

Backwater said:


> View attachment 32618
> 
> 
> Btw, this is my own crab design. It's flat on the top and bottom.
> ...


I'd eat that.


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## texasag07 (Nov 11, 2014)

You can also make your own brushes(that what I do) and not pack them full of as much material, I agree they have their place. If I am tying a crab/toad body I use brushes almost exclusively as it saves lots of time. You do waste more material but congo hair is so much cheaper I don't mind.


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