TFT Swim Tank

“Field test your tube fly designs at your tying bench"

TFT is proud to announce the "Swim Tank" to our product line-up. Necessity being the mother of invention is what spawned the development of the "Swim Tank". Our goal is to provide you the opportunity to field test your tube fly designs prior to fishing them. Each is hand made to order by yours truly in the good ol' U.S.A.

Please view our demo video clips of our tank in action so you can truly appreciate the unique properties of T's Fur! We are not suggesting the "Swim Tank" exactly replicates the hydrodynamics of a river or stream, NOTHING will, but this tank will serve its intended purpose and you won't spook any fish in the process!

Tanks are constructed of high grade optically clear acrylic with NO seams along the length of the tank which increases rigidity and reduces chances of leaks.
The completely clear acrylic construction allows for nearly 360 degree viewing for you video and photography buffs.
The dimensions of 27 inches long 4.5 inches wide and 10 inches deep make it easily portable.
The pump system has adjustable flow rate and will push 740 gallons per hour or close to nearly one liter every second at the highest setting with four lower settings (pump system imported from Italy).
Approximately three gallons of water are needed.

Tank Price: $325.00 (plus $50.00 for shipping and handling…USA only!)
Dealer inquiries welcomed!

Note- Clean tank with a non-solvent based window cleaner and soft cloth.

- the ORIGINAL

T's Swim Tank

Fish Eye View!

Test Surface Flies Too!

This video clip is the result of countless hours of tube fly testing addressing the issue of hang down of the tube fly while swimming. Prior to my development of the Swim Tank" the only testing was on the stream with a "fisherman's eye view" of the fly in the stream. Some claim that the issue of hang down is "unnatural" some such as Hakan Norling the Godfather of modern Scandinavian tube flies have no issue with the so called problem of hang down. In retrospect for the last several years all of the Scandinavian tube flies that I and others have been fishing here in the Lake Erie tributaries were exhibiting hang down which did not prevent numerous steelhead to be hooked and landed.

I felt this issue should be addressed for those who may feel hang down is an issue and should somehow be rectified! Countless hours were spent Swim Tank testing numerous manufacturer component designs. The first variable I was able to eliminate as far as hang down was hook weight. It seemed that progressively changing to lighter and smaller hooks had a negligible effect on diminishing hang down. The next variable was the amount of weight applied to the head and or body of the tube fly. It was discovered that a weight approaching 15 to 22 grams did effectively eliminate hang down but at the expense of substantially reducing the tube fly swimming action vertically as well as horizontally in the water columns. It was at this point that I concluded that weight in the rear of the tube fly was not the issue and these excessive weights at the head were needed to counteract the issue of DRAG ON THE WING!!!!! It was deduced that this wing drag was what was pulling the head up and tail down.

I experimented with different wing designs such as "belly wings" which seem to eliminate the hang down by fifty to seventy five percent. I increased the amount of collar hackle at the head of the tube fly in attempts to equalize the drag resulted in a moderately positive effect. The final and most effective cure for the hang down in the Scandinavian style fly that I was able to devise was the reversal of the fluorofiber hott butt or tail tag to a down position. This has proven so far as the simplest and most effective hang down control as one can see in the video. The same fly with the hott butt in the up position exhibits approximately thirty to fifty degrees of hang down. The hott butt construction is done as usual but it was found that two or three drops of crazy glue added to the hott butt base, allowing it to seep into the bottom one third of the fibers to stiffen them forms a "stabilizing keel" if you will. This design so far in this 2009 steelhead season has not seemed to cause any negative effects as far as steelhead hookups. The major advantage of this design is the ability to keep the weight as well as the threaded head small at the tube fly head in the range of one half of a gram which results in superior movement in the vertical and horizontal water columns for a more life like action imparted upon the tube fly.

5 Speed Turbulence Adjustment

Centered Tippet Holder