My main reluctance with trying out Clear Cure Goo was the price. The kit is around $50 and I just couldn't justify spending that much for something I wasn't sure I'd like. I ran across a forum thread about people in the same boat I was. The thread pointed out that you could get a whole setup similar to the kit for around $25. The key is the UV curing light. I thought CCG required a special UV flash light but it turns out you can use just any old UV light that's similar. I found one on Amazon for $7 then bought both the flex and thick Goo for $11 each. I'm glad I watched this video first before attempting to use CCG. It saved me from wasting it.
There are a ton of videos online showing you different ways to manipulate the goo and tie a infinite number of patterns. I started covering the clousers I had with the goo to get a feel for how the stuff works. The CCG thick really does cure in about 5 seconds. I probably held the light way longer than I needed to just out of fear the fly wasn't cured. The fly had a tacky sticky feel to it after but that can be removed using Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails or rubbing alcohol. You do smell some fumes while the goo is curing. Not sure what kind of brain damage that is causing. Covering the clouser heads was pretty easy and I have to say they look pretty cool as well.
My main goal for getting the goo was to tie some surf candies. I saw a few videos and it looked easy enough. I found right away after doing my first one that it definitely is not as easy as it looks. Especially using the CCG flex. the flex has a different consistency than the thick.The thick comes out like thick maple syrup and the flex comes out like neosporin. You can manipulate the thick by rotating the vise and have the material shape itself. With the flex you have to do more work. I tried manipulating the material with a bodkin and the applicator but it took more time than I liked. Each fly took about 8-10 minutes. I like how the flies turned out but they look like deformed bait fish.
The thing I love about the flex is the feel it gives to the fly. It's a rubber life like feel. The fly is squishy but firm at the same time. I think it really will make fish believe what they have eaten is alive and hold on to the fly longer. The candies were tied using EP 3D fibers. That's going to be a whole different blog post. I can't say I'd recommend them with the goo yet or not. I can tell you the stuff is strange and gets all over the place. I tied the foxy clousers on the right with the same stuff. I love how they turned out but I didn't use the goo with them.
I'm tying all these flies for our family vacation. We're going to Florida and I'm hoping to have a arsenal built up for the surf and bays near where we're staying. I'll try to keep posting what I tie and my experiences with the different materials as I go.
