Mr. Dahlberg,
Thanks for the tip. The denier key word really helped. I went to Fly Angler yesterday and bought a selection of synthetics. I tied some deceivers and clousers with super hair, and they seem promising. I also tried a twisted yard variant of super hair, which I thought was worth trying. The Super Hair looks thicker than EP Fiber, which I'll also try. The deceivers seem to require the same pre-wetting prior to the first cast, and have about the same sink rate as a deceiver tied with natural materials.
Bottom line is that I've got a couple of patterns that I hope to transition from natural fiber to synthetic with the idea of getting more durable flies.
I also tried the ZAP cyanoacrylate gel glue as a fly head cement. I definitely prefer the Gorilla brand of gel cyanoacrylate glue, by far, because it is thinner and gives good but not excessive working time.
Another thing is that I like this stuff for the top and bottom collars on a deceiver. It's like EP fiber with fine pearl flashabou in it. Nice to work with too.
http://www.jsflyfishing.com/hareline-me ... lash-pearlNext step is to go out and put em in harm's way and see how they perform with actual fish teeth.