A nice sequential tutorial on how to tie a basic bead head pupa pattern. For the beginner, it gives a nice, clear sequence of pics on how to attach the materials. The Romanian sites often have excellent images to assist the beginning tier.
April Vokey’s entourage states she is in Iceland again. How cool for her. I wonder if this is part of filming for her new TV show coming along? BC, Arkansas, Iceland. Mountain R. Journal pulled a coup there.
Haven’t picked up the two hander since February. Time to start. My mind has been focused on small streams of late. I have not been on a stillwater since March. Way behind on tying. I am pretty organized, so it seems never enough hours to do everything.
Daughter going away to college and has demanded a final hooray camping trip. She states, and the reality looms, that this may be our last family camping trip as the family now stands. Well isn’t that a sudden realization of time’s passage..Eek! Saving grace: she has picked spots on stillwaters. Admonition: ‘Dad, don’t think you are going to go out onto that lake all day either.” One good thing: The mother-daughter tag team of husband-dad oversight is about to be broken up.
Bottom line: Life is fleeting. Nostalgic recollections creep in; Never more obvious then children moving out; another season flying by; my lawn mowing son no where to be found; the clock is ticking.
Opal X Caddis ~ Dennis Potter
No doubt the X Caddis is a performer. Just last week, I had some success with it v. the standard EHC. Might have been sizing too as my EHC was a size 14 and the XC was a size 16…not sure. Anyway, this little gem would be an interesting variation. Worth a tie and try to see if Mr. Potter’s advancement is due beyond the appealing visuals…very nice tie and photo… Dennis has some other nice patterns.
“Initially, foam flies offended the sensibility of some fly-fishers , who favored the traditional patterns made of natural fur and feathers, Tomsu says. But because of their exceptional effectiveness, durability, ease of tying, and especially their inherent unsinkable quality—not to mention their popularity with professional fly-fishing guides around the country—foam flies have now gained widespread acceptance…..Tomsu’s company makes foam cutters to produce realistic flies in myriad sizes and patterns, from giant saltwater and bass creations to tiny mayflies for discriminating trout.”
Chernobyl Ant~Mike Johnson
This pattern shows the use of foam.
Troutnut is an excellent resource for all fly fishers, especially for the beginner try to sort out basic names and later perhaps progressing to more demanding entomological names. Save this site to your favorites and go to it often.
Apologize for not giving credit to Green Drake pic…lost source info…beautiful photo…perhaps someone knows. Perhaps here:
Dry Fly w/ Dropper Fly
Traditional nymphing without the strike indicator (bobber, corkie, yarn, thingamabobber, putty). Most FFer’s today use a strike indicator for nymphing. Have you ever had fish come up bapping your corkie or strike indicator? Yes, so the dry fly indicator is a dry fly buoyant enough to support a nymph or emerger without getting pulled under except by the top of a rock or a fish. The cast, be it rollcast or normal cast must be a open loop affair to allow the two flies to stay apart and turn over without entanglement. The pic above shows an EHC. A Stimulator or Humpy would also work. Any suitably sized nymph can work, but a few suggestions are a Lightning Bug, PTN, Hare’s Ear, Copper John, Chironomid Pupa, Prince Nymph or your creation.
Humpy
Goofball Centro
One of those slightly off the wall yet relevant sites that breaks the conventions and provides relief…Blanco Honky
“Put it this way, your customer service should be so good; your mom should like to shop there, even if she doesn’t fly fish.“ And, if you don’t pay attention, your valued customers will indeed go elsewhere to spend their dollars. Don’t care? Lonely in that shop on a Saturday with no regulars. Where in the hell did they go?
Bawdy Musical Interlubes..er...Interludes
There is a whole other world out there and some people must be the music ‘bums’ of music. I find it most (well not most) intriguing the site of lusty lyrics is cataloged at a Cal State (Fresno) site. Tax dollar at work no doubt. “She wasn’t green, somebody’s been using that thing.” Huh, most of the renditions are only 37 second snippets but interesting from a historical perspective….kind of.
Pheasant Tail Nymph~SwittersB
PTN~SwittersB
As you can see, I tied these two pictured PTN’s differently. I am rarely consistent in tying a dozen flies all the same. The top fly is thicker, has more PT fibers for the tail and body, and I positioned a back strap of flash-mylar tinsel up the top of the abdomen and wrapped the copper rib up over the flash. I used PT for the wingcase. The bottom pattern is more sparse and has no mylar flash. I have previously talked about being a bit disenchanted with the PTN. It just never came thru for me. Of late, it is producing on stillwaters and streams. Wiser fishers swear by it…who am I to ignore this simple pattern.
