Fly Tying: Green Drake Dun (Complicated to Simpler)

Several years ago when I was more motivated to tie more exacting patterns, I spent considerable time on fly patterns. Several things happened from this exacting behavior: I realized such patterns, for me, did not outperform simpler patterns; I hated to lose the complicated patterns; I derived no sense of satisfaction from the effort. Below are some Bunse like Green Drake duns with a deer hair bullet head, parachute, extended tail. They look damn good, but try as I may, I do as well with a Humpy or a Wulff Green Drake. Now, I am not discounting the artistic, more exacting bent of many tiers. As I have said before, my pragmatic, lazy side supersedes my artistic side. The Bunse style is novel and still worth an effort by the talented tier. (see comments section for tying info)

Now, I tied a dozen or so of these flies. And, the moose mane tail has little durability; neither does elk hair. Most have broken or bent as much from storage or casting than catching and releasing a fish. Below, you can see the damage to the tails. Perhaps today’s tail fibetts would be a far better choice?

Tail End Tale (SwittersB)

So, below is my type of fly…a Wulff style…quicker, durable, productive. The hardest part, and it isn’t hard is the hair wing (calf tail) tied in and split to form a V wing. This a great fly for heavier waters. The ribbing could have been a little better.

Emily’s Cheesecake (Light & Easy)

Emily's Cheesecake (How To Cook Like Your Grandmother)

Perfectly Light After All That Meat

Fly Fishing: Redfish~Something I Would Like to Do Someday

Red Fish (Bart Larmouth @ http://somethinsfishy.wordpress.com/)

My fishing fantasies tend toward the North (Alaska, B.C., Quebec, Yukon). But, now and then, I will catch a show of guys working a back channel of a marsh for Redfish and I think I could enjoy that, especially with a fly rod. Maybe someday.

Fly Fishing: Tippet (X Size to Pound Size)

Always willing to share most, some..a few of my foibles. Either I am anal retentive or suffering from some degree of ADD or a combination. I have never cared enough to memorize the chart that tells what approximate pound test matches what X number. Maybe it started when I read the disclaimer that different manufacturers had different diameters hence the charts were approximations. Well, hell, why bother. Well, you have to bother because the industry seems to care about the traditional X numbers for some reason (I was one of the slow ones sitting in the back of the classroom). So, because apparently I need to know more than 8x is cobweb and x1 is for steelhead, I am including a few charts for a Spring refresher. I spend a lot of time in the 4-6# range…no, the 5x-3x range.

Fly Tying: Booby Fly & Floozeyes

I have wanted to experiment with Booby fly patterns but have turned away from the process of cutting foam; not quite having the right materials to make round buoyant eyes; no color options. Not sure who all carries these FLOOZEYES and where they distribute (UK for sure). By the pictures, I assume the eyes are joined by something that will allow tying the eyes to the shank. If anyone has had experience with this product respond, if you would, and let us know on durability, tying ease, options. Put a heavier sinking line on the bottom and allow the Booby fly to rise up off the bottom (controlled by length of leader/tippet) and inch back.

Floozeyes

Owl On Target

Birds In Flight

Fly Tying: Green Drake Emerger (Subsurface)

The large morsel Green Drake is fish candy for sure. A typical Green Drake emerger will be tied to float in the film, dangling down to simulate the emergence of the dun from the nymph body through the split thorax. However, the wet fly, albeit large, has a place here as an emerging dun can emerge while the nymph is still subsurface and drifting in the current. I tied two patterns here. Both identical except for the abdomen.

In Rick Haefle’s NYMPH-FISHING Rivers & Streams (A Biologist’s View of Taking Trout Below the Surface), he discusses the habitat of the Western Green Drake (Drunella) in freestone streams (fast riffles and runs with larger cobble substrate) and in cold spring creeks (gentler currents with aquatic vegetation and woody debris). As the nymphs mature, they migrate to slower water along the edges of riffles before the emergence. It is at this time of emerging, that the nymphs let go of their tight grip of the bottom and drift or “swim clumsily toward the surface film.” Nymphs/Duns will attempt to hatch at mid point all the way up into the film. The above patterns are more of a large wet fly to fish below the surface up into the film. (A Nice Pic Here at TU)

Fly Fishing: Yes, It Is Time To Turn Away! Outside We Go!

Force Yourself To watch it all…will indeed ease you into the outdoors. Tiger Woods, Betty White, Oil Spills, Incessant Obama, American Idol (ugh), NBA Playoffs..turn away and let’s all get outside. My Vitamin D levels have to be in the toilet.

Slip Strike Indicator by frycdf

“A slip strike indicator allows you to set and easily change the depth at which you fish your flies from your indicator. It also allows for a quick-release “…

I have previously posted re how to slip strike indicator, but I think this effort is much more clearly presented. It is a nice presentation on stillwaters for a vertical or wind drifted presentation of a leech or chironomid or any subsurface fly. When I saw Brian Chan doing this, he was wind drifting small leech patterns. It is perfect for running a long leader from indicator to fly and once the fish hits and the pull frees the indicator, it slides down toward the fish making it easy to land the fish. The casting/lobbing could be difficult if seated in a tube (Chan was standing in a boat), but this may be one of those get the rig out there aways from you, then feed line out and row/kick away from the fly. If you can roll cast the rig away from you with enough force you may be able to cast fairly easy if the indicator is not a considerable distance from the fly. frycdf has quite a few youtube vid’s that are helpful.

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Milka Duno: Danica Patrick Step Aside

Milka Duno of Venezuela and a pleasant draw within the racing circuit is displaying  much more class and beauty than the whiny Danica. Perhaps the notoriety and pressures to perform have finally revealed looks or not, Danica Patrick does not possess the steam to play in the big’s.The tempestous little whiner needs to move to the rear and stop blaming the team, car..everything except where the blame belongs….squarely upon her flat chest.

Milka

Lovely Milka

Milka Duno