Fly Tying: Wet Fly (Trust in the Wet Fly)_

Not much to say about this often presented pattern. I have said it before, that I know seasoned fly fishers, who travel to the prime spots of the Western U.S. and (purposely) only fish small, wet flies. They are successful at connecting with trout. So, for the beginning fly tier and/or fisher,  this is a necessary pattern in your arsenal…punto! Mayfly, Chironomids, Caddis.

Wet Fly: Peacock Hurl body, ribbed, brown hackle (SB)

The peacock hurl body (abdomen) is wound with two hurls. The lighter green (contrast/segmentation) wire ribbing is wound up through the body. A slight thorax is dubbed with dark green synthetic dubbing. A dyed brown grizzly hackle is wrapped twice for the wing/legs. All this on a size 16 hook. Of course, as you will see with many utilitarian fly patterns….the fly lends itself to all the colors of insects and a sequence of hook sizes to cover all those possibilities.

An aside note: notice the green ribbing on the fly above. It is counter wrapped over the body material, which allows the ribbing to stay atop the body material rather sinking into the grooves of the wound body material.

Fly Tying: Antron Loop Wing for Emerger

This is a shot of a pattern I had seen in Tying Emergers: A Complete Guide.  I used pheasant tail fibers for the tail and body on a size 16 hook. The wing was a piece of Antron yarn tied in at the back of the thorax area. I dubbed a sparse thorax of hare’s ear, then pulled the piece of Antron over the top, loosely, to form a loop. Then it is tied off at the eye of the hook. No hackle. I fished this in the midst of a mayfly hatch and had ok results with it. However, it did not stay in the film long before sinking. So, I could do several things: use a dubbing for abdomen like Super Fine; make sure hook is light wire (it was); experiment with CDC for the loop wing: grease the leader with floatant paste down to the final inch; let if float ’til it sinks, then let it sink and work it back toward the top with slow hand twist retrieve like an emerging mayfly.

Fly Tying: Side Flash and Overlay Ribbing

Black & Brown Woolly Bugger w/ Side Flash & Ribbing (SwittersB)

This is a straight forward Woolly Bugger, but the part I want to highlight is the use of side flash on the Bugger, which extends back into the tail. (Whew, long sentence). Also, a copper wire ribbing was used to weave around the fly to secure the side flash and the palmered hackle. These options provide lateral flash in the right water clarity conditions and a reinforcement of the fly’s hackle.

Lateral~side flash on Woolly Bugger (SwittersB)

Fly Tying: Lil’ Grey Nymph (Simple)

I previously highlighted this little gem, but the previous pattern (tying sequence) did not have the small, Ice Dub thorax beneath the wing. The ribbing is the tying thread. The bundled grey Zelon is tied atop the shank, bound down at the bend and at the front. The ribbing also helps to bind the body to the shank.

This pattern has been stupendous on lakes (Callibaetis emergers) and tumbled in the seams of rivers. Simple to tie, the Zelon/Antron colors can be varied (olive, tan, black, yellow) along with the thread color for ribbing. The hook shank could have a layer of lighter colored thread in order to give a two-toned look (dark top/lighter bottom). Size 16-18 hook. Adjust the size of the Zelon bundle and wing length.

Fly Fishing: Leader Construction (Fiddle Farting Around)

As a beginning fly fisher, let’s say you decide you are going fishing tomorrow. The mental process to have, that I suggest, is to ask yourself….what shape is my gear in? How did I leave it from the last outing; yesterday or two months ago……how did you leave your gear?

Oliver Heublin (Artist) SB

The efficient way to handle this, is to access your gear the night before. Do you have anything in short supply? Flies, leader material, a piece of often used gear (pliers, nippers, spools of leader material, etc.). This is particularly important if a friend is picking you up at 0-Dark-30. Have your gear together and ready to go. If you are meeting a guide have your gear together. Don’t waste valuable time with a friend or guide putzing around with prep that should have been completed the night or days before. I have fished with people that waste my time and theirs rigging up before we venture forth. Obsessive or not, I consider a half hour + of prep time stream side/lake side that should have been done the night before inconsiderate of friends or guide or both.

So, this brings me to leader construction. Assess your leader for length, taper and wind knots. What type of fly line (Floater, Intermediate, Type II etc.)? What type of fishing? What type of likely fly patterns? Know how to piece together the sections of leader in order to construct the proper length of leader. That means know the proportions of a leader and the knots to join the sections together. (MnFlyFishing)

For the beginner the formulas that are often used are  50%>>>>25%>>>>25%   or 60%>>>>20%>>>>20%. Here is a good explanation on constructing leaders for freshwater & saltwater. ActiveAngler

My advice: assess your gear the night before. Be ready. Don’t putz around the morning before and burn daylight. Become proficient in piecing together your own leaders. Having to run to the fly shop the morning of an outing to buy a new tapered leader or a spool of mono is poor planning and again burning valuable daylight. Do not do that with a friend, who was prepared the night before. Part of the fun of fly fishing is fiddling and fondling the gear. However, don’t fumble around with the gear. Get to the point…fish.

Fishing v. Vaquita’s Upper Gulf of Cali (Eco Conflict)

“I experienced first-hand what it is like to live in the upper gulf, an area frought with poverty and drugs, and the social and economic consequences that arise from each.

I spent time on the water documenting artisanal fishers setting gillnets from pangas in an epic desert sea brimming with life. I watched hundreds of shrimp trawlers dragging nets along the sea floor all over the upper gulf (including through the vaquita refuge and biopshere reserve), unregulated and out of control. And, I met face to face, the secretive porpoise everyone is talking about – the vaquita marina.

In the blogs I have written about “Expedition Vaquita”, the perspective of the local people is one I feel has not been adequately shared.” (more at Vaquita)

This is an interesting site re the ever typical conflict between enterprises that harvest, over harvest?, and the increasing loss of a non-targeted species (in this case the Vaquita/Porpoise). In short shrimpers and gill nets in conflict in the Upper Gulf of California. Buy outs, conservation education and conflict, amidst trafficantes. (more on the conflict)

Fly Fishing: Reading Water by Adam Reder

A nice visual for the beginner, to show/explain Riffles, Seams, the Bank, Joined Seams & Rocks importance in providing fish oxygen, feed and protection. Check out Generation Fly-Reading Water Effectively

Adam Reader on Reading Water (Generation Fly)

Nice visual and simple explanations re holding lies.

Also, a 2006 piece by Mike Gorman on where Steelhead like to hold at Gorman Fly Fishing

“….my assessment that more than 99% of the area in a typical river does not hold resting steelhead.  Most of any given river may be too shallow, too fast, too slow, too exposed, too warm, too cold for steelhead to linger for long.  The astute angler must discover the “Sweet 1%”.”

Fly Fishing: The Dollaghan

Antrim FF Tours

“The name Dollaghan comes from the Gaelic word dulach that means swift running and the translation of Dollaghan equates to ‘run of fish’ or ‘running fish’. Within the Dollaghan family there are a number of different trout that scientific studies have shown spawn separately and thus maintain a genetic isolation. Local names for these fish include Buddagh or Breddach which translate to big fat fellow…” AboutFlyFishing

This is a short, fun piece about Irish Fly Fishing. I like sorting through the language and culture of the sport. A beautiful country, people and heritage. An interesting article. Interactive Map too

Fly Fishing: Montana Pike

Several years ago, a good life long friend of mine moved to NE North Dakota and eventually to Billings, Montana. He was a trout fisherman for sure and I was intrigued as he explained the amazing hookups he had had for pike. Pike? Did seem a bit off track in the land of Steelhead, Salmon & Trout, he had just departed (Oregon). Bass and Carp were hard enough to embrace. Pike? Well he shared how predatorily, predaciously cool it was.

SwittersB

In the last several years, I have come to understand the scope and addiction of Pike Fly Fisher’s across the Northern latitudes. Simon Graham at his Pike Site is among several that give an exciting face to this species. So, while checking out Wayne Mumford at WillFishForWork, I saw he was mentioning his moment of recognition at BloodKnot. The piece is entitled The Beer Swilling, Spin Rod User’s Cousin. Check out BloodKnot and pay particular attention to pages 70-74 for Wayne’s well written praise to the toothy critter. Someday, I hope to try for this fish. Time seems in short supply to do it all, so I remain focused on trout with additional efforts to get better with a two hander for Steelhead.

Yet, top water for Pike (and Bass) does appeal to me. The predatory wallop does not offend my freshwater sensibilities. One thing is obvious as one studies fly fishing near and far…you fish for what you have available. Doesn’t matter the species, it is the process.

Fly Tying: Pupalicious Patterns (Caddis Pupa)

Just another session of not so random experimentation for a larger Caddis pupa pattern. The hook in all the patterns (save one) is a Daiichi 1130 Pupa Hook, Size 10. 8/0 brown thread and the same gold bead. Beyond that I experimented with different abdomens of dubbing’s and dyed peacock herl and a mix of thoraxes using  dubbing or a deer hair collar. All of these patterns would work just dandy. Often, as I tie, I must lapse into ADD because I keep experimenting with “I wonder if’s”…changing the pattern here and there. Not a good habit if you have been asked to tie a dozen flies, all identical for a display, silent auction or gift. But, I enjoy tying this way. It drives the more systematic/anal types around me bonkers.

A Straight Shank Hook (Imagine that!) Peacock Herl Abdomen

A Hackle Wound at Thorax on this one. SB

In four of the five patterns, I used a dubbing blend that I had purchased at The Caddis Fly Shop in Eugene, Oregon. There is no name on the small ziplock bag to ID the dubbing blend’s name. I grabbed it because it looked interesting…and hell yeah, it is very enticing. For the beginning fly tier, the bead head pupa pattern on a curved shank or straight shank hook is a good beginner’s pattern and a great producer for hookups. The same basic tying techniques and materials for a Wet fly are adaptable to the pupa patterns. Take away from this post: experiment, let yourself go off script (or pattern/recipe).