Check out the Tenkara sphere, which Anthony Naples does a good job demonstrating at his site Casting Around. There is much to learn here about fly pattern design, presentations and a technique that is appealing to some because of the simplicity. A minimalist approach for sure at Tenkara Bums.
Archive for the 'fly pattern design' Category
This product has been out for a year or so, but I hadn’t seen it until I came upon a video demonstrating The Soft Hackle Midge Emerger by Craig Mathews at Blue Ribbon Flies. I have been using the tying thread for the body lately and then ribbing with a single strand of contrasting tying thread or fine wire. This Combo Thread, if offered in enough variety might be perfect. I am not sure, by the look of the spools, if a normal bobbin can be used? Appears to only come in 6/0? Worth a look see at Blue Ribbon Flies. Also, for the beginning tier…look at how Mathews ties in and wraps the feather. In the process of thread torque around the hook, the feather fans out nicely, as if wrapped in the conventional manner.
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Came upon this pattern in the Bend Bulletin. A pattern called the CJ Rufus (I don't know). The pattern is pretty straight forward to tie (Wollly Bugger), but has the unique extended beard of rootbeer marabou and some flash. The fly is reputed to ride hook up, probably because of the over sized beard? The fly was offered by Gary Lewis here
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16
Mar
12
Fly Tying: Attractor Materials
I was playing around with some materials that have a little zip to them, probably only where enough light penetrates the surface to ‘activate’ them.
The first fly is a very standard nymph at first: Grizzly hackle fibers for the tail, a tan dubbed body of rabbit fur, but then I used some UV Ice Dub and created a small shroud around the thorax area. The razzle dazzle of that material could/would excite as the nymph would drift/rise near the surface. The material took on an amazing quality with just the available light, no flash.
The Roxy's Rainbow was at one time a favorite Central Oregon stillwater pattern. The abdomen is wound rainbow Krystal Flash, reinforced with fine copper wire. Peacock herl was used for thorax and in and of itself is a phenomenal material.
Sometimes a little flash is alright, but sometimes a lot a flash might just add some excitement beyond that darn matching the nymph…emerger….dry. Live a little.
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Fly Tying Little Yellow Mayflies. Size 14 dry fly hook; medium blue dun hackle fibers for the tail, tied in (size 8/0 tan thread) the length of the hook shank; yellow goose biot tied in to form ridged abdomen; sparse, dubbed thorax with greyish-0live super fine dubbing; deer hair extended wing purposely slanted out over hook also the length of the hook shank but no longer…butt ends trimmed; medium blue dun hackle wrapped twice around thread wraps that secured the deer hair wing. Thread secured forward beneath the upraised deer hair wing and hand whip finished. Never tied these before and no two were alike, so that doesn’t speak well to my consistently….but, they all look edible! Why did I tie these flies? I have no idea. They weren’t on my to do pattern list. Oh well……. Picture’s a little funky, but creative.
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01
Mar
12
Fly Tying: Black Gnat Extinct?
Years ago, I recall having tied some rolly polly Black Gnats. Little creations with red hackle tails, fat little yarn bodies and somewhat upright duck quill wings and black hackle. I remember the pattern catching trout. Yet, I have not thought about tying a Black Gnat in decades. Does anyone tie a Black Gnat?
Basic Black…use to be a mainstay for women’s attire and fly patterns to some extent. Maybe some basic Black Gnats are in order. The pattern was often tied in sizes 12-16. I am not sure if the Gnat was representative of a Chironomid (sometimes called a ‘gnat’). Regardless, the black silhouette could not hurt.
The most difficult tying technique, for an average tier, would be the pairing of the gray duck quill feather segments. Getting them paired and set atop the hook shank, then upright is the hardest part of the fly. Some tiers place a coating of a clear adhesive over the section of feather and let it dry. Then they cut the sections out, which are stiffer now, match them and prepare to tie the paired cut out section atop the shank. As you can see the wing can be swept back (wet fly style) a bit or upright in the more dry fly style.
24
Feb
12
Fly Tying: Mini Leech
Nothing too special here. The black marabou tail is cut a bit longer than shank length. I place the butt ends about mid shank and tie them down securely. I then wrap/rib the thread back toward the bend while securing the marabou fibers atop the shank. At the bend the thread wraps stop while I then tie a very few holigraphic strips for a bit of flash. I then wrap back toward the thorax region, being careful to try and wrap back over my previous wraps. At the thorax area I wrap one to two turns of sparkle chenille and secure the thread head right behind the rootbeer brown Dazzle Bead (Hareline). This would be an undulating, barely weighted Leech pattern. Out of the water the marabou slicks back, but in the water the material pulses in an undulating manner.
I like the idea of this pattern and have seen it around by others. I have tied maybe a half dozen and honestly not tested them enough to cast doubt or praise. A couple other more notable fly fishers have some opinions….
Tom Chandler at TroutUnderground has a detailed 2010 piece on this concept here….and Mick Hall of Kossiedun has put some effort into the reverse concept as well. Roy Christie has done a lot of work with it as well. Intriguing design concept though for certain. The three notables offer some inspiration here for experimentation. You don’t have to use the name I coined above.
Emerging Lambda "Compressed" Dun by Mick Hall
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The Best Dragon Fly Nymph, created by Randall Kaufmann. (SwittersB)
SwittersB isn’t given to such pronouncements as a rule. I came perilously low on my tied up Lake Dragons last season, in fact this the last one in all my lake boxes. If you enter Dragon Fly in my blog’s search box you will find 70+ entries on assorted patterns and pontifications about the dragon fly nymph for stillwaters or my superstition about its magical powers it bestows upon me once in flight. Ok, maybe it is a touch hot out on the waters sometimes.
But this pattern is top rated amongst all the Dragon nymphs I have tied. The Lake Dragon just produces. This time around, I will tie some that are less weighted and fish the shallows/shoals/weeds a little better. The pattern has been around for quite awhile, but you won’t see it in shops as much anymore, so you must tie up this beauty or some offer it on line.
The original pattern was a 50/50 blend of olive green rabbit and Angora. Along the way I added orange rabbit…a very little bit…in the thorax dubbing. I noticed red or orange straggles over the years in the original patterns so very subtlety protruding from the head or thorax. Not sure it has made a bit of difference.
Fine or medium copper wire for the ribbing. Olive marabou, chickaboo or filoplume for the tail. No weight, single layer or doubled layer of wire wraps. Plastic dumbbell eyes…no single bead head here! Cut the wing case from a turkey feather that you lacquered with some clear drying goo. Then tie in the six pieces of pheasant tail fibers on each side, not extending but half way back in the abdomen. The abdomen and the thorax are dubbed from the same mix of fur. With today’s blends you can come close to the color, but the original works great. A size 6-8 hook with 8/0 olive thread binds it all together.
So, this is one of my four tying goals, initially for this Spring:
1. Tie up at least two dozen Lake Dragon Fly Nymphs
2. Tie up several dozen Green Rock worm caddis larva
3. Tie up several dozen unweighted Woolly Buggers in the Black, Brown, Green colors
4. Tie up a few more black/brown ants and whatever else pops into my mind.
More information on the legend Randall Kaufmann. In the day, he had already been there before……………….
Regard the ubiquitous Woolly Bugger…I make no apologies in promoting or using the fly. It just works. But, the last few years with the Woolly Bugger (Little Fort Leech) and the Lake Bait pattern, I used dyed hot red and hot green hackle fibers or dyed hot red marabou fibers either at the top of the tail, but shorter than the tail length or at the sides tied in at the head. I have been wanting to experiment with the side of the head spot for an attractor hot spot. In the Brown Buggers, below, I used a dyed red goose biot. I will explore the length, durability and success of the material. Remember, the hot spot here is for an unweighted fly, so the hot bead head is not an option. Of course, the two could be combined with a heavier weighted fly.
Woolly Bugger w/ Hot Red Goose Biot, Unweighted, Size 8
The Tried & Very True Little Fort Leech (Hot Spot On Top of Tail)
