This is a good, basic tutorial on how to tie a Scud pattern, best used in rivers. A lighter version would be suitable for lakes. In time, you will select color combinations (green, tan, orange) that provide variety. This basic pattern style had potential for Caddis Pupa/Czech Nymph variations, as well.
Grau Scud Nymphe (Angeltechniken)
I had previously promised a quarterly tease, but less graphic than in the past. I do believe I am a good two quarters behind, so to speak. So, here is the link re field stripping your Glock and other Eye Handy D.I.Y. tips. The info just happens to be demonstrated by young ladies and great graphics. If you are anti-firearms or anti-sexy women then do not open the links. Do not venture forth. Pretty tame stuff…just interesting concept.
Fly Line-Butt Section Connection (Kind of....)
When you buy a fly line and have it put on the reel, at the shop, insist on the shop employee attaching a butt section of 18″ not 6″. Not with a loop, without! Learn the Surgeon’s Knot or Blood Knot and attach your nice, new tapered leader to the butt section via one of those two knots. From there repair your own leader by replacing lost sections with sections of progressively smaller mono. Carry these small spools of mono, in various sizes to repair the last half of your leader (depending upon the type of fish you are chasing) I usually have larger diameter spools of mono back at the rig should disaster strike and I have to rebuild the leader from scratch. Do not keep buying new leaders every time you break off 3′ of tippet/leader. This is your choice, your money, but over the long haul you save some money and develop the knot tying skills to avoid the disaster above.
There are previous posts here on SwittersB re leader construction and formulas. The ‘net has lots of information re formulas of so much (a % usually) of this X and then that amount of a different, smaller X. Study up on leader construction. May I admit to never having adopted the X concept? I have a basic memorization of X = # line size. I was a gear guy as well as a fly fisher for years. Leaders were built with so many inches of 10#, 8#, 6#, 4# mono. The fly fishing industry feels compelled to continue with the X diameter system and for you to memorize certain X diameters are equal to certain fly sizes etc. Whatever. If you chase trout, or whatever you pursue, have a good idea of the approximate pound strength of your mono related to the X factor. From there your finger tips will sense the approximate thickness (X or #) you have broken off at, on the leader, (my fingers feel the line is about 6# or 4X) and I am going to rebuild the leader/tippet with a section of 4# or 5X to maintain a taper and proper turnover. If my fly is of the miniscule variety then I will factor in a section of 6X as well, and so on. You should have the 3-4 spools you need with you on the water. If you travel ultra light, you may only carry a couple of spools.
Everything About Leaders at GFF…Excellent Resource
Nail Knot, Nipper, Hook Eye Poker
The above knot does not lend itself to proper, quiet presentations. It gets hung up on the guides as you pull your line through to string the rod. Hell, it looks terrible! I infrequently tie this knot myself, so I am by no means as adept as the kids that spool an re-spool lines all day and tie on new butt sections in a shop. There is a handy tool, I have had for years, and use four or so times a year (usually for some one else’s mess) is the ‘nail knot’ tyer device. Sometimes this comes with a nipper and a stylus to poke through hook eyes that have been glued shut. A handy little gizmo, it is well worth the initial expense. Of course, if you want to use a nail/needle then have at it. ‘Tie Fast Nail Knot’ is an excellent little tool as well and used by shops all the time. Tie Fast Knot Tyer by DPruitt
'Tie Fast' gizmo
It you are going to deceive the fish, then no tangled webs…learn your knots and use them! These gizmo’s will help….if you practice.
This little tutorial S-B-S provides several visuals that will help the beginning fly tier: The Bead head + wire wrapped shank. This helps add dense weight to the fly to get it down; the tail is synthetic and more durable than hackle barbs or a clump of fur; the use (dubbing) of animal fur, whether from a skin or out of a bag is a traditional facet of tying. Learning to prepare the fur prior to dubbing is important to get the most out of the material. The Hip Wader site has nice tutorials….explore, but come back here!
Wire wrapped shank + bead head for dense weight (Hip Wader)
Another consideration here is Lead Free Wire for fly tying. I am often using lead wire on my shanks because I have spools of it, big spools. But, I have also bought and have been using the less dense, stiffer Lead Free wire. The combo of wire wraps + a bead head may provide the necessary weight to get the fly down. On smaller flies, it may be token effort without some form of shot on the leader. Either way, the combination of wire + a bead is a good tool for the beginner to consider. In more exacting imitations, a few more turns of wire and no bead may be called for. Some patterns won’t call for any weight. Swimmer nymphs fished higher in the water column don’t need to plummet to the depths. Research Lead Free wire and shot and alternative materials used in wire and shot.
Pulling hackle barbs off of a larger hackle and tying them in over the eye of the hook, then after creating a body, pulling them back over the body. Key: make the barbs only the length of the hook shank (not longer or shorter).
Oversized Barbs Used Here and Pulled Back Over Peacock Herl Body (SwittersB)
Ok, I have these OCD moments that fixate me upon some facet of tying. Over the years: peacock, ostrich, CDC, Ice Dub, craft store boas. Of late, deer hair collars for legs/antenna/wings on Caddis Pupa/Adult patterns. I first saw this over on Westfly when Jeff Morgan was twist dubbing deer hair. I have since become increasingly fascinated with the possibilities.
This is a simple, beginner’s pattern “guaranteed” to produce. Ok, I had to throw in that sort of thing. But, I instinctively do know this is a worthy pattern for rivers or lakes. Remember presentation is critical to any pattern: is this pattern being dredged in riffles, swung and lifted up through the water column, diving down to lay eggs?
Regardless, here is how you tie it: The hook can range from a size 10 to 16, given the materials used; they take up space so a smallish hook in not practical. Here it is a size 12, 2xl shank, nymph hook. The thread used was black 8/0. I wrapped a layer of lead onto the shank at the mid point, about 6 wraps and overlaid those wraps with thread, then head cement.
Then I created a dubbing loop and inserted strands of a synthetic dubbing material between the thread loop. The loop was spun into a dubbing noodle and then wrapped up the shank like a small rope. About two thirds of the way up the hook shank (the abdomen area), I stopped and tied off the dubbing noodle, removing the remainder.
The thorax/head area remained. I formed another dubbing loop and applied tacky wax. I took pieces of cut deer hair, black in color, and touched dubbed (Gary LaFontaine concept) them to the tacky thread loop. The dubbing crook is carefully spun and the deer hair is trapped between the tightening loop. One again a few wraps of the dubbing (deer hair this time) are wrapped in the thorax area. Tie off the extra upon reaching the head area and cut. Then form a thread head and finish. Mix up the body colors to match the various Caddis in your waters, the deer hair could be black, brown, or even natural.
There are the simpler Stonefly patterns: Bitch Creek, Montana Stone, Brooks’ Stone (look up on Google Images). Some 20+ years ago the Kaufmann Bro’s of Tigard, Oregon presented the Kaufmann Stonefly. It is still here, and more often than not, it now has rubber legs. The original blended dark dubs can be substituted with tans and golds for Golden Stones, Brown Stones (large and small). Always heavily weighted to dredge the depths (remember most Stoneflies crawl toward shore to emerge onto land at the pre-emerge phase at some point). Research the time of Spring-Summer for various Stonefly emergences.
I was stuck in beautiful Eugene, Oregon and ended up in a Borders book store. There were, surprisingly, a scant dozen or so books of fishing. Surprising because Eugene sets amongst several excellent fishing venues within minutes of town.
I came upon a nice book by John Barr entitled Barr Flies. It is a glossy, large sized book with great visuals and a bit spendy. I liked the S-B-S tutorials on several nymph patterns and I bought the book. I couldn’t fish, so I perused the Barr book and planned my tying to incorporate some of Barr’s patterns.
Another excellent book is Rick Hafele’s Nymph Fishing Rivers & Streams. Hafele provides a gazillion interesting facts about insects that trout eat and how to fish them.
This is my effort at a Pale Morning Dun, size 16. The tail is a few barbs from a grizzly hackle feather. The body (abdomen) is a yellow goose biot. There is a notch in every individual biot near the butt section. That notch is your guide to whether your body will be smooth (as I did here) or ridged. (Notch up = ridged body) (Notch down = smooth body). The wing is a clump of CDC that I tied in and raised up into a vertical position with thread wraps around the base. I tied in one medium blue dun feather and wrapped it behind the CDC post and then wrapped the hackle forward, to the front.
