Fly Tying: Chunks and Dredgers

A ‘chunk’ on a hook. Heavily weighted hooks designed to dredge heavy currents alone or in tandem with another fly. Simple, scraggly dubbed Pupa patterns that you either better chuck/duck or sling out around you and not hit any one beside you.

The hook has a molded lead body on a large size 6 hook. This style hook from Jan Siman comes in smaller sizes also. Yes, you can get by with wrapping your own lead wire. The body was dubbed with a blend of rabbit/sparkle dubbing. The thorax was wrapped with a dubbing brush of deer hair. The hair was dyed in cinnamon, but I used a black permanent marker to darken the deer hair. A ‘chunk’ to dredge with. Not meant for quiet back waters; you’ll be hung up.

Greens, Tans, Black, Orange. Any number of colors work as the  fly tumbles the rapids, riffles and seams. Smaller versions will do well too.

Fly Fishing: Drops Indicators & Nymphing

I came across these ‘drops’ indicators at Jan Siman’s site. I haven’t tried the ‘sighter’ setup (although I did freeze some up) and I just saw these ‘drops’ indicator rigs. I would be curious if anyone has tried the drops set up yet and their review of the product.

Siman Ltd Drops Indicators 7 drops/8" & 15 drops/16" (SwittersB)

Stick Fly (Chironomid Cluster Pattern)

I previously wrote about this pattern (7/15/08) and found reference to it again as a stillwater pattern suggestive of a cluster of midges/chironomids that have hatched or are hatching and clustered together. The Griffith’s Gnat is often suggested as such a pattern and I have caught nice trout with that little morsel. However, I am going to fish this pattern more and suggest you do also this Winter.

This is a straight forward pattern….simple enough without adding even more embellishments. In the July 08 post I added an ostrich herl wing on one and I am not sure it is necessary. The dubbing brush bristles with spiky animation and you can see in the brushes a lot of glint.

I start the thread at the eye and wrap back to cover the shank with the thread wraps. At the bend I tie in the brush while allowing a quarter inch or so of the brush to extend toward the rear. Once the brush is secure, I lift the brush upward, then pass the thread underneath and wrap the thread back up to the original tie on point behind the eye. Then I lay the brush down across the top of the shank and apply thread wraps to bind the brush down. I cut the brush leaving an equal extended portion to the front as in the rear. Tie off the thread and done. No ribbing. If the wraps are secure the pattern will not shift on the shank.

This is an in the film pattern that can be twitched a bit during the hatch or in rolling waves. Otherwise, I would not impart too much movement on calmer surfaces. These dubbing brushes are nice for all manner of nymphs and I know some make there own brushes or scoff at the idea of a brush. But, the beauty is the wire core that gives the material strength to extend fore and aft, and remain bristled. Fly Tying Specialties Jan Siman Ltd.

New Releases from Jan Siman Ltd. (Fly tying book and DVD)

Recieved an email from Jan Siman asking that I promote this book/DVD in the written/spoken English format. I have not personally viewed the book, but I know there are many interested fishers and tyers hungry for anything Czech oriented.  

Hends book Fly Fishing and Fly Tying II

Code: book_hends
Price: 24.90 EUR
The new book, written by very successful Czech flyfishermen – J. Karafiát and M. Macháček.
You can find there, on 176 coloured pages, more than 200 well-tried models of flies, fly-tying procedures and a lot of pieces of information about competition flyfishing techniques of the Czech flyfishermen.

English version available.

http://shop.siman.cz/

http://www.flytyingspecialties.com/index.php?cPath=3

More Czech Nymph Info

You Cz Nymphing researchers may know of Jan Siman in Cz. Today, I received an email ad for his site. It is sooooo unfortunate the US $/Euro exchange rate is so out of whack. The new hooks on this site are fun to envision as tying components…yet $11.50 US per 5 pack is a bit steep sorry to say. US hook distibutors (are there really any) need to get with it! They are so stuck in a rut re innovation  expectations and techniques…hence your interest in exploring a E. Euro technique…not even new…but only still ‘new’ here. It isn’t new, but it is not getting the resources it needs here. US distributors and fly shops need to lead for once…yet Japan, England, Swedish and Czech manufacturers lead? Shame.

http.//shop.siman.cz/    Jan Siman at Siman Ltd.   Check it out.

Cool hooks! Wish the costs were not as expensive for my taste. Still maybe you can afford it. Just FYI 

 

Polish, Czech, Euro Nymphing (Dredging w/ Short Line)

 

I know this is not a secret technique or new revelation. The flies and technique have been around for many years. But, things in flyfishing are sometimes rediscovered and that is the case with Cz nymphing, Cz nymphs and Polish woven nymphs. The presentation is a bit intense, born out of competition to outfish your opponent. But, honestly. aren’t we often caught up in that intense focus to outfish someone, catch the bigger fish, remark about how many we have caught so far, etc. And, don’t we all talk about relaxing and taking in the sights and sounds and not bringing the frenetic intensity of work to our recreation? So, slow down and use the technique and just fish a little slower. Ha! Right, you’ll slow down until your predatory instinct (you still have it don’t you?…hopefully you have not been sissyfied..gender/neutered yet) sets in. Anyway, let me yet again reinvent the wheel re this technique and fly style.   

I love the looks of the Cz and Pol Nymphs and the aesthetics of the curved shank hook. Would a straight shank hook work or just the basic heavy stone fly work? Yes, I am sure they would. Just find the correct water flow and work it with the 2-5′ of fly line out the tip of the rod and the muti-fly laden leader. But, there is just something pleasing about the Euro flies and their ‘buginess’ cannot be denied.

The flies are heavily wrapped or molded with weight, which causes the fly to drift point up, much like a bonefish fly. This, theoretically, should cause less snags. Given the method of dredging along the bottom with the shorter line, there will be hang up and ticks along the way. As they have preached, if you aren’t losing flies you aren’t fishing.

This was the ‘secret’ weapon of Polish and Czech flyfishers, supposedly developed because the East Euro flyfishers did not have sophisticated gear so the ‘pole & string’ set up was common, which relied upon a short flipping action with a short line. Stealth is required and timing of the dredging, dragging, swinging action must be a focused action. This compared to the US method of strike indicators and longer hinged lines or the Spanish Nymphing method of a lobbed longer section of fly line and long leader (10-15′) (no false casting, just swing to the rear, load, lob and shoot), which is also dredged along but farther out. 

Some sites to provide info re presentation, tying pattern and equipment:       

http://simanflyfishing.proboards62.com/index.cgi?

http://omega.grad.uiowa.edu/content.php?article.39

http://www.flyguysoutfitting.com/wovenpolishnymph.html

http://www.flyguysoutfitting.com/shuttleweave.html

Vladi Trzebunia,  Oliver Edwards, Jan Siman: Research their works regarding the techniques.

Picture is of Polish Nymphs. Look below for pic of colorful Cz Nymph. Also, link above re Siman shows tying technique for Cz Nymph. Really, the technique/presentation is the critical element here. You can still use Prince, Hare’s Ear, Zug Bug, Copper John or your favorite stone fly pattern to follow this suggested pattern. 

  http://www.flyguysoutfitting.com/shuttleweave.html