Friday afternoon tying session

So Friday after noon I sat down to tie flies.  I have plenty of flies that needed to be tied, but I was in the mood to crank out some streamers.  I have a fly wallet that I keep them in and it needed to be updated.  I love streamers, and if I am not working a hatch or my nymphs are not working out, a streamer will normally do the trick.  There was a time when a marabou streamer was my first and last fly of the day.  Actually a black and white marabou streamer got me my fist trout on the fly rod.  Well here is Friday afternoon's work.  

This is my version of a cone head zonker minnow

Here is my play on a black nosed dace

This was me playing with a little flashabou and the back nosed dase

Here it is a black and white marabou streamer just like the one I caught my first trout on

The famous Mickey Finn, a staple in my streamer box/wallet since day one!

Another streamer that has been in my boxes since day one.  The Black Ghost

This is a leech pattern a wise old fly fisher taught me. 

This is my dace again, and Sarah was working on an artsy shot for me.  What do you think?

Okay everyone, tomorrow is the BIG announcement.  So stop in, in the evening and there will be exciting news.  Until then enjoy the pictures and if there are any streamer patterns you can not leave home without what are they?

-Bruce

Yesterday

Two of the size 20s on the right is the Light Cahill and the left is a parachute BWO.

At some point yesterday I sat down and started cranking out dry flies.  I had been tying them before but only in spurts.  Yesterday though I got on a roll, and was unstoppable.  I sat down and knocked out a good thirty plus dry flies.  I was tying mainly BWO's and Light Cahills, and the master plan is for me show how to tie a Light Cahill in a future post.  I was really thrilled with my progress on this fly box yesterday so I needed to share.

It might not look like much but this box was as barren as a desert when I stared yesterday.  

As I said I will be highlighting the Light Cahill pattern in an upcoming post.  I hope everyone in the northeast enjoyed the wonderful weather yesterday.  It was unseasonably warm yesterday and along with tying lots of flies I took a rod out and had a little casting practice in the back yard.  Yesterday was a good day, and there are more to come as long as the weather continues to show signs of spring.


-Bruce  

Nymphing and Zug Bugs

The first of the flies I am going to show is another nymph pattern.  Sometime in my three and a half years in Atlanta I figured out how to catch trout on the nymphs.  So I am sorry for the high nymph content lately but I found it to be a highly effective way of fishing even when the fish were not hungry.  When I fish I always start with a nymph, but will abandon it for a dry fly faster then a vegetarian who found out the veggie burger is really beef.  I have spent days on the river where the dry flies never came, but I nailed the trout on nymphs.


Nymphing can be as in depth and precise a dry fly fishing with respects to matching bugs in the water to patterns in the box.  It can also be dumb down which is the method I try to use.  I like to have a couple patterns to cover a wide range of bugs I might find.  By using peacock herl for the bodies you can cover lots of colors.  The herl will give your fly many different colors from greens, reds and yellows and even a silver shine.   Many of these bugs have very pronounced tails and so this is the second thing to keep in mind when setting up a simple but effective nymph box.  The funny thing about nymph tails is that they do not change as drastically as the rest of the fly does in its short lifetime.  So in the world of nymphs there are no tails, two tails, and three tails.  If you cover those bases and pair tails with the right colors you can have a great nymph box with less then half a dozen different patterns.

One of my favorite chameleon patterns is the Zug Bug.  This pattern often passes as caddis larvae and  cased caddis, but I have also fooled fish that were feeding mayfly larvae with the Zug Bug as well.  I tie my Zug Bugs with three tails so that is why it can pass as a mayfly from time to time.  So this fly is a work horse on the water and very easy to tie.

I am told Zug Bugs can be used to catch carp as well as trout. 

 
These photos show step by step how to tie a Zug Bug.  A step that is not pictured is the weight.  After putting a base layer of thread down I like to put some lead wire down and wrap the gaps a little. You can see some of the lead in the second picture also, in that picture you can see I tied in three peacock herl ends for the tail.  Then you need some more herl for the body, and a little silver tinsel for ribbing.  Wrap everything toward the head but before you finish you will need to tie in a mallard flank, and some red saddle hackle.  Pinch them both back and finish wrapping a head in.  Trim the tail and the wing case, and I like to add a touch of head cement to my non bead head nymphs.  I do like to tie a couple bead head versions of my nymphs just to add more shine, weight and variety to my nymph box. 

With all this nymph talk I think it is time to start showing some dry flies.  I have finished tying all the normal dry flies I like to carry.  Now all that is left is to tie a couple strange dry flies, and then move on to some streamer patterns.  My winter tying is coming to an end and with a couple warm days in the forecast maybe this winter is finally coming to an end. 



-Bruce

I'm Snow Crazy

For the past couple weeks I have been tying flies inside as it snows and blows outside.  I spent all last week in my outdoor room tying flies.  Currently I am tying dry flies and am proud to say the nymph box is about finished.  I have no picture of the finished product as of yet, but some shots of it filling.  Sometime in the past week it hit me that I am going through major fishing withdraw.  It started with me reading some old blog posts from some of my favorite fly fishing bloggers.  Old posts from May, June, July and August about trout, bass, and carp fishing.  Then I started watching online videos of people trout fishing in New Zealand, the mid west, and even Ireland.

 

With my progress at the vice, and all this fly fishing media I have been taking in lately I am starting to crack.  I have even been dreaming of fly fishing for trout and carp in Pennsylvania and Connecticut and who knows where else.  These dreams were crushed again this morning when I woke up to find another two inches of snow outside.  So this morning I moved my fly tying stuff to the basement and watched some movies while tying flies.  After my second movie I was starting to feel like I needed to get out and do something and that is when it hit me.  

The coffee table in the basement has lots of room for fly tying

Now understand I am in the process of getting a job.  Actually I am just waiting on them to call me and tell me when to come in for training.  So this afternoon while waiting for them to call I decided to be creative and play in the snow.  Then it really started to brew, a plan was hatched.  I was going to get my fishing in one way or another.  I grabbed a shovel and some other snow gear and headed outside.  The nice thing about making your own fish is it can be huge!  

Large fish

After making this fish all I wanted to do is catch it, and catch it I was going to do.  I figured this would make a great target for some casting practice, so I ran inside and grabbed my rod.  Remember how I said I was going through withdraws well maybe I should have said I was starting to crack.  All this snow and ice and being stuck inside for days without fresh air or sunlight is simply starting to get to me.  I really need to go fishing and this afternoon I did and caught the same fish a couple times.  Honestly I do not care if anyone thinks I am crazy, because this was a lot of fun.  I enjoyed myself in every part from the brainstorming, to  painting, to putting my waders on and throwing a piece of yarn at a snow fish.  Actually I am hoping to start a trend, so if anyone needs me to come out to their house and make a couple snow fish just let me know.  

Something to break up the drag on another snowy day.

Note the blue water around me and the fish

Started out as a kinda stunt, but after a couple casts I took the casting seriously

Sarah took the pictures and zoomed on on this one but it was a good 35 yard cast.

This fly fishing stuff is a sickness and the honest truth is I really do not want to be cured anytime soon.  In all seriousness I love winter time but this is getting a little crazy.  If we are going to get hit by more snow I am now officially requesting that it hits us all at once and then starts to get warm slowly.  There are fish in these frozen waters and I am starting to go crazy not being able to get to them.  So if you like to fish you might understand where I am coming from and if you do not fish I hope you got a kick out of me acting like a child this afternoon.  

-Bruce

Snow storms and fly boxes

Here is an update on the snow and more importantly the fly tying that comes from being stuck in the house for days on end.  Yesterday from about nine in the morning till one in the afternoon I sat in my room tying flies.  I had the TV show M*A*S*H on my latpot and my nose to the grindstone.  I breezed through some prince nymphs and then moved on to some hares ear nymphs.  Those two patterns are standards in my nymph box.  All that is left to do with those patterns is a couple bead head versions for a little variety and added weight.

an empty rough looking box

I was sick of working those two patterns and started looking at some of the flies that I had in the box from the season.  The few flies I had left were either looking very rough, or ones I have not mastered at the vice.  When the snow stopped I worked on clearing the driveway.  The whole time I was shoveling I was thinking about the flies I tied last year and how they could have been better.  Lately I have been thinking that I could be better at the vice or at least push myself to try new things.  Last night I took a razor blade and cut the material off from some of the rough looking flies in order to save the hooks.  Then started looking at some of the stoneflies and figured I could dumb it down enough to tie myself and make effective.  I slept on that notion last night. 

this is a half finished stone fly

 When I got up this morning I tied my first, and it looked okay.  Then I tied a couple more and I am pleased with what I have.  Only time will tell if it looks close enough to fool a trout but at this point I know I can tie stone flies.  As I sat at my desk eating a toasted peanut butter and marsh mellow fluff sandwich I noticed the wintry mix stopped.  I am feeling good about this pattern, and feeling good about my nymph box.  With a couple hours more at the vice I will be done tying nymphs for spring.  So fellow fly fishers I have a question, what nymphs do you like to stock your boxes with?  I like to keep my nymphs simple, because I would rather catch fish on dry flies.  With two boxes full of dry flies of different shapes and sizes, I want my nymphs to be simple and versatile.  So for those of you who fly fish, some input on other good nymph patterns is welcome.  If you are from Connecticut and there are some area specific patterns you can let me in on I would appreciate that info as well.  

this box is almost done

 


-Bruce

Testing New Waters

Tonight after a long day at work I pulled up a chair to the vise and planned to work out a new pattern.  The pattern is the damsel fly.  This fly is used in warm water situations and is a big carp and bass fly.  I have been trying to catch a carp for a couple weeks now and just want to pad my chances with a fly that is said to work.  After tying three flies that are all slightly different from each other and a bunch that were no good I packed up my tying stuff to call it a night. I will be field testing these new flies this weekend sometime and I hope they do the trick.  Here are a couple shots of them, I'm not confident in the pattern yet so they look a little rough.  Rough flies tends to happen when you tie a fly for the first time.

Like I said not the prettiest fly I have ever tied but look at that I am getting better at taking pictures of the finished product.  There will be more to come maybe another post before Sunday this time.  

-Bruce

Elk Haired Caddis

Okay, the pattern for my blog isn't going to be fish on the weekends and show fly tying patterns in the middle of the week. I have an idea for a post that has nothing to do with fly fishing, but I'm saving it for tomorrow. Yes, I'm going to post two days in a row, but I'm justifying it by making tomorrow's post about a different subject.

Now for the post at hand: We are tying my favorite dry fly. For those of you who have no clue about fly fishing there are 4 major types of flies that we use. Dry flies: They float on the water and are to look like real flies, may fly, caddis fly, stone fly these are just a couple examples of dry flies. Wet fly: These are dry flies before their wings are fully formed and ready to take flight for the first time. Nymphs: This is the beginning stage of a fly's life and it spends time on rocks on the bottom, getting kicked up by people,animals, and other obstructions that hit the water. Lastly most fly fishermen will lump this last one in with wet flies but I find that you just can not do that. Streamers: They imitate other animals in the water, minnows, crawfish, and other larger creatures. So my favorite dry fly is the Elk Haired Caddis....

For this Caddis I am using a size 16 dry fly hook. I always start my trout flies by pressing the barb down, it makes the release easier and the faster you get a trout back to the water the less stress is put on the fish. Some will say you loose more fish this way but I'd rather not get them to hand, then have to take more home then I plan on eating. To start I'm using tan thread and starting the fly in the middle and working to the back of the hook shank.

Then a single brown piece of hackle gets tied in. It helps to tie all materials in on top of the hook that way when you start to wrap you'll be starting all materials from the same place.

Now for tan dubbing, rap this from back to front leaving enough room for a wings. Dubbing, is fly tiers term for pulled fur, and comes from most fluffy animals such as rabbits, muskrats, fox, and the list goes on. It is raped around the thread and it makes the body shape of the fly your tying.

Wrapping the hackle from the back to front will fan out and it helps the fly to float. On this particular fly I trim the top to make room for the last and most important step.

This is the finish product and the last step is how it gets its name. The wing on top is made from elk hair. Elk hair, moose, deer hair, and most hoofed animals have course hair, but what it is great for is floating flies the reason for this is the hair is hollow. These hairs are used for every thing from Caddis flies to poppers which are large flies used for catching bass and other larger fish. The Elk Haired Caddis is what I caught a large majority of the fish from this past weekend and is one of my go to dry flies. I'm a creature of habit on the water and if I see fish eating dry flies, but haven't gotten a good look at what kind of fly it is I tend to tie a caddis on and give it a go. It doesn't work every time but when it doest this is a pattern that is very effective. Also the caddis fly ranges from rivers to the smallest of trickles. My favorite part about this fly is that when fishing a wild or native creek you can sometimes trick a fish into taking this fly even if it hasn't been eating dry flies all day. That is just one of many reasons why this fly is my favorite.

Still looking for the line

Bruce

Prince Nymph

So lets start this out by stating I'm not the worlds number one fly tier and I don't clam to be. That being said I take an approach to casting a fly rod that was taught to me by an old man on a stream when I was first teaching myself to fly fish. The old man said it's not always about being a picture perfect cast, but it's about putting the fly on the water just right. I've taken that advice and ran with it, I've taken it along with me in all aspects of my fishing life and life in general. So the pro fly tiers out there will look at my technique and my end product and just laugh no two flies I tie are alike and sometimes they aren't even close. The fact that my flies are not pretty or picture perfect doesn't bother me because if you turn over a couple rocks, or screen water in the stream, or catch a fly from the air while on the bank you'll notice that they all have something a little different. Bugs get busted up from currents, birds, wind, other bugs, and fish, so if you tie a nymph and the hackle is too short or you're tail pieces are two different sizes don't worry because in the wild it might be best to leave it be.

So here is how I tie a prince nymph these days. I tie them from size 20 to 8, also for the bead head I use black thread, for the normal ones I tend to use red. So tonight I'll show you a normal one so you'll see it being tied on a size 12 with red thread.

size 12 with red thread

I like to use some lead wire to add some weight because I tend to fish currents or deep pools with my nymphs

When I apply it I tend to push if to the eye of the fly to keep a nose first fall in the water because most nymphs get kicked up from the bottom and try to return there.

So once your weighted up wrap the weight with some thread so your other materials don't slip down into the turns of the weight, then you tie a crossed tail using goose biots rusty or brown in color and a piece of gold ribbing.

Then tie three pieces of peacock herl rapped from back to front leaving the gold rib behind to be rapped next

Now lets rap the ribbing forward, then tie white biots facing up or forward, along with a piece of hackle. Give the hackle two turns away from you and tie off then fold those wings back over the hackle and give the fly a head.

The prince nymph is a versatile fly used by the experts and by beginners alike. I love the prince nymph when I am fishing a new spot or the fish are looking for dark nymphs. This fly will catch stock fish, and wild/native fish as well, it is one I never leave home without at least half a dozen of these bad boys. It is my favorite nymph in recent years and if you look close in some of my trophy pictures most likely you see a prince nymph hooked into the top jaw of those trout.

Thanks for following and go get on the water everyone!

Bruce