Spey & Classic Flies

I have not been tying classic salmon and spey flies for very long but something about this style of fly has me captivated. Seeing full dress salmon flies, married wing flies and beautiful presentation flies makes me envious of the talent and skill that these tyers posses. I have been jumping back into things full blast and trying to get setting wings down. It is a maddening process usually ending up in lots of ruined feather strips around my desk and me fuming mad.

However when that wing sits just right the feeling I get and the look of the fly is just amazing. Here are a few of my more recent ties:

 

The fly above is the latest I have tied. It was my first try at a herl butt and I think that aspect of things turned out good. My body work is getting more consistent but I am still having major problems setting wings without having them collapse or pinch down. I have been moistening the tye in point as well as pinching the fibers down before tying in and while it is helping a bit my technique and feel is just not refined enough yet to get consistent results. I went through 8 sets of wings trying to get this wing tied.

This fly I easily spent 4-5 hours tying...the majority of that time was spent on the wings, I used an entire matched pair of turkey and did not set a single wing I was happy with...some nights things are just not flowing and I think I would have been better off stopping after a few ruined wing sets instead of wasting an entire feather. Ultimately this fly ended up as a hair wing out of frustration.

I was not all that impressed with the body work on this particular fly. Also there is a pinch on the tye in point of the wing that is concealed with a few fibers of Lady Amherst tail. I like the look of the fly but think I may try some herl butts in the future to create some contrast between the sections of the body.

These are the first few flies that I tied after jumping back into the classics and speys. I usually go through phases of tying certain types or styles of flies. After a few weeks of trout flies, tenkara flies and streamers I felt the need to start filling the salmon/steelhead box with some pretty stuff and continue to work on my wings. I am still learning and practicing and trying to implement some tips and advise from more experience tiers.

Carpy Offerings

Since I have started fly fishing I have hooked only a few carp on the fly and all of the instances were flukes. The very first time ever casting a fly rod I hooked a 4-5lb carp out of a pond on a size 10 wooly worm and having never fought a large fish on the fly before promptly broke it off. After the first few encounters with theses fish on the fly I started to target them and tie flies specifically for them. I have yet to actually land one of these mud donkeys as my friend likes to call them, but I am hoping 2014 brings me lots of luck in the angling department.

Here are some of the offerings I have started to tie for targeting carp, here is to hoping they are effective! I have posted pictures of the patterns I have tied along with a link to the FlyCarpin.com website that lists materials and in some cases offers tying videos.

 McTage's McLuvin Carp Fly

  McTage's Leather Trouser Worm

McTage's Primordial Carp Stew

Jamie's Krazy Carper

 Crayfish variant for carp.

Pan Fish Formula - Part 3 - The Retrieve

The retrieve or how you impart action into your fly at times can be the difference between an outing catching fish and being skunked. Having a slew of techniques at your disposal will allow you experiment and hopefully find a presentation that entices your prey to take your fly. I have found especially with pan fish the action and retrieve can play a very big roll in not only catching fish, but at times catching the bigger fish. These methods can also be applied to trout and other species and have saved me from many days that would have found my skunked.

Dead Fall: The dead fall is what I call it when you cast out your fly and either let it start sinking unhindered immediately or when you strip it in to a likely holding spot and at that point let it sink. This technique works best with unweighted or lightly weighted flies in still water situations, flies with rubber legs and buggy dubbing seem to work very well with this method.  The slow rate of descent seems to drive the gills crazy and often times you will see them slowly come up from below towards the fly. As they rise they are inspecting the offering and more often then not by the time they are underneath it they have committed and you will soon see the white flash as they inhale the fly. This method works best when sight fishing because when you are allowing the fly to free fall you do not have any connection with the line to feel strikes or nips.In murkier water or under low light conditions if you see the fly disappear or act unnaturally set the hook. You can set the hook using your rod tip, but what I usually end up doing is a combination of setting the hook by moving my rod tip up or to the side coupled with a sharp strip of the fly line.

Strip: When fishing small bait fish patterns that are weighted in the front with lead eyes or a bead the strip retrieve works wonders. Cast out and allow your fly to sink for a few seconds and then begin to slowly strip the fly back towards you. Target weed beds and structure to bring your fly through and vary the timing and length of your strip. Sometimes they want short quick erratic strips and other times long slow strips will be the key. Like any retrieve do not be afraid to play around and try something different.

Jig: Depending on the area you are fishing sometimes you are able to present the fly vertically. Be it from a bridge, standing on deadfall or a log (be careful!) or from shore jigging down to crappie around structure or weeds this technique can be very effective. Buggy flies with rubber legs create lots of motion and are great for this method. Simply allow your fly to sink down vertically to whatever level you want, above weeds, beside structure etc and with your rod tip jig the fly up and down. I have had a lot of success using this method from a bridge at the local pond.

Sweep: The sweep is a technique that I have been playing around with for both trout and pan fish. Cast your fly out past likely holding areas and allow it to sink for a few seconds. Next with your rod tip pointing towards your fly slowly sweep it back pivoting your body. This will pull the fly at a steady speed right through fishy water while allowing you to control how fast or slow it is traveling. I find that this retrieve can get finicky trout and pan fish fired up. As we all know most prey does not stop when pursued so the consistent speed and movement of the fly seems to incite aggressive takes.While sweeping be sure to hold onto your line with the other hand to strip when a fish takes the fly. You can also speed up the fly even more by sweeping and pulling line at the same time. I find that often times the larger more aggressive fish will be most interested in this method. My personal best crappie was caught using a bead head mirage back scud and this retrieve.

Dry Fly: Dry fly fishing for gills and other pan fish is a very fun and exciting way to catch fish. By using small/medium sized trout style dry flies and poppers you can have a fun filled day/night on the pond.

In the dog days of summer when lots of insect activity is happening towards dusk sometimes just casting a dry fly onto the water is enough to get every fish's attention within 10 feet. Often times simply casting out and leaving the fly stationary works wonders, usually ending up in a blow up or hooked fish within the first 10-20 seconds. Skating and popping bugs near weed lines and structure is also very effective.

The Cold Snap Continues

Work has continued to be crazy and I have been working a lot of my days off in order to make some extra cash. The time off that I did have last weekend I spent preparing the tenkara box for the spring. I cannot wait to get out and try some of these creations on the streams and ponds, the deep freeze we have been having here in Ontario this winter is really getting to me.

Why Swaps Are Great...and Not So Great Sometimes

Today was the first fly swap of a local group of fanatical spey/steelhead fishermen and as always a great time was had, many stories were exchanged and everyone got to go home with a great assortment of patterns to swing this year for steelhead.

I have participated in a few different swaps since I started tying and each one has been a great experience. Sitting down and tying a dozen or more of the same pattern for a swap teaches consistency, discipline and technique.

Many people use online forums to host and participate in swaps and that is how I first cut my teeth. I joined an online bluegill swap that tied a new pattern each month under a certain category. Be it bead chain eyes, nymph, dry, or caddis every month I got a chance to look through patterns in magazines, books and online to try and find the fly that I would tie a dozen of. I had a lot of fun, tied many different patterns, improved my tying skills and received a load of great flies in return for all the effort.  Unfortunately one downside to swapping online is you are usually dealing with swappers from all around the world and shipping can sometimes get a little crazy. The bluegill swap was ran by a gentleman in the United States and for over a year everything went well. Then one day while picking up my package at the post office I was told that Canadian Customs had intercepted the package, deemed it was not a gift and re-valued the contents at $103 on which I would have to pay $26 in taxes and duties. I paid the fee and then appealed the charges which proved as effective as beating my head against a brick wall. When swapping across boarders these sorts of things can arise. Another thing to keep in mind is that some materials that are legal in Canada may not be legal in the U.S or other countries, seal fur and heron for example.

Because of this one incident I have moved away from online swaps and instead have decided to participate only in local face to face swaps. Participating in swaps is a great way to get new ideas, see what others are having success with, and to quickly stock your fly box with effective patterns. I highly suggest that anyone who is interested in fly tying participate in at least one swap to see if they enjoy it. If nothing else what better excuse to meet up at a bar, restaurant or pub for a few drinks and some appetizers with good friends.

Tight Lines!