Bug Bond Thunder Creek.
Bug Bond Thunder Creek, a great salt water sea trout pattern.
The original Thunder creek streamer series came from the vice of American, Keith Fulsher. In the early sixties, not satisfied with the regular head and eye size of streamers, he began experimenting and chose the reverse buck tail technique for his Thunder creek patterns. This technique involves tying the buck tail, as the technique suggests, the opposite way and then folding it back over the hook shank and tying down to form the head. The simplicity of this pattern and the minimal materials needed to tie it, is fly design at its very best! He achieved his goal, a slim two toned body with a large minnow head that allowed for larger eyes, the main attack point for predatory fish and through changing only the buck tail colour and hook size, could imitate numerous baitfish. Streamers generally fall into two categories, baitfish imitations and attractors! I am in no doubt that the Thunder creek covers both. You can try a whole load of colour combinations, and if you would like a little flash in the pattern tie this in at the rear of the head before folding the wings back. Also if you would like a heavier pattern use lead under the head dubbing. If you are looking for a slimmer pattern to imitate a sand eel, replace the buck tail with a synthetic material like fish hair or DNA, but dont build up the head with dubbing, this will keep the pattern slim and streamline.
1
Secure your straight eye streamer hook securely fixed in the vice.
Attatch your tying thread and cover the first third of the hook shank.
3
Now cut a small bunch of buck tail and even the ends in a hair stacker. measure the hair bunch to the correct length required and tie in as shown, on top of the hook shank.
4
Turn your hook up side down in the vice.
5
Tie in another bunch of lighter buck tail on the underside of the hook shank. This should be just a little shorter than the first. Make sure that the forward whippings of tying thread are tight into the hook eye.
6
Now apply a little dubbing to the tying thread and build up a tight dense base for the head of the baitfish. Make sure that the head is not larger than the initial butts of buck tail. Finish with the tying thread hanging at the base of the head.
7
This stage can be done free hand, but you can achieve much better results using a transparent plastic tube. Place the tube over the eye of the hook pushing the buck tail back to form the wing.
8
Make a few tight turns of tying thread to form the head. The Bucktail wing will flare outwards.
9
Carefully remove the tube, by twisting it from side to side while carefully pulling off the head. Make a few more secure tight turns of tying thread and whip finish. Apply the tape eyes one each side. To set the wing flat wet your fingers and stroke the wing.
10
The only thing remaining now is to coat the head with Bug Bond. The first coat is just to secure the tape eyes. Make sure that when applying the next two coats that you cover the band of tying thread. When the wing dry’s it will remain flat.
Pseudo Spinner
The Pseudo Spinner.
Fishing, or even identifying a mayfly spinner fall can be one of the most challenging situations a fly fisherman can experience! Its all about breaking codes and learning to read the signs. With the larger mayflies its somewhat easier to recognize the spinner fall, danica and vulgata are so large that they can be seen at a greater distance floating in a crucifix posture and lifeless in the surface, sometimes with such a high mortality rate they cover the whole surface of the river. But smaller darker and sometimes almost transparent species can be difficult to see even at close quarters.
Mayflies are known for their short lived life, with some species having less than an hour to find a mate and deposit eggs before they die. The first sign to look for, after the initial hatch, is high above you, the swarming dancing, mating mayflies high above the tree tops. After mating and this swarming becomes sparser the males are drained of energy and are fighting to keep themselves airborne but gradually floating down closer to the water, where they die and lie with wings and tails spread out on the surface. The females, who hatch later than the males have a little more energy left to fly upstream to lay their eggs so the current will carry them back down to be deposited in the same stretch of river bed where she lived her nymphal stage of life. After which she dies and becomes spent.
High above the tree tops.
If after examining the waters surface and no spent spinners are visible, look for fish that are steady risers. This is a normal rise form for fish selectively feeding on spent spinners. That being said, smaller fish can become wild in the beginning of a spinner fall making small splashy rises and even leaping clear of the water to take them as they fall. As day turns into night and the spent spinners begin to drown and are trapped in the surface film slightly sinking, the larger fish begin to feed on them, rising every few seconds, not big splashy rises but sipping or slow head and tailing as the spent spinners float over them, as with all predators maximizing energy intake and minimizing energy consumption. Larger ‘Experienced’ fish seam to know that there is no escape for these dead and drowning flies.
This was taken under a spinner fall, although they where still hatching the trout wouldn’t touch them.
This is a mayfly pattern shown here represents NO specific species, but with just a tiny alteration in size and colour can be a good representation for most hatches of smaller to medium sized mayflies. The most time consuming part of this pattern is stripping the peacock herl of its fibers. There are a few ways that you can do this. One is with a regular pencil erasure, just lie the herl down on a flat surface and rub the herl away from you. The other is to pull the herl through your finger and thumb nail as shown here. It takes a little time to master this technique but once you have done it a few times its plain sailing!
Hook Mustad R50 # 18-12
Tying thread Dyneema
Tail Coq de leon
Body Stripped peacock herl
Over body Bug Bond
Wings CDC hackles
Thorax CDC spun into dubbing loop
1
Place your hook in the vice as shown.
2
Select some nice Coq de Leon hackle fibers.
3
Run the tying thread along the hook shank until you come to the hook bend. Tie in the center tail first, then the two side tails, making sure that they are all about the same length.
4
If you want to make the fly a little more robust, put a tiny drop of super glue right on the tail bases. This will make everything stronger and help keep the tails in place.
5
Now run the tying thread forward and build a slightly tapered under body to shape the quill over body.
6
Choose a good strong herl from a peacock tail feather and strip off the fibers.
7
Tie in the stripped quill on the underside of the hook shank at the tail base.
8
Wind on the quill the right way! One side of the quill has better markings than the other. Tie off at the wing base.
9
Remove the surplus quill and give the body a coat with Bug bond.
10
Give the quill body a blast with the UV light, if you are using varnish you will have to wait for the body to dry before you continue.
11
The dry coated quill body.
12
Select two small well fibered CDC hackles. Trim them both down with curved scissors as shown.
13
Tie in your two CDC wings pointing slightly forward.
14
Spin a little CDC in a dubbing loop behind the wings.
15
Wind on the CDC, firstly behind the wings and then between and forward finishing behind the hook eye.
16
View from above of the finished thorax.
18
Whip finish and you have a fine mayfly spinner that floats like a cork.
Elasticaddis in the house!
The elasticaddis is a Impressionistic larva house built from rubber legs.
House building caddis larva are available in most waters all year round, and are an important segment of the diet of trout and grayling. There are many techniques that have been developed over the years from fly tying benches all over the world to imitate the house of the caddis larva, but this technique really gives the right impression. This is a pattern I believe was developed in the US, but other than that I cant find any other information about it. The great thing about this pattern is if you trim the rubber legs close to the body you get the impression of a caddis larva house built out of gravel, but if you spin the rubber legs not so tight and trim them a little longer it makes for a great house made of vegetation and sticks. Also the rubber gives that extra needed weight when you need to get down deep and not least extremely durable.
You may find that this isn´t the easiest pattern to tie at the first attempt as the rubber legs seem to have a life of their own, but after a few attempts is no more difficult then any other pattern. Try mixing colours and rubber types to achieve different effects.
Hook Mustad R72NP-BR # 12-6 with Bead head
Tying thread Dyneema
Body Rubber legs
Collar CdC
Head Course antron dubbing
- 1
Place a bead head on hook and your hook in the vice.
2
Attach tying thread to hook and run a foundation of thread along the whole hook shank.
3
Cut 3 small strips ca. 2 cm long, of double rubber legs in various colours and diameters if available.
4
Tie in the three rubber legs at the rear of the hook. If you are going to use heavy rubber legs, with a large diameter it is best to make a foundation of tapered loose dubbing on the hook shank first, otherwise the rubber will not flare as easy as fine rubber legs.
5
Once they are secure you can pull on them to split the double legs into single.
6
Carry on with the same procedure, mixing the colours as you go along the hook shank.
7
After each bunch of rubber legs is attached use the bead head to push the legs and pack them tightly. This will give a more compact body.
8
Attach more rubber legs until you have covered all but 3-4 mm of hook shank.
9
Now you can trim the house / larva case.
10
Continue all around the body of the fly until you have the desired size and shape.
11
Spin a couple of CdC hackles in a dubbing loop, just behind the bead head.
12
Wind on the dubbing loop brushing the CdC back over the body of the fly with each turn, so as not to trap the fibers.
13
Now dubb the tying thread with a little coarse dubbing with longish fibers and dubb the head of the fly tight into the bead head.
14
Whip finish and remove the tying thread. Using an old tooth brush brush out all the CdC and dubbing fibers, so they lie back over the body.
15
The finished elasticaddis.
No matter what you tie there is always room for artistic expression.
Helter Skelter Pike Fly jig.
My Helter Skelter pike jig works on all the pikes attractor senses!
Hook Mustad S74SZ # 2/0-4/0
Thread Dyneema
Body E-Z Body XL filled with 3-5 beads
Under wing White buck tail
Wing Chartreuse and white Icelandic sheep
Over wing Lime green Big fish fiber
Sides Grizzle cock hackles coloured yellow
Eyes Large mobile eyes and bug bond or epoxy
I developed the Heltor skeltor to maximize all the attractor elements possible in one fly.
The Icelandic sheep and big fly fiber are extremely mobile in water, but their effect is enhanced by the weight of the brass beads that roll back and forth in the body tube giving not only a sporadic jerky swimming action but also rattle against each other sending out an audial signal to predators. Not forgetting the eyes which are an attack point, are oversized for additional predator impact. If you keep all these factors in mind when designing predatory patterns you wont go wrong.
- 1
Secure your hook in the vice. Attach your tying thread at the bend of the hook as shown.
2
Cut a length of E-Z body XL and singe the fibers at one end with a lighter. This is important as it will give purchase for the tying thread and stop it slipping off the tube.
3
Thread the E-Z body over the hook shank until you come to the tying thread.
4
Tie the end of the E-Z body down. Make sure this is secure.
5
Whip finish and remove your tying thread. You must now apply varnish or bug bond to the tying whippings. Trim the E-Z body down to about 4 mm longer than the hook eye and seal the fibers again.
6
Draw back the E-Z body tube and attach your tying thread 4-5 mm behind the hook eye.
Now insert 3-5 large beads inside the E-Z body cavity. These have several purposes. They not only give weight and sound by rattling against each other while fishing, but they also influence the swimming action of the fly. As you retrieve, the beads roll back and forth in the belly of the streamer making it tip up and down and extremely attractive.
7
Tie down the E-Z body tube to seal the the body.
8
Tie inn a under wing of white buck tail, this will support the finer more mobile over wing material.
9
Now tie in a length of white Icelandic sheep, the wrong way as shown. This will give a little volume to the head section. This should be a little longer than the buck tail under wing.
10
Now fold over the white Icelandic sheep. You will see that the head of the fly will be lifted, like a pompadour.
11
Cut a length of chartreuse or yellow Icelandic sheep and tie this in the correct way over the white wing.
12
Cut a smaller bunch of lime green big fish fiber keeping the crimped ends, these again will give volume just above the head of the streamer.
13
Colour two large grizzle hackles yellow with a waterproof felt pen.
14
Tie these in as the sides.
15
Using a drop of super glue attach two large mobile or dolls eyes, one each side and central to the hook eye. Once the eyes are attached you can then fill the opening between both eyes over and under the hook eye with Bug Bond or Epoxy.
16
The finished Helter skelter pike streamer.
The word has it, that the worm is 14 days early this year!
The rag worm fly is without doubt one of the most difficult patterns to tie, but the rewards can be great!
The ragworms wedding as it is known, is called the springs most exciting adventure for the sea trout fisherman. And if you are lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time, there is no danger for you not connecting with fish. Although ragworms are on the sea trouts menu the whole year round, its in the spring under the annual swarming that the sea trout will go on a feeding frenzy and gorge themselves on the worms.
The real deal.
There are many patterns known to sea trout fishermen to imitate the worm, some better than others, some simple to tie and some, not so simple to tie. I believe the original pattern from the tying bench of innovative Swedish fly tyer Robert Lai is still for me, without a doubt the best. Robert´s pattern is probably one of the most challenging patterns, many fly tyers will ever learn to tie, but the rewards are great. No other worm pattern swims and pulsates in the water like his, imitating the natural swimming worm as closely as humanly possible with feather and steel.
Although we are not 100% sure, and thats not for lack of theories! But the spring swarming is due to the worms spawning season and seems to be triggered by two main factors. A rise in water temperature 6-7 degrees, and the arrival of a new lunar phase, (full moon) from anywhere around mid March and into April. The female ragworm broods her eggs within her long flattened body and as the eggs develop her body becomes brittle and eventually splits, releasing the eggs. The male ragworms are attracted to the egg laying by following pheromones, that are also released by the females. After spawning, both male and female ragworms die.
Ragg worm swarming can be very local in most situations, and it’s not easy to know where. Then you should look to the sky, beacause the greedy and forever hungry sea gulls can show you the way. If you can see that screaming sea gulls are flocking and circle around a area of coast, this shows you where to fish – just like the pelicans when tarpon fishing. Consider also when the strong spring sun has been high in the sky all day and warming up the shallow’s, especially with dark muddy bottoms. Most sea trout fishermen, including myself, prefer sight fishing during the day looking for rises as you fish systematically, possible holding spots in small bays and inlets as the tide rises and falls. But if you are, as most sea trout fishermen, hoping to connect with larger fish that are normally wiser and more sceptical about entering the shallower coastal waters during the hours of daylight. These shallow areas retain the days heat during the first couple of hours of darkness. It’s during this period that larger sea trout dare to venture into the shallows to feed. You should fish at least a couple of hours into the night.
The pattern I have tied here started off, 15 years ago, as a direct copy of Robert´s original pattern, but over the years it has changed a little, but this had more to do with receding memory on my part, than anything to do with developing the pattern. But the basic original principal is still there and the pattern still works. There are a few rules one must follow when tying this pattern. The tail hook should be small and light in weight. Because the worm has an extremely flexible body, a larger and heavier tail hook has a tendency to “Hang-up” on the body under casting, which results in you fishing a ball of marabou with the hook out of-line. A heavier tail hook also reduces the animation and swimming motion of the worm by restricting the tail from lifting when the bead head sinks. Another point is the central core of the fly, not the loop that you spun the marabou onto but the Dyneema spine that holds the front hook to the tail hook. This is Alfa and Omega regarding the success of tying this pattern. If the spine is not securely attached to the front hook, you can risk loosing, not only the business end of your worm but also fish. So make sure that you tie this in as well as you can and don´t be afraid to use super glue. The Latin name for the common ragworm is Nereis diversicolor, meaning they are quite variable in colour, but typically reddish brown and turning more on the green side during the spawning season. So the rule for colour is that there is no rule, you can tie the worm in any colour you like! Personally I have found the two most successful colours for me are the one shown here and bright orange. And don´t forget that ragworms are on the sea trout menu the whole year, so don´t restrict your fishing with it just to the spring, it´s also a deadly pattern for regular trout fishing.
Hook Tail: Mustad Shrimp C47SD # 8
Hook Head: Mustad Shrimp C47SD # 6
Tying Thread: Dyneema
Central Core: Dyneema
Tail: Black and Olive brown marabou
Body: Black and Olive brown marabou
Head: Brass or Tungsten bead
1
Secure your salt water # 8 tail hook in the vice.
2
Cover the hook with a foundation of Dyneema tying thread. I use Dyneema because it is salt water resistant and weight for weight stronger than quality steel.
3
Select some fine tapered olive and black marabou and tie in the tail. Colour your Dyneema with a black waterproof felt pen.
4
Load two paper clips or a Marc Petitjean magic tool, one with black marabou and one with olive. Make sure that the marabou fibres are not too long.
5
Once you have loaded your paper clips make a dubbing loop that is 2.5 times the length of your paper clips. Make sure that you dubbing loop begins tight against the tail of the fly. Colour the dubbing loop black with a waterproof felt pen.
6
Holding the loop open with your left hand place in the black marabou.
7
Now you have to take care! Once the black marabou is trapped in between the dubbing loop make sure you dont release the tension. Otherwise all the marabou will fall out.
8
Whilst keeping the tension in the first marabou by holding the dyneema loop with your left forefinger and thumb place in the olive marabou approximately 1 cm further down the loop. Now retain the tension in the loop and let the bottom half hang over your forefinger. Spin the bottom half of the loop tight.
9
Once you have spun the bottom half, while keeping the tension in the loop, lift and pull your dubbing spinner off your finger and the upper half of the loop will spin automatically, catching the black marabou. You can now spin the whole loop to tighten the marabou securely.
10
While holding the loop out stretched and tight use an old tooth brush (not a metal dubbing brush! this will fray and weaken your Dyneema) to open out any trapped marabou fibres.
11
Hang your dubbing loop in a material spring or clip, so that it doesn´t unwind while you are working on the rest of the fly. Using a even stronger Dyneema, cut a 30 cm length and double it. Place the looped end through the tail hook eye as shown.
12
Now thread the two ends of the core Dyneema through the loop in the hook eye.
13
And pull tight. You can now place a little drop of super glue on the knot.
14
Colour the core Dyneema with a black waterproof felt pen and then lie it down on top of the spun dubbing loop.
15
While holding the Dyneema core and the dubbing loop in your right hand, catch the centre of the dubbing loop with the hook end of a whip finish tool.
16
Fold the dubbing loop over as shown towards the tail hook.
17
While holding the dubbing spinner in place with your left hand remove the whip finish tool from the loop. You will now see the loop spin automatically together. Secure the dubbing loop to the tail hook by tying down a small section, and then folding over the dyneema and tying down again (see stage 23). Repeat this until you are sure it is secure. Remove the access dyneema tying thread and carefully apply a drop of super glue to the whippings . Taking care not to get it on the marabou.
18
Find the core loop again and attach your whip finish tool. Now you should be able to slide the marabou dubbing loop down the core a little. Remove the hook from your vice.
19
Place a bead onto the # 6 shrimp hook and secure in the vice. Once in the vice place a few wrapping of lead wire behind the bead head. This extra weight gives a much better swimming action.
20
Using your thumb nail push the lead wire into the bead head.
21
Attach your tying thread and secure the lead wire and bead head.
22
Tie in the core of the fly as shown.
23
Once the first part of the core is attached apply a drop of super glue.
24
Fold over the core and tie down again. Apply another small drop of super glue.
25
Once you have secured the core slide the dubbing loop up and tie this down. Once you are happy that everything is in place apply another small drop of super glue.
26
Move your tying thread to the rear of the hook shaft and make another dubbing loop. Don´t forget to colour the dyneema black. Spin in some olive marabou.
27
Wind on the last dubbing loop, making sure that you stroke the marabou fibres back with each turn.
28
Take a few black marabou fibres and tie these in over the olive ones. Whip finish and apply a tiny drop of super glue through the eye of the bead.
29
Cut off the point of the front hook with a strong pair of pliers. Be careful with your eyes when doing this as the point comes off like a bullet.
Proof of the pudding!
Deer Hair Immerger.
The deer hair Immerger.
Presentation is alfa and omega when fishing emergers.
This incredibly simple pattern, truly, it only takes a few minutes to tie! makes emergers into immergers. This technique places your pattern right below the surface film (immersed) as if the insect is actually climbing out of the shuck onto the surface.
Taking my Fender emerger one step further by extending the deer hair parachute post which places the entire hook, and tippet point entirely under the surface…
All you need:
Hook: Mustad C49S http://www.mustad.no/productcatalog/product.php?id=177
Tying Thread: Dyneema
Body: Moose hair coated with Bug Bond for Bug Bond see links: http://www.bug-bond.moonfruit.com/ http://www.veniard.com/section188/
Post: Deer hair wrapped in moose hair coated with Bug Bond
Parachute hackle: Deer hair
1.
Tie your bicolored moose hair body. You can see the full step by step for this in my earlier post ‘Fender parachute’.
2.
Cut and stack a small bunch of deer hair central in the thorax.
3.
Turn your hook so the deer hair post is at 90 degrees and make some wraps of tying thread to reinforce the post base.
4.
Tie in two moose mane hairs, one black one white, along the length of the post finishing under the parachute hair.
5.
Once you have wrapped the moose hair emerger post, tie off the moose hair, remove the excess and return your hook to the regular position.
6.
Coat the post with Bug Bond and tie in two long peacock herl’s, by the points at the rear of the thorax.
7.
Wrap the peacock herl over the whole thorax and tie off. Remove the excess.
8.
Using your index finger press the deer hair post down to form the parachute hackle.
9.
Carefully place a small drop of Bug Bond in the center of the deer hair hackle. Make sure it penetrates the deer hair.
10.
Give the Bug Bond a zap with the UV light to cure.
11.
You may wish to add one more drop to hold the deer hair hackle in place.
12.
The finished deer hair immerger, in the correct posture.
13.
Front view.
14.
View from underneath.
Only deer hair and Bug Bond…
Contre-Jour Photo exhibition
Myren Industriområde
3718 Skien
lørdag 7ende desember fra 10.00 til 17.00.
(eller etter avtale)
Sliperivegen 16
Myren Industriområde
3718 Skien
+ 4792858609
http://www.gulindex.no/map-sliperiveien+16+skien/
Alle er hjertelig velkommen og vennligst ta med deg eller oversende informasjon til andre som kan ha glede av å komme og se.
Barry
Proppen-Without doubt my most productive sea trout fly….
Proppen, over a thousand sea trout can’t be wrong!!
This is my variant of one of the best salmon flies in recent years. It is, without doubt my most productive fly for salt water sea trout fishing. There is something about this pattern that sea trout just can’t resist.
On many occasions when there are sea trout feeding or on the move, and they just follow the fly and won’t take, this small fly works most of the time. Fished on a long fine leader and floating line just under the surface with a very slow figure of eight retrieve, the takes are savage and powerful, driving the tiny hook home immediately. Many fishermen are skeptical to fishing such small patterns, but if you give this one a try, I promise, you won’t be disappointed.
When nothing else will work, proppen saves the day…
Proppen
Hook: Mustad 60329NBLN # 10 Carp Power
Thread: Dyneema
Feelers: 4 Stripped cock hackles
Beard: Deer hair summer coat
Body: Moose hair coated with Bug Bond and coloured with waterproof felt pen
1
Secure your hook in the vice as shown.
2
Select four stiff light coloured cock hackles
3
Strip off all the fibers.
4
Attach your tying thread to the hook shank
5
Tie in the four stripped cock hackles evenly spaced around the hook shank.
6
Cut a small bunch of deer hair from a summer coat, this wont flare as much as the winter coat hair. And even the points in a hair stacker.
7
Tie in the deer hair as a beard over and around the cock hackles.
8
Trim off the surplus deer hair and tie down.
9
Tie in two long moose mane hairs, one black, one white.
10
Wrap the moose hairs around the body simultaneously and tie off behind the hook eye.
11
Whip finish and remove the tying thread.
12
Give the body a coat with Bug Bond.
13
Give the body a quick zap with the UV light to cure the Bug Bond.
14
Colour the body with a waterproof felt pen and give it another coat with Bug Bond.
15
The finished fly ready for the salt.
Four feelers in all directions.
Sea trout Flat wing
Firstly may I wish you all a happy new year!
The seasonal festivities family birthdays and goodbye ceremonies are now over and I have more time to get back to what is most important. Thats right, fishing and fly tying! So please accept my apologies for being vacant the last couple of weeks, but now I am back in the saddle with the first sea trout fly of the year. Please enjoy and much more will come soon.
Yours,
The Feather Bender.
This sea trout flat wing variant is a sure winner and an attractor of larger fish.
The original flat wing pattern was developed by the late Bill Peabody a well known fly tyer and fisherman from Rhode Island in the US. The original pattern was developed for stripped bass but was also found to be just as successful on many other salt water species. Recently a number of flat wing patterns have been developed for salt water sea trout and sea bass fishing in Northern Europe and have proved to be extremely effective.
One of the great things about tying these modern flat wing patterns is that the design lends itself extremely well to individual interpretation in size, colour and material use. But remember that the key word for tying flat wings is sparse, if you over dress these flies you defeat the whole point with them. Try and use materials that are light but create volume, but always consider the movement of the material in the water when fished and don´t forget its reflective and flash qualities. Some fly tiers also make use of a tandem hook on larger patterns, attached by mean´s of a wire or mono extension with the tail hook, up side down. But I find that this in most cases completely changes the action of the fly.
Hook Mustad S71SNP-ZS # 8-2 http://www.mustad.no/productcatalog/product.php?id=193
Tying thread Dyneema
Tail Two flat wing saddle hackles and Flashabou
Body Mother of pearl Body Braid coated with Bug Bond
Under wing White buck tail and five strands of Crystal flash
Over wing Yellow Olive and blue buck tail mixed
Topping Five strands of fine peacock herl
Throat White buck tail
Cheeks Jungle cock
1. Secure your salt water hook in the vice and attach your tying thread at the rear.
2. Tie in two medium long saddle hackles flat on top of the hook shank as shown along with a few strands of flashabou or similar.
3. Cut a length of MOP Bills body braid at the base of the flat wing tail.
4. Wrap the body braid over the whole hook shank taking care to leave enough space for the wing and head.
5. tie in a bunch of white buck tail and a few strands of crystal hair for the wing.
6. Mix a small bunch of buck tail in your chosen colours and even in a hair stacker.
7. Tie in this bunch on top of the white under wing.
8. Tie in another smaller bunch of white buck tail for the throat of the fly.
9. Top off the wing with four or five strands of peacock herl.
11. Using a dubbing needle or similar make the peacock herl curve in the right way.
12. Select two jungle cock eyes and tie in one each side of the wing base.
13. Whip finish. Colour the head of the fly with a waterproof felt pen and varnish.
Once the flat wing has become wet you will understand how the wing and tail fall naturally into place to form a fantastic mobile bait fish imitation.
Virtual Nymph
My first attempt with some of the great Virtual Nymph products I received at the weekend and Bug Bond. Not 100% happy with the results, but when I have played a little more, I will be making the full step by step for this Stone fly nymph.
Hook: Mustad Slow death 33862NP-BR http://www.mustad.no/productcatalog/na/product.php?id=2196
Thread: Dyneema
Tail: Porcupine guard hairs
Underbody: Natural seal fur Dubbing
Body: Natural nymph skin
Wing cases Virtual nymph stone clinger wing-buds and heads coated with Bug Bond
Legs: Turkey biots coated with Bug Bond
Antenna: Porcupine guard hairs
Check out the products on: http://www.virtual-nymph.com/ and http://www.bug-bond.moonfruit.com/ http://www.veniard.com/section188/
Proppen-Without doubt my most productive sea trout fly….
Proppen, over a thousand sea trout can’t be wrong!!
This is my variant of one of the best salmon flies in recent years. It is, without doubt my most productive fly for salt water sea trout fishing. There is something about this pattern that sea trout just can’t resist.
On many occasions when there are sea trout feeding or on the move, and they just follow the fly and won’t take, this small fly works most of the time. Fished on a long fine leader and floating line just under the surface with a very slow figure of eight retrieve, the takes are savage and powerful, driving the tiny hook home immediately. Many fishermen are skeptical to fishing such small patterns, but if you give this one a try, I promise, you won’t be disappointed.
When nothing else will work, proppen saves the day…
Proppen
Hook: Mustad 60329NBLN # 10 Carp Power
Thread: Dyneema
Feelers: 4 Stripped cock hackles
Beard: Deer hair summer coat
Body: Moose hair coated with Bug Bond and coloured with waterproof felt pen
1
Secure your hook in the vice as shown.
2
Select four stiff light coloured cock hackles
3
Strip off all the fibers.
4
Attach your tying thread to the hook shank
5
Tie in the four stripped cock hackles evenly spaced around the hook shank.
6
Cut a small bunch of deer hair from a summer coat, this wont flare as much as the winter coat hair. And even the points in a hair stacker.
7
Tie in the deer hair as a beard over and around the cock hackles.
8
Trim off the surplus deer hair and tie down.
9
Tie in two long moose mane hairs, one black, one white.
10
Wrap the moose hairs around the body simultaneously and tie off behind the hook eye.
11
Whip finish and remove the tying thread.
12
Give the body a coat with Bug Bond.
13
Give the body a quick zap with the UV light to cure the Bug Bond.
14
Colour the body with a waterproof felt pen and give it another coat with Bug Bond.
15
The finished fly ready for the salt.
Four feelers in all directions.
Pseudo Spinner
The Pseudo Spinner.
Fishing, or even identifying a mayfly spinner fall can be one of the most challenging situations a fly fisherman can experience! Its all about breaking codes and learning to read the signs. With the larger mayflies its somewhat easier to recognize the spinner fall, danica and vulgata are so large that they can be seen at a greater distance floating in a crucifix posture and lifeless in the surface, sometimes with such a high mortality rate they cover the whole surface of the river. But smaller darker and sometimes almost transparent species can be difficult to see even at close quarters.
Mayflies are known for their short lived life, with some species having less than an hour to find a mate and deposit eggs before they die. The first sign to look for, after the initial hatch, is high above you, the swarming dancing, mating mayflies high above the tree tops. After mating and this swarming becomes sparser the males are drained of energy and are fighting to keep themselves airborne but gradually floating down closer to the water, where they die and lie with wings and tails spread out on the surface. The females, who hatch later than the males have a little more energy left to fly upstream to lay their eggs so the current will carry them back down to be deposited in the same stretch of river bed where she lived her nymphal stage of life. After which she dies and becomes spent.
High above the tree tops.
If after examining the waters surface and no spent spinners are visible, look for fish that are steady risers. This is a normal rise form for fish selectively feeding on spent spinners. That being said, smaller fish can become wild in the beginning of a spinner fall making small splashy rises and even leaping clear of the water to take them as they fall. As day turns into night and the spent spinners begin to drown and are trapped in the surface film slightly sinking, the larger fish begin to feed on them, rising every few seconds, not big splashy rises but sipping or slow head and tailing as the spent spinners float over them, as with all predators maximizing energy intake and minimizing energy consumption. Larger ‘Experienced’ fish seam to know that there is no escape for these dead and drowning flies.
This was taken under a spinner fall, although they where still hatching the trout wouldn’t touch them.
This is a mayfly pattern shown here represents NO specific species, but with just a tiny alteration in size and colour can be a good representation for most hatches of smaller to medium sized mayflies. The most time consuming part of this pattern is stripping the peacock herl of its fibers. There are a few ways that you can do this. One is with a regular pencil erasure, just lie the herl down on a flat surface and rub the herl away from you. The other is to pull the herl through your finger and thumb nail as shown here. It takes a little time to master this technique but once you have done it a few times its plain sailing!
Hook Mustad R50 # 18-12
Tying thread Dyneema
Tail Coq de leon
Body Stripped peacock herl
Over body Bug Bond
Wings CDC hackles
Thorax CDC spun into dubbing loop
1
Place your hook in the vice as shown.
2
Select some nice Coq de Leon hackle fibers.
3
Run the tying thread along the hook shank until you come to the hook bend. Tie in the center tail first, then the two side tails, making sure that they are all about the same length.
4
If you want to make the fly a little more robust, put a tiny drop of super glue right on the tail bases. This will make everything stronger and help keep the tails in place.
5
Now run the tying thread forward and build a slightly tapered under body to shape the quill over body.
6
Choose a good strong herl from a peacock tail feather and strip off the fibers.
7
Tie in the stripped quill on the underside of the hook shank at the tail base.
8
Wind on the quill the right way! One side of the quill has better markings than the other. Tie off at the wing base.
9
Remove the surplus quill and give the body a coat with Bug bond.
10
Give the quill body a blast with the UV light, if you are using varnish you will have to wait for the body to dry before you continue.
11
The dry coated quill body.
12
Select two small well fibered CDC hackles. Trim them both down with curved scissors as shown.
13
Tie in your two CDC wings pointing slightly forward.
14
Spin a little CDC in a dubbing loop behind the wings.
15
Wind on the CDC, firstly behind the wings and then between and forward finishing behind the hook eye.
16
View from above of the finished thorax.
18
Whip finish and you have a fine mayfly spinner that floats like a cork.
Deer Hair Immerger.
The deer hair Immerger.
Presentation is alfa and omega when fishing emergers.
This incredibly simple pattern, truly, it only takes a few minutes to tie! makes emergers into immergers. This technique places your pattern right below the surface film (immersed) as if the insect is actually climbing out of the shuck onto the surface.
Taking my Fender emerger one step further by extending the deer hair parachute post which places the entire hook, and tippet point entirely under the surface…
All you need:
Hook: Mustad C49S http://www.mustad.no/productcatalog/product.php?id=177
Tying Thread: Dyneema
Body: Moose hair coated with Bug Bond for Bug Bond see links: http://www.bug-bond.moonfruit.com/ http://www.veniard.com/section188/
Post: Deer hair wrapped in moose hair coated with Bug Bond
Parachute hackle: Deer hair
1.
Tie your bicolored moose hair body. You can see the full step by step for this in my earlier post ‘Fender parachute’.
2.
Cut and stack a small bunch of deer hair central in the thorax.
3.
Turn your hook so the deer hair post is at 90 degrees and make some wraps of tying thread to reinforce the post base.
4.
Tie in two moose mane hairs, one black one white, along the length of the post finishing under the parachute hair.
5.
Once you have wrapped the moose hair emerger post, tie off the moose hair, remove the excess and return your hook to the regular position.
6.
Coat the post with Bug Bond and tie in two long peacock herl’s, by the points at the rear of the thorax.
7.
Wrap the peacock herl over the whole thorax and tie off. Remove the excess.
8.
Using your index finger press the deer hair post down to form the parachute hackle.
9.
Carefully place a small drop of Bug Bond in the center of the deer hair hackle. Make sure it penetrates the deer hair.
10.
Give the Bug Bond a zap with the UV light to cure.
11.
You may wish to add one more drop to hold the deer hair hackle in place.
12.
The finished deer hair immerger, in the correct posture.
13.
Front view.
14.
View from underneath.
Only deer hair and Bug Bond…
Nymph-omaniac
Mayfly Nymph
A general pattern for most large mayfly nymphs
Hook Mustad R73 9671 # 8-12
Tying thread Dyneema
Tail Olive ostrich herl
Body Olive brown Antron dubbing
Rib Olive Ostrich herl
Thorax Olive brown Antron dubbing
Wing case Golden pheasant tail
Legs Peasant tail
This pattern imitates the nymph stage of our two largest mayflies, Ephemera
vulgata, that is most common in lakes, and Ephemera danica, that is most common in slow flowing rivers and streams. These nymphs prefer sandy or muddy bottoms, where they live more or less buried for two to three years. These large nymphs can be recognized by the breathing gills along the sides of the rear body. Nymph patterns like this one should be weighted, so that they don´t swim up side down in the water, this should be done by tying in two strips of lead wire on the underside of the hook shank. The R73 hook from Mustad that I have used here is so heavy in the bend that it will swim the right way even if you use extra weight under the thorax. On these large nymphs I prefer to use Golden pheasant as the wing case. These tail feather fibers are tougher than normal ring neck pheasant tails fibers and have a little more shine.
- 1
Secure your hook in the vice and attach your tying thread.
2
Wind on a short length of lead free wire under the thorax.
3
Tie in three long ostrich herl fibers for the tail. These should be tied in like the legs on a photo tripod.
4
Cut away two of the ostrich herls. The remaining one will be used for ribbing.
5
Spin the Antron dubbing onto the tying thread and dubb a tapered body along 2/3 of the hook shank.
6
Wind on the ostrich herl as a rib over the rear body part. About 6-7 even turns. Remove the access herl.
7
Cut off the small ostrich herl fibers on the top and bottom of the rear body.
8
The rear body should now look like this.
9
Clip a large bunch of golden pheasant tail fibers and tie them in close to the rear body end.
10
Cover the thorax with dubbing, finishing about 2-3 mm behind the hook eye.
11
Cut two smaller bunches with normal pheasant tail fibers and tie in on both sides of the thorax as shown.
12
Spin a little more dubbing and dubb in front of the legs.
13
Pull the fibers over the thorax to form the wing case.
14
Tie down the fibers behind the hook eye.
15
Trim off the access pheasant fibers and whip finish. Apply a little varnish and your large mayfly nymph is finished.
16
The nymph seen from above.
All in one… a three minute dun mayfly pattern.
This pattern I developed out of necessity during a unexpected Vulgata hatch.
To find a simpler dun mayfly imitation will be difficult. All you need in the way of materials is one long fibered CdC feather and a short foam cylinder and a hook.
I named the fly “All In One” as the whole fly is tied with the same one CdC feather. You need to practice a little if the techniques I us are unfamiliar too you, but with a little practice or after you have tied a half dozen or so, it only takes about two minutes to tie this simple but effective pattern. All in one floats fantastic as the whole fly is made from CdC and foam.
1
Secure your hook in the vice so the jaws of the vice hold the hook at the bottom of the bend, and that the straight part of the Klinkhamer hook is horizontal.
2
Choose a long fibered CdC feather and comb all the fibres back as illustrated about 1 cm from the feather tip.
3
Tie in the CdC feather at the rear of the horizontal part of the hook shaft.
4
Cut a short length of foam cylinder and tie this in as a regular parachute post.
5
Attach your hackle pliers to the stem of the CdC feather and carefully wind this around the foam post as you would a regular parachute hackle.
6
Comb the CdC fibres that cover the hook eye back so they are not in the way and tie down the CdC feather.
7
Trim off the points of the CdC parachute hackle and use the surpluss to dub the thorax. You dont need much.
8
Finish with a couple of whip finishes and your All in One is finished.
Make a fast Buck.
Buck-tail’s are not only great patterns to tie and fish but are making a huge comeback.
Here are a few of the most recent I have tied, I will follow-up this post soon with an in depth article about tying these beautiful flies and the use of Buck-tail.
The worm that turned!
The rag worm fly is without doubt one of the most difficult patterns to tie, but the rewards can be great!
The ragworms wedding as it is known, is called the springs most exciting adventure for the sea trout fisherman. And if you are lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time, there is no danger for you not connecting with fish. Although ragworms are on the sea trouts menu the whole year round, its in the spring under the annual swarming that the sea trout will go on a feeding frenzy and gorge themselves on the worms.
The real deal.
There are many patterns known to sea trout fishermen to imitate the worm, some better than others, some simple to tie and some, not so simple to tie. I believe the original pattern from the tying bench of innovative Swedish fly tyer Robert Lai is still for me, without a doubt the best. Robert´s pattern is probably one of the most challenging patterns, many fly tyers will ever learn to tie, but the rewards are great. No other worm pattern swims and pulsates in the water like his, imitating the natural swimming worm as closely as humanly possible with feather and steel.
Although we are not 100% sure, and thats not for lack of theories! But the spring swarming is due to the worms spawning season and seems to be triggered by two main factors. A rise in water temperature 6-7 degrees, and the arrival of a new lunar phase, (full moon) from anywhere around mid March and into April. The female ragworm broods her eggs within her long flattened body and as the eggs develop her body becomes brittle and eventually splits, releasing the eggs. The male ragworms are attracted to the egg laying by following pheromones, that are also released by the females. After spawning, both male and female ragworms die.
Ragg worm swarming can be very local in most situations, and it’s not easy to know where. Then you should look to the sky, beacause the greedy and forever hungry sea gulls can show you the way. If you can see that screaming sea gulls are flocking and circle around a area of coast, this shows you where to fish – just like the pelicans when tarpon fishing. Consider also when the strong spring sun has been high in the sky all day and warming up the shallow’s, especially with dark muddy bottoms. Most sea trout fishermen, including myself, prefer sight fishing during the day looking for rises as you fish systematically, possible holding spots in small bays and inlets as the tide rises and falls. But if you are, as most sea trout fishermen, hoping to connect with larger fish that are normally wiser and more sceptical about entering the shallower coastal waters during the hours of daylight. These shallow areas retain the days heat during the first couple of hours of darkness. It’s during this period that larger sea trout dare to venture into the shallows to feed. You should fish at least a couple of hours into the night.
The pattern I have tied here started off, 15 years ago, as a direct copy of Robert´s original pattern, but over the years it has changed a little, but this had more to do with receding memory on my part, than anything to do with developing the pattern. But the basic original principal is still there and the pattern still works. There are a few rules one must follow when tying this pattern. The tail hook should be small and light in weight. Because the worm has an extremely flexible body, a larger and heavier tail hook has a tendency to “Hang-up” on the body under casting, which results in you fishing a ball of marabou with the hook out of-line. A heavier tail hook also reduces the animation and swimming motion of the worm by restricting the tail from lifting when the bead head sinks. Another point is the central core of the fly, not the loop that you spun the marabou onto but the Dyneema spine that holds the front hook to the tail hook. This is Alfa and Omega regarding the success of tying this pattern. If the spine is not securely attached to the front hook, you can risk loosing, not only the business end of your worm but also fish. So make sure that you tie this in as well as you can and don´t be afraid to use super glue. The Latin name for the common ragworm is Nereis diversicolor, meaning they are quite variable in colour, but typically reddish brown and turning more on the green side during the spawning season. So the rule for colour is that there is no rule, you can tie the worm in any colour you like! Personally I have found the two most successful colours for me are the one shown here and bright orange. And don´t forget that ragworms are on the sea trout menu the whole year, so don´t restrict your fishing with it just to the spring, it´s also a deadly pattern for regular trout fishing.
Hook Tail: Mustad Shrimp C47SD # 8
Hook Head: Mustad Shrimp C47SD # 6
Tying Thread: Dyneema
Central Core: Dyneema
Tail: Black and Olive brown marabou
Body: Black and Olive brown marabou
Head: Brass or Tungsten bead
1
Secure your salt water # 8 tail hook in the vice.
2
Cover the hook with a foundation of Dyneema tying thread. I use Dyneema because it is salt water resistant and weight for weight stronger than quality steel.
3
Select some fine tapered olive and black marabou and tie in the tail. Colour your Dyneema with a black waterproof felt pen.
4
Load two paper clips or a Marc Petitjean magic tool, one with black marabou and one with olive. Make sure that the marabou fibres are not too long.
5
Once you have loaded your paper clips make a dubbing loop that is 2.5 times the length of your paper clips. Make sure that you dubbing loop begins tight against the tail of the fly. Colour the dubbing loop black with a waterproof felt pen.
6
Holding the loop open with your left hand place in the black marabou.
7
Now you have to take care! Once the black marabou is trapped in between the dubbing loop make sure you dont release the tension. Otherwise all the marabou will fall out.
8
Whilst keeping the tension in the first marabou by holding the dyneema loop with your left forefinger and thumb place in the olive marabou approximately 1 cm further down the loop. Now retain the tension in the loop and let the bottom half hang over your forefinger. Spin the bottom half of the loop tight.
9
Once you have spun the bottom half, while keeping the tension in the loop, lift and pull your dubbing spinner off your finger and the upper half of the loop will spin automatically, catching the black marabou. You can now spin the whole loop to tighten the marabou securely.
10
While holding the loop out stretched and tight use an old tooth brush (not a metal dubbing brush! this will fray and weaken your Dyneema) to open out any trapped marabou fibres.
11
Hang your dubbing loop in a material spring or clip, so that it doesn´t unwind while you are working on the rest of the fly. Using a even stronger Dyneema, cut a 30 cm length and double it. Place the looped end through the tail hook eye as shown.
12
Now thread the two ends of the core Dyneema through the loop in the hook eye.
13
And pull tight. You can now place a little drop of super glue on the knot.
14
Colour the core Dyneema with a black waterproof felt pen and then lie it down on top of the spun dubbing loop.
15
While holding the Dyneema core and the dubbing loop in your right hand, catch the centre of the dubbing loop with the hook end of a whip finish tool.
16
Fold the dubbing loop over as shown towards the tail hook.
17
While holding the dubbing spinner in place with your left hand remove the whip finish tool from the loop. You will now see the loop spin automatically together. Secure the dubbing loop to the tail hook by tying down a small section, and then folding over the dyneema and tying down again (see stage 23). Repeat this until you are sure it is secure. Remove the access dyneema tying thread and carefully apply a drop of super glue to the whippings . Taking care not to get it on the marabou.
18
Find the core loop again and attach your whip finish tool. Now you should be able to slide the marabou dubbing loop down the core a little. Remove the hook from your vice.
19
Place a bead onto the # 6 shrimp hook and secure in the vice. Once in the vice place a few wrapping of lead wire behind the bead head. This extra weight gives a much better swimming action.
20
Using your thumb nail push the lead wire into the bead head.
21
Attach your tying thread and secure the lead wire and bead head.
22
Tie in the core of the fly as shown.
23
Once the first part of the core is attached apply a drop of super glue.
24
Fold over the core and tie down again. Apply another small drop of super glue.
25
Once you have secured the core slide the dubbing loop up and tie this down. Once you are happy that everything is in place apply another small drop of super glue.
26
Move your tying thread to the rear of the hook shaft and make another dubbing loop. Don´t forget to colour the dyneema black. Spin in some olive marabou.
27
Wind on the last dubbing loop, making sure that you stroke the marabou fibres back with each turn.
28
Take a few black marabou fibres and tie these in over the olive ones. Whip finish and apply a tiny drop of super glue through the eye of the bead.
29
Cut off the point of the front hook with a strong pair of pliers. Be careful with your eyes when doing this as the point comes off like a bullet.
Proof of the pudding!
Fly Tying with a gun.
A melt glue pistol can be purchased for the price of a pint!
Tying with melt glue does require a little more practice and patience than most regular materials. But the results can be rewarding!
Virtual Minnow. realistic bait fish patterns are quick and easy to achieve with melt glue.
Melt glue is a material that one has to get used to using. Once its mastered, it can be put to use not only in developing new patterns but also as a substitute in existing ones. Melt glue guns come in various sizes from hobby to industrial, I find the hobby size not only the cheapest but also the easiest to employ. Another advantage with the hobby gun is the amount of different glue that is available.
Glue sticks are available in many colours and types,
Although I do use coloured glue, in most patterns I use the transparent or “regular” glue that can also be coloured with waterproof felt markers. The regular glue is also much easier to handle and shape than the coloured. In most cases, It has a lower melting temperature and a shorter drying time than the glues with added colour and glitter.
Molding bait fish bodies takes a little practice but the results are perfect every time.
Ant bodies take only a few seconds!
After tying with melt glue for over a decade and a half, nowadays Iuse my gun most to apply the glue, for patterns where a large amount of glue is required. Otherwise I melt the glue direct from the “glue stick” with a lighter, or I first cut the required amount of glue from the stick with scissors, hold one end of the glue fragment with needle nose tweezers and warm the other end with the lighter and apply it to the hook. I then continue to melt and form the glue with the lighter on the hook. The clear glue can also be coloured by applying a foundation of coloured tying thread over the hook shank before you apply the glue.
Transparent caddis pupa with olive melt glue.
Grayling Heroe trout egg is a combo of melt glue and Bug Bond.
Bug Bond Thunder Creek.
Bug Bond Thunder Creek, a great salt water sea trout pattern.
The original Thunder creek streamer series came from the vice of American, Keith Fulsher. In the early sixties, not satisfied with the regular head and eye size of streamers, he began experimenting and chose the reverse buck tail technique for his Thunder creek patterns. This technique involves tying the buck tail, as the technique suggests, the opposite way and then folding it back over the hook shank and tying down to form the head. The simplicity of this pattern and the minimal materials needed to tie it, is fly design at its very best! He achieved his goal, a slim two toned body with a large minnow head that allowed for larger eyes, the main attack point for predatory fish and through changing only the buck tail colour and hook size, could imitate numerous baitfish. Streamers generally fall into two categories, baitfish imitations and attractors! I am in no doubt that the Thunder creek covers both. You can try a whole load of colour combinations, and if you would like a little flash in the pattern tie this in at the rear of the head before folding the wings back. Also if you would like a heavier pattern use lead under the head dubbing. If you are looking for a slimmer pattern to imitate a sand eel, replace the buck tail with a synthetic material like fish hair or DNA, but dont build up the head with dubbing, this will keep the pattern slim and streamline.
1
Secure your straight eye streamer hook securely fixed in the vice.
Attatch your tying thread and cover the first third of the hook shank.
3
Now cut a small bunch of buck tail and even the ends in a hair stacker. measure the hair bunch to the correct length required and tie in as shown, on top of the hook shank.
4
Turn your hook up side down in the vice.
5
Tie in another bunch of lighter buck tail on the underside of the hook shank. This should be just a little shorter than the first. Make sure that the forward whippings of tying thread are tight into the hook eye.
6
Now apply a little dubbing to the tying thread and build up a tight dense base for the head of the baitfish. Make sure that the head is not larger than the initial butts of buck tail. Finish with the tying thread hanging at the base of the head.
7
This stage can be done free hand, but you can achieve much better results using a transparent plastic tube. Place the tube over the eye of the hook pushing the buck tail back to form the wing.
8
Make a few tight turns of tying thread to form the head. The Bucktail wing will flare outwards.
9
Carefully remove the tube, by twisting it from side to side while carefully pulling off the head. Make a few more secure tight turns of tying thread and whip finish. Apply the tape eyes one each side. To set the wing flat wet your fingers and stroke the wing.
10
The only thing remaining now is to coat the head with Bug Bond. The first coat is just to secure the tape eyes. Make sure that when applying the next two coats that you cover the band of tying thread. When the wing dry’s it will remain flat.
Grayling Heroe-Trout egg
The ‘Grayling Heroe’ trout egg inspired by mr Bug Bond himself, David Edwards.
Apparently trout roe patterns have been working well for they Grayling guys in the UK recently. This ones for you.
I will be posting the full step by step for this quick and easy Bug Bond patterns soooon!
The worm that turned!
The rag worm fly is without doubt one of the most difficult patterns to tie, but the rewards can be great!
The ragworms wedding as it is known, is called the springs most exciting adventure for the sea trout fisherman. And if you are lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time, there is no danger for you not connecting with fish. Although ragworms are on the sea trouts menu the whole year round, its in the spring under the annual swarming that the sea trout will go on a feeding frenzy and gorge themselves on the worms.
The real deal.
There are many patterns known to sea trout fishermen to imitate the worm, some better than others, some simple to tie and some, not so simple to tie. I believe the original pattern from the tying bench of innovative Swedish fly tyer Robert Lai is still for me, without a doubt the best. Robert´s pattern is probably one of the most challenging patterns, many fly tyers will ever learn to tie, but the rewards are great. No other worm pattern swims and pulsates in the water like his, imitating the natural swimming worm as closely as humanly possible with feather and steel.
Although we are not 100% sure, and thats not for lack of theories! But the spring swarming is due to the worms spawning season and seems to be triggered by two main factors. A rise in water temperature 6-7 degrees, and the arrival of a new lunar phase, (full moon) from anywhere around mid March and into April. The female ragworm broods her eggs within her long flattened body and as the eggs develop her body becomes brittle and eventually splits, releasing the eggs. The male ragworms are attracted to the egg laying by following pheromones, that are also released by the females. After spawning, both male and female ragworms die.
Ragg worm swarming can be very local in most situations, and it’s not easy to know where. Then you should look to the sky, beacause the greedy and forever hungry sea gulls can show you the way. If you can see that screaming sea gulls are flocking and circle around a area of coast, this shows you where to fish – just like the pelicans when tarpon fishing. Consider also when the strong spring sun has been high in the sky all day and warming up the shallow’s, especially with dark muddy bottoms. Most sea trout fishermen, including myself, prefer sight fishing during the day looking for rises as you fish systematically, possible holding spots in small bays and inlets as the tide rises and falls. But if you are, as most sea trout fishermen, hoping to connect with larger fish that are normally wiser and more sceptical about entering the shallower coastal waters during the hours of daylight. These shallow areas retain the days heat during the first couple of hours of darkness. It’s during this period that larger sea trout dare to venture into the shallows to feed. You should fish at least a couple of hours into the night.
The pattern I have tied here started off, 15 years ago, as a direct copy of Robert´s original pattern, but over the years it has changed a little, but this had more to do with receding memory on my part, than anything to do with developing the pattern. But the basic original principal is still there and the pattern still works. There are a few rules one must follow when tying this pattern. The tail hook should be small and light in weight. Because the worm has an extremely flexible body, a larger and heavier tail hook has a tendency to “Hang-up” on the body under casting, which results in you fishing a ball of marabou with the hook out of-line. A heavier tail hook also reduces the animation and swimming motion of the worm by restricting the tail from lifting when the bead head sinks. Another point is the central core of the fly, not the loop that you spun the marabou onto but the Dyneema spine that holds the front hook to the tail hook. This is Alfa and Omega regarding the success of tying this pattern. If the spine is not securely attached to the front hook, you can risk loosing, not only the business end of your worm but also fish. So make sure that you tie this in as well as you can and don´t be afraid to use super glue. The Latin name for the common ragworm is Nereis diversicolor, meaning they are quite variable in colour, but typically reddish brown and turning more on the green side during the spawning season. So the rule for colour is that there is no rule, you can tie the worm in any colour you like! Personally I have found the two most successful colours for me are the one shown here and bright orange. And don´t forget that ragworms are on the sea trout menu the whole year, so don´t restrict your fishing with it just to the spring, it´s also a deadly pattern for regular trout fishing.
Hook Tail: Mustad Shrimp C47SD # 8
Hook Head: Mustad Shrimp C47SD # 6
Tying Thread: Dyneema
Central Core: Dyneema
Tail: Black and Olive brown marabou
Body: Black and Olive brown marabou
Head: Brass or Tungsten bead
1
Secure your salt water # 8 tail hook in the vice.
2
Cover the hook with a foundation of Dyneema tying thread. I use Dyneema because it is salt water resistant and weight for weight stronger than quality steel.
3
Select some fine tapered olive and black marabou and tie in the tail. Colour your Dyneema with a black waterproof felt pen.
4
Load two paper clips or a Marc Petitjean magic tool, one with black marabou and one with olive. Make sure that the marabou fibres are not too long.
5
Once you have loaded your paper clips make a dubbing loop that is 2.5 times the length of your paper clips. Make sure that you dubbing loop begins tight against the tail of the fly. Colour the dubbing loop black with a waterproof felt pen.
6
Holding the loop open with your left hand place in the black marabou.
7
Now you have to take care! Once the black marabou is trapped in between the dubbing loop make sure you dont release the tension. Otherwise all the marabou will fall out.
8
Whilst keeping the tension in the first marabou by holding the dyneema loop with your left forefinger and thumb place in the olive marabou approximately 1 cm further down the loop. Now retain the tension in the loop and let the bottom half hang over your forefinger. Spin the bottom half of the loop tight.
9
Once you have spun the bottom half, while keeping the tension in the loop, lift and pull your dubbing spinner off your finger and the upper half of the loop will spin automatically, catching the black marabou. You can now spin the whole loop to tighten the marabou securely.
10
While holding the loop out stretched and tight use an old tooth brush (not a metal dubbing brush! this will fray and weaken your Dyneema) to open out any trapped marabou fibres.
11
Hang your dubbing loop in a material spring or clip, so that it doesn´t unwind while you are working on the rest of the fly. Using a even stronger Dyneema, cut a 30 cm length and double it. Place the looped end through the tail hook eye as shown.
12
Now thread the two ends of the core Dyneema through the loop in the hook eye.
13
And pull tight. You can now place a little drop of super glue on the knot.
14
Colour the core Dyneema with a black waterproof felt pen and then lie it down on top of the spun dubbing loop.
15
While holding the Dyneema core and the dubbing loop in your right hand, catch the centre of the dubbing loop with the hook end of a whip finish tool.
16
Fold the dubbing loop over as shown towards the tail hook.
17
While holding the dubbing spinner in place with your left hand remove the whip finish tool from the loop. You will now see the loop spin automatically together. Secure the dubbing loop to the tail hook by tying down a small section, and then folding over the dyneema and tying down again (see stage 23). Repeat this until you are sure it is secure. Remove the access dyneema tying thread and carefully apply a drop of super glue to the whippings . Taking care not to get it on the marabou.
18
Find the core loop again and attach your whip finish tool. Now you should be able to slide the marabou dubbing loop down the core a little. Remove the hook from your vice.
19
Place a bead onto the # 6 shrimp hook and secure in the vice. Once in the vice place a few wrapping of lead wire behind the bead head. This extra weight gives a much better swimming action.
20
Using your thumb nail push the lead wire into the bead head.
21
Attach your tying thread and secure the lead wire and bead head.
22
Tie in the core of the fly as shown.
23
Once the first part of the core is attached apply a drop of super glue.
24
Fold over the core and tie down again. Apply another small drop of super glue.
25
Once you have secured the core slide the dubbing loop up and tie this down. Once you are happy that everything is in place apply another small drop of super glue.
26
Move your tying thread to the rear of the hook shaft and make another dubbing loop. Don´t forget to colour the dyneema black. Spin in some olive marabou.
27
Wind on the last dubbing loop, making sure that you stroke the marabou fibres back with each turn.
28
Take a few black marabou fibres and tie these in over the olive ones. Whip finish and apply a tiny drop of super glue through the eye of the bead.
29
Cut off the point of the front hook with a strong pair of pliers. Be careful with your eyes when doing this as the point comes off like a bullet.
Proof of the pudding!
Helter Skelter Pike Fly jig.
My Helter Skelter pike jig works on all the pikes attractor senses!
Hook Mustad S74SZ # 2/0-4/0
Thread Dyneema
Body E-Z Body XL filled with 3-5 beads
Under wing White buck tail
Wing Chartreuse and white Icelandic sheep
Over wing Lime green Big fish fiber
Sides Grizzle cock hackles coloured yellow
Eyes Large mobile eyes and bug bond or epoxy
I developed the Heltor skeltor to maximize all the attractor elements possible in one fly.
The Icelandic sheep and big fly fiber are extremely mobile in water, but their effect is enhanced by the weight of the brass beads that roll back and forth in the body tube giving not only a sporadic jerky swimming action but also rattle against each other sending out an audial signal to predators. Not forgetting the eyes which are an attack point, are oversized for additional predator impact. If you keep all these factors in mind when designing predatory patterns you wont go wrong.
- 1
Secure your hook in the vice. Attach your tying thread at the bend of the hook as shown.
2
Cut a length of E-Z body XL and singe the fibers at one end with a lighter. This is important as it will give purchase for the tying thread and stop it slipping off the tube.
3
Thread the E-Z body over the hook shank until you come to the tying thread.
4
Tie the end of the E-Z body down. Make sure this is secure.
5
Whip finish and remove your tying thread. You must now apply varnish or bug bond to the tying whippings. Trim the E-Z body down to about 4 mm longer than the hook eye and seal the fibers again.
6
Draw back the E-Z body tube and attach your tying thread 4-5 mm behind the hook eye.
Now insert 3-5 large beads inside the E-Z body cavity. These have several purposes. They not only give weight and sound by rattling against each other while fishing, but they also influence the swimming action of the fly. As you retrieve, the beads roll back and forth in the belly of the streamer making it tip up and down and extremely attractive.
7
Tie down the E-Z body tube to seal the the body.
8
Tie inn a under wing of white buck tail, this will support the finer more mobile over wing material.
9
Now tie in a length of white Icelandic sheep, the wrong way as shown. This will give a little volume to the head section. This should be a little longer than the buck tail under wing.
10
Now fold over the white Icelandic sheep. You will see that the head of the fly will be lifted, like a pompadour.
11
Cut a length of chartreuse or yellow Icelandic sheep and tie this in the correct way over the white wing.
12
Cut a smaller bunch of lime green big fish fiber keeping the crimped ends, these again will give volume just above the head of the streamer.
13
Colour two large grizzle hackles yellow with a waterproof felt pen.
14
Tie these in as the sides.
15
Using a drop of super glue attach two large mobile or dolls eyes, one each side and central to the hook eye. Once the eyes are attached you can then fill the opening between both eyes over and under the hook eye with Bug Bond or Epoxy.
16
The finished Helter skelter pike streamer.
Elasticaddis in the house!
The elasticaddis is a Impressionistic larva house built from rubber legs.
House building caddis larva are available in most waters all year round, and are an important segment of the diet of trout and grayling. There are many techniques that have been developed over the years from fly tying benches all over the world to imitate the house of the caddis larva, but this technique really gives the right impression. This is a pattern I believe was developed in the US, but other than that I cant find any other information about it. The great thing about this pattern is if you trim the rubber legs close to the body you get the impression of a caddis larva house built out of gravel, but if you spin the rubber legs not so tight and trim them a little longer it makes for a great house made of vegetation and sticks. Also the rubber gives that extra needed weight when you need to get down deep and not least extremely durable.
You may find that this isn´t the easiest pattern to tie at the first attempt as the rubber legs seem to have a life of their own, but after a few attempts is no more difficult then any other pattern. Try mixing colours and rubber types to achieve different effects.
Hook Mustad R72NP-BR # 12-6 with Bead head
Tying thread Dyneema
Body Rubber legs
Collar CdC
Head Course antron dubbing
- 1
Place a bead head on hook and your hook in the vice.
2
Attach tying thread to hook and run a foundation of thread along the whole hook shank.
3
Cut 3 small strips ca. 2 cm long, of double rubber legs in various colours and diameters if available.
4
Tie in the three rubber legs at the rear of the hook. If you are going to use heavy rubber legs, with a large diameter it is best to make a foundation of tapered loose dubbing on the hook shank first, otherwise the rubber will not flare as easy as fine rubber legs.
5
Once they are secure you can pull on them to split the double legs into single.
6
Carry on with the same procedure, mixing the colours as you go along the hook shank.
7
After each bunch of rubber legs is attached use the bead head to push the legs and pack them tightly. This will give a more compact body.
8
Attach more rubber legs until you have covered all but 3-4 mm of hook shank.
9
Now you can trim the house / larva case.
10
Continue all around the body of the fly until you have the desired size and shape.
11
Spin a couple of CdC hackles in a dubbing loop, just behind the bead head.
12
Wind on the dubbing loop brushing the CdC back over the body of the fly with each turn, so as not to trap the fibers.
13
Now dubb the tying thread with a little coarse dubbing with longish fibers and dubb the head of the fly tight into the bead head.
14
Whip finish and remove the tying thread. Using an old tooth brush brush out all the CdC and dubbing fibers, so they lie back over the body.
15
The finished elasticaddis.
No matter what you tie there is always room for artistic expression.
A quick and simple one for Friday night.
This is a quick Friday night, simple and realistic melt glue caddis pupa. Although it takes a little practice to master the use of melt glue, once mastered its a great material.
1
Secure your caddis hook in the vice and tie in a long olive osrtrich herl at the bend
2
Remove your tying thread and apply a little melt glue on top of the hook shank.
3
With a lighter soften the melt glue, so it runs around the hook shank. But be careful not to burn it.
4
While the glue is still soft, but not too soft, wind on the herl rib so it sinks a little into the glue.
5
Once the rib is on wet your finger and wipe the top of the body from the eye to the bend so the herl sits fast into the glue.
6
Take a water proof felt pen and mark the top of the body. Attach your tying thread again.
7
The body should now look like this from above.
8
Make a dubbing loop and spin a little CdC for the collar.
9
Wind on the CdC dubbing loop.
10
Now apply a little buggy dubbing to form the thorax.
11
Whip finish and brush out the fibers of the dubbing. I use an old tooth brush.
12
Your finished melt glue caddis pupa. You can see the transparent body.
