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Fly-to-Tie...
by Jon Dohnson
From our esteemed editor-in-chief, the fly to tie for September
will be a small baetis soft hackle...killer (according to the Hurl) on the
Yakima this time of year. Lou has his fav recipe for the little flea so I'll
let him divulge the particulars. For October the fly will be any October
caddis pattern. These are big bugs and there are a few patterns available to
tie. there are steelhead versions (i.e. from Harry Lemire) or they can be
oversized elk hair caddis ala Al Troth. a stimulator in orange works wonders
too. An XL, orangish caddis pupa is also effective and a fly of my own, the
Septober Caddis Soft Hackle, is also a decent producer of strikes. The
Septober Caddis is tied on a size 8 or 10 Daiichi 1280 (2xl dry fly hook)
with a spun-dubbed deer hair body in rusty orange with a counter-wrapped,
fine copper wire rib. the hackle is formed in typical soft-hackle fashion
using an outer covert from a cock ringneck pheasant wing. In anticipation of
the 4th annual caddis for kids, the fly for November will be a Miracle
Caddis. This is very similar to the X-caddis of Craig Mathews except with a
head. The variation at this year's event will diverge from the traditional
Daiichi 1182 iron and instead use the new Alec Jackson soft hackle hook.
this is a standard wire, short shank, straight-eye hook in Crystal Finish
with a sexy Limerick bend. it is a gorgeous hook and one that makes a
chassis for some very appealing patterns. The recipe incorporates a sparse,
clear antron trailing shuck, a slender dubbed body of scintilla (color to
match the natural), a short, fine deer-hair wing and peacock-colored
scintilla for the head. pretty simple, fast to tie, durable and (most
importantly) effective.
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From-The-Vise...
by Tob Brimble
The fly for September is a Baetis soft
hackle. There are a number of patterns for this, but a very simple and
effective pattern is as follows.
Hook: Tiemco 2488H, size
16 or 18
Thread: 6/0 or 8/0 black
prewaxed
Rib: fine brass wire
Body: peacock herl
Hackle: Starling or any
other black soft hackle
Tie in near the bend of
the hook. Tie in the fine brass wire followed by the peacock herl. Wrap the
herl in close turns up the shank of the hook stopping short of the eye.
Leave enough room for the hackle and the head. Take the wire and
counter-wrap it throughout the length of the body and tie off. Tie in the
hackle by the tip and wrap 2 or 3 turns and tie off. Form a neat little head
and cement.
Another variation that you
can try is to use a floss body without the rib. You can try using black or
olive. Don't be afraid to try different combinations for the hackle and
body. You might just come up with a more effective fly. Have fun and see you
at the meeting.
Happy tying, Bob
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Mid Sound
Fisheries...
In February the board voted to give Mid Sound fisheries a donation of $175.00 to help
in their efforts to enhance habitat for anadromous fish. |
From the
Vise...
by Bob Trimble
The fly for March is a pattern that calls for the hackle of the fly to be
"palmered". Ken talked about this in the last newsletter, so I won't go into
detail about the history of it, etc. The fly I have chosen is the Griffith's Gnat. The
pattern was originated by George Griffith of Grayling, Michigan. Unfortunately, I haven't
been able to find the date of its origin. With only three materials listed in the
dressing, it is a very easy tie. Several books that I have, list the dressing for the fly: Flies of
the Northwest, Flies the Best One Thousand by Randle Stetzer and Fly tying Made Clear and
Simple by Skip Morris. The Morris book is very well illustrated and would be very helpful
for someone just starting out or anyone who is not familiar with the pattern.
The dressing is as follows:
Hook: size 14-24 or smaller if you like
Thread: Black 8/0
Hackle: Grizzly
Body: Peacock herl
Pinch the barb of the hook you are going to use and place it in
your vise. Tie in just behind the eye of the hook and spiral-wrap to the bend of the hook.
Tie in the grizzly hackle by the butt and secure with a few wraps. Select a peacock herl
and tie it in at the same locartion by the butt as well. Wind the thread back to the
tie-in point. Wrap the herl in close turns towards the eye of the hook and secure it at
the tie-in point. Take the hackle by the tip and palmer (spiral) it forward to the tie-in
point and secure it with several tight turns of thread. Tie a tiny head and whip finish
it. Apply head cement. Note: One of the books listed above also lists a rib of fine gold
wire. I don't know if this is part of the original pattern, but if you want to include it,
it would make the fly stand up better to fish strikes. Granted it would add a touch of
weight to the fly, but if you keep the wire very small, you should still be fine. Sizing
the hackle for these small hooks could be a little difficult. Try different sizes on the
hook or you can use a gauge. The various photos show a hackle that is about two hook gaps
in length. Good luck with this pattern and I hope to see a nice group of flies at the
meeting.
The fly raffle at last months meeting was really great! It was a fine group of flies and
they were very nice looking flies as well. Thanks to all who participated.
Happy tying,
Bob |
Fly-to-Tie...
by Ken Jones|
For March remember to tie up your favorite "palmer-hackled" fly. From Wooly
Buggers to Griffith’s Gnats they’re among the most effective patterns around.
And for April I’m going to ask you tie some stillwater flies -- specifically patterns
suitable for opening day on our local lakes. Whatever works for you. According to Phil
Rowley in his Fly Patterns for Stillwaters, early Spring chironomids might just do
the job -- like the Bronzie, the Frostbite or Super Floss or Yarn Bloodworm patterns, the
Collaborator, or the Chromie. Or you might try a good scud or shrimp pattern. OK, OK, I
hear you, "Hey, buster, those are fresh-stocked hatchery fish out there, and they
wouldn’t know a chironomid from a food pellet." Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard all
that. But who knows, they might just tie into your pattern anyway. And there are some nice
holdovers in most of the local lakes as well, so you might interest one of them, who
knows? I see a few coming out of Buck Lake every year. I’ve been doing the annual
creel census at Buck for the last few years, and I generally like to show up with a
handful of leech patterns. When the fish count is over around Noon and if the weather is
cooperative, I like to take out my Super Cat and head over to the edge of the swimming
area. If it’s windy I’ll probably tie up at one of the posts there and sink an
Olive Egg-Sucking Leech pattern down to about four or five feet. It’s too early yet
to get really scientific about anything, so when that doesn’t work I’ll go to a
Wooly Bugger or some other color of marabou. I’ll bet you have some similar way of
starting your lake fishing season. The south end of Gibbs Lake has some similar spots, but
you probably have your own favorite locations. So why not plan to bring in the season
right and hit the lakes on opening day. It’s not necessarily all that easy to dodge
the powerbaiters, but once you get settled in your own private corner of the lake,
it’s well worth it.
See you at the March 5th meeting at Island Lake.
Ken |
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