Monthly Archives: November 2014

November 29, 2014 · 7:00 am

Indiana Fly Fishing Expo – coming soon

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This will the first year for the Indiana Fly Fishing Expo. The show will feature fly fishing guides, fly shops, and fly tyers from across the Midwest. In addition to the shops, guides, and tyers, there will be sales reps from all the major fly fishing brands displaying all of the new products for 2015.

The list of speakers is a great one! The speakers include Bob Clouser, Joe Mahler, Greg Senyo, Kevin Feenstra, Dustan Harley, Brian Pitser, and Mike Schultz.

The show will feature seminars on fly fishing for various species, destinations, tips to improve your fly fishing skills, and fly tying as well. The show will be held for two days, January 10th (Saturday 9am-5pm) and January 11th (Sunday 10am-4pm), at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in the Ag-Hort Building. Please come join us for two great days dedicated to fly fishing.

Be sure to check the website for more information and to keep informed on new additions.

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Filed under Fly fishing show

November 28, 2014 · 7:00 am

Ricky Bassett – Part 2

Here is a follow-up to Ricky Bassett’s fly tying post. Several flies were listed in the last post and this continues to show more flies tied by Ricky. Ricky will take it from here.

Bwo patterns are one of my favorites to tie and fish for the fact that they are so abundant on all the waters I fish and probably the waters all of you fish as well. There are a lot of good patterns out there and think they should always be in the fly box to represent all the stages and sizes; nymphs, emerging nymphs, emergers, cripples, duns that sit high and low on the water and of course spinners. I always have a lot of fun observing the naturals on the stream, collecting them and taking them back home to the bench to be used as little models to tie from. There is nothing more rewarding then tying a fly to match a mayfly you’ve captured and then using it to fool a trout from the same river. Its what flyfishing and tying is all about, embracing all aspects of the sport and having fun doing it.

Quill Body BWO

Quill Body BWO (Art Flick style)

Hook: Partridge SLD #18
Thread: Pale morning dun 8/0
Tail: Coq de Leon
Body: Polish Quills Olive coated with thin layer of DC diamond fine tack free
Hackle: Whiting medium dyed dun high and dry (wound through dubbed thorax)
Thorax: Davy Wotton minky dub brown olive with sparse amount uv fibers mixed in
Head: Thread dyed with marker to a deep rich red color to imitate eyes coated with DC diamond fine.

Reel WIngs Quill Body Dun

Reel Wings Olive Quill Thorax Dun

Hook: SLD #18
Thread: pmd 8/0
Wings: Joseph Ludkin Reel Wings upwing spinner
Tail: Coq de Leon
Body: Polish Quills Olive finished with DC diamond Fine
Hackle: Whiting medium dyed dun high and dry
Head: Thread dyed with marker to a deep red finished wit DC diamond fine

Delicate Thorax Dun

Olive Thorax Dun

Hook: SLD#18
Thread: PMD 8/0
Tail: Coq de Leon
Body: Special body thread cinnamon from Troutline
Hackle: Whiting med dyed dun High and Dry
Head: Dyed deep red w/marker finished w/DC diamond fine

Midges are a pattern that should be in every flyfisher’s arsenal. They are found everywhere and the fish always feed on them for the most part.
I find in pressured streams/rivers the key to success is to sometimes go very small, on some days a small change in size of fly can make all the difference.

P.T. Midge Pupa

Hook: Varivas 2210 #30
Thread: Tan 12/0
Rib: Extra fine copper wire
Tail: 3 fibers from a pheasant tail
Body: Pheasant tail
Wing Case: hen back dark brown color
Thorax: Dark tan beaver
Wing Buds: Fibers from wing case divided in half folded back and trimmed

P.T. Midge Parachute

Hook: Varivas 2210 #30
Thread: Tan 12/0
Post: Fluo pink CDC
Hackle: Whiting med dyed dun High n Dry
Rib: Extra fine copper wire
Tail/shuck: 3 Pheasant tail fibers
Body: Pheasant tail
Thorax: Dark tan beaver

Body Quills BWO

Hook: partridge sld #20
Thread: 10/0 white gudebrod
Wings: tips of two cdc feathers
Tail: coq de leon
Body: hends body quills BQ-99 and BQ-35 (i remove the two fine fibers and use just the transparent mylar section alone)
Hackle: whiting high and dry medium dyed dun

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Filed under Trout flies

November 27, 2014 · 7:00 am

Ricky Bassett – Fly Tyer

I am very new to the Fly tying scene, so when Paul contacted me about featuring some of my flies on Frankenfly, I was excited to have the opportunity to do so. I grew up in Long Island, NY and still live there today. I was introduced to fishing at a very early age and was instantly hooked! When I was about ten years old I remember looking at all the flies in the bins of an old tackle shop and being so intrigued! From that point I wanted to learn how to tie them myself. Years later in 2007 after learning to fly fish, I finally got a small tying kit that eventually grew to a small room.

I was determined to learn, so I would read whatever books I could get my hands on and I watched tons of different tying videos and just had fun with it. I think it comes down to enjoying it and being passionate about it, that is really why I stuck with it. I literally would tie flies whenever I wasn’t fishing. For me, if I wasn’t fishing…tying kind of gave me the same feeling I would get when I would be out on the water. I fell in love with everything about tying. From the creative process, to all the different materials and tools, to the insects that we replicate, it’s a constant learning experience that never stops.

I have recently started tying flies for Joe Fox from Dette Trout Flies. Some of the flies I tie are available beside the other great fly patterns from other domestic tiers that tie for the shop. It was when I transitioned into commercial tying that I felt the need to learn how to photograph my work and get it out on the internet for people to see. I was also encouraged by my now good friend, Joe, to start tying at some of the shows this season. At first I was extremely nervous, but the warm welcome I got from a lot of the other tiers and people in general was what made me feel at home. Besides that, I have made a lot of great friends and realized we all share a common interest at the end of the day. We all love to fish and tie and can all learn from one another. I look forward to wherever this journey takes me.
Thank you all for taking the time to look at my work.

Andre Puyans Loop Wing Macaw Adams

Hook: Partridge SLD size 12
Wing: Teal tied in a loop wing
Tail: Coq de leon
Body: Macaw wrapped over thin layer of wet zap a gap
Hackle: Cree

Reel Wings Macaw

Reel Wings Macaw Adams

Hook: Partridge SLD
Thread: Tan 8/0 flat thread
Wings: Joseph Ludkin Reel Wings upwing spinner
Tail: Coq de leon
Body: Macaw wrapped through thin layer of wet zap a gap
Hackle: Cree
Head: coated with deer creek diamond fine

A pattern I Created based off of Andre Puyans loopwing macaw adams just with the change to a more modern material called Reel Wings for the wing substitute. Reel Wings were designed to be fished by fisherman. Its a one piece pre-cut wing material with veins etched into the material. They are the most delicate felling and realistic looking material I have ever tied with and they are pretty easy to work with as well!

Atherton # 5

Hook: Partridge SLD#12
Thread: Tan 8/0
Wings: Wood Duck
Tail: Dark Cree
Rib: Fine oval gold tinsel
Body: Hare’s Ear mix of speckled guard hairs blended with pinkish hair at base of ears)
Hackle: Dark Cree
Head: Thread coated with DC Diamond fine tack free

John Atherton is one of my Favorite tiers whom created flies with impressionistic qualities and are extremely beautiful to look at like works of art. His patterns have stood the test time.

Cree n Macaw Variant

Hook: Partridge SLD size 12
Thread: Tan 8/0 flat thread
Tail: Coq de Leon
Body: Macaw (taken from the base of the feather where it was all one color of creamy golden yellow) wrapped through thin layer of wet zap a gap
Hackle: Cree
Head: Deer Creek diamond fine tack free

Art Flick favored variants very much so and I love to tie them as well as fish them they are a lot fun!! Its a very effective general searching pattern when there’s nothing happening as far as hatches. Great for the summer time in the north east.

Macaw Dry

Macaw and Ginger

Hook: Partridge SLD #16
Thread: Pale Morning Dun 8/0
Wings: Khaki Campbell CDC
Tail: Coq de Leon
Body: Macaw wrapped through thin layer of wet zap a gap
Hackle: Whiting Dark barred Ginger
Head: thread finished with DC diamond fine tack free

To be continued…

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Filed under Trout flies

November 26, 2014 · 7:00 am

Buckeye Shiner – Ray Tucker

BUCKEYE SHINER FLY PATTERN:

Hook – Mustad (Model 3665A/Size 6)
Thread – White UNI-Thread (6/0)
Body – UNI-French Embossed Silver Metal Tinsel (Size #12)

Rib (recommended) – Silver Oval Metal Tinsel

Wing 1 – Slate Gray Bucktail (Bottom layer)
Wing 2 – Two Strands of Bright Yellow Krystal Flash (folded over the tying thread to form four strands)
Wing 3 – Five Strands of UV Tan Krystal Flash (folded over the tying thread)
Wing 4 – Lavender Bucktail
Wing 5 – Four strands of Peacock Herl (Top layer)

Head – White tying thread painted with silver Testors model paint.

Pupils are formed with black acrylic craft paint. I painted the head with two coats of Sally Hansen’s Hard-As-Nails high gloss nail polish after the eyes had dried. The eyes kind of follow you around because the bulge out from the sides a bit. The thread head should be fairly big to make the eyes more prominent. The silver paint is Testors (the stuff that comes in the small square glass bottles and is used for painting plastic models) and the black eyes are painted with an acrylic craft paint (Apple Barrel Gloss 20662/Black). I think you can get them both at Walmart or at JoAnne Fabrics.

To shape the flies, I recommend running them under water to wet them after all of the tying steps are done, then let them air dry. That is why the shape of the bucktail wing is tapered. The wetting and drying process helps train the hair to keep a more tapered profile.

Tying Instructions: Materials are listed in the order they are attached to the hook.

Note – I recommend applying a coat of superglue to the body of the fly before wrapping the tinsel forward to make the body more durable. Another option is to shorten up the tinsel body somewhat (roughly 1/4 shorter) to keep the fishes teeth from cutting the tinsel body. A third option is to add an oval tinsel rib to reinforce the body to make the fly a tough.

Presentation Tips: Fish this pattern with a quick darting retrieve (like a scared shiner)

I designed this pattern to imitate the emerald shiners in Lake Erie tribs. I accidentally hooked an emerald shiner (Notropis Atherinoide) on a backcast one day. I stopped to take photos of the shiner, which later served as a color reference for tying. They are actually very pretty little fish. The Buckeye Shiner is a pattern I came up with to match this little shiner. The name should probably be “emerald shiner” but I didn’t want to cause confusion with other patterns already called that. The emerald shiner is sometimes called a “buckeye shiner”, so that is the source of the name.
As for the color scheme, the shiner I hooked had a prominent yellow streak along its side (thus the strands of yellow krystal flash) and it had a distinct lavender hue along the sides (I used UV Tan Krystal Flash to capture the color of the sides). The top and back had a iridescent green coloration (thus the strands of peacock herl). The eyes of the shiner are bright silver with large black pupils. I decided to use white tying thread and paint it silver before painting the pupils and finishing the head.

I put a fair amount of thought into this one to try to capture the key features of the natural shiner (at least from this area).

This pattern has proven to be very effective on smallmouth bass and steelhead.

Ray (letumgo) Tucker

Photo by Bill Shuck

As a bonus from Bill Shuck, here is a pattern similar that Bill tied after seeing Ray catch those steelhead. Bill said, “I came home determined to tie up some close equivalents for smallmouth as well as for steelhead and other trout. Here are the results, which are tied on 6x long Size #6 streamer hooks. As for my recipe, it’s basically the same as Ray’s except that I subbed gold Krystal Flash for the 2nd wing, yellow/brown bucktail for the 3rd wing, grey thread wraps for the head, and holographic stick-on eyes.”

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Filed under Smallmouth, Steelhead

November 25, 2014 · 11:07 am

Olive Biot Nymph with Jim Misiura

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Filed under nymphs

November 24, 2014 · 7:00 am

Bonefish Tapas Fly – Maarten Bruinenberg

Maarten says, “This is my go to pattern for big Bonefish. When Bonefish get over 6-8 pound they get smart, spooky and often feed more selective. They don’t act the same as a 3-4 pound fish… so you need another fly to target those bigger Bonefish.”

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Filed under Saltwater

November 22, 2014 · 11:50 am

Clark “Cheech” Pierce’s Mongrel Meat

Recipe:
Rear Hook – #4 Partridge Streamer Hook
Tail – Marabou
Over Tail – Barred Marabou
Hackle – Schlappen
Body – Cactus Chenille
Wing – Marabou

Front Hook – Gamakatsu B10s
Weight – Lead Eyes
Tail – Marabou
Hackle – Schlappen
Body – Cactus Chenille
Wing – Arctic Fox
Head – Fly Fish Food Bruiser Blend http://store.flyfishfood.com/Bruiser-Blend-Dubbing-p/bbdub.htm
Eyes – CCG Eyes

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Filed under Streamers

November 21, 2014 · 7:00 am

Twisted Firestarter by Eunan Hendron

This fly came about after I tied the Eastern Sunset. I felt on an artistic roll, and decided to break out the big 8/0 4.5 inch hook I’ve had stashed away for over a year.
Truth be told, I had a completely different idea for this hook, which I kind of started out on, but it soon morphed to what you see before you. The already started fly is pictured (below) with a 3/0 hook, similar to that on which I tied the Eastern Sunset.
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You’ll notice from the final fly, and the earlier pictures that I changed the tail. This was to complement the tail veiling, Amherst tippets flanked by smaller jungle cock nails. The early tail was just a Golden crest, but I soon switched it out to an Amherst crest. You might even see the very tip of the tail is banded like the Amherst tippets; I thought this was cool. The jungle cock, as you will see, ended up being a running theme through out the whole fly. Perhaps the only section that doesn’t fit with the rest of the fly is the white floss with blue rib This was a transition section, and I wanted it to be a bit different. White floss and blue tinsel are not often seen on flies. Soon after tying this part, the fly began to morph to its current form. There is also a fine gold tinsel rib leading the blue tinsel.

The copper tinsel section, is again another feature not often evident in classic flies, and I went with embossed tinsel to futher enhance the appearance. This is the beginning of the metamorphosis from what I had intended to what came out. The tippets veiling this section are from an Am-Gold pheasant, as are the crests (light coloration) veiling both sets of tippets. At this point I started to see more of a color theme forming, so I went with Jungle cock cheeks for the tippets, and an orange herl butt.

Keeping the jungle cock theme was something I did on a whim. The Chatterer fly (Traherne) is a fly I’ve long wanted to tie, but never really gave it a shot. That fly has chatterer, or more often these days, Kingfisher feathers, tied along the body. I’ve seen other artistic flies using Jungle Cock, so I decided to give it a try. It work out ok. There is a black floss body under the jungle cock body. For the most part all are in the right place, except one or two. I’ll let you try to figure out which ones are not up to scratch. Veiling this section we have back to back Jungle Cock nails, surrounded by dark Am-Gold crests, and butted with black ostrich.

The last body section is simply orange floss, with two tinsel ribs. Between them is an experimental rib I wanted to try. Orignally I wanted to have a very bushy and almost ‘mohair mane’ like rib, but that didn’t quite work out, so instead it ended up a more compact rib threaded between the tinsels – it is a hand blended mix of yellow and orange mohair in the ratio of approx 2.5 yellow : 1 orange. Hackle here is blue eared pheasant.

Finally the front wings. These are comprised of back to back spear shaped Jungle cock. There was literally only two pairs of those shaped nails on the cape so everything worked out well in that regard – i.e. I didn’t screw up any of them. The married wings are custom dyed sunburst goose shoulder with kori bustard. Cheeks are jungle cock. I decided to forego toppings over as the head was already pretty bulky and I didnt want to ruin the wings, an easy thing to do with toppings. Head is black thread varnished to a high gloss finish.