Sunday, July 29, 2012

Tenkara glory, The Gurin'u-eru no eiko

Here is famous Greenwell's glory(gurin'u-eru no eiko) done up reverse hackle, aka tenkara style. Dont see why this baby wouldn't retain all of it glory.













Materials
Hook- Daiichi 1110 #16
Thread- Primrose pearsalls waxed
Rib- Gold wire small
Body- tying thread
Hackle- Furnace hen
Wing- Folded mallard.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Trying out my tenkara fly- Kujaku Kumo

Not the best pic, quick cell phone pic.


Well got out for two casts, haha. I had a couple minutes to kill, literally,  will waiting for my daughter to finish cheering practice. So I hit a spot on my local spring creek. So I tied on my Kujaku Kumo to give it a whirl. I figured it would work quickly. I mean what fish can say no peacock!  My second cast and a little chubby brown came flying up for it as i twitched it about a foot below the film.   A quick fight on my 2wt, a pic, and away he went and so did I.

Materials

Hook- daiichi 1110 

Thread- Brown silk

Tag- Silver holographic tinsel

Body- 1 peacock hurl

Rib- x-small silver wire

Hackle- Molted hen saddle( hackle is from a hen set from collins, its from a greenwell's glory set)


Tenkara Fly-The Aka Kayobi

Materials

Hook- Daiichi 1110 #16

Thread- Red silk

Body- sparsely  dubbed muskrat

Hackle- Brahma hen, Natural molted grey. (dark dun)

Monday, July 23, 2012

Tenkara premiere tying video! The Gin Seisho

  Here is my silver star aka Gin Seisho.  I put this pattern together some time ago but never fished it much other on occasions on one of my wet fly rigs. It was the only fly I fished the other day and well, as I said in my fishing report, it was all i needed. The fly is rather effective and in the spirit of tenkara it is simple to tie.   I really like this style of tying. It makes for some really effective wet flies. The hackle being the way it is, gives the fly a ton of movement, that just drives the fish bonkers.

  I fish this fly from top to bottom and have caught trout in all areas of the water column. I had good success with it in the film too.  Just a touch of dilly wax and she floats fine in the film.   Enjoy the video and be sure report back with how the fly did for you on your waters.



Gin Seisho

Materials

Hook- Daiichi 1110 ( great price at Jw trout on this model)

Thread- Pearsall"s gossamer silk- black

Body- tying thread

Mid tag- Mirage tinsel, small

Hackle- Brahama hen saddle natural

Dub- Fluff from bottom of feather.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Tenkara flies, The Bonten Risu and The Bonten Orenji

Bonten Risu, boast a sparsely dubbed body of fox squirrel dubbing, sparse enough that the thread bleeds through. A real nice buggy fly to drive the trout nuts. 

Thread- Pearsall 6a

Body- fox squirrel dubbin

Hackle- Pale yellow Brahma hen.


So what i did here in creating the Bonten Orenji, was to base it off the English spider pattern the partridge and orange.  Added a dubbed head, and changed the partridge for pale yellow Brahma. The silk and waxing it are the only similarities to the partridge and orange north country spider.   Here is the recipe.

Thread- Pearsall 6a waxed

Head- Fox squirrel dub

Hackle- Pale Yellow Brahma Hen saddle


Be sure to give me feedback on how these flies work for you, and have fun tying them.

      

Friday, July 20, 2012

Trying out my Tenkara ties.

 Well i got the notion the other week to tie some tenkara flies.  Now i dont tenkara fish, I just use them like any other fly. But this time tying I designed some tenkara patterns of my own.  I have a certain one that is by far the most effective out of the bunch. I call it my Gin Seisho.  I also figure out a way to make the reverse hackling cake work.  Well anyway. So i got back out to my local spring creek and tied on Gin Seisho, and began drifting.  On the second drift a little wild brown came up for the fly. A quick pic and thank you, off he went.  I put the gin seisho up into the heart of the run and got myself a really nice and feisty brown. This brown must have been  hanging around the rainbow crowd. He went air born 3 times, and would not sit still for a picture.  I managed a couple more before the rain came back down.    The Gin seisho was all i needed this evening.






Tuesday, July 17, 2012

A golden age fly, The Marlow Buzz, tutorial


Here is a truly old pattern. This fly dates back to the 1830s. It is known as the Marlow buzz or lady bird. Back then a "buzz" was a term for an emerger or wingless fly.   However this fly was intended to imitate a winged beetle.   Here is an excerpt  from fly anglers online.
"Edward Fitzgibbon, writing as Ephemera, said in his Handbook of Angling, 1847, 'What is called the buzz form, is an intended imitation of the natural fly struggling and half drowned. A fly with erect wings and one without them, or buzz, may be used on the casting line at the same time, the buzz imitation being the stretcher or tail fly.'

Ephemera also says: 'Some persons call this fly the Marlow Buzz, others the Lady Bird. At any rate it is intended to imitate a small winged beetle.'


You can read more about the fly here.  At any rate you can know this fly is a producer as it is still tied and varied in many different ways. As a matter of fact the starling and herl can be traced back to the buzz.  It is a rather simple tie, so let's twist one up!  Click read more for tutorial


A one feather fly

  Here is my latest video. It is a one feather fly that i tie up and use often for small mouth, well when i go under.  It is a very simple, easy, and fast to tie, and best part of all the fish approve. I mean what fish can say no to marabou. The feather i use for the fly is a "bird fur" feather.  These feathers are put out by whiting farms for the spey community.  They are excellent feathers for making some great action flies. My sponsor Casters fly shop carries it and with free shipping you cant go wrong. 
  I fish the fly dead drift with twitches, and fish it just like any other streamer.  The fly will hold well if you rib it, but not against the real toothy critter crowd. The action of the fly in the water is great. The fly pulsates and when pulling the fibers consolidate and form a nice slim profile that certainly gets some attention.   Twist them up in what colors you can get. I like black, brown, grizzly, heron grey, chartreuse, olive, and white.  The best part about the fly, is the more sloppy it is the better. So dont worry about trying to make this one pretty.



Sunday, July 15, 2012

The Picket Pin video


Materials
Hook- Daiichi 2220 #10
Thread- Uni 8/0 black
Tail- Golden pheasant tippet
Body- Holographic gold tinsel
Rib- Medium oval tinsel
Body hackle- Brown rooster hackle
Head- Peacock herl

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Foxy Starling wet fly with tutorial

  I call this fly the Foxy Starling.  I put this baby to the test and the wild brown trout approve.  It is a hair wing wet fly. The wing consists of fox squirrel tail fibers. The hackle is bleached starling. Bleach starling has a wonderful copper iridescent to it.     I have had luck with the fly on the dead drift and also dancing near the surface.  That sexy hook is a Alec Jackson Soft hackle hook. I really like the hooks. They hook and hold fish great, and like all daichii hooks they are incredibly sharp.







Materials
Hook- AJ soft hackle hook #11
Thread- Rusty brown MFC 8/0
Tail- Wood duck flank 
Body- Wood duck flank wrapped
Rib- MFC midge body thread- #740 rust
Hackle- Bleached Starling
Wing- Fox squirrel tail
 Lets twist one up, click read more

Sunday, July 8, 2012

The Picket Pin, with tutorial

A 1910s era picket pin, tied by Johnny Utah

  The picket pin is rather well known fly that has stood the test of time. The fly was originated by Montana fly tier Jack Boehme, owner of a Missoula tavern and tackle shop.  That must have been pretty cool, go pick up some flies and have a beer or two.  I'd be more interested in those fish tales told at flies shops if i was guzzling a beer! Anyways.   The fly featured here in my tutorial is the one believed to be the original from around 1910.  However the original was tied with a gopher tail wing, but grey squirrel is a darn good match. 
A peacock body picket pin. Tied by Johnny Utah
  There are many different variations of the picket pin, most have a variation in body materiel.  I am sure you have seen or have tied and/or used the peacock bodied picket pin. Which tied to size is deadly around this time of year with the iso hatches.  The tie here is more of an American tradition, you know our original fly patterns, Streamers.  The fly can be tied with different color wings as well.
  









The fly is extremely versatile. Fish it as a streamer, a nymph, a dry fly, whatever you can think of, it has probably already been done with the fly.  Fishing it dead drift with twitches is a favorite amongst eastern anglers.   It is fun tie, and when you catch a trout, thank Jack for his creation.

Originator: Jack Boehme,
Hook: Mustad  79580, or equivalent, size 4-6.
Thread: Black 8/0 Montana fly co.
Tail: Golden pheasant tippet fibers (3-5).
Rib: Medium gold french tinsel.
Hackle: Brown rooster neck palmered over body.
Body: Flat gold tinsel.
Wing: Gray squirrel tail.
Head: Peacock herl.
Click read more for the tutorial 

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Flying fishing for Smallmouth in the heat

Smallmouth are a great way to have some fun when it's very hot, like it has been here in the north east. If you can tolerate the heat of mid day you can you catch so pretty large smallies. The real brutes are out at first light but then by mid morning they go deep to rest and then the smaller fish come out. Unlike trout they will come back out at mid day and feed in relatively shallow waters, anywhere from 2'-6'. But just like trout they can be extremely spooky when in these areas, so a long cast is vital. As mid afternoon turns to early evening the brutes go back to bed and the smaller fish return. Then as the sun begins to set the brutes return and stay in the feed into the night.

Poppers and sliders can be extremely fun to fish when the smallies are onto the top water game. But at times just one pop and they go running for cover. If this the case it may be wise to use a non popping slider and work it very slowly. Finding the right action for whatever fly you use is a trial and error for each outing.

A fly not to many people will mention for smallies that I use quite often is the fabled and completely deadly wooly bugger. An all black bugger is my go to bugger but at times a brown or olive can be very effective. I like to use the buggers in deep eddies. They can be quite effective on the swing in runs and riffles.

Should you venture out in the heat be sure to have plenty water and a few beers. :) smallies on a hot summer day can be a blast.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Hot times call for smallmouth on the big d

Well got out over the weekend for some smallmouth fishing on the big D. (Delaware river). On Saturday I met up with a couple of guys from my t.u. Chapter to float a section of the gap. The fishing was slow but we managed several species and some good size small mouth. During the float we also saw bald eagles and black bears. Yup two black bears and a mother and juvenile bald eagle. The delaware water gap is certainly a beautiful place. I am glad I live so close.

Yesterday I got out in the evening with Fredy of Spain for some smallie action. We hit up a area of the big d I call shoe Eddie. The Eddie there always seems to collect the lost shoes of tubers and boaters. It wasn't long at all before I had a nice smallie on and a short time later Fredy got himself a really nice one. All black wooly buggers were the ticket.