Saturday, July 29, 2017

STREAMERS

STREAMERS

(Left-to-Right)

Yella Dog, Furnace Green, Nisqually Sunset, Friday Streamer





YELLA DOG STREAMER

Hook:  #10 Daiichi 2370 Dick Talleur 7X
Thread:  6/0 Black Uni-thread
Rib & Tag:  Medium Gold Tinsel
Throat:  Red Tippet
Underwing:  Red Bucktail under 4-5 Pheasant Tails fibers (Gold Dyed)
Wing:  Yellow-Dyed Badger Brahma
Shoulder: Yellow-dyed Indian Neck





Furnace Green recipe

Hook:  Daiichi 2720 Dick Talleur Streamer Hook
Thread:  8/0 Black Uni-thread
Body: Gold Mylar / Green Uni-Floss
Throat:  Red Bucktail
Underwing: Olive Bucktail / Natural Pheasant Tail
Wing:  Furnace / Greenwell Hackle
Cheek:  Hen Pheasant Shoulder




Nisqually Sunset recipe

Hook:  #10 - #6 Daiichi 2370 7X Long

Thread:  Black
Body:  Orange Uni-Floss
Rib:  Gold Oval Tinsel
Under-wing:  Rootbeer Bucktail
Wing:  Cree or Grizzly Hackle 2-each side
Cheek:  Partridge
Eye:  Starling



Friday Streamer Recipe

Hook:  #6-4 Daiichi 2370 7X
Thread:  6/0 Black
Rib:  Fine Silver Tinsel
Body:  Blue Floss
Belly:  Red Bucktail
Back: Rootbeer Bucktail
Wing:  Grizzly Hen
Shoulder:  Ringneck Rump

Friday, July 28, 2017

Tying The Foam Diver

The Foam Diver


If you are intimidated by spinning deer hair, or using an Xacto knife or dremmel to carve balsa & punched foam, THIS is your diver pattern. 



Durable, floats low, dives perfectly and brings fish to the top.


Foam Diver Recipe

Hook: #2 Gamakatsu Stinger 
Thread:  Black 3/0 Uni-thread
Tail:  Olive Bucktail / Yellow-Barred Neck Hackle
Legs:  Medium Bared-Centipede
Abdomen:  Medium Chenille
Body:  2mm Fly Foam 



Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Frogs, Wogs & A Couple Cocktails

The Replacements


Frogs, Wogs & A Couple Cocktails


The sign of a good summer, is the need to replenish fly boxes weekly.

Frogs and Wogs have been bringing them to the top. The Cocktails?.....Well, you just never know when you may need a couple cocktails.  :)


Tuesday, July 25, 2017

The Stren Connection

Occasionally, I will in an attempt to rationalize this stuff we call fly fishing, appear to apply common sense.  Not too often mind you, or it may begin to become "expected". And that's simply a fools errand when associated with our beloved piscatorial pursuit.

That being said, I have admittedly departed from the social norms surrounding what we refer to as leaders and tippets. Partly because it's just too damned easy. But mostly because it just plain old works. Lets call it......


"The Stren Connection"




Having fished twisted leaders for some time now (with several posts relating to them), This winter and since has found me solidly in the camp of a particular leader for ALL of my warm water fishing, and most of my cold water nymphing.

A few attributes to this particular leader:
  • Very durable, which is extremely important withe warm water applications
  • Rolls over up to #2 Poppers and Deer hair bugs very well, while still providing an accurate and delicate presentation with smaller flies when needed.
  • Just the right amount of stretch. this leader protects tippets, but also holds up to dragging bass though lily pad tangles.
  • Easy to reproduce. No jigs. You can build them while watching TV, with 18' of mono, a #16 Micro barrel swivel and your fingers
  • Affordable. materials for 18 leaders will cost you $10.25

Couple that with Stren Fluorocast fluorocarbon line/tippet ($4.99 for a 100yd spool) and it has proven to be the perfect combination for most all heavy applications on my 5-7wt rigs.

Who said fly fishing needed to be expensive or complicated? I have used the same leader and 4lb Fluorocast tippet for all of my nymphing, since this past winter.  

Attached is the formula for twisting them up:





Saturday, July 22, 2017

Dawn on the Pond

Dawn on the Pond


With the day expected to be in the mid-90's by noon, I figured first few rays of light would be the only bearable time to be on the water.  The day greeted me with a handful of bass on top.



The Wog was the fly of the day. They ignored the FBC and any bassbugs I threw at them. They would rise, and sink back down. 

Off the water by 8:30, already wet through.



Thursday, July 13, 2017

Lightning in a Tube

A Warrior


This single fly survived a 3 hour non-stop assault by hungry bluegills.  



Had to get a pic....colors were really cool. They were hungry as the storm approached.



A 3 hour race to dark as storms rolled in. Just as I had released a fish, static shot across the water  that actually caused the nylon on the float tube to make a crinkling noise and the hair on my forearms stood up. Then seconds later a wind picked up and a low rumble rolled. Taking my queue from mother nature, I turned my fins toward the truck. The lightning arrived as I was knee-deep at the launch and gathering my gear.  But not before the night offered up 20-plus gills and a handful of 1/2lb bass.

Monday, July 3, 2017

Bass, Gills and Jersey Heat



Bass, Gills and Jersey Heat

In the water at 07:00 and out by 09:30 at 90 degrees 






The water as the heat came marching in




6-or-7 bass on the morning






The 2 best bulls on the morning took a liking to the Wog. 


About a dozen Gills in all, with a mix of Wogs and FBC's doing all the heavy lifting




Keep Kicking My Friends