A little late is better than never, with that in mind here is how I tied my recent batch of Stimulators. I should note that I did glue the head of every fly but when tying 60 of these flies I waited until the entire batch was done before busting out the glue to finish each fly. Peace.

-the w.f.f.

I tie alot of flies and I tend to tie dozens of the same pattern, due to this fact I’ve run across a problem at my bench that is solved with a Chip Clip, a few inches of 1/4in weather stripping and a piece of Velcro. When I’m tying Scuds, the Black Wet Fly or any other pattern that requires several strands of a material to remain together and preferably the same length such as with the flash tail on a scud or the over body formed by a dozen or more strands of flash, I used to have to try and peel up the strands of material from my bench and either waste some to even the length out to tie it in correctly or I’d end up wasting time trying to even the length by hand all this provided I remembered to drop the stands of flash in the same spot each time. After a bit of annoyance I raided the junk drawer we keep in the kitchen and came up with a simple solution that I use often and is one of the hidden treasures on my bench, the C.C. Tool.

Simply this is a chip clip with padding added to the jaws to keep your materials safe and secure. I added a spot Velcro on the back and have it stuck to a good spot on my bench and now when I go to tie a dozen Scuds I even the lengths of three strands of Krystal Flash place them in the C.C. Tool and hang them from my bench. Each time I need that material I remove it from the clip, tie it in and when I clip it free the ends are even and I place it back in the clip maintaining the even length. My working area stays cleaner because I don’t have strands of flash laying everywhere and the don’t  lose the even length (you waste less and have a cleaner looking fly). Placing the Velcro on the clip allows me to train my brain to reach for the same spot time and time again to retrieve the materials, this will save you time especially if you don’t have to go searching for that third strand of flash that got away from you after you placed it on your bench. I estimate the cost of this bad boy to be approx. $.50. A package of chip clips from the dollar store, 3 for $1.00+$.10 of Velcro and about the same amount of weather stripping and your in business.

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Thanks George…

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Notes and Observations:

• Size and Prep ALL Dry Fly Hackle Before Tying!
• Be Weary of Elk/Deer Hair that contains Broken/Damaged Hair. It is a pain.
• Practice, Practice, Practice.

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• Hook: Dai-Riki 075 #14
• Thread: GSP 50 Deiner White
• Bead: Craft Store Bead
• Weight: 10 Turns of .15
• Rib: SM Black Ultra Wire
• Over Body: 12 Strands of Black Krystal Flash
• Body: 85% Black/15% Peacock Ice Dub
• Hackle: Black Saddle Hackle (Oversized)
• Collar: Peacock Ice Dub

Begin the fly by crimping the barb, placing your bead and adding the turns of .15 weight. I prefer to prep a dozen hooks with the bead and weight before beginning, it will save you a bit of time. Begin the thread behind the bead, leave a gap between the weight and the bead so material can occupy this space later in the process. Secure the weight to the shank and work the tying thread to just past the hook barb. Tie in a stretch of SM Black Ultra Wire, then tie in 12-15 strands of Black Krystal Flash. In previous versions I have also incoporated 6 or so strands of peacock herl tied in after the flash and brought over the body then covered with the Krystal Flash. Prepare in advance a mixture of 85% Black and 15% Peacock Ice Dubbing, dub a “houseflyish” looking body, it can be a bit on the rounder side, this is supposed to imitate perhaps a drowned Black Fly, Beetle or other terrestrial that trout may be exposed to. Once the body is finished bring forward the strands of Krystal Flash and secure them to the top of the fly forming the overbody. Clip the excess Flash and wrap the Black Ultra wire forming the rib (3-4 Wraps), this keeps the fly strong so it is able to catch several fish before the body begins to disintegrate. Tie in the hackle feather and make 1-2 turns then tie off and clip the excess. To finish this fly I use a very small amount of Peacock Ice dubbing wrapped 3-4 times right behind the bead to force the hackle back a bit and to hide the tying thread. Whip finish and pull the thread tight behind the hook, this is why I use the GSP here. The strength of the thread allows me to pull it tight behind the bead without the thread breaking. This also keeps it safe from trout teeth so it does not need to be sealed with glue or head cement.

I was introduced to this fly through On The Fly Guiding, a local guide service that also provides helpful Driftless Area information including fly patterns for Southeast Minnesota. Hearing chatter of this productive pattern I had to tie my own, I put my usual spin on the situation and afterwards I had a very productive summer pattern at the end of my line. This fly imitates a drowned terrrestrial and during the summer months it can be particularly effective. Be prepared to have it hit right as it enters the water. Good luck.

• Hook: Dai-Riki 135 #14-16
• Thread: 70 Denier Black
• Butt: SM Hot Yellow Ultra Wire
• Body: Peacock Herl
• Hackle: Soft Hackle (Oversized/White)

To start this fly I wrap 5 turns of the SM Ultra Wire tight against the hook shank and position it just above/behind the hook barb then glue it in place with the Zap-A-Gap, remove both tag ends. I twist them off and never clip them free with scissors, it saves your blades and leaves a cleaner looking finish. I typically prep a dozen in one color before I sit down to tie the batch. This has also been an effective pattern with Red and Green Ultra Wire as well. The body is made with the peacock herl wrapped close to form a bushy full body and finished with 1-2 turns of a soft-hackle, on my #14 flies I used traditional Partridge but for the #16’s I used this white soft-hackle that came free with a dry fly hackle I purchased a while back, both have proven to take trout. I measure the hackle from just behind the hook eye back to the wire above the hook barb. I’ll fish this pattern dead drifted behind a nymph but I find it best fished on the swing or by lifting your rod tip to bring the fly up from the bottom. This tends to trigger the desired behaviour again and again. This is a good attractor pattern that might be simulating a pupating caddis or perhaps a cased caddis that is peeping, either way this fly takes trout. Good luck.

p.s. This video was taken in HD format with the Panasonic Lumix TS-1.

I met with Winona Senior High students taking the Fish and Wildlife class on Monday, May 24th. I gave a re-vamped version of the trout presentation that I gave last year but this year I updated it and tailored it more to explain the Driftless Area and the trout that reside here. I gave the usual PowerPoint presentation so that the students get some hard solid information regarding the specie of trout, the habitat they require, behaviors exhibited, food and diet, ect… We talk about angler ethics with regard to Catch and Release and we go over locations to fish. For me it is fun to talk to young minds that may perhaps be swayed to go find a trout stream later, maybe that one kid will grow up enjoying our resource and may contribute to it’s preservation in the future. Even with how good this place is now it can always be better.

I brought bugs that I picked from a stream earlier in the morning and passed them around explaning various aspects of their importance to trout, the jar of bugs tends to get kids to pay attention a bit more. This year I included more information on Fly Tying and I demonstrated three simple but VERY effective patterns, a Caddis Larva, Grey Caddis Adult and a Peacock and Partridge (because I had everything handy). I also decided to bring everyone outside for a short casting demonstration with the last ten minutes of the class period. Let me tell you, an hour and twenty minutes is no where near enough time to cover all that I could discuss regarding this subject. I hope I made it enjoyable. Thanks to Brian Sather and the Fish and Wildlife class for having me, I’ll be back the next time you call.

-the w.f.f.

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As I mentioned before this 2nd material is available in Winona, MN as well as any other city that has a decent hardware store. It’s cheap, at $4.98 a bottle it has the potential to make a few hundred flies. The part I left out of the last post is that this material has the potential to make some of the best terrestrial flies ever. Why, you ask?? Because if enough is used, this material can make an un-sinkable fly. Yea, I said it and it requires NO flotant. Check the video below if you need proof.

So now the wait is over, the material is Gorilla Glue. It has it’s downsides but once I saw the potential for some pretty amazing results I felt it necessary to run out to my local Menard’s to pick up my bottle. I was given a tip regarding this video (thanks Mister_Bubble), I watched it and learned a bit. I learned much more after I got it home. Taking a small drop of water with maybe twice the amount of glue, mixed with a toothpick a gel is formed which expands and dries white in the span of a few minutes. It cures harder in approx. 30 minutes and is ready for coloring with markers 24hrs later. I will note right away that the time frame for this product can be varied, you can mold the tacky glue after a few minutes but you risk ruining the shape if you try to alter it too soon. I will also say that the information I am listing is how I have figured out to use this product with decent results, yours may vary. I choose to let it cure for 24hrs before applying the marker because I am not rushed and I prep a space to dry and cure these flies, something to think about before you jump in.

The 1st two imitations I tried were a plain jane ant pattern and a version of a bug I’ve got to think Driftless Trout take readily, the “Asian Beetle” a.k.a. Harmonia axyridis. These non-native’s were introduced to our region as a way to control soybean aphids, they now run rampant and cause maybe more harm than good. A #18 Standard Shank 2x Nymph Hook with a body of peacock herl and a few turns of black or brown hackle (trimmed short on the top) forms the base for this fly. The bug in the video was tied with the Mustad R70 and is un-sinkable. The ant patterns however DO sink and despite my efforts to use a 1X fine dry fly hook they still sank, now that is a #18. I think a larger fly would float, it depends on how much of the glue you get cured on the hook. Also, there may be something to how much water is mixed with the glue resulting in a number of air bubbles that are trapped which ultimately float the fly, something for me to think about and work on. All of the beetle patterns I tied float as if they were made of cork and I tried some thick shanked hooks. If one could create a small mold and line it with maybe Vaseline or a non-stick agent you might be able to make some cool Popper bodies, the video kind of hints at that.

One last attribute that needs to be addressed before I give my nod of approval to this material: durability, once cured this stuff is 100% waterproof and it’s freakin’ glue so it gets and holds hard. You can however press your fingernail into the finished product and it will dent a bit, this lends me to believe that after several trout teeth these might get a little beat up but no more than say traditional close cell foam terrestrial patterns. Also, the markers have really held their own and don’t seem to be affected by the water as of yet. So for those of you adventurous enough to give this a go I think it has the potential to create trout crushing terrestrials. If you decide playing with this glue isn’t for you, keep it and fix your kitchen cabinets or something else with it, at least it isn’t that bag of crap from the craft store that will be moved from one stash spot to the next until you accept it has no use on a hook.

Other Notes:

• Make sure you purchase the correct Gorilla Glue Product (Quick Cure, Dries White)
• Use wax paper, its disposable and keeps the messy stuff in a small area.
• I use a bodkin to apply the mixed product, SMALL amounts needed to make #18 flies.
• Use the bodkin to tease the glue to help shape it, wipe it off every time.
• Blow on it to flatten it or push it early in the drying process.
• Use a feather stem inserted into the hook eye to move from your vise and hold the fly after initial drying but before curing.
• Do not touch the glue until after it has set up or you run the risk of having the glue stick and pull like taffy from the hook.
• Wait until the glue won’t adhere to your fingers before trying to shape, be sure not to wait until it hardens if you plan to shape it.
• As with most things Fly Fishing or Tying, Patience is your best friend.

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Living in Winona, MN my options for tying materials are limited. I can stop at Gander Mt. when I am in Rochester but I don’t like to and I typically end up ordering most of my materials (especially hooks) from the Internet. When I can find materials in town they are typically of the craft variety and as most of us know craft materials can be great but they can also be a complete waste of your time and funds. I believe this 1st material is something most can find and is worth stocking up on. A late night need for an upholstery needle prompted a trip to of all places…Walmart. Walking down the craft isle Liz spots…stretch tubing? Clear stretchy plastic in two diameters, a thinner .5mm and a thicker .8mm in lengths of 50 feet a roll. Whoa… Oh, the kicker? Only $1.73 a roll, are you kidding me? I should point out that this product is not hollow like traditional stretch tubing but I think it has it’s applications. If you don’t want to run to Walmart to get your hands on this stuff, I’ve found it on the Internet at several places. Looks like it might be found in craft stores as well. I suggest using a stronger thread when using the .8mm stuff. In the next few days I’ll be posting a second material, available in town, cheap, and…you’ll just have to check back sooner than later. Peace

-the w.f.f.

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