Working to replicate a prolific life force that inhabits nearly all the trout water everywhere, I have been fooling around with tiny hooks to replicate some of the midge larva that I saw on stream this last season. I like slim bodies that are truly accurate to size and shape and to make these small larva I turned to a prolific force on my bench, Zap-A-Gap. This stuff has been hailed by tyers of all kinds for its variety of uses and I have a small bottle that seems will never end right next to some of the more important tools I use. Constructing a Wire Fly the way I have here is relatively easy requiring few materials, just a bit of control and most importantly patience, an attribute fly fishing and tying tests me on frequently. I made a kind of double bodkin by taking an old dentist tool and grinding each side to a sharp point, this metal tool allows me to use one side to apply the product and the other to pick up any extra with a quick rub. After a dozen flies I use a razor blade and some steel wool to remove the build up from my tool, this thing works very well. Read the rest of this entry »

I felt a bit outdone by roughfisher’s constant fly tying finds north of me in Fargo. I needed to find something that would match his glimmer chenille. I’m not sure I found it but I did find something. Liz and I were in downtown Winona when I passed one of our craft stores, I thought about roughfisher and had to peak inside. I was surprised, I found beads that I hadn’t seen in other craft stores, in colors I loved so I had to spend a few bucks. These beads are made of some material that has some metal in it, they do add some weight, I would say about half a regular bead of the same size. The packages have smaller beads that fit down to a size #20. Along with the beads it just so happened the owner knew a farmer that raised peacock and sitting in a large basket were full quills almost 4ft in length for a buck fifty!! I grabbed a few just to try them out.

I got the supplies home and thought for a moment, put the tunes on and started tying. I used some of the darker blue beads for midge larva flies (#20), this also gave me an excuse to use the peacock herl. At my bench it sits in a vase with other feathers, I reach up clip a strand of herl, kind of a neat dispenser as it flutters falling to my desk. I also tied up a W.F.F. variant on a more realistic caddis larva pattern which I used craft store ostrich herl as well. I finished by tying several BWO emerger patterns, just trying new things. So roughfisher, I haven’t outdone you yet, but I’m trying.

Oh, and I proved tonight that if you listen to bluegrass while fly tying you will tie faster, better, smarter and you will tie with a smile on your face the entire time!

I have been tying midges from patterns I’ve found hoping they will produce some fish this winter season. I tied a dozen and a half midge larva and a half dozen cdc midge emergers (I think thats what they are, i.e. novice) in size 18. That makes 8/50 dozen flies tied.

I tied the Cdc on a no weight midge larva to simulate the bubble that helps move the larva from the bottom of the stream to the top. I have much to learn about Midges in general. I will do some reading and tie more when I’m more confident the patterns I tie will work on the water I can’t wait to fish.