First, I'd like to thank all of you who made it to the Evening Sun Fly Shop yesterday for my presentation on the EB. We had a great time during the show and then hanging out at Charlies afterwards. I booked some guiding trips yesterday and now have a bunch of inquires for the Spring and the Summer. If you're interested don't wait!!
February was a lousy weather month with this brutal cold and that certainly cut down on the hours on the Swift and put more hours at the vise. While working up some soft hackles i got this idea. Could I use tippet material to form a body of a soft hackle. Why not? If I don't like the looks of it I can toss it and forget about it. But the fly looked good so I'll try it out.
Here it it: take a size 12 or 14 size hook tie in at the thorax a 6 inch length of 5x tippet and then wrap it back to the tail. Then tie in a body color of your choice (I like silk or floss)and then wrap the tippet material forward in close turns up to the thorax. The first thing that you will see is that the tippet material has a nice sheen to it and that it is opaque!! You can see the color of the body underneath the wraps giving the fly a neat transparent look. Use 4x for larger flies and 6x for 16 and smaller.
I've always thought that mono had been used in the past but my google search didn't find any. I still think I've seen it somewhere.
Sorry for the quality of the photo. Double click the photo for a better look. I hope that the trout like it!!
Ken
11 comments:
Ken
yes....that works well...and also i'll super-glue some holo-graphic paper tape to the bare hookshank...then use tippet after...it's end-less!!
Dave
Ken...
Also....I soooo wanted to meet everyone at charlies....but im commited to building this "cradle" of solid oak ....for my niece...her baby shower is Saturday....
maybe see you on the millers this spring...my home waters...(lower millers)
Ron C.
I haven't thought of thick mono for legs. Very good idea and I will work some up!!!!
Flyfisher,
You are right. It is endless. I like the lower Millers too and someday I may meet you there.
Ken
I love this technique when tying! I usually use it on bigger flies (12-16), but it also works well on small midges, like zebra midges. The trick is to use really small tippet (7x-8x). Also, coating the line with super glue or head cement after you color it with a sharpie will help keep the color in longer. Great technique and hope to see you on the water!
Scott
Ken - here's a pattern from someone you know
Maxima Emerger by Gerry Crow
Hook: Thread: Hackle: Tail: Wing post: Thorax: Abdomen:
Tiemco 2457 Caddis larva (or equivalent) size12 or 14 Olive Dun Dun antron
Dun antron Reddish brown beaver dubbing Maxima Chameleon 1X tippet
"The Maxima emerger is a good fly to imitate the dark Hendrickson or red quill. The Maxima tippet material imitates the color and segmentation of the natural. It will also tend to keep the body of the fly low in the surface film."
Al
Ken & all,
I made the trip to the Swift Tuesday afternoon. There were at least 15 cars at the main parking area, including across the street and other side of the bridge. So I decided to try the Pipe. Surprise! An single lane rutted Path was the only option, glad I had 4 wheel drive. I haven't been to the Swift in mid winter before but now I know it doesn't get plowed.
Two hours later I left and while it was a beautiful day, I got skunked completely. Tried everything and I might have missed some hits, or maybe they were just bottom snags. Still it was nice to have the place to myself for the most part, 2 other guys showed up while I was there.
Maybe the fishing was better above the bridge?
Will,
You're right!! It was George Grant that I must of been thinking about with the mono bodies. I've got a book on the shelf that has that pattern..Thank you!
Al,
Leave it to Gerry to come up with a good pattern although that 1x seems a bit heavy to me.
Ken
Hi Ken,
Here is a link to the TU site with a picture of the fly. http://www.merrimacktu.org/Tying-maxima-emerger/Maxima-Emerger.pdf
Funny the crazy ideas you get when sitting t the tying table and surveying all the stuff you have and coming up with something out of nothing. I guess if I had 7x Maxima it would have also worked. Being a frugal (cheap) kind of guy I like to repurpose formerly useless things - like 1X Maxima.
Although astrological spring is near, I can't wait for REAL spring to get here!
tight lines,
Gerry
Ron C,
I was on the Swift Tuesday and again yesterday. While I caught six on Tuesday, I only managed two yesterday, and all in all I didn't see many fish caught. The fish seem more sparse than in January. There are also otters and minks around the Y pool ....
Herm
Herm,
Scouted out around the Pipe this weekend. Saw no fish and very little evidence of angling lately.
I think the otter(s) at the Y Pool have scattered the trout downstream. Good pods of fish right down to RT 9 but the Y Pool seems barren.
Gerry,
Thanks for the link. And another 2 ft of snow up on the Andro last week. Ice-out on the 4th of July!!!
Ken
Ken, I didn't see any fish walking up to the Y, but then I wasn't looking that carefully. First sign of activity was around the power lines. Some say the fish might be below the ice up by the spillway, but I saw an otter coming up through a hole in the ice ...
Looking forward to the spring stocking to get some fresh blood in there.
Herm
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