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Welcome to the Castaway Fly Tying Club. The club meets every Thursday night at 7:00p.m. from the first week of January until the time would be better spent on the water in the spring. Each week there will be two flies selected to tie. These flies will be posted every Monday, along with their recipe so that club members can prepare for Thursday's meeting. Also, for anyone visiting the site to tie along or just to see what's going on the vise from week to week. Go to the fly selection link for information on purchasing any of the flies posted here.
What's going on the vise? Feb 11,2010
As much as I love the winter and all the fun I have on snow and ice, I don't like the brutal cold that we have had over the past week. I started looking at last spring/summers fishing journal to see if there were any warming memories of fishing. Two things stuck out. We had some awesome fish activity on hatches of Hendrickson's and the importance of the famed Ausable Wulff. This week we will concentrate on these two in the only sizes we need # 14 and 12.
Ausable Wulff
Hook: Mustad 94840 #14 & 12
Thread: Hot orange
Tail: Woodchuck
Body: burnt orange
Wing: White calves tail
Hackle: One Brown and one Grizzly w/ as many wraps as possible
Head: whip finished hot orange thread
Hendrickson
Hook: Mustad 94833 #14 and 12
Thread: Black
Tail: Light Dun hackle fibers
Body: Tanish pink
Wing: Wood duck flank feather
Hackle: Med. dun
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What's going on the vise? Feb 3,2010
This week is parachute week. The Para Adams, like the catskill style Adams is a very versatile fly. For some reason this fly will catch trout during most mayfly hatches, and spinner falls, particularly Hendrickson's and Isonychia. When I first started fly fishing, I couldn't afford to match every hatch. My good friend Tim Ziegler, told me " all you need are Adams in different sizes". He was right! I caught a bunch of fish, during all kinds of hatches. Parachutes sit lower on the water, or in the surface film. Due to this the Para Olive is an important variation to have to imitate adults and spinners of BWO's because they ride the current very close to the surface which can be critical to selective fish.
Para Adams
Hook:Mustad 94833 Size #12 & #14
Thread: Black
Tail: Stiff Grizzly and Brown Hackle fibers
Body: Grey Muskrat under fur
Post: White Poly Yarn
Hackle: Grizzly Parachute style
Para Olive
Hook: Mustad 94833 sizes #14,16,18
Thread: Olive
Tail: Light Dunn
Body: olive antron
What's going on the vise? Jan 28,2010
Black stone flies are abundant in Vermont rivers and streams. They are available all year long. The nymphs range in size from just over 1/4 inch up to 2 inches. I tie a pattern that is about an inch long. This is a size that I find to be most abundant and active which makes them very available to fish. The Picket Finn is a fly that was developed in the Adirondacks by some legendary men back in the 1950's 60's. The fly continues to work on it's legend with me. It is a very productive nymph to drift all season, however the early season seems to be when it's most effect, probably due to the smaller black and brown stone flies that are populating the water during that time.
Black Stone Fly Nymph
Hook: Mustad 79580 Size #8
Thread: Black
Tail: Dark brown goose biot
Rib: Fine gold wire
Ab's/Thorax: Black Dubbing
Wing case: Turkey tail section
Legs: Black rubber
Head: Black dubbing ball
Picket Finn
Hook: Mustad 9671 Size #10 & 12
Thread: Black
Body: Grizzly hackle palmered over peacock herl
Wing: Squirrel tail
Head: Ball of peacock herl, coated entirely with head cement
Good Option: bead head
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What's going on the vise? Jan 21,2010
Until the water warms and aquatic insects start to become more active. Trout feed on bait fish and other invertebrates (leeches and worms). This week we will tie 2 well known patterns that imitate such forage. The Muddler Minnow and Wooly Bugger are great flies to fool fish during these times of limited food. Spinning deer hair for the muddler's head and palmering saddle hackle for the woollies legs will be the 2 skills we will be trying to perfect.
Muddler Minnow
Hook:Mustad 9671 sizes #12 and 8 2x long
Thread: Tan Kevlar
Tail: Turkey tail section
Body: Gold Tinsel
Wing: Turkey tail section
Head: Spun deer hair ( The greyer the better)
Wooly Bugger
Hook: Mustad 9671 sizes #12,10,8
Tail: Black, Olive, Brown or White marabou
Body: Black, Olive, Brown, or White chennile
Hackle: any contrasting color of saddle hackle
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What's going on the vise? Jan 14,2010
Fly Tying season has officially opened. This time of year signifies that Hunting season is over, the Holidays are over and many evenings are so cold that my time is much better spent in front of the wood burning stove spinning up some flies, and thinking of the warmer days ahead.
I usually like to start off with an easy one. I've have had a couple recent orders for the "Ice" flies due to Ice fishing season getting into full swing.
The "Ice" fly series, is the same fly pattern, just tied with your favorite perch catching colors in the thorax. The baby crustacean, is my favorite crayfish pattern tied small. While anything with a perch eye will fill a bucket, these patterns can have there day over other baits or lures. Don't be afraid to castaway with the crayfish for trout and bass during the warmer months.
I'd love to tie some for you so contact me if you would like a hand full.
Olive Ice
Hook: Mustad 9672 #10 - 8
Thread: color to match Thorax
Tail: White Marabou and 4 or 5 strands of Crystal Flash
Body: White Marabou
Thorax: Marabou, the color of your choice
Baby Crustacean
NOTE: this fly is tied from the bend to the eye, so the eye is under the tail. This is so you can retrieve it the way a natural would swim...backwards.
Hook: Mustad 9672 #10 - 8
Thread: Brown
Claws: Red Squirrel or Brown calf's tail
Eyes: Monofilament burnt at the ends
Body: Brown Chenille
Shell: Turkey tail section, varnished at the end
Legs: Brown saddle hackle
Tail: extension of shell trimmed
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