Paul's February 2013 Fly of the Month

Mayfly Cripple

Hook:  Tiemco TMC 100 or hook of choice, sizes 12 to 20.    

Thread:  Olive thread 8/0. 

Tail:  Brown or Amber Z-lon or Pheasant Tail Fibers.   

Rib:  Fine copper wire.  

Abdomen:  Pheasant Tail Fibers.

Thorax:  Olive or Chartreuse Superfine dubbing.  

Wing:   Deer hair or natural CDC feather.

Hackle:  Medium Dun dry fly hackle.

 

I don’t know if trout eat this fly because they think it’s actually crippled and easy prey.  Maybe it’s the pattern’s low profile in the surface film.  I just know it’s been working for me the past 30 years.  I also love using hot colors when I tie it.  I’ll use Chartreuse dubbing or a hot orange wing. 

 

Begin by applying a thread base across the hook shank.   Tie on your Z-lon or Pheasant Tail Fibers for your tail.  Next, tie in your fine copper wire for a rib.  Next, tie in more fibers for your abdomen.  Tie them in and wrap them forward similar to tying a Pheasant tail nymph.   Now rib the abdomen with fine copper wire.  Dub your thorax with Superfine Dubbing.  I love using Chartreuse regardless of the color of the natural on the water.  Next, tie in your CDC or Deer hair wing.  I tend to use a Deer hair wing for large imitations, CDC for medium and small flies.  When you tie the wing in, the Deer hair or CDC tips extend over the hook eye.  Tie the wing in just before the eye.  Next, tie in an undersized hackle feather.  Take only two (2) or three (3) wraps.  Remember, you want to make sure this fly has a “low” profile and is suspended in the surface film.
 

I’ve said time and time again over the years, that when your fishing the CT TMA’s, you often have to use a fly that’s different than the rest.  Fish get pounded constantly by fishermen and learn not to bite traditional patterns.  When there is a hatch of a particular insect over a few weeks, this is one of the patterns that offers something different to weary trout.

 

This fly can also be viewed at the Housatonic Fly Fishermen’s Association website at www.hffa.net .  If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of the Month I can be reached at 203 305-3850 or e-mail me at pdinice@snet.net.

 

HFFA Fly Fishing Expo March 9, 2013

MARCH 9, 2013 TIME 10:00 AM TO 4:00 PM

****** $1 Donation******

Where:  St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

65 N. Main St.,  WALLINGFORD, CT.

(Go to ww.hffa.net  for directions)

FLY FISHING & TYING ACTIVITIES

 Salt Water Tying Class 

10:30 a.m. start time.  Learn to tie 2 Salt water flies.  Bear’s Bunker, & Paul’s Bucktail Bait Fish.  Cost is $1.  All materials and hooks provided.  Seating is limited contact Paul at the # or email below.

HFFA Members will be on-hand to tie many of the best patterns used on the upper and lower Hous.  Your welcome to bring your vice and tie with them.

 

FLY TYING DEMONSTRATIONS !

 TYING MATERIALS PROVIDED FREE !

TIE YOUR FIRST SALT OR FRESH WATER FLY !

TIE THAT FLY PATTERN YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO LEARN !

 

SOME OF THE BEST TYERS AND FISHERMEN IN THE STATE WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE TO ANSWER ANY ?’S YOU MIGHT HAVE !

For more info call Paul Dinice at 203 305-3850 or email at pdinice@snet.net .

Bring your old gear to sell and swap

 

VENDORS, GUIDES & HOUSATONIC FLY FISHING EXPERTS   

There will be a lot of unique materials offered by vendors at the Expo that aren’t normally available anywhere else !

 

 

 

Paul's January 2013 Fly of the Month

Orange Headed Butt Monkey

 

Hook:  Tiemco 2487 Size #14      

Bead:  Orange plastic or metal bead      Thread:  Black

Tail/Shuck:  Blue Dun hen fibers or Blue Dunn Z-lon)

Rib:  Pearl Krystal Flash

Dubbing:  Black Hare’s Ear or Squirrel

Wing:  Blue Dun hen fibers or Blue Dun Z-lon)

Collar:  1 or 2 strands peacock herl

I love fishing black nymphs and this is one of my favorites.  If I want to fish it really deep I’ll fish one with a metal bead.  If I want to fish it below the surface film I’ll trail one with a plastic bead behind a dry fly.  I’ve had success with both fishing techniques. 

Begin by placing your bead of choice on hook.  Place the hook in vice and bend it slightly off center to enhance the hooking capability of the fly.  Begin wrapping thread from the bead head to the bend of the hook.  Tie in 6-8 fibers of blue dun hen fibers for the shuck.  Strands of blue dun Z-lon may be substituted for the hen fibers.  The shuck should be approximately 1/3 the length of the hook shank.  Tie in pearl Krystal Flash for the ribbing.  Dub a tapered nymph body leaving enough room for a wing and collar.  Rib body with pearl Krystal Flash.  Tie in your wing.  Use about the same amount of material used in the shuck and the same length.   Tie in one or two strands of peacock herl.  Make a couple wraps for a collar.   Tie it off at the bead.  

This fly can also be viewed at the Housatonic Fly Fishermen’s Association website at www.hffa.net .  If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a pattern of the month I can be reached at 203 305-3854 or e-mail me at pdinice@snet.net.

 

Paul's December 2012 Fly of the Month

Black Ghost Zonker

Hook:  Size #4  Mustad 36890 Salmon hook or a streamer hook of your choice. 

Thread:  Black.

Tail:  Yellow saddle hackle fibers.

Body:  Black floss or uni-stretch.

Ribbing:  Silver flat mylar, or for better durability - silver, copper, or gold wire.

Wing:   White rabbit zonker strip.

Colar/throat:  Two wraps of yellow saddle hackle.

Part of the greatest enjoyment in tying your own flies is to develop and experiment with fly patterns to try and catch more fish.  Sometimes your rewarded for your efforts, and sometimes your not.  As with all the flies I’ve posted for the “Fly of the Month”, please free to experiment and “tweak” them. 

I tie my black ghosts different than the “traditional” tie.  For the wing I’ll often use marabou, or for this fly, a white zonker strip.   I also tie it on a salmon hook.  Zonker’s are great flies.  They undulate, condense to give a slim baitfish profile, and just make the fly look alive and irresistible.  It’s a very productive fly on the Housatonic.  White and yellow colored streamers are two of the preferred colors on our home river.  I don’t normally add weight to my streamers, preferring instead to use a full sinking line or a sink tip when I want to get them down deep.  Want to get your streamer down with a floating line? - Tie this fly on a traditional streamer hook and add a cone head. 

This fly can also be viewed at the Housatonic Fly Fishermen’s Association website at www.hffa.net .  If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a pattern of  the month I can be reached at 203 305-3854 or e-mail me at pdinice@snet.net.

 

Paul's November 2012 Fly of the Month

Phil's Chovy

Hook:  Size 2 800S Tiemco.

Thread:  Fine or medium mono.

Body:  Root beer crystal flash over camel, over light tan, over off white H2O polar fiber craft fur.

Over- body:  EZ Body coated with epoxy.

Eyes:  Mylar eyes.

This is a great fly to use when fishing for false albacore.  This pattern was developed by my friend Phil Sheffield.  He’s caught a lot of “albies” on this fly this past year.   It’s easy to tie and very durable.  The pattern should be kept under 2 inches in length.  It was derived from Murphy’s Pamet Special.  It can also be used to imitate anything slender such as silversides and sand eels.  You can use larger EZ body for mullet bunker or herring. 

This fly can also be viewed at the Housatonic Fly Fishermen’s Association website at www.hffa.net .  If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of the Month I can be reached at 203 305-3850 or e-mail me at pdinice@snet.net.

Paul's October 2012 Fly of the Month

 

The Francois 

Hook:  Tiemco 100SPBL Size #14 - #18.         Thread:  Olive. 

 

Bead:  Tungsten bead matching hook.        Weight:  .15” lead wire.

Tail:  Wood duck fibers.    

 

Ribbing:  Small copper wire. 
 

Body:  Pheasant tail fibers. 
 

Hot spot:  Datum Orange Glo Brite fluorescent Thread or fluorescent orange dubbing.  (Another option is to use a fluorescent orange bead.)
 

This fly was developed by Aaron Jasper of Trout Predators Online, a.k.a. www.troutpredator.com .    There are two very important characteristics which this fly has.   First, it’s weighted and has a Tungsten bead to get it down deep.  Secondly, it has a “hot spot” or fluorescent color incorporated into the pattern.  At times “hot spots” on flies make your nymph more visible to trout.  Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light.  In most cases, the emitted light has a longer wavelength than the absorbed light.  This means it is more visible to the trout.  The trout have to see your fly in order to eat it.  A fluorescent “hot spot” can increase your chances to hook up. 

 

Begin by placing your Tungsten bead on your hook.  Coat the hook shank with crazy glue and wrap lead wire from the middle of the hook shank to the bead.  Start your olive thread in the middle of the hook shank.  Next, tie in 4-6 fibers of barred wood duck for the tail.  The tail should be approximately 2/3 length of the hook shank.  Tie in your small copper wire to use as ribbing.  Next, tie in 6-10 pheasant tail fibers for your body.  You are going to wrap them forward to the bead head, similar to making a standard pheasant tail nymph. Before you wrap the peasant tail fibers forward, create a smooth nymph body with your tying thread.  Wrap your pheasant tail fibers forward to the bead and tie them off.  Trim excess.  Counter wrap your ribbing the length of the fly. Tie off and trim excess.  Tie off your olive thread.  Next, tie in your orange fluorescent thread behind the bead.  Create a thin “hot spot” collar or dub some fluorescent orange dubbing behind the bead.  Whip finish and cut off thread.  Below is a video from Troutpredators/Aaron Jasper on how to tie this fly.

 

Thanks again to Aaron Jasper for sharing this pattern.  Please check out www.troutpredators.com .   This fly can also be viewed at the Housatonic Fly Fishermen’s Association website at www.hffa.net . 

If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of the Month, I can be reached at 203 305-3850 or e-mail me at pdinice@snet.net.



Paul's September 2012 Fly of the Month

Deep EZ Sand Eel

Hook –Mustad #34007, or Tiemco 811S, size 8 to 2/0.

Thread – Mono Thread.   

Wing – White buck tail; over which is Angel hair.

Flash – Silver mylar tinsel.

Body:   EZ Body. 

Eyes – Dumbbell eyes.

Glue/cement – Light cured acrylic, CA glue.

This fly was developed by Brad Buzzi.  Brad is a renowned fly tyer and President of the Atlantic Saltwater Flyrodders out of South Jersey.  Fellow CT/RI Coastal Fly Fisher Ron McCullen turned me on to this pattern this past spring.  I found it very effective and its pretty much “bullet proof”.   It has a slim sand eel type profile and gets down deep fast. 

Begin by wrapping your hook with mono approximately 1/3 down the length of the hook shank.  Tie in your Dumbbell eyes with figure 8 wraps of your thread.  At each tying stage it is recommended to use some cement/glue for fly durability.  Next, tie in a clump of white buck tail behind the eyes.  Use your thumbnail to make sure the buck tail surrounds the hook shank.  It should extend 1 to 2 lengths of the hook shank beyond the bend.  Next attach and tie in your silver mylar tinsel behind the eyes.  Wrap back with your thread to the bend of the hook, then back behind the eyes.  Wrap the tinsel forward along the body to behind the eyes.  Clip and tie off the remaining tinsel.  Next, invert your fly in the vise.  Tie in your Angel hair behind the eye of the hook and in front of the eyes by looping it around the hook shank.  Work the Angel hair in equal portions around the bend of the hook.  This is going to form the top of your inverted fly.  Wrap your mono thread over it the length of the hook shank.  Invert your fly again.  Attach a section of ‘small size’ EZ body in front of the eyes and wrap your thread forward to the eye of the hook.   Excess EZ Body should extend beyond the eye of the hook.  Wrap your thread back until it is even with the hook point.   Fold your EZ Body back and tie it off at your thread location.  Clip the tag end and whip finish your fly.   This is going to form the ‘belly’ of your fly.  Fill in the belly and coat it with light cured acrylic or if you prefer epoxy.

Check out this and other salt patterns at Brad Buzzi’s web site www.buzfly.com.    This fly can also be viewed at the Housatonic Fly Fishermen’s Association website at www.hffa.net .  Below is a video from Brad Buzzi on how to tie the Deep EZ Sand Eel.