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.

Paul's June 2012 Fly of the Month

The Goldie (or the Fly Fisherman’s “Phoebe”)

Tying thread:  For everything other than the head of the fly, White Danville Fly Master.  For the head behind the bead, Florescent Fire Orange Thread.

Hook:  Wet fly #6 or #8 Daiichi 1550 or Mustad 3399

Bead:  5/32 Gold Bead.

Tail:  3-4 strands of Bill’s red body braid or 3 strands  red Krystal Flash.  Over this tie in two ribbons of Bill’s Pearl Body Braid (2 ribbons = 1 loop), over which is 2 ribbons of Bill’s Gold Body Braid.  The length of the tail is approximately 1 ½ inches.

Body:  Silver mylar or tinsel.

Collar:   Four loops of Bill’s Pearl Body Braid and Four loops of Bill’s Gold Body Braid.  These loops are tied in front of the mylar body and just behind the gold bead.  They will extend to approximately the beginning of the bend of the hook.  Once all the loops are in place they are cut with a scissors to create 16 strands of braid.

Head:  Create a Florescent Orange band between the collar and bead.  Whip finish and cement the fly.  The next step is the most important.   Your hook will have ribbons forming a tail and forming a collar.  Comb all the ribbons out with a toothbrush to separate the braid strands.

This fly was developed by a gentleman by the name of Dick Empie.  I refer to this fly as the “Fly Fisherman’s Phoebe”.  In my youth I often spin fished using a spoon like gold lure called a Phoebe.  The action on this fly is incredible, as is its fish catching capabilities.  Many refer to it as a “miracle” fly.  It’s a streamer that is particularly suited to smaller streams.   It can also catch just about every species out there.   For you salt water guys, tie this up to catch false albacore.  It’s a great striper fly too.

For those of you who want to purchase pre-assembled kits to tie this fly, they are available from Trela Custom Rods.  You can contact Dan Trela at 413 967-3430 or email him at trelarods@comcast.net .  Dan has been a long time supporter of the HFFA and the HFFA Expo. 

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, e-mail me at pdinice@frontier.com .

Fly Fishing small stream with good friend John Paul.

Hi All, May 11, 2012 I was fortunate to get out fly fishing with my good friend John Paul.  We both landed some really nice brookies with wooly buggers, a fly called "The Goldie", and prince nymphs.  It was just a beautiful day to be out on a small stream with a good friend.  What's better than that !

 

Mike Larrabee - Landing a Cape Cod Striper

Fly fishing has introduced me to some good people and friends.  Mike is one of them.  Although not a fly fisherman, I've enjoyed many spring evenings at Cove Road with Mike and other friends.  Lots of laughs & bantering back and forth as we fish on a beautiful back bay.

Lower Housatonic Spring Fishing 4/24/12

It was an extremely windy night out on the lower Housatonic.  Braved the elements with good friends Jeff Purcell, Drew Farrel, Mike "Too Tall" Harrington, and Internet Fishing Star Bear Cochrane.  A Big Thank You to Bear and Mike for helping me to land this 29 1/2" Striper.  Below Bear battles a nice bass that gives him all he can handle.

Paul's May 2012 Flies of the Month

Partridge and Orange

Hook:  Size #14 to #18 wetfly hook of choice.

Tying thread:  Orange.

Body:  Orange floss (Some tyers prefer to use silk tying thread).

Rib:  (Optional) Gold Wire.

Hackle:  Partridge. 

I’ve found this fly to be extremely successful during caddis and sulphur hatches. 

 Hare’s Ear Flymph

Hook:  Size #14 to #18 wetfly hook of choice.

Tying thread:  Orange.

Tail:  Brown hen hackle fibers.

Body:  Hares ear dubbing.

Rib:  (Optional) Gold Wire.

Hackle:  Partridge (Optional – furnace hen hackle). 

For many fly fishermen, wet flies are patterns which are very foreign to them.  Hopefully your not one of them.   I love fishing wet flies.  The technique is easy to master.  That’s why I frequently fished them when I was first learning to fly fish.  Just cast across and down river.  When the fly is near the end of it’s drift, raise your rod tip slightly and hold on as the fly rises to the surface.  This technique is also referred to as the “Leisenring’s Lift”.  Jim Leisenring was a wet fly pioneer.  He developed a highly successful fishing method where the wet fly “rises” suddenly where the trout are holding in the river.  The soft hackle on wet flies depicts movement.  Many anglers lift and twitch their rods to coax trout to hit their flies.  I’ll also fish wet flies in a dropper setup.

These flies 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 203 305-3850 or e-mail me at pdinice@snet.net.

Paul's April 2012 Fly of the Month

“Single feather Rhody Flat Wing”

Hook:  Eagle Claw 254 SS or L 253 1/0

Tail:  White bucktail, 2 times the length of the hook shank.  Topped by an Olive flat wing hackle resting on a dubbing pillow of fluff from the base of the feather.

Body:  Pearl Bill’s Body Braid.

Throat:  Long white bucktail.   Use your nail to surround the bottom and both sides of 

               the hook.

Wing:  Yellow  bucktail over which is mylar tinsel or flash of choice, over which is       olive bucktail, over which is 5 to 6 strands of peacock herl as a wing topping.

Eyes:  Jungle cock. (“Flat Wing Purists” would never substitute anything for jungle

           cock, for others an option is to use 3 D eyes and epoxy on and over them)

Head:  White thread/head cement

Begin tying this fly by advancing your thread from the eye to the hook bend.  Next, cut off a small bunch of hairs near the base of white bucktail.  These fibers are “more” hollow.  You want these hairs to splay and flair when tied in.  They should be two (2) hook shank long.  Use your nail to press down on and surround the hook with the bucktail.  Next, select your olive hackle feather.  It is going to lay flat on top of your tail, same length or longer.  Before tying it on to your hook shank you are going to dub some of the feather fluff from the base onto your tying thread.  Once its dubbed on the thread, raise your thread over the hook shank and slide the fluff down onto the hook shank.  This will form a ball and base for your single flat wing feather.   Tie in your “flat wing” feather.  Next tie in your pearl Bill’s body braid and palmer it forward.  Leave enough room near the eye of the hook to tie in your throat and wing.  Next select and cut a small bunch of white bucktail for the throat of the fly.  It should extend almost to the tip of the hackle feather.  Use your nail to make the fibers surround ¾ of the hook shank.  Next begin tying in the wing.  Select a small bunch of yellow bucktail and tie it in on top of the hook shank.  It should extend to the tip of the tail.  Next tie in a few strands of your tinsel or flash of choice.  The flash can extend beyond the tail of the fly.  Next tie in a small bunch of olive bucktail.  Same length as the underlying yellow.  Next select 7 or 8 strands of peacock herl as your wing topping.   They should be the length of the entire fly.  Finally, tie in your jungle cock eyes.  Two color “splashes” of the jungle cock should be visible to resemble the pupil of the baitfish eye.  Finally tie off the fly and apply head cement.

It’s movement and appearance in the water is truly special.   As with other “flat wing” type flies I love dead drifting it in the current.  When retrieving it, try stripping it back erratically.

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@frontier.com .

Mike Harrington & "Bear" Cochrane land spring "keepers" on the lower Housatonic.

One of the things I love most about fly fishing is shared experiences with friends.  Great video here of Mike "Too Tall" Harrington landing a nice spring "keeper".  Below Internet Fishing Star "Bear" Cochrane with another spring "keeper".

Paul's March 2012 Fly of the Month

Deer Hair CDC Compara Dun

Hook:  Size 12 to 20 Curved shank emerger hook. 

Tying thread:   Color to match the natural.  ( I tie this fly in brown, olive, grey, and sulphur yellow/orange)

Body:   Goose or turkey biot, color to match natural.

Wing:  Coastal deer hair, two CDC feathers for sizes #12-16.

Tail:  Micro fibets.
Thorax/Head:   Lightly dubbed rabbit or CDC dubbing.

This fly is a great variation of a “Compara Dun” pattern.  Not only does it have a traditional deer hair wing, it also has CDC feathers tied in behind it.  The CDC fibers tend to scatter around the fly.  The CDC not only helps to float the fly but also give the appearance of movement when the fibers touch the surface film.  Instead of a dubbed body, a goose or turkey biot is used, giving it a segmented appearance. 

To tie this fly, begin by covering the hook shank with thread.  Take a clump of coastal deer hair, stack it, and tie it in for the wing.  Try to use a little less deer hair than a traditional Compara Dun since the wing will also consist of CDC feathers.  The deer hair should be tied in with the tips extending beyond the hook shank approximately the length of the hook shank.  Leave enough room between the tie in point and hook eye to dub a small head later in the tying sequence.  Next lay in two CDC feathers on top of the coastal deer hair. 

Bring your thread back down to the bend of the hook.  Tie in and split 4-5 micro fibets just as you would with a traditional dry fly.  Tie in your goose or turkey biot by the tip to form your body.  The smooth leading edge should face the hook eye so that when you wrap it forward a segmented body is created by the trailing “fluffy” edge.  Wrap it forward up to the point where your wing is tied in.  Next, you are going to lightly dub your tying thread to form the thorax and head of the fly.  After dubbing a small thorax behind your wing tie in point, feather the deer hair and CDC back and wrap through it just as you would if tying a traditional Compara Dun.  Form a small dubbed head to keep your wing erect on the hook shank.  Tie off your thread.  Use some head cement if you so desire.  Once the wing is “stood up” preen and spread it with your fingers to form a wing to support the fly in the surface film. 

I love fishing Compara Dun style flies, especially in stretches of “flat” dry fly water.  It seems to work very well on super selective 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 pattern of The month I can be reached at 203 305-3850 or e-mail me at pdinice@snet.net .

Paul's February 2012 Fly of the Month

Royal Trude

I’ve been writing the Fly of the Month for close to 30 years now.  During that time less than a handful of flies have appeared more than once.  Those very few I’ve resubmittedbecause they were so productive and/or they had significant importance to fly fishing here in New England.  Although a western fly, the Royal Trude is my favorite dry fly.   I’ve found it does extremely well during isonichia, alder, and stone fly hatches, even though it’s an attractor fly.   Below is how it first appeared in the HFFA newsletter in the early 90’s.

 Royal Trude or “You don’t always have to match the Hatch.”

Hook:  Size 6 to 16 dry fly hook.  Tying thread:   Black.

Tail:   Golden Pheasant tippets.

Body:  1/3 peacock hurl, 1/3 red floss, 1/3 Peacock hurl.

Wing:  White calf tail.
Hackle:  Brown.

This is perhaps my favorite dry fly.  Years ago when I first started tying flies I tied this pattern because I thought it would be easier to tie on a single caddis style wing, rather than one which I would have to split.  Unfortunately, with my limited fly tying experience, I encountered a different problem.  The most critical element of tying this fly is proportion to fit all the body materials on the hook shank, and making sure that when you tie in the wing you cut the butts as close to the hook eye as possible.  You have to create a smooth and even wrapping base for your hackle.  The wing should extend just slightly beyond the bend of the hook.

The royal trued is a “western” attractor fly.  It really doesn’t imitate a particular may fly or hatch.  I don’t know why fish like it so much.  Perhaps it’s the peacock hurl in the body, maybe the color red, or possibly the “caddis” wing which makes fish go crazy.  I have taken countless fish on it.  I love to fish it in the fast water.  It is extremely visible and floats like a cork if you over dress the hackle a bit.

It can also be fished effectively wet.  Sometimes at the end of my drift I’ll let the fly go under and give it a couple of twitches.  This method has consistently produced fish for me.  As my Cousin Sam once pointed out to me, it is also a pattern that is extremely versatile.  Simply clip the hackle off and it can be fished as a small streamer.  My friend Bill Goeben loves to tie it in large sizes for warm water species in ponds. 

Visually, there isn’t a prettier or more classic dry fly pattern.  I hope you’ll give it a try.  There is an underground cult of us fly fisherman who fish “The Trude”, “stimulators”, humpties” and other western attractors on our eastern streams.  It’s your loss if you “don’t believe”. 

If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a pattern of the month I can be reached at 203 305-3850 or e-mail me at pdinice@frontier.com .  This pattern can also be viewed at www.hffa.net .