Every winter I try to set fly fishing goals for the upcoming year. One year I decided to do more May fishing for American Shad. Another season, I wanted to improve on some Euro-nymphing. The last few years I wanted to do more fly fishing with friends (always a goal). This coming year I want to focus on more streamer fishing. That will be easy. I love doing it. While many fly fishers are tying and fishing larger articulated streamers, I've been tying and fishing smaller patterns. Just my preference. Some flies included here are the Yellow Mustache, Barr's Bouface in olive (made with a squirrel zonker), Reece's Masked Bandit (also with squirrel), Wood Duck Heron Fly in yellow & orange, and finally one of the best, if not the best, Fly of the Month ever, The Goldie. Now might be the time for you to set your own personal fly fishing goals for the upcoming season. It's also time to tie up some flies for the upcoming season. It certainly helps to pass the time to get you through the winter until the warmer fising months arrive. You can dream of that 'big one' thats going to fall for the fly in your vice. Us Fly Guys are very passionate about our sport. If we're not fly fishing, we're day dreaming about it. Set your goals for the year to come, tie up the patterns you need, dream about that trophy fish your going to catch!
*Special
Note – The second picture was taken with a UV light. You clearly see how vibrant the Glo-Brite
Fluorescent Orange thread is. Also, jig
hooks have less shank area than traditional hooks. A size #16 jig hook is closer to a
traditional #18 hook. My preferred size hook for this pattern is a #16 jig hook.
Hook: Size #14 to #18 barbless jig hook. Bead: Silver slotted Tungsten bead or color of
choice. For a size#16 hook use a 7/64” bead. Tying Thread: Orange Glo-Brite Fluorescent thread &
Purple Glo-Brite Fluorescent thread
. Tail: 8-10 Wood duck fibers. Tag: Orange Glo-Brite Fluorescent thread. Body: A base of Purple Glo-Brite thread with a strand
of Pearl Flash-a-bou over wrapped on top of your purple
thread. The Flash-a-bou wraps are then coated with UV Resin. Collar: Equal portions of Rainbow Sow Scud Dubbing & Rainbow Senyo Fursion Dub.
This
fly was developed by competition fly fisher Dave McKenna. It’s kinda’ a cross between a ‘rainbow
warrior’ & a ‘lightening bug’. It
works just as well as those two patterns and it’s a euro nymph you definitely
want in your box. It was originally
designed to fish the Rumble river in Cherokee North Carolina after it was hit
by heavy rains & stained water.
Begin
by placing your bead on the hook and mount it in your vice. Start your Orange Glo-Brite thread immediately
behind the bead. Take a few wraps and
cut off the tag end. Continue to make
touching wraps down the hook shank until it lines up with the hook point. Next, snip off 8-10 wood duck fibers for the
tail. Keep the tips aligned. Tie in a tail about a hook shank in
length. Your going to wrap a little
beyond the hook point when you tie in your tail. It will become part of your ‘orange
tag’. Wrap your orange thread all the
way back up behind the bead. Whip finish
and cut it off. Now tie in your Purple Glo-Brite
thread behind the bead. Take a few wraps
and cut off the tag end. You’re now
going to tie in your strand of Pearl Fash-a-bou. Continue wrapping down the hook shank leaving
a ‘tag end of orange’ at the end of the hook shank. Bring your thread back up behind the
bead. Make ‘touching’ wraps of the
Flash-a-bou over the purple thread and back up behind the hook eye. Tie and cut off the tag end. Coat the Flash-a-bou body with a thin layer
of UV Resin and cure it with your light.
Next, mix equal amounts of Rainbow Sow Scud dubbing & Rainbow Senyo
Fusion Dub. Now dub a slim noodle on your thread and create a short fuzzy
collar behind the bead. You want a
minimal collar to ensure that the fly sinks quickly. Do a 4-5 turn whip finish and your fly is
complete.
Tightlinevideo/Tim Flagler has an
excellent instructional video on how to tie this fly below:
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 at pdinice@frontier.com .
