February 2022 Fly of the Month

 Fish Mask Murdich Minnow

Hook:  Kona USS Size #1/0. 

Thread:  12/0 White Waxed.

Tail:  Faux Bucktail White approximately 2 hook shank lengths.  Topped with  – Mirage Opal Polar Flash, slightly longer than the Faux Bucktail. Topped with Silver Flash-a-bou.  When you tie in the Flash-a-bou, tie it in at the mid-point of the fibers.  Do not cut off the tag end

Back Body:  2 Clumps of White EP fibers tied on each side of the hook.  The tag end of the Flash-a-boo is then folded over the body rear word and trimmed to the same length as the EP Fibers.

Front Body:  Medium White Palmer Chenille, 10-14 Wraps.  

Head:  Wing consisting of a clumps of Grey Frankendub. (I use Senyo lazer Dub). A clump of White Frankendub for the Belly.  Stroke and comb all fibers rearward.

Fish Mask/Head:  Fish Mask #6.

Eyes:  6 mm eyes.

 

Originally developed as a streamer for small mouth bass, this is a killer pattern for stripers.  To tie this fly begin by ‘crushing’ your barb and placing the hook in your vice.  Cover the hook shank with your thread and cut off the tag end.  Leave the thread near the bend of the hook.  Next, tie in your Faux Bucktail for the tail.  When you do this do not trim off the butt end.  Lay the material on the hook shank so that the tail is approximately 2 times the hook shank.  Wrap your thread forward on top of the hook shank to create a uniform body.  Trim off the butt end behind the eye.  Return your thread to the bend of the hook.  Tie in a good sized clump of Mirage Opal Polar Flash.  Tie it in at the mid-point of the fibers, then bend back the butt ends to create a denser tail.  It should extend slightly longer than your bucktail.  Now tie in a clump of Silver Flash-a-bou.  When you do leave the butt ends forward and do not trim them. 

 

To begin the body, tie in 2 Clumps of White EP fibers tied on each side of the hook.  They should extend approximately a hook gap length behind the bend of the hook.  Once the EP fibers are bound down, trim the butt ends.  Now, fold back the Silver Flash-a-bou and trim it even with the EP Fibers.  Tie in your White Palmer Chenille in front of the EP Fibers. Make touching wraps forward with the Chenille and tie it off an eye length behind the eye of the hook.  Take a clump of the Grey Frankendub (for the wing/head), affixing it to the top of the hook shank at the mid-way point (do not trim the butt end).  Now do the same to create the belly with your White Frankendub.  You can substitute Senyo Lazer Dub for the Frankendub.

Sweep rearward the butt ends and ‘dam’ them back with your thread.  ‘Comb’ all the fibers back.  Whip finish the fly. 

 

After dabbing the front of the fly with some super glue, affix your Fish Mask to the front of the hook shank.  Place it deep enough for additional thread wraps in front of it.  Reattach your thread in front of the Mask.  Whip finish and apply your favorite adhesive to the wraps.  Glue your Eyes onto the Fish mask.  Cover the eyes with your favorite UV Resin for durability.

 

The Flymen Fishing Company has a great 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 pdinice@frontier.com .

Paul's January 2022 Bonus Fly of the Month

 The Poacher

Hook:  Preferred Hook Hanak H230BL Size #12 & #14, or Mustad 3366, or wet fly hook of choice. 

Thread:  Red 6/0 Thread.

Tail:  Natural or Dyed Orange Golden Pheasant Breast Fibers.

Rib:  Small Copper Wire.

Body:  Orange Floss and Peacock Herl.

Hackle:  Brown Hen Hackle Fibers.

 

This is a great wet fly pattern used a lot by European Fly Fishermen.   I can’t tell you why it’s not all that popular in the US.  It sure is a fish catcher though.  I’ve used it during sulphur and caddis hatches (even though it was originally developed to represent a sunken beetle).  It’s got a ‘built in’ hot spot’ and Peacock herl.  How can it not catch fish.  You need to carry this fly in your box!

One thing about wet flies.  You rarely see any fly shops carrying them.  If they do, you’re not going to see this pattern. 

 

I love tying my wet flies on a Hanak H230BL Hook.  It has a large gap that I like on my wet flies.  I usually tie this on a Size #12 hook but down scale the size of the fly so that it results in a Size #16.  To tie this fly, place your hook in the vice and start your thread behind the eye.  Stop it just before the bend and cut off the tag end.  You are now going to strip 5-6 fibers of the Breast Feather of a Golden Pheasant.  These fibers will be used as your tail.  You can use natural colors of a dyed orange breast feather.  The tail should be 1 hook shank length.  Trim the butt ends of your tail.  Next, tie in your Small Copper Wire for your rib at the start of the tail.  Now tie in 2 strands of Orange Floss.  Wrap the Orange Floss approximately 1/3 up the hook shank.  Cut the butt end of the floss.  Next, tie in 2 strands of Peacock Herl.  Cut the butt ends and wrap it forward, leaving space behind the eye for your hackle.  After tying off and cutting the butt ends of your Peacock Herl, counter wrap your Copper Wire down the body.  Tie and helicopter off the butt end of the wire.  Select a brown Hen Hackle feather.  Tie it in behind the eye.  After stroking the feather fibers rearward, take 2 to 3 wraps with the feather.  Cut off the excess feather and form a uniform head for the fly.  Whip finish and add a drop of head cement or desired finish.   

A great instructional video by Davie McPhail can be found below:

If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of The Month I can be reached at pdinice@frontier.com .

Paul's January 2022 Fly of the Month

 CDC Micro Bugger

Hook:  Hanak H 400 BL #10. 

Thread:  Semperfli 12/0 waxed in Shell Pink.

Bead:  Tungsten Slotted Light Pink in 4.0 mm.

Tail:  Wooly Bugger Marabou in Shell Pink.  

Body:  Ice Dub Fluorescent Shell Pink.

Hackle:  CDC in Pink.

 

I love flies like this.  You can fish them Euro-nymphing or as a streamer.  There certainly isn’t anything wrong with big articulated streamers, but my preference is to go with smaller streamers on the waters here in CT.  Also, I love the CDC hackle on this pattern.  Don’t be afraid to try different colors with this fly, but pink is extremely productive when fishing this little bugger.

 

To tie this fly begin by placing your bead on the hook and your hook in the vice.  Start your thread behind the bead and make touching wraps back along the hook shank.  Stop at the hook bend and cut off your butt end of the thread.  Now, take your Marabou feather and stroke the fibers forward.  Measure it on the hook shank.  Your tail is going to be a hook shank and ½ in length.  When you tie it in start doing so behind the bead and wrap back to the bend.  This will create an even and uniform base for the rest of the fly.  Trim off the butt end of the Marabou. 

 

Next, prepare a CDC feather for the hackle of the fly.  You will need a somewhat longer CDC feather for this pattern.  Take your hackle pliers and grab the feather by the tip.  Stroke the fibers rearward.  Remove your hackle pliers and tie in the feather by the tip at the bend of the hook.   Now, dub your body with Ice Dub.  Form a uniform body ending behind the bead.  Next, grab your CDC feather butt with your hackle pliers and wrap it forward.  At the same time stroke the CDC fibers back.  Tie it off behind the bead and trim the stem off.  Stroke all the fibers back and create a little thread collar.  Whip finish the fly and you’re done.

Tim Camissa has a great video on how to tie this fly below: 

Tim also has a great website, ‘Trout and Feather’ at

https://www.troutandfeather.com/  .  If you subscribe to his page you’ll have access to a wealth of fly tying videos and fly fishing info.

If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of The Month I can be reached at  pdinice@frontier.com .

Paul's December 2021 Bonus Fly of the Month

 Tutti Frutti 

 (a.k.a. The Electric Chicken)

 Hook:  Mustad 34077 Size #1 or similar hook. 

Thread:  White flat waxed nylon.  Head is finished with Pink flat waxed nylon.

Eyes:  4.8mm (3/16) Dumbbell (a.k.a. ‘real eyes’).

Tail/Bottom Wing:  Chartreuse Buck Tail.

Belly:  Pearl Bill’s Body Braid or Diamond Braid.

Wing:  White Bucktail, over which are strands of Pearl ‘Lateral Scale’, over which is Pink Bucktail. 

We’ve all fished Clouser Minnows.  They are one of the most effective flies out there.  What really makes or distinguishes this Clouser pattern is the color.  At times this has been a magic fly for me, especially on Cape Cod.  It’s a combination of colors that Stripers can see and are attracted to.  I tie it differently than most with my Chartreuse color on the bottom wing, and the Pink on the top wing.

 

To tie this fly place your hook in the vice after de-barbing it.  You are now going to tie in your dumbbell eyes on top of the hook shank.  Tie them in with figure eight wraps.  Locate your eyes about the length of the ‘dumbbell’ from the hook eye.  Too often I see tyers putting their eyes too close to the hook shank.  They fail to leave enough room to easily put on the fly’s top wing.  I usually apply and cure Solarez ‘Bone Dry’ resin to my wraps.  You are now going to tie in your Chartreuse Tail.  I tie it in right behind the dumbbell eyes and wrap back to the bend of the hook.  By doing this your able to create a smooth body profile along the top of the hook shank hook shank.  The tail should be approximately 1 hook shank length beyond the bend of the hook.   After affixing the tail, you are now going to tie in your Bill’s Body Braid (or Diamond Braid) near the bend of the hook.  Once tied in, advance your thread to the front of the Dumbbell Eyes.  

Palmer (make ‘touching wraps’) with your braid up the hook shank and criss cross it over your dumbbell eyes.  Tie it off and cut off the butt end.  Also whip finish and cut off your white thread.  I usually coat and cure the Bill’s Body Braid with ‘Bone Dry’ for durability.  Now affix your Pink thread to the hook behind the eye.  You are now going to tie in your White Bucktail.  It’s should extend even with the Chartreuse Tail.  Not a lot is needed, maybe 20-30 fibers.  Tie it in just as you would on a traditional clouser.  On top of the White Bucktail you are going to tie in your Pearl Lateral Line flash.  I usually take 4 strands, double it over my thread, and tie it down on top of the White Bucktail.  Trim it to length, slightly longer than the white bucktail.  Next, tie on the top wing of Pink Bucktail.  Approximately the same amount of material as the White Bucktail portion of the wing.  When tying it in, create an even and tapered head.  Whip finish and cut off the tag end of your thread.  Lastly, I apply more ‘Bone Dry’ to the head of the fly. 

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 .

Paul's December 2021 Fly of the Month

 Garner's White Trash

Hook:  Gamakatsu B10S Size #2 Stinger hook. 

Thread:  12/0 White Waxed.

Eyes:   Large dumbbell eyes, color of choice.

Tail:  White Artic Fox Fur over 4-5 Strands of Pearl Krystal Flash doubled around your thread.

Body:  Wide White Rabbit Zonker Strip.

Collar:  Fluorescent Yellow Palmer Chenille medium length, 6-8 wraps.  

Head (Behind eyes):  Behind the eyes tie in 2 clumps of White Artic Fox, 1 on the top & 1 under the hook shank.  Then, do the same with 2 clumps of Senyo Lazer Dub in Silver Minnow Belly.  Stroke and comb all fibers rearward.

Head (In front of the eyes):  In front of the eyes tie in 4 more clumps of Senyo Lazer Dub in Silver Minnow Belly.  2 on top of the hook shank and 2 on the bottom.  Stroke and comb all fibers rearward. 

This fly was developed by Fly Tyer Garner Reid of the Cohutta Fishing Company.  To tie it place your Gamakatsu B10S Size #2 Stinger hook in the vice.  Begin your thread behind the eye an wrap down to the bend of the hook.  Cut off your tag end.  You are not going to tie in your Large Dumbbell Eyes, just as you would with a traditional clouser.  It should be located a Dumbbell Eye length behind the eye of the hook.  Use figure eight wraps to affix it with a drop of your favorite adhesive.  Next you are going to tie in your Pearl Krystal Flash for your tail.  Take 4-5 strands of Krystal Flash, double it around your thread and tie it down on top of your hook shank.  It should extend 2 hook shank lengths behind the bend of the hook.  At the bend, and on top of your Krystal Flash, tie in a clump of Artic Fox Fur.  It should be half the length of your Krystal Flash.  

Next, take your Texas Cut ‘Wide’ Zonker Strip and measure it on the hook shank so that it will extend the length of the Kristal Flash. To do this, I measure it and mark a point where the hook shank will pass through it.  I then take a bodkin and pierce the hide.  Remove your hook from the vice and put your hook point through the hole you created.   At the end of the Zonker I notch it to create a ‘V’ which points rearward.  With your hook back in the vice, bind down the Rabbit Strip with your thread.  Remember that this fly will fish inverted with the dumbbell eyes on the bottom and the hook point on top.  When you tie it down advance your thread halfway up the hook shank, leaving space behind your eyes to tie in your collar head behind the eyes.  Next, tie in your Yellow Palmer Chenille.  Take 6-8 wraps and then tie it off. 

Behind the eyes tie in 2 clumps of White Artic Fox, 1 on the top & 1 under the hook shank.  Then, do the same with 2 clumps of Senyo Lazer Dub in Silver Minnow Belly.  When you bind down the Lazer Dub, tie it in at the midpoint, then sweep rearward the remaining material. Take thread wraps in front of it to secure it (‘hollow tie technique’).  Stroke and comb all fibers rearward.  In front of the eyes tie in 4 more clumps of Senyo Lazer Dub in Silver Minnow Belly.  2 on top of the hook shank and 2 on the bottom.  Use the same technique to tie in the Lazer Dub that you used behind the eyes.  Stroke and comb all fibers rearward.  Tie off the fly at the hook eye and apply your favorite adhesive.

Gink and Gasoline has a great 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 e-mail me at pdinice@frontier.com .

Paul's November 2021 Bonus Fly of the Month

 Spent Early Smoky-Winged Caddis

 

Hook:  Size #18 1X Dry Fly Hook.

Thread:  Black.

Body:  Brown Super Fine Dry Fly Dubbing.

Wing:  Western Caddis Grey EP Trigger Point Fibers or similar wing material.

 Hook:  Size #18 1X Dry Fly Hook.

This is a great spent caddis pattern that floats flat in the surface film.  The design mimics how spent caddis lay splayed on the surface with their two (2) sets of wings.  This fly has caught a lot of trout for me. 

 

To tie this fly, begin by debarbing the hook and placing it in your vice.  Tie in your thread leaving an eye length space behind the eye.  Cut the tag end and wrap back on the shank to the hook point.  Now dub a slender noodle of Brown Super Fine Dry Fly Dubbing.  Start your body at the hook bend.  Before wrapping the body with ‘touching’ wraps, twist your dubbing noodle in a clockwise direction.  You want to compress it so that when you wrap forward it results in a tapered segmented body.  Your body should end slightly behind the eye of the hook. 

 

Now take a wrap or two back on the fly body.  Your thread should be approximately an ‘eye length and ½’ behind the hook eye.  Next, cut and prepare a sparse amount of wing material.  For a size #18 fly, the length should be approximately 3” long.  Tie it in on the far side of the hook with 1 ½” extending beyond the hook eye.  Once tied in, form a loop beyond the hook eye and anchor the wing material on the other side of the hook.  After making some securing wings, you might want to apply a small drop of super glue on the thread wraps where the wings intersect. Next dub a small noodle to cover the thread wraps that bind down the fibers.  Now pull the front wing loop back and take a few wraps of thread in front of it.  Do a 4-5 wrap whip finish and trim off your thread.  Pull your wing loop back forward into a horizontal position in front of the eye.  You’re now going to trim the wings of the fly.  Take your rear wings and pull them back.  Trim them off so that they extend just beyond the hook bend.  At the front of the fly simply clip off the top part of the loop to create much smaller wings that point forward.   

 

Tightlinevideo has a great 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 e-mail me at pdinice@frontier.com .

Paul's November 2021 Fly of the Month

                                          Iso Jig Nymph                                     (A Fly by Steve Yewchuck)

Bead:  1/8” Silver Disco Tungsten Bead.

Hook:  Ahrex CZ Mini Jig Size #10. 

Thread:  UTC 70 Black.

Tail:  Brown Marabou with trimmed tips.

Rib:  Small Black Round Wire.

Abdomen:  Brown marabou spun into a rope and palmered.

Stripe:  Dental Floss (it never stains).  

Wing Case:  Swiss Straw with a drop of UV resin.

Thorax:  Dark Nymph Dub.

Legs:  Pheasant Tail Fibers.

This is one of my favorite patterns for an isonychia nymph.  The jig hook and tungsten bead gets it down on the bottom fast.  That’s where you want your iso nymph to be.  The natural crawls all over the bottom of rivers and streams.  This fly also includes the very recognizable stripe that all iso nymphs have.  This fly was tied/developed by fellow CT fly tyer extraordinaire Steve Yewchuck.  It’s got everything you want in an iso nymph pattern.  When you tie this fly remember that it will fish with the hook inverted. To tie this fly, place your Tungsten Bead on your hook and your hook in the vice.  Start your thread behind the bead and wrap rearward to the bend of the hook.  Trim/cut your tag end.  Tie in 5-6 Brown Marabou Fibers for your tail.  You can leave the butt ends of the Marabou Fibers to use for your Abdomen.  I tie them back with a wrap of thread or two.  Trim the tail with your scissors or finger nails.  It should be approximately the length of the hook gap.  On what will become the ‘underside’ of your nymph, tie in your Black Wire Rib. 

On what will become the ‘top’ side of your nymph, tie in a strand Dental Floss for the body stripe.  Now, twist the butt ends of the Marabou Fibers to create a rope for your abdomen (you can add additional fibers if needed).  Palmer it 2/3rds up the hook shank with ‘touching’ wraps to create your abdomen.  Tie and clip off the butt ends.  Bring your Dental Floss forward for your body stripe.  Tie it down at the end of your abdomen but do not clip off the butt end.  Next, palmer your rib forward to create a segmented body.  Tie and ‘helicopter’ off the butt end of your wire. 

For your abdomen, first place your Dental Floss rearward.  Now tie in your Swiss Straw to be used for your wing case.  Next, dub most of your Thorax with a Dark Nymph Dubbing.  On each side of the nymph, tie in 6-8 Pheasant Tail Fibers for the legs.  Use a little more Dubbing in front of the legs to even out your Abdomen.  Bring your Swiss Straw Wing Case forward and tie it off.  Clip off any excess.  Bring your Dental Floss Stripe forward and tie it off.  Clip off the butt end and whip finish the fly.  Finally add a drop of UV Resin to the Wing Case and use a bodkin to evenly coat it.  Cure it with your UV Light.  Good luck fishing this great iso pattern.

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 .