"The Best Carp Flies - How to Tie and Fish Them" - A Review

This book will make you a better fly tier no matter what species your fish for!  I have read it about 10 times and it's already been to 11 US states with me, and I've only had it since Christmas!!  If you fish for carp, it is a MUST OWN.

I first learned to tie flies by reading Jack Dennis' series of books about 1000 times.  Over the years, I've gone through a lot of tying books, internet videos, and tying groups which have given me what I've needed to become a decent fly tyer.  Then, I got Jay Zimmerman's book for Christmas this year. Reading it gave me the same feeling I had as a beginner reading Dennis' books.  This book has everything you ever want in a fly tying book and more.  However, there is no fluff, stupid romanticized stories, or bullshit.  It's just good stuff. Period.

Ok, so Erin Block (Jay's wife) wrote the forward.  She is cooler than the other side of the pillow.  Her writing style is awesome and I've been a fan of hers for a while.  She writes for many outlets but she also has written for TU's Trout Magazine, which makes me love her even more.  The forward is classic Block and you can tell that parts of it were used in "The Long Shot," one of my favorite fishing movies.

Chapter 1 is Jay giving you the total lowdown on fly fishing for carp.  He describes everything from carp ecology and habitat to leaders and fly weights.  He describes the types of carp behavior you'll encounter and types of shots you'll likely find yourself having to make. He even has a section on how to fight a carp.  Jay's writing style is somewhat unique and adds, even more character to the subject.

In Chapter 2, Jay takes carp flies to a systematic science.  This chapter alone, will make anyone a better tyer and fly designer no matter what their quarry.  The way he breaks down hook and weights pairings, what he calls "chassis," is outstanding.  His tying tips are real tips, not just advice for beginners.  Jay's humor and pictures are great.  You'll learn more in the 12 pages of this chapter than you will in many other books on the subject.

The rest of the book's chapters are dedicated to a carp fly each.  All of these flies work for other species but the focus always stays on carp.  Each chapter starts with a fun genesis story for each pattern.  Then, there is step by step instruction with color pictures for every step.  At the end of most chapters, there are even additional versions for each fly.  So, the book is packed with carp patterns! This book will have flies that your local carp will eat no matter where you live on this planet.  There are general attractor-type patterns and match the hatch ones as well.  Jay even has a cottonwood seed fly in there which he ties with hair from his dog.  "The Best Carp Flies" is truly one of the best fly tying books I've ever read, and that says a lot!

  

Drop Jaw Flies

Photo from dropjawflies.com 

I met the guys from Drop Jaw Flies the other night at the film tour in Butte.  They make a cool product which caught my eye, these beautiful, hand-painted streamer heads.

I talked to them for a bit and they told me the process of creating, painting, and putting a tough finish on them.  I thought they looked great and imagined how they would look on some of my own streamer patterns.  These are the kind of thing that catch fisherpeople and can make tying more fun. However, you know how effective having eyeballs on flies can be.  It has been shown that predator fish are attracted to, and many times attack the eye of baitfish.

I noticed that the Drop Jaw guys were selling raffle tickets and that the revenue would be going to our local George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited.  So, of course, I bought some.

Turns out, for the first time ever, I actually won the raffle.  I won a two-pack and can't wait to tie with them and fish them.  I'm thinking some Southwest Montana browns are going to drop their jaws in the next couple weeks when they see whatever creation I put behind one of these heads swim through their run.

Here is a really pretty fly tied by "@rbtek1." That's freaking gorgeous!!

Photo from Drop Jaw Flies via Instagram

Tinsel Body Mother's Day Caddis

The Upper Clark Fork and many other Montana rivers are experiencing great hatches of the Mother's Day caddis right now!  I recently had such an amazing day on the Upper Clark Fork catching huge, jumping browns with this easy-to-tie fly that I had to share.  Like all good patterns, this one can be tied to match any caddis hatch, it is durable, easy to tie, and very effective.  The body of this fly also rides in and below the water surface.  I have found over the years, that fly patterns that do this are usually more effective at fooling picky, wary, and educated trout.

Hook: Size 14 light wire scud hook
Thread:  6/0 Brown
Body: Medium pearl tinsel
Wing: Darker shade elk hair (for MD caddis)
Thorax: Dark colored CDC used as dubbing

Step 1:

Thread your hook and build a nice underbody.

Step 2: 

Tie in the tinsel (approx. 4 in or 10cm) right at the middle of the bend of the hook.  Advance your thread to the the front of the hook.  Then, wrap the tinsel forward creating a nice, smooth body.
(I forgot to take a picture showing just the body but I'm sure you get the idea.)

Step 3:

Stack some elk hair and tie in just behind the eye of the hook.  Cut off the waste and then, tie down the font of the elk hair bunch (unlike how you would for a standard elk hair caddis).

Step 4: 

Rip some CDC fibers from a CDC feather and dub them onto your thread.

Step 5:

Wrap a nice little thorax ball.

Step 6: 

Tie a small head in front of the thorax, whip finish, and your done!

You don't need to use floatant on this fly because of the CDC and elk hair.  After catching a fish, usually a false cast or two gets the fly floating great again.

Also, I'm sure this fly has a given name but I could not find it or info on who originally developed it. Leave a comment if you know either the name or creator.

March Brown - Wire Body - Soft Hackle

Wire body soft hackles

If you haven't yet discovered the magic of fishing soft hackle patterns, this is the year to start!  These flies are easy to tie, durable, incredibly effective, and really really fun to fish.  Think big streamer-style hits crossed with the delicacy and technicality of dry fly fishing.  Furthermore, they work for almost every mayfly and caddis hatch when tied in the appropriate size and color.

Do you consider yourself a classic fly fisherperson?  It doesn't get any more classic than soft hackles. Do consider yourself a new-school, techy, fish anything as long as it catches fish type fisher?  Then, you'll love what new materials like wire bodies and cool dubbing materials have brought to the world of soft hackles.

There are many ways to fish a soft hackle.  The traditional way is to gently drift the fly down stream and then let the current bring it to the surface at the end of the drift, hopefully in the feeding window of that huge trout you see porpoising.  You can grease smaller SH's and fish them as emergers.  You can fish them dead drift under an indicator like a regular nymph.  You can also fish them as a dropper off the back of a dry fly.

This specific soft hackle is great for the march brown hatch which is upon us here in Western Montana. As nymphs, march browns are great swimmers.  This makes the soft hackle the perfect fly for this hatch.

Hook: Size 10-14 nymph hook
Thread: 6/0 dark brown
Body: Small diameter fl. orange and black Ultra Wire (tie these in any color combo you like)
Thorax: Ice Dub golden brown
Wing/legs: 1 partridge feather

Step 1:

Wrap your hook shank nice and evenly with thread.

Step 2:

Advance your thread back to the front of the hook and then, tie in two 6 in. (15 cm.) lengths of wire, one for each color along one side of the hook.  Make sure they are tied in nicely and evenly along the shank.

Step 3:

Wrap the wires forward at the same time, making sure that they lay flat and are wrapped tightly together. You can do a better job than me, I had a light and camera in my way.


Step 4:

 Cut off the wire tags and apply the Ice Dub to your thread.

Step 5:

Dub a nice thorax ball.

Step 6:

Prepare a partridge feather like you would do for any soft hackle.  Pull off the fuzzy fibers near the base, pull back the fibers which will become the wing/legs, and then tie in the tip.  Tie in the feather curved down (as shown) so that when wrapped, the feather fibers will curve backwards.  Then, cut off the tips.

Step 7:

Wrap your hackle! Sparse is good.

Step 8:

Tie off the hackle, build a small thread head, and whip finish.  Your done!


Next month I promise a dry fly.  I know I've been a little wet so far.  I just love the soft hackles and wanted to spread the word.  Turns out, I'm not the only one.  Anyone see the article "North Country Spiders - Classic Soft Hackles" by Dave Whitlock which was in the latest issue of TU's Trout Magazine (spring 2015)?  It's a must read!

Missoula rainbow trout eats the Wire Body Soft Hackle

Kelly Galloup Fly Tying Event in Butte

GEORGE GRANT TROUT UNLIMITED GGTU to Sponsor Fly Tying, Fly Fishing Seminar March 28 The George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited is proud to sponsor a fly tying and fly fishing seminar March 28, 2015 in Butte featuring Kelly Galloup, a well-known fly fishing guide and fly tier, television host and owner of the Slide Inn on the upper Madison River. The seminar will be held from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Perkins Restaurant on Harrison Avenue. Kelly Galloup has earned a reputation for catching trophy trout using large streamers he has developed such as the Zoo Cougar and Sex Dungeon and his specialty is articulated streamers. The seminar will emphasize tying some of Galloup's creations and he is certain to entertain the participants with tips on fly fishing. The seminar is free and open to the public; donations will be accepted. For more information call Bob Olson at 560-3791 or email him at robolson@bresnan.net. SAVE THE DATE !!! THE ANNUAL GEORGE GRANT TROUT UNLIMITED BANQUET WILL BE SATURDAY, APRIL 11th, 5pm AT THE STARLANES PLEASE forward this email to a friend, if they'd like to be included ask them to send us an email STAY CONNECTED LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

George's Woven Stone - Skwala Edition

Yep, it's already time to start thinking about Skwala's.  Woven bodied flies have generally gone the way of the typewriter.  The old Grant and Pott style of weaving flies was difficult and time consuming but it produced beautiful and durable results.  The technique used to weave the body of this fly is very easy to do and it also produces beautiful and durable results.  Plus, you can lie and tell your friends it took you years to learn.

The basis for this fly was developed by George Anderson who has run the Yellowstone Angler in Livingston, Montana for many years.  The original pattern for "George's Rubber Leg Brown Stone" can be found in the book "Tying Flies with Jack Dennis and Friends."  That original pattern uses rubber legs for the tail, has only 2 sets of legs, has no wing case, and no antennae.  I added some new features for fun.  I have used the original pattern in different sizes and colors all over Montana and have found it to be incredibly effective.

Hook: Size 6-10 (for Skwala) nymph hook
Thread: Brown 6/0 thread
Weight:  .025 lead or imitation lead wire
Tail:  Brown goose biots
Body:  Standard yarn in tan and light brown
Legs:  Sili Legs  - crawdad pumkin flake
Thorax:  Hand blend rabbit dubbing - brown, black, tan
Wing Case:  Turkey tail feather
Antennae:  Brown goose biots

Step 1:

       























Tie in the tail and wrap some lead weight.


Step 2:

Take two 8 inch lengths of yarn, one dark , one light, and separate out two strands of yarn material.  There is usually 3-4 strands in yarn. For smaller stoneflies, you only want two strands or the body will be too bulky.


Step 3:

Tie the strands of yarn to each side of the hook and create a tapered under-body with the thread. This makes the finished body look nice and tapered.  Then, whip finish and cut the thread.


Step 4:

Turn your vice so that it is facing towards you.


Step 5:

Tie an overhand knot (like step 1 in tying your shoes), making sure that the color you want on the top of the fly is on top.  Repeat this 7-10 times making sure that every time, the same color is on top, until you have a body that looks like this:

Top view:

Bottom View:

Isn't that awesome?!  I just love it! Once the body is formed, re-start your thread, tie off the yarn, and cut the tags.

Step 6:

Tie in the bit of turkey feather with the nice side down and tie in 3 sets of rubber legs like you'd do for any fly.

Step 7:

Dub a nice thick thorax around the legs.

Step 8:

Wrap the turkey feather forward and tie down, then tie in the antennae.  Your done!  Super-easy. Now you've got a durable, effective fly that was easy to tie (even though it doesn't look like it). March Madness is not something that happens on TV!  You watch your basketball, I'll be on the river for some of the best fishing of the year.

A day at the Montana Fly Fishing Museum (part 2)

Here's the second installment of photos from the Montana Fly Fishing Museum display at the Visitor Center in Butte, Montana.

Bill Blackstone Flies:

Bill Blackstone Fly Emerger

Bill Blackstone must have been one of the original super-realistic fly tyers.  You've really got to see this one in real life.  There is a joke in the fly fishing world about "stonefly emergers" because stonflies don't emerge at the surface of the water like caddis or mayflies.  They crawl out onto the rocks or vegetation and are usually not available to the trout as emergers.  So fly fisherpeople joke about the existence of stonefly emergers much like a carpenter will joke about a board stretcher or mechanics do about muffler bearings etc.  Anyway, if your tying flies like this for art and not use, the stonefly emerger can be an interesting subject.

Salmonfly adult

Stonefly nymph

Norman Means (AKA Paul Bunyan)

Bunyan bugs were the flies they were "using" in that famous scene in "A River Runs Through It."

Norman Means' Bunyan Bug

Don Martinez Flies:

Don Martinez dry flies

Classic dry flies from Don Martinez

More classic dry flies from Don Martinez

Before there was fly tying blogs and Youtube, this is how people displayed the steps of tying flies:

"Tying the 'Dr. Dummy' Wet Fly 

I forgot these awesome woven sculpins in the last post with the George Grant flies.

Again, all of these displays and much more can be seen all year long for free in the Butte, Montana Visitor Center.

One more reason why Butte is the coolest city in Montana...