Bugle Buddy - Carp Fly

July 18, 2016, 1:53 pm

Lots of Movement = Lots of Bendo

Chartreuse Bugle Buddy

Bugle Buddy Eater

We have been fishing for carp here and there over the years, but it's gotten a kick into overdrive in the last couple of months. Up to this point, We have been playing with a few carp flies here and there, but we also used a lot of just trout flies like the El Sculpito and the Masked Marauder stonefly nymph. Though the trout flies did the trick in a pinch, it really helps if you have an arsenal of carp flies that are designed specifically designed for the task at hand. Through researching a lot of the effective modern carp flies out there, there are some similarities that I have seen that I have adopted with some of my designs. 1- They are tied with barbell eyes of some sort, and depending on depth, they can be various sizes of brass or bead chain. 2- They have something sticking "up" from the back of the fly. Like McTage's Trouser Worm and John Montana's Carp Hybrid . I have actually been playing with those patterns as well, so look for some tutorials on the variations that I come up with.

With those two points to work with, I started tying a very simple pattern that I began calling the

Tan Bugle Buddy

Bugle Buddy. Two simple strands of magnum predator legs, a vinyl nymph rib body, and some rabbit in a dubbing loop wrapped around the barbell eyes. I have only really tested this fly in two colors, but they both worked really well even though some people were convinced that no carp would eat a chartreuse flashy fly. As you can see, there is a lot of room for variation and color mixes with this bug, so you can let your imagination run wild with this one. Tie some up; tie them on; and go get carpy.

~Cheech

Material Lists

Chartreuse

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Hook: Daiichi 2557 Intruder Trailer Hook - 2

Eyes: Bead Chain Eyes - Silver - Large

Thread: Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread - 140 Denier - Fl. Green

Tail: Magnum Predator Legs - Grizzly Barred Fl. Chartreuse

Body: Vinyl Rib - Chartreuse - Medium

Head: Rabbit Zonker Strips - Chartreuse Green

Natural

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Hook: Daiichi 2557 Intruder Trailer Hook - 2

Eyes: Bead Chain Eyes - Gold - Large

Thread: Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread - 140 Denier - Brown

Tail: Magnum Predator Legs - Grizzly Barred Rootbeer

Body: Vinyl Rib - Brown - Medium

Head: Rabbit Zonker Strips - Grizzly

Other tools from the tutorial:

MPM-0002Petitjean Magic Tool Clip Set - Standard

Loon Water Based Head Cement System

↧

Solar Panel Nymph

July 20, 2016, 7:38 am

≫ Next: Carp Sculpin

≪ Previous: Bugle Buddy - Carp Fly

Power Up Your Nymph Game

This pattern is a culmination of some experiments with materials I had never put on the same hook before, vinyl nymph rib and speckled flashabou. In the mess of my fly tying dungeon I have had several spools of half round nymph rib sitting in a drawer for over 10 years, but I had never really played with the small stuff on a mayfly nymph with it. I had just finished using the speckled flashabou on a streamer pattern, so it was on the desk taking up space when I decided to tie a vinyl rib mayfly. The Solar Panel Nymph was the result and it has been a great producer on the river ever since. It can be tied in a wide array of colors due to the translucent nature of the vinyl ribbing, and many colors of flashabou could be added. Overall, this is a pattern that is perhaps a bit more realistic than a pheasant tail or a hare's ear, and it's not difficult to tie at all. The tip with the lighter was a modification of a technique I saw from Mak-Flies on YouTube. It's a pretty slick way of tying it in with no bulk at the back of the fly.

~ Cheech

Material List

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Hook: Daiichi 1560 - Traditional Nymph Hook - 14

Thread: 8/0 UNI-Thread Waxed Midge - Camel

Tail: Whiting Coq De Leon Tailing Packs - Badger Dyed Brown

Body: Speckled Flashabou - 6933 - Gold

Body: Vinyl Rib - Rust - Small

Bead: Plummeting Tungsten Beads - Jet Black - 3/32" (2.3mm)

Thorax: Hare'e Ice Dub - Tan

Other tools from the tutorial:

Zap-a-Gap Brush-On Super Glue

Loon Fluorescing UV Clear Fly Finish

↧

Carp Sculpin

July 27, 2016, 2:19 pm

≫ Next: Wally Wing Callibaetis

≪ Previous: Solar Panel Nymph

Carp Like Sculpins Too

Olive Carp Sculpin

I have to admit... When I first tied a batch of these, I was experimenting with Hareline's new double pupil eyes with trout patterns. I wanted to see how the fly would ride with such a small set of eyes, and if it would be affected by current etc... I had visions of thoroughly testing this fly in a lot of conditions, so I threw them in my bag and dogeared the box where they took initial residence. These flies kind of got tied on by accident, and in a setting that I previously wouldn't have thought to test them. Carp. Yep... Carp were the target, and an impromptu carp trip came up that I didn't really have time to prepare for, so I just grabbed my pack and off we went. They were cruising in 2 to 5 feet of water, so I needed a bit more than bead chain eyes to get them down. Not only did the fly ride correctly, the fish would move from their normal feeding lanes to eat it. It caught cruising carp and stationary feeding carp basically everywhere I threw it.

Carp Sculpin Eater

Since that trip, I modified it to have a bit beefier hook (and we show different options in the video), and we have tested it several more times. While I'm confident that it will still be a trout magnet, It's got a starting spot in my carp lineup for good.

~Cheech

Material List

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Hook: Daiichi 2546 - Salt Water Hook - 4

Tail/Head: Micro Pulsator Rabbit Strips - Black Barred Olive Variant

Thread: Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread - 140 Denier - Black

Body: Hare'e Ice Dub - Tan

Eyes: Double Pupil Lead Eyes - Extra Small - Black w/ Fl. Chart & Black

Other tools from the tutorial:

MPM-0002Petitjean Magic Tool Clip Set - Standard

↧

Wally Wing Callibaetis

July 31, 2016, 7:37 pm

≫ Next: Griffin Montana Mongoose vs. Regal

≪ Previous: Carp Sculpin

Speckled Wing Facelift

Top View: Wally Wing Callibaetis

We fish a fair number of different mayfly hatches each year but Callibaetis are really starting to become one of my favorites. The hatches tend to be long-lasting, consistent over time and we get into some amazingly beautiful country chasing these guys around each summer. And this Wally Wing style Callibaetis is one of my favorite adult imitations when the fish are taking the dry flies.

Originated by Wally Lutz, the wing tied in this style is surprisingly durable and gives a very accurate profile to feeding fish. The other surprising factor is how well it floats. In the video shown below, in between dressings with Loon Lochsa and some dessicant floatant, I had one pattern last for a solid hour or two and 10 to 15 fish. A big key to that longevity is a barbless hook. Anything that takes more pressure and finagling to get out of a toothy mouth will no doubt take more abuse.

Cutthroat trout dry fly wally wing callibaetis

High Country Cutthroat who fell to a Wally Wing Callibaetis

Front/Side view: Wally Wing Callibaetis

Regardless of how long they last, just tie up a few and have them ready. You can also swap out colors for PMD's, Baetis, Drakes or any other mayfly you find. I'll list some variations below. In the meantime, enjoy a little on-the-water flotation and taste testing.

And of course, if you want to tie some of these up, here are the recipes and tying tutorial video for the Wally Wing Callibaetis dry fly.

Callibaetis Recipe

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Hook: Fulling Mill Ultimate Dry Fly Hook, Barbless - 14

Thread: Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread - 70 Denier - Gray

Tails: Whiting Coq De Leon Tailing Packs - Badger Dyed Med Dun

Wings: Nature's Spirit Teal Barred Flank - Heron Gray

Body : Nature's Spirit Stripped Wild Turkey Barred Biots - Muskrat Gray

Thorax: Nature's Spirit Beaver Dubbing - Natural Light Gray Dun

Under-Wing: Polish CDC - Blue Dun

Other tools from the tutorial:

Marc Petitjean Long Loop Trim Scissors

Petitjean Magic Tool - Micro (sizes #16 and smaller), Regular sizes #14 above

Stonfo Elite Rotodubbing twister

Stonfo Pinza Elite Hackle Pliers - Micro

Pale Morning Dun Recipe

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Hook: Fulling Mill Ultimate Dry Fly Hook, Barbless - 18

Thread: Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread - 70 Denier - Light Cahill

Tails: Whiting Coq De Leon Tailing Packs - Badger Dyed Med Dun

Wings: Nature's Spirit Teal Barred Flank - Fl. Chartreuse

Body : Nature's Spirit Stripped Wild Turkey Barred Biots - Yellow

Thorax: Nature's Spirit Beaver Dubbing - Pale Morning Dun

Under-Wing: Polish CDC - Yellow

Other tools from the tutorial:

Marc Petitjean Long Loop Trim Scissors

Petitjean Magic Tool - Micro (sizes #16 and smaller), Regular sizes #14 above

Stonfo Elite Rotodubbing twister

Stonfo Pinza Elite Hackle Pliers - Micro

Blue Winged Olive (Baetis) Recipe

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Hook: Fulling Mill Ultimate Dry Fly Hook, Barbless - 18

Thread: Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread - 70 Denier - Olive

Tails: Whiting Coq De Leon Tailing Packs - Badger Dyed Med Dun

Wings: Nature's Spirit Teal Barred Flank - Heron Gray

Body : Nature's Spirit Stripped Wild Turkey Barred Biots - Gray Olive

Thorax: Nature's Spirit Beaver Dubbing - Blue Winged Olive

Under-Wing: Polish CDC - Blue Dun

Other tools from the tutorial:

Marc Petitjean Long Loop Trim Scissors

Petitjean Magic Tool - Micro (sizes #16 and smaller), Regular sizes #14 above

Stonfo Elite Rotodubbing twister

Stonfo Pinza Elite Hackle Pliers - Micro

↧

Griffin Montana Mongoose vs. Regal

August 2, 2016, 4:38 pm

≫ Next: Muddle May Variation

≪ Previous: Wally Wing Callibaetis

Good vs Good

For the past 3 or so years you have noticed that we favor the Griffin Mongoose vise, and a big percentage of our videos are filmed on it. Curtis and I both been using the Mongoose for a long time because of it's versatility in holding virtually any hook that we have thrown in it... We are not on a pro staff with Griffin or Regal, but we absolutely demand a lot out of our vises, and we typically stick to something that is high quality and that works every time we stick a hook in the jaws. The Mongoose is great! The Regal vises are also great! Recently we have been filming a lot on the Regal, so we filmed a short video to explain how that happened. I had some special help from my son Seth AKA The Foosa to film this video. For him though?? It's not even close. He's a Regal fanboy.

~ Cheech

Check out the whole lineup from these two awesome brands:

REGAL

GRIFFIN

↧

Muddle May Variation

August 12, 2016, 7:42 am

≫ Next: Mousey McMouseface

≪ Previous: Griffin Montana Mongoose vs. Regal

Muddle Up Your Mayflies

Do you have a strong desire to spin deer hair on every fly pattern you tie? Do you use GSP thread for everything including flossing your teeth? Have you ever tied a size 18 diver pattern? Well, if you answered yes to any of these questions, this fly might be right up your alley.

This is kind of a variation of a fly called the Muddle May, but this one has a bit more pronounced head at the front. It's really not a hard fly to tie, because it's more about the quantity of the hair, and the strength of the thread than it is about the actual skill of spinning the hair. I get a lot of questions about the proper thread for spinning or stacking hair, and GSP is absolutely the best, and it's not even close. For smaller bugs like this one where moderate pressure is needed and I'm only using one clump of hair, 50D is fine. For medium spinning jobs like a Muddler Minnow, I'd bump it up to about 100D, and for a full on diver style bass bug I crank it up to 200D. (Check out our GSP) GSP is great at having maximum strength and minimum bulk. Just be careful not to pull too hard because it WILL cut through your deer hair.

Another thing to note here is that I am "spinning" the hair in this video instead of stacking, and I don't use a hair packer because I kind of want the loose effect of a spun head. Good hair can also be the reason that you either fall in love with hair bugs, or you launch you vise through the closest window... Nature's Spirit products really make it easy to ensure that you get a "good" patch of premo spinning hair, and it will also ensure that you won't throw your vise away and become a touring professional Pokemon Go player.

Put Pikachu down and tie more flies.

~Cheech

Material Lists

Green Drake

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Hook: Gamakatsu S10 Executive Series Dry Fly Hook - 12

Thread: 8/0 UNI-Thread Waxed Midge - Olive Dun

Tails: Whiting Coq De Leon Tailing Packs - Badger Dyed Olive

Body : Nature's Spirit Stripped Wild Turkey Barred Biots - Fl. Chartreuse

Thorax: Nature's Spirit Snowshoe Rabbit Foot Dubbing - Gray Olive

Wing: Nature's Spirit Spinning Deer Hair - Light Olive

GSP Thread: Veevus GSP - White - 50 Denier

Brown Drake

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Hook: Gamakatsu S10 Executive Series Dry Fly Hook - 12

Thread: 8/0 UNI-Thread Waxed Midge - Olive Dun

Tails: Whiting Coq De Leon Tailing Packs - Badger Dyed Brown

Body : Nature's Spirit Stripped Wild Turkey Barred Biots - Brown

Thorax: Nature's Spirit Snowshoe Rabbit Foot Dubbing - Brown

Wing: Nature's Spirit Spinning Deer Hair - Brown

GSP Thread: Veevus GSP - White - 50 Denier

Mousey McMouseface

August 28, 2016, 5:42 pm

≫ Next: Easy Baitfish Resin Heads

≪ Previous: Muddle May Variation

Feed Rodents to Your Fish

Gimme some cheese!

Several years ago when I lived a quarter mile from an amazing bass fishery I found myself creating all kinds of topwater patterns to chase them with. I had all of the typical bass colors and variations of poppers, divers, and about every gaudy thing that my crazy mind could think of. When the going got tough and the bass didn't want to play, I always tied on a natural colored mouse pattern and they always ate it. No flash, no fancy moving parts, just super buggy fishiness. That mouse consisted of rabbit strips for a tail, wrapped rabbit for the body, foam for the belly, and foam for the back... I can't quite remember how it was put together, but it was a buggy buggy fly.

Sam Mouser 1

Like many mouse patterns, this one was kind of plagued with a tail that always fouled, and the lack of a stinger hook that let the tail nippers get away without a lip piercing. I have dabbled with mouse patterns off and on for a long time. and our current mouse pattern, the Complex Twist Mouse, has proven to be very effective. The fouling tail problem was 100% solved with that fly, but there still wasn't a stinger... I actually think that if a mouse pattern is about 3.5" or smaller (total length) it really doesn't need a stinger because it's small enough for even a window shopper to gulp down.

The Complex Twist Mouse is actually responsible for one of the most memorable mouse eats that I have seen this summer. Curtis and I were fishing with our good friend Justin, and it was a prototypical streamer day. Rain all day, a bit of hail, cooler than normal temps, you know, time to eat steaks! The fish were very aggressively eating streamers in the first 6 to 12 inches of the water column, so I decided to throw on the Complex Twist Mouse. First cast, and a brown trout about backflipped over it. He wasn't the biggest fish, but it left us all just kind of looking at each other dumbfounded. Time to get on the mouse game again.

Sam Mouser 2

Lots of times I'll get the bug to start tinkering with a fly when I get a request from someone who I know will thoroughly test my patterns. Cortney Boice came to me several months ago and let me know that they were going to be mousing quite a bit, and that he was interested in getting a few tester patterns. The first round it was the Complex Twist Mouse, the second round was a bigger Complex Twist Mouse with a stinger, the third round it was a fly pretty similar to Mousey McMouseface, and then Sam Parkinson added his input. "The stinger needs to be right behind the tip of the tail..." No biggie right? Anyway, Cort and Sam tested and helped dial in what we think is a very very effective mouse pattern that swims great and can hook the tail nippers. I have said this a lot in the past, but if you are a fly designer, and you are truly looking to maximize a pattern, find anglers who will fish your flies hard and tell you if they suck. I have a core group of guys who are really really good at this.

Sam Mouser 3

Check out the video to see how the fly is segmented and how to make cool eyes with a durable head coating. Resin is definitely not the answer to coat soft foam popper heads, especially if they are colored with markers. In fact, check out THIS VIDEO where we compared some popular UV resins against Loon Soft Head. As for Mousey McMouseface, check out Sam's images to help you determine whether or not it's effective.

~ Cheech

Material Lists

***You will need to have 50# braided fishing line for this fly. It's readily available anywhere that sells fishing gear. Also, feel free to use whatever colors of markers you see fit. I made some general guidelines on some of the recipes.***

Other tools from the tutorial:

Loon Gator Grip Dubbing Spinner

Petitjean Magic Tool Clip Set - Standard

Cautery High Temp Finishing Tool

Zap-a-Gap Brush-On Super Glue

Gray/Brown (Medium Size)

Add to Cart

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Hook: Gamakatsu B10S - 1/0 - 25 Pack

Thread: Veevus GSP - Black - 100 Denier

Stinger: Daiichi 2557 Intruder Trailer Hook - 4

Tail: Pine Squirrel Zonkers - Gray, Natural

Shank1: Articulated Fish Spines - 15mm Shanks (24 pack)

Shank2: Articulated Fish Spines - 20mm Shanks (24 pack)

Body: Rabbit Zonker Strips - Grizzly

Legs: Silicone Flutter Legs - Tan

Over Body: Fly Tying Foam - 6mm - Black

Head: Double Barrel Popper Bodies - White - Medium

Marker 1: Copic Sketch Marker - Gray

Marker 2: Chartpak Fly Tying Markers - Desert Tan (Dark Tan)

Marker 3: Chartpak Fly Tying Markers - Black

Eyes: Loon UV Clear Fly Finish - Thick (1/2 oz)

Connection: Articulation Wire

Albino (Medium Size)

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Hook: Gamakatsu B10S - 1/0 - 25 Pack

Thread: Veevus GSP - White - 100 Denier

Stinger: Daiichi 2557 Intruder Trailer Hook - 4

Tail: Micro Rabbit Strips - White

Shank1: Articulated Fish Spines - 15mm Shanks (24 pack)

Shank2: Articulated Fish Spines - 20mm Shanks (24 pack)

Body: Rabbit Zonker Strips - White

Legs: Silicone Flutter Legs - White

Over Body: Fly Tying Foam - 6mm - White

Head: Double Barrel Popper Bodies - White - Medium

Eyes: Loon UV Clear Fly Finish - Thick (1/2 oz)

Connection: Articulation Wire

Marker 1: Copic Sketch Marker - Red

Dark Gray/Black (Medium Size)

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Hook: Gamakatsu B10S - 1/0 - 25 Pack

Thread: Veevus GSP - Black - 100 Denier

Stinger: Daiichi 2557 Intruder Trailer Hook - 4

Tail: Micro Pulsator Rabbit Strips - Black Barred Grizzly

Shank1: Articulated Fish Spines - 15mm Shanks (24 pack)

Shank2: Articulated Fish Spines - 20mm Shanks (24 pack)

Body: Rabbit Zonker Strips - Charcoal

Legs: Silicone Flutter Legs - Black

Over Body: Fly Tying Foam - 6mm - Black

Head: Double Barrel Popper Bodies - Black - Medium

Eyes: Loon UV Clear Fly Finish - Thick (1/2 oz)

Connection: Articulation Wire

*** For the micro size, there is no stinger hook and only one additional shank***

Gray/Brown (Micro Size)

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Hook: Gamakatsu B10S - 4 - 25 Pack

Thread: Veevus GSP - Black - 100 Denier

Tail/Body: Pine Squirrel Zonkers - Gray, Natural

Shank: Articulated Fish Spines - 10mm Shanks (24 pack)

Legs: Silicone Flutter Legs - Tan

Over Body: Rainy's Evazote Foam - Black - 1/8"

Head: Double Barrel Popper Bodies - White - Extra Small

Eyes: Loon UV Clear Fly Finish - Thick (1/2 oz)

Connection: Articulation Wire

Albino (Micro Size)

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Hook: Gamakatsu B10S - 4 - 25 Pack

Thread: Veevus GSP - Black - 100 Denier

Tail/Body: Micro Rabbit Strips - White

Shank: Articulated Fish Spines - 10mm Shanks (24 pack)

Legs: Silicone Flutter Legs - White

Over Body: Rainy's Evazote Foam - White - 1/8"

Head: Double Barrel Popper Bodies - White - Extra Small

Eyes: Loon UV Clear Fly Finish - Thick (1/2 oz)

Connection: Articulation Wire

Black (Micro Size)

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Hook: Gamakatsu B10S - 4 - 25 Pack

Thread: Veevus GSP - Black - 100 Denier

Tail/Body: Pine Squirrel Zonkers - Black

Shank: Articulated Fish Spines - 10mm Shanks (24 pack)

Legs: Silicone Flutter Legs - Black

Over Body: Rainy's Evazote Foam - Black - 1/8"

Head: Double Barrel Popper Bodies - Black - Extra Small

Eyes: Loon UV Clear Fly Finish - Thick (1/2 oz)

Connection: Articulation Wire

*** For the jumbo size, I use three shanks. The back two shanks have no foam, just rabbit strip wrapped on the shank. Also, feel free to substitute a treble hook for the stinger hook.***

Gray/Brown (Jumbo Size)

Add to Cart

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Hook: Gamakatsu B10S - 4 - 25 Pack

Thread: Veevus GSP - Black - 100 Denier

Stinger: Daiichi 2557 Intruder Trailer Hook - 2

Tail / Body: Rabbit Zonker Strips - Grizzly

Shank 1: Articulated Fish Spines - 15mm Shanks (24 pack)

Shank 2: Articulated Fish Spines - 20mm Shanks (24 pack)

Shank 3: Articulated Fish Spines - 25mm Shanks (24 pack)

Over Body: Fly Tying Foam - 6mm - Brown

Over Body: Silicone Flutter Legs - Tan

Legs: Double Barrel Popper Bodies - White - Large

Head: Loon UV Clear Fly Finish - Thick (1/2 oz)

Connection: Articulation Wire

Albino (Jumbo Size)

Add to Cart

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Hook: Gamakatsu B10S - 4 - 25 Pack

Thread: Veevus GSP - White - 100 Denier

Stinger: Daiichi 2557 Intruder Trailer Hook - 2

Tail / Body: Rabbit Zonker Strips - White

Shank 1: Articulated Fish Spines - 15mm Shanks (24 pack)

Shank 2: Articulated Fish Spines - 20mm Shanks (24 pack)

Shank 3: Articulated Fish Spines - 25mm Shanks (24 pack)

Over Body: Fly Tying Foam - 6mm - White

Over Body: Silicone Flutter Legs - White

Legs: Double Barrel Popper Bodies - White - Large

Head: Loon UV Clear Fly Finish - Thick (1/2 oz)

Connection: Articulation Wire

Gray/Black (Jumbo Size)

Add to Cart

View in store

Hook: Gamakatsu B10S - 4 - 25 Pack

Thread: Veevus GSP - Black - 100 Denier

Stinger: Daiichi 2557 Intruder Trailer Hook - 2

Tail / Body: Rabbit Zonker Strips - Charcoal

Shank 1: Articulated Fish Spines - 15mm Shanks (24 pack)

Shank 2: Articulated Fish Spines - 20mm Shanks (24 pack)

Shank 3: Articulated Fish Spines - 25mm Shanks (24 pack)

Over Body: Fly Tying Foam - 6mm - Black

Over Body: Silicone Flutter Legs - Black

Legs: Double Barrel Popper Bodies - Black - Large

Head: Loon UV Clear Fly Finish - Thick (1/2 oz)

Connection: Articulation Wire

↧

Easy Baitfish Resin Heads

September 22, 2016, 10:00 pm

≫ Next: Aero Baetis v 2.0

≪ Previous: Mousey McMouseface

Low Fat Minnow Version

Low Fat Minnow Chub Version

It's been a while since the original Low Fat Minnow came out, but we wanted to make a video on how to make the head turn out perfectly every time. There are some really subtle things that you can do to make the head durable, proportionate, and super fishy. The good thing is that this technique can be modified for any size baitfish across many different patterns. As you watch the video, you will see that the two most important things are 1) A rotary vise to create a perfectly round head. 2) Resin that is thick enough to allow you to create the head without bleeding into the fibers.

~ Cheech

↧

Aero Baetis v 2.0

October 5, 2016, 9:58 am

≫ Next: Fall Streamer Season

≪ Previous: Easy Baitfish Resin Heads

A Solid Mayfly Nymph

Since I first featured and did a tutorial on the original Aero Baetis here almost three years ago (crazy how time flies) and true to form on most any pattern I work with, I've come to tweak a few aspects of the fly that I feel make it an even better performer.

Update: We now have these in stock on the store. Buy them here.

The first major change was the hook. I've become less a fan of the 200R style hooks with the small gap and long bend like that. I don't think the shape and small gap give me much more than a stronger, larger gaped hook. Granted, they give you an awesome natural-looking shape to a finished fly and as I've heard some people mention, the smaller tapered gap might serve to obfuscate the overall hook shape. But given that any fish taking a fly will have to ignore the ginormous hook appendage coming out of the insect's butt, I find myself tying more in wider gaped hooks and not worrying about that little aspect of it. Plus, getting beads on those hooks can be a nightmare.

I also updated the body and ribbing material to something less bulky and more flashy. The thorax is now a half-and-half natural/synthetic material in the Hare'e Ice Dub -- one of my favorite nymph dubbings.

And not only does this style nymph play well as a Blue Winged Olive nymph, I use it almost as often for PMD nymphs and Callibaetis nymphs. You just need to swap out the appropriate colors and mess with sizing a bit.

Material List

Hook: Daiichi 1550, #14-#18 (+)
Thread: Danville 70 Denier, Olive (+)
Thread 2: Danville 70 Denier, Fl. Orange (+)
Bead: 2mm Tungsten (2.4 on #14), Black Nickel (+)
Tail: Coq De Leon Tailing Fibers, Med Dun (+)
Body: Veevus Holo Tinsel, Med, Brown (+)
Ribbing: Dyed Pearl Flashabou, Olive (+)
Thorax: Hare'e Ice Dub, Olive Brown (+)
Wing Case: Nymph Skin, Bronze/Tan - Clear (+)
or Fino Skin, Brown (+)

Other Tools, materials:
Loon UV Fluorescing Clear Fly Finish (+)
Stonfo Combo Comb/Brush (+)

↧

Fall Streamer Season

October 12, 2016, 7:23 am

≫ Next: Callibaetis Soft Hackle

≪ Previous: Aero Baetis v 2.0

Throw the meat

Slider Eater

It's been a while... I know... Right now there are some pretty exciting things going on with Fly Fish Food because we are putting the finishing touches on our retail shop in Orem, UT. It seems like every waking hour is spent getting everything set up in the shop, but it will all be worth it in the long run! Anyway, as we sit hanging the millionth bag of dubbing on the wall, we dream of tying flies and fishing big streamers like we used to in the fall. Really it's not that bad, and I soaked a few streamers a few weeks ago.

As we rolled up to the brand new spot that we had never fished, I was debating on whether to take a streamer rod, a Czech nymph rod, or both. It seems like every time I'm considering this it turns into a no-brainer and I just grab the streamer stick. Adam and Curtis grabbed nymph sticks and up the trail we went. As I decided which fly to tie on, It's always a hard decision on a new water that I have never fished, so I took into consideration how deep the river was, how fast it was flowing, how accessible it was... Well, not really. I assessed the situation for two milliseconds and immediately tied on the Articulated Trout Slider in gold because it has become my ultimate confidence fly. I tried throwing other stuff that day, but all of my eats came on the gold slider... Go figure.

This led me to think about how I select flies for streamer fishing, and I think I have it dialed down to a handful of patterns that I always make sure I have. I also have become pretty partial to some materials that have allowed my streamer tying to get better and better as I practice new techniques.

Patterns

1- Articulated Trout Slider. This pattern (the gold one) is typically the first streamer that I tie on because of how it moves in the water. The fish have some kind of addiction to gold too. It really could be part of the Kardashian family because of all the hype and bling, but the back end is too slim. We have a tutorial to show you how to tie it (HERE), or you can buy them (HERE) now that our friends at Fulling Mill are on board with it!

2- Complex Twist Bugger. This is the ultimate fly for the last minute tying sessions before a fishing trip. There are lots of times when I have some new fangled device that I think is going to crush, but the damn complex twist usually outperforms them all. Dear Complex Twist Bugger, stop making more complicated flies look bad. Sincerely, Cheech. Tie it (HERE) or buy it (HERE). Also, the new Gator Grip from Loon makes this fly very easy to tie.

3- Belly Scratcher Minnow. This fly has been tied in a bazillion different configurations since I started tying them, and it seems like they all work! Really though, I usually have 5 or 6 of them in chub color because it mimics a lot of different bait fish. I like to tie this one on when the fish are having snooty attitude issues and they need to be educated. Tie it (HERE), or buy it (HERE).

These three flies have probably accounted for the majority of my streamer fish this year, mostly because I have confidence in them and I fish them pretty hard. This isn't to say that I don't fish other patterns, because I do... a lot... It's just that these patterns are the ones that I know that the fish will absolutely eat.

If you are into creating your own sauce to feed the fish, there are a few staple materials that I seem to use a lot more than others, and you will see them a lot in our tutorials. This should be no secret, but I really like micro pulsator strips, schlappen, polar chenille, ice dub in metallic colors (gold, silver, copper, holographic silver, red, blue steelie etc), and nature's spirit prime long marabou.

These flies and materials should help you put some chemically sharpened steel into a few fish faces this fall! Best of luck!

~Cheech

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Callibaetis Soft Hackle

October 31, 2016, 8:20 am

≫ Next: Free Fly Tying Event - Flugenzombie - Thursday Nov 10, 2016

≪ Previous: Fall Streamer Season

Chimera's Kryptonite

Callibaetis Soft Hackle

There is truly something special about fishing high elevation lakes that take a bit more effort to reach. These lakes are typically off the beaten path just enough to keep a lot of the other anglers away, and most of the time there are maybe only a handful of people around. Low fishing pressure mixed with a healthy population of fish usually means that the fishing is fast, furious, and simple. I wish it were that easy, but at some of our favorite spots the fish have really become snobs about what they will and will not put into their mouths. I'm constantly searching for a new wonder bug most of the time when we go fish these places, and then I'll look over at friggin' Curtis and he's got yet another fish on guess what... Yeah. The stupid Chimera. I say it's stupid because it's usually the culprit for me being out-fished, and it's not because I don't have them in my box... It's also not because Curtis doesn't offer to share. I'm just stubborn.

The only reason that I'm sharing this whole "fake" hatred of the Chimera (which is actually one of the most effective patterns that we use), is that I finally found a bug that hung in there and gave the chimera a full on beat down. Granted there was an insane callibaetis hatch going, but it still wrecked em' nonetheless. This pattern was used over two different trips, and it performed equally well on both trips while many other patterns were tried with much less success. I wish I knew what the secret was for this fly, but the fish really preferred it so much that I ended up throwing two of them at a time (Check out the videos below.)

As far as the construction of the fly, it's really nothing groundbreaking in regards to materials and it's really kind of just a mashup of an AP Emerger and a Hare's Ear Soft Hackle. A couple of keys to the fly that are maybe a bit unique are the "veil" of ice dub that adds just a tiny bit of flash, and the bead placement that makes the soft hackle flare out a bit more than normal.

~ Cheech

P.S. - A few notes regarding the materials I chose. I really prefer to use the partridge that you get right off the skin because you can get the size that you want, and the feathers are in great shape with few broken ends. I used a skin from Nature's Spirit, but the skins that we have from Hareline are also excellent quality. I have listed the other options below. Also, I used Snowshoe Rabbit's Foot Dubbing on this fly, but you could also get away with hare's mask dubbing that I have listed as well. I also used the HMH Spartan vise on this bug just for fun. It's the first time I had ever tied on one, and it's a very nice piece of equipment!

Material List

Add to Cart

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Hook: Fulling Mill 35085 Nymph Hook, Barbless - 14

Thread: 8/0 UNI-Thread Waxed Midge - Camel

Bead: Plummeting Tungsten Beads - Copper - 7/64" (2.8mm)

Tail / Hackle: Nature's Spirit Primo Partridge Skin, Natural

Rib: UTC Ultra Wire - Copper - Small

Body: Nature's Spirit Snowshoe Rabbit Foot Dubbing - Hare's Ear

Thorax: Ice Dub - UV Brown

Other tools from the tutorial:

Stonfo Comb/Brush Tool

Hungarian Partridge Skin - Grade #1

Hungarian Partridge Skin - Grade #2

Nature's Spirit Hare's Mask Dubbing - Natural

C&F Design Hackle Pliers

HMH Spartan Vise - Pedestal

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Free Fly Tying Event - Flugenzombie - Thursday Nov 10, 2016

November 7, 2016, 8:00 am

≫ Next: Rockagator Waterproof Backpack Review

≪ Previous: Callibaetis Soft Hackle

Bring a vise, or just come and hang out!

Dirty Baitfish Flugenzombie

When: Thursday, Nov 10th at 7:00pm
Where: Fly Fish Food shop 1653 N. State St. Orem, UT
Cost: Nada, zero, zilch, $0
Topic: How to make zombies out of feathers

This is the first of many classes that we will be having in the shop. We are going to focus on one pattern per event, and we have chosen to start off with the Flugenzombie since streamer season is hitting us right in the mouth right now!

Sign up by emailing us (Cheech@flyfishfood.com). Let us know if you want to tie along, or if you just want to come and watch on two big screen TV's.

If you decide to tie, bring your own vise, tools, and materials. If you don't have the materials, they will be available for purchase in the shop.

There is enough room for 12 tyers per session, but lots more room for people who just want to watch.

The shop will be open from 6:00 to 7:00 in case you need to purchase materials for the tying session.

If you aren't in the area, we are also going to do a Facebook live session so you can tie along at your house.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

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Rockagator Waterproof Backpack Review

November 8, 2016, 8:57 am

≫ Next: Silent Bob

≪ Previous: Free Fly Tying Event - Flugenzombie - Thursday Nov 10, 2016

Keep your gear dry and portable

We've had a couple of very solid rain/hail drenchings in the past few months, so when we saw this Rockagator waterproof backpack, we figured we'd give it a try.

First off, we've used dry bags or boat bags in the past and most that we've tried are good functionally in that things stay dry inside (well with the exception of a small pack that leaked and came close to damaging some expensive camera equipment). But the thing that I found convenient about this pack was that it's an actual backpack -- and a good one at that.

Anyway, here's a quick review we did to talk about what we liked and how it fared.

And if you're looking to buy a pack, you can get one here: GET A ROCKAGATOR (use coupon code "flyfishfood50" to get a $50 discount)

↧

Silent Bob

November 13, 2016, 7:47 pm

≫ Next: Easy Glo Bugs

≪ Previous: Rockagator Waterproof Backpack Review

Silent Bob Strikes Again

So back in January of this year I was down in the Fly Tying Dungeon cranking out streamers, like usual, when old Silent Bob aka my room mate aka Josh Mena aka my little bro comes rolling in. We talked a bit about various streamer actions and this streamer was the results of that conversation. I felt it was appropriate to give Josh some credit so the pattern was named after his newly appointed nickname, given to him by Curtis. So that's the story of the name, but would it catch fish?

Fast forward a couple days and we found ourselves on some local water. After some testing, we found out this thing hunts! It's pretty obvious that wedge trimmed deer hair heads give a fly a killer action, but to me, the combination of a deer hair head and "Belly-Scratcher"weighting is really what takes the action to another level. I'm sure i'll be implementing this combo into some future patterns!

Like most patterns, this one has gone thru a few variations and started with a polar chenille gill-pack (like seen in the above trouts mouth). Since then, I have moved to using red Ice Dub and Senyo's Predator Wrap. This combo gives me the blood red flash I find successful in so many patterns and I feel it is a trigger for many fish. While this is a fairly long tie for a single hook streamer, it's a lot of fun to tie. So get yourself a Premo Deer Strip, or 14, and tie some up!

This pattern is great in other color combos aswell. Just sub out the Magnum Rabbit for another color, along with the deer hair and eyes. One of my go to color combos is: Brown Barred Ginger Magnum rabbit, Golden Brown Deer Premo Strip and Super Pearl Eyes.

~Brandon

Material List

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Hook: Gamakatsu B10S - 1 - 25 Pack

Thread: Veevus GSP - White - 150 Denier

Articulation Wire: Articulation Wire

Belly: Ice Dub - UV Pearl

Beads: Plummeting Tungsten Beads - Gold - 3/16" (4.6mm)

Tail: Brown Barred Magnum Rabbit Strips - Olive

Gill Pack pt.1: Ice Dub - Red

Gill Pack pt.2: Senyo's Barred Predator Wrap - Barred UV

Head: Premo Deer Hair Strips - Olive

Eyes: Fluorescent Fly Eyes - Fl. Orange - 1/4" (6.3mm)

UV Resin: Loon UV Clear Fly Finish - Thick (1/2 oz)

UV Resin Finish: Loon UV Clear Fly Finish - Flow

Other tools from the tutorial:

Stonfo Comb/Brush Tool

Wire Flush Cutters

Peak Hex Hair Stacker - Magnum

SF Fugly Packer - Original

Fly Tyer's Z-Ment

Griffin Montana Mongoose Vise

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Easy Glo Bugs

November 16, 2016, 8:54 am

≫ Next: Touch Dub Sow Bug

≪ Previous: Silent Bob

Two simple and effective egg patterns

Good Eggs in a carton

This is a post that deserves a public service announcement... Kind of. In the fly fishing world there seem to be many opinions out there... Naturals vs. synthetics, barbed vs. barbless, tenkara vs. the rest of the world, etc. Eggs are no stranger to controversy and opinion, and I have no issues at all if you choose not to fish with them. As fly tyers and fishers, we strive to tie and fish with bugs that mimic a trout's natural diet, hence tying size 26 midges, mayflies with three tails and split wings, and - EGGS. I'm not saying that you go camp on a redd and pick off each fish that is actively doing it's business; I'm saying that during the trout spawn (either in the spring or fall) there are lots of other fish in the river that are not spawning, and actively feeding on eggs. I'm not going to get into all the details, but it is definitely worth it to educate yourself about the fisheries that you fish, and how you can ethically pursue fish with eggs without damaging the future of the river.

Two Egg Variations

Ok... So now on to tying an egg pattern. You would be surprised at how many requests we get about how to tie a good, round egg. It's really not hard at all, but two materials will definitely make your life easier: GSP thread (I prefer 100D), and McFlyfoam yarn. The standard egg yarn doesn't compress and flare like McFlyfoam does. The hook isn't super critical, and there are like infinity colors that you can choose from and mix up.

As a bonus we added a pattern that was shown to me by Mickey Anderson of Fish Tech Outfitters in Salt Lake City. If I ever need a fly that has a fish guarantee written on it, I'll talk to Mick. He described a fly that he calls the "good egg" a few years back, and it's been my #1 producer ever since. It incorporates UV properties and a tungsten bead to counteract the somewhat buoyant nature of the McFlyfoam.

~ Cheech

Material Lists

McCheese Glo Bug

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Hook: Daiichi 1520 - Heavy Egg Hook - 10

Thread: Veevus GSP - White - 100 Denier

Yarn: McFly Foam - McCheese #24

Fl. Peach Glo Bug

Add to Cart

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Hook: Daiichi 1520 - Heavy Egg Hook - 10

Thread: Veevus GSP - White - 100 Denier

Yarn: McFly Foam - Fl. Peach #46

Steelhead Orange Glo Bug

Add to Cart

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Hook: Daiichi 1520 - Heavy Egg Hook - 10

Thread: Veevus GSP - White - 100 Denier

Yarn: McFly Foam - Steelhead Orange #42

Good Egg - McCheese

Add to Cart

View in store

Hook: Daiichi 1520 - Heavy Egg Hook - 10

Thread: Veevus GSP - White - 100 Denier

Yarn: McFly Foam - McCheese #24

Bead: Plummeting Tungsten Beads - Fl. Orange - 7/64" (2.8mm)

Nucleus: Ice Dub - UV Hot Orange

Good Egg - Fl. Peach

Add to Cart

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Hook: Daiichi 1520 - Heavy Egg Hook - 10

Thread: Veevus GSP - White - 100 Denier

Yarn: McFly Foam - Fl. Peach #46

Bead: Plummeting Tungsten Beads - Fl. Pink - 7/64" (2.8mm)

Nucleus: Ice Dub - UV Cinnamon

Other tools from the tutorial:

Umpqua U501 Egg Hook - 50 Pack - 10

Gamakatsu C14S Glo Bug Hook - 10

Fly Tyer's Z-Ment

Loon Razor Scissors - 4"

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Touch Dub Sow Bug

November 18, 2016, 7:41 am

≫ Next: Dubbing Loop Sculpin

≪ Previous: Easy Glo Bugs

Add some touch to your sows

A few months back I was able to share the stream with ol' Beardy McBeardface AKA Brandon who now works at the shop with us. As we started to nymph up a run or two, we realized that the fishing was maybe a little bit off from what it normally is, so we had to put our game faces on... I should say that Brandon put his game face on, and I kept messing with some experimental patterns here and there. Brandon tied on what is arguably one of the best types of flies for rivers in our area - the good ol' sow bug - and he was rewarded with some great fish! Once my ego was in check, I even took one from him and made some rod bendo out of it. I hadn't caught a fish on a sow bug for a long long time before this, but it's not because they don't work... I had just overlooked such a simple bug in lieu of more complicated, busy flies. Simple works. It was time to hit the vise.

Since that time, I have had kind of a new found respect for these delicious little bottom dwellers, and I've tied like infinity of them for our shop bins. As I tied them, I was looking for the ultimate way to tie them quickly, yet keep the same effectiveness that a good sow pattern has. Brandon and I stayed late one night and spun up a bunch of sow dubbing brushes, and that helped the process, but the fibers were a bit too long off the brush and needed a lot of TLC while wrapping a vein line and ribbing. A few days later, I broke out the coffee grinder and went to work on a touch dub recipe that I think really maximizes the time you spend at the vise. Anyway, in the video you will see how simple this bug is to tie, all you need is a coffee grinder, dubbing, wire, and a bit of wax.

~Cheech

Note: Feel free to make your own dubbing blends to match the bugs in your local water. Also, red, orange, brown, and pink all make great thread color choices for the heads. You can either make the vein line to match the color of thread, or you can keep it kind of dark -I prefer to keep the vein line pretty dark (red, brown, black, wine, etc.). Also, It's probably easiest to source your own markers for this one, so I recommend the fine pointed sharpies.

Material List

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Hook: Daiichi 1550 - Standard Wet Fly Hook - 16

Thread: Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread - 70 Denier - Wine

Dubbing: Sow Dub - Light Gray

Dubbing: Ice Dub - Callibaetis

Rib: UTC Ultra Wire - Silver - Small

Other tools / alternate materials from the tutorial:

Loon Fluorescing UV Clear Fly Finish

Stonfo Comb/Brush Tool

Loon Razor Scissors - 4"

Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread - 70 Denier - Fl. Shrimp Pink

Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread - 70 Denier - Orange

Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread - 70 Denier - Red

Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread - 70 Denier - Dark Brown

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Dubbing Loop Sculpin

November 22, 2016, 9:22 am

≫ Next: Lion's Mane Soft Hackle

≪ Previous: Touch Dub Sow Bug

Cuz Scuplin Don't Suck

I have a strange obsession with sculpin, but not as much as trout do. I've never tasted a sculpin, but with the way trout eat them, I'm guessing its probably a flavor explosion similar to that of a perfectly executed Ribeye WITH rosemary butter. #realtalk, sculpin patterns are in my top three flies when I go chasing trout. A lot of the time they are the ticket to bring some big fish to hand.

When tying sculpin patterns I believe in 3 key factors: A broad head, Gills and the ability to fish very near to the bottom of the river. These 3 focuses help this pattern come to light. "Belly-Scratcher" weighting is the key to being able to slither this fly over the bottom and keep the hook point off of as many rocks as possible. Lastly, I think mixing dubbing is super under utilized in the fly tying game. On this pattern, to get the color I wanted, I blended 3 types of Bruiser Blend (Brown, Olive Brown and Tan). Blending dubbing can yield some killer results, and personally, I believe it can give your flies an advantage on the river. You can start out just blending them by hand to get started or upgrade to the coffee grinder like Cheech used in the Touch Dub Sow video or if you wanna come up in the dubbing game these are pretty killer!

~Brandon

P.S.
If you'd like to spice this pattern up a bit, I've been messing around with adding some Kiley's Fish Finz just before the Bruiser Blend head and they have been coming out pretty cool! Also, I gotta give a shout out to Don Cheech for convincing me that this pattern needed eyes beacuse one, he was right and two, it lead me to Fluorescent Fly Eyes.

Material List

Add to Cart

View in store

Hook: Gamakatsu B10S - 2 - 25 Pack

Shank 1: Articulated Fish Spines - 10mm Shanks (24 pack)

Shank 2: Articulated Fish Spines - 15mm Shanks (24 pack)

Shank 3: Articulated Fish Spines - 20mm Shanks (24 pack)

Thread: Veevus GSP - White - 100 Denier

Tail: Wooly Bugger Marabou - Sculpin Olive

Dubbing: Arizona Mega Simi Seal - Brown

Gill Pack pt.1: Ice Dub - Red

Gill Pack pt.2: Senyo's Barred Predator Wrap - Barred UV

Bruiser Head pt.1: Bruiser Blend Dubbing - Brown Olive

Bruiser Head pt.2: Bruiser Blend Dubbing - Brown

Bruiser Head pt.3: Bruiser Blend Dubbing - Tan

Eyes: Fluorescent Fly Eyes - Fl. Yellow - 1/4" (6.3mm)

Other tools from the tutorial:

C&F Design Bobbin

Stonfo Comb/Brush Tool

C&F Design Tying Comb

Loon Gator Grip Dubbing Spinner

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Lion's Mane Soft Hackle

November 25, 2016, 9:14 am

≫ Next: Partridge and Yellow Variation

≪ Previous: Dubbing Loop Sculpin

Heavy. Stealthy. Flowey.

Lion's Mane Soft Hackles

I've had some pretty awesome days over the years fishing soft hackles of different sorts on lakes and streams alike. Between the free-moving hackle fibers to the general buggy look they have, soft hackles are just flat-out deadly. Still I think I probably don't fish them enough. Considering you can tie stonefly patterns to midges and everything in between, soft hackles are an often-overlooked style of pattern that really needs a spot in your boxes.

The Lion's Mane was born out of a need to get down deeper and quicker in some faster moving pocket water but still maintain good material movement. Although it's tied a bit on the bigger side, you can definitely scale this down to fit whatever size you need to. And it's also suited to be tied in different colors and even different materials.

Material List

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Hook: Fulling Mill 35025 Grab Gape Hook, Barbless - 8

Bead: Plummeting Tungsten Beads - Matte Black - 5/32" (3.8mm)

Tail/Hackle: Coq De Leon Hen Saddle - Speckled Golden Olive

Body: Nature's Spirit Snowshoe Rabbit Foot Dubbing - Olive

Ribbing: Vinyl Rib - Olive - Small

Hot Spot: Nature's Spirit Snowshoe Rabbit Foot Dubbing - Orange

Other tools from the tutorial:

C&F Design Bobbin

Stonfo Comb/Brush Tool

C&F Design Hackle Pliers

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Partridge and Yellow Variation

November 30, 2016, 1:54 pm

≫ Next: Mini Cheech Leech

≪ Previous: Lion's Mane Soft Hackle

Catch Modern Fish with a Classic Fly

The Partridge and Yellow has been tyed for about infinity years and it still catches fish to this day. Originally tied with silk floss, there are many other more modern materials that can be used to make the body of this fly - in this case I used Uni 3/0 thread, and a bit of flash in the thorax really is a nice way to add subtle flash. The beauty of this pattern is that it can be tied in many different variations that can be as minimal or gnarly as you want them. For me, the key to a good looking partridge soft hackle is a good full partridge skin. If you buy the bagged stuff, you might end up with a dozen usable feathers in a broad range of sizes, but none of the size you need. Anyway, this video is very simple and straightforward, so there is no need to ramble on!

~ Cheech

Material List

Add to Cart

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Hook: Daiichi 1120 - Heavy Wire Scud Hook - 14

Thread: 8/0 UNI-Thread Waxed Midge - Camel

Body: 3/0 UNI-Thread Waxed - Yellow

Thorax: Ice Dub - UV Tan

Hackle: Nature's Spirit Primo Partridge Skin, Natural

Other tools from the tutorial:

C&F Design Hackle Pliers

Stonfo Comb/Brush Tool

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Mini Cheech Leech

December 6, 2016, 11:24 am

≫ Next: Ostrich Callibeatis

≪ Previous: Partridge and Yellow Variation

Downsizing for Maximum Effectiveness

The Cheech Leech is the fly that really started my addiction to tying and fishing articulated streamers. The original Cheech Leeches were tied on two TMC 5262 hooks in size 4, with a regular plain lead dumbbell eye. The only thing about that fly is that I'd have to rummage through all of my marabou to find pieces small enough to palmer around the hook shank. As I got more materials, and dialed the pattern in a bit, I ultimately decided to make the hooks proportionate to the longer marabou. The bigger Cheech Leech would turn into my most effective fly, and it has caught multiple species in multiple continents. The other issue that I ran into was that the medium sized palmer chenille was a bit too long for a smaller hook. As you will see in this video, I was able to achieve a proportionate fly by using the MP Magic Tool for the marabou, and small sized palmer chenille for the body.

Other than the smaller size of this fly, the Cheech Leech really doesn't need any more introduction. If you would like to see the other videos we have done on the Cheech Leech, check out the following links. (Original Gangster) (Double Wide)

Tan/Yellow

Add to Cart

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Front Hook: Gamakatsu B10S - 4 - 25 Pack

Back Hook: Daiichi 2461 - Long Shank Streamer Hook - 6

Connection: Articulation Wire

Connection 2: Articulation Beads - Roe Orange

Eyes: BallZeyes - Chartreuse - Medium (5/32" / 4 mm)

Thread: Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread - 140 Denier - Yellow

Tail/body/Head: Arizona Simi Seal - Crawdad

Flash: Midge Flash - Gold

Collar: Nature's Spirit Strung Marabou - Tan

Collar 2: Nature's Spirit Strung Marabou - Yellow

Legs: Silicone Flutter Legs - Tan

Palmer Chenille: Palmer Chenille - Tan - Small

Olive/Brown

Add to Cart

View in store

Front Hook: Gamakatsu B10S - 4 - 25 Pack

Back Hook: Daiichi 2461 - Long Shank Streamer Hook - 6

Connection: Articulation Wire

Connection 2: Articulation Beads - Electric Lizard

Eyes: BallZeyes - Red - Medium (5/32" / 4 mm)

Thread: Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread - 140 Denier - Light Olive

Tail/body/Head: Arizona Simi Seal - Bronze Peacock

Flash: Midge Flash - Olive

Collar: Nature's Spirit Strung Marabou - Olive

Collar 2: Nature's Spirit Strung Marabou - Brown

Legs: Silicone Flutter Legs - Olive

Palmer Chenille: Palmer Chenille - Olive - Small

Other tools from the tutorial:

C&F Design Bobbin

Stonfo Comb/Brush Tool

C&F Design Hackle Pliers

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