Fly Fish Food

Part 1: Introduction

This is the first in a series of posts on flies we're going to feature that incorporate materials that have certain UV characteristics. However, before we get too far here, there are a few things to consider to lay the groundwork going forward with these patterns:

The impetus for this series of posts and flies is primarily the book by Reed F. Curry, "The New Scientific Angling - Trout and Ultraviolet Vision".

I found this book to be very informative and really opened up my eyes to some considerations in fly design that I hadn't really thought about. So based on this book, some discussion with some of the fly tying materials companies out there and some study we've done on our own, we believe incorporating primarily UVR materials into patterns here and there is something to definitely consider.
UVR vs UVF: Read the book for a much better description. But in a nutshell, UVF or Ultraviolet Fluorescence is what most fishermen and tyers are familiar with. The example of shining a black light onto a white shirt or some bright orange thread and having it glow is what is often touted as the type of effect that will attract fish to our flies. However, with few exceptions, there aren't many instances of fluorescence in the natural trout world. UVR or Ultraviolet Reflectance is the ability of a surface (insect, feather, fur or otherwise) to reflect, not fluoresce, UV light. In nature, there are ample examples of animals, insects and fish using UVR to both attract mates as well as hunt for food. This deserves some additional consideration.
For the fly tyer, many natural insects and baitfish exhibit UVR characteristics to varying degrees. Given that trout can see UVR, it's reasonable to assume UVR can and does play a part in a trout identifying and selecting its food. Again, this is all very nicely explained in the book, so refer to that resource if you'd like additional information. The flies in this series will loosely focus on these UVR "signatures" as explained and photographed in Mr. Curry's book.
We're, by no means, saying definitively that incorporating UVR materials into your flies will result in you catching more fish. However, there is some pretty compelling evidence that it might actually make a difference. We'll leave that up to you and the fish to decide. Either way, we think this topic and aspect of fly design deserves some attention.

The first fly in this series is more of an accidental design that incorporates UVR materials. The Deep Dish Callibaetis has produced a great number of fish for me this year on our stillwater outings.

deep dish callibaetis nymph UVR ultraviolet reflectance

It wasn't until I read the above-mentioned book that I realized I was applying some of the principles of the insects' UV Reflectance signatures in the fly design. In this case, the mylar underbody (high UVR) combined with an alternating not-so-high UVR material in the Ostrich herl would make sense why the pattern did so well and especially early in the morning and/or in deeper water. Again, as stated above, we can't scientifically prove this is the case, but it would fall in line with the principles outlined in the book. And we know the fish were really keying in on the pattern, no question.

rainbow trout fly fishing deep dish callibaetis nymph

See Part 2 here...

what happens when a hopper and a stonefly become amorous?

Tan Stoneflopper

I carry WAY too many flies when I fish, and it's always a struggle to decide which boxes go in my main pack vs. which boxes stay in the backpack vs. which boxes stay home. I guess it's a good problem to have, but sometimes there is so much happening on the water that it's hard to decide what fly to tie on. I had just successfully hybridized the Royal Wulff, Madam X, Humpy, and cripple in the Grumpy Frumpy pattern, so why not try this with other flies. Next on the list was something that would fish like a big leggy, foamy, buoyant bug such as a stonefly/hopper hybrid. To the vise I went, and out came the fly now known as the Stoneflopper. Testing done, and I knew that I had a fly that would puncture fish. Field testers would send back images of flies that were chewed up like crazy, but still producing.

Stoneflopper fish caught by angler Jake Taylor

Stoneflopper photo courtesy of Kevin Lackey

I fish two primary colors. Tan and cinnamon. There are slight variations that I make per batch, but the general concept of the fly is the same. Typically I just mess with the color and type of foam, dubbing, and legs.

Chris Barkey has probably fished this bug more than me, and here is what he has to say about it.

The Stone Flopper, if it is not an original sin, it should be. I garnered a few from Clark about 6 years ago to sample and boy am I glad I did. The pattern, done in various color combos, hits the water at least 6 months of the year imitating various stones then merges into a hopper/beetle for the end of summer and into fall assault. It's buoyancy keeps it on the line as the hopper in the hopper/droppering technique, usually tagging it's fair share of fish. It is an easy tie and is fun to admire after a day of puncture wounds from big rises. Learn the pattern, change the colors and enjoy. Chris

Cutt on Stoneflopper courtesy of Chris Barkey

Brown on Stoneflopper courtesy of Chris Barkey

~ Cheech

Recipe:

Hook: 2xl hook (doesn't need to be light wire) like a Gamakatsu S10 #6 or Allen S402 #6
Thread: Uni 6/0 or UTC 140 to match color of foam
Tails: Round rubber or sili legs to match color of foam. I like natural colored round rubber barred with a sharpie.
Overbody: 3mm craft foam, or 1/8" Rainy's Evazote foam
Body: Dubbing. I typically use ice dub, fine dry fly dub, or AZ synthetic dub.
Rib: Bug wrap from flytyer's dungeon, or spanflex.
Wing: Deer hair.
Head: 2mm craft foam
Indicator: Whatever you want. I usually do 2mm craft foam or yellow round foam.

Versatility meets durability

Black Wooly Bugger

I think that most fly fishers will agree that the wooly bugger is one of the most versatile flies that can be fished, and it it responsible for catching many different species of fish. In this version of the bugger, I focus on making the fly have more movement in the water, and have better durability for multiple fish days. I first started tying buggers like this when I would fish Strawberry Reservoir in Utah a lot. There are HUGE Bear Lake Cutthroat with pretty big teeth in there, and if I didn't reinforce my buggers they would rarely make it past two or three fish. This method is nothing new, but it is a simple way to build a better bug.

~Cheech

Here is the video...

Also, Uncle Ken has his own way to tie an awesome and innovative fly... The wooly bug. See the video here.

Uncle Ken's Wooly Bug

A fly meant to be fished both dry and wet.

Amphibious Damsel

I had tied this fly for a recent trip to some lakes with large numbers of damselflies hoping that we would find fish feeding on adult damsels. After a day of mostly fishing chironomids and callibaetis nymphs, we were walking back to the trailhead along the shore when Curtis told me that he had done well in a certain bay last year with hoppers. When we passed that bay, instead of a hopper, I tied on the amphibious damsel and decided to toss it out. In three casts, I had three aggressive takes, even though I only landed one of them (rookie mistakes...). After all of the aggressive fish had eaten, I decided to swim the fly right under the surface after letting it sit for about 10 seconds. I lost count of the takes using this method, but it opened my eyes to a technique that I had not tried very much. I knew that damselflies deposited their eggs under the water, but I never really tried to fish an adult this way. Lesson learned.

~ Cheech

Recipe:

Hook: Allen N204 #10
Thread: Black
Eyes: 50# mono burned ends
Tail: Adult damsel body braid
Wing: Medallion sheeting - clear or white
Legs: Grizzly hackle
Floatation: 2mm craft foam

These trout aren't stupid

I'm often left scratching my head when I hear some anglers discuss fishing in mountain lakes and streams. Words like "small", "dumb" or "unsophisticated" are commonly tossed around. And while there certainly are small, dumb and unsophisticated fish that inhabit those waters (or all waters for that matter), it's important to realize that the high country holds some of the most beautiful, selective and yes, often very large trout.

So what's the key to finding and catching these high country brutes? I've summarized a quick list of 5 tactics to help you.

1. Assume there are big and likely finicky fish wherever you may go. Many people I think tend to assume the fish are small and dumb, and therefore fail to prepare to catch a decently sized fish in those waters. It's a mindset thing. If you plan the need to hunt these fish, you'll more often find them and you'll bring along the gear and flies to get that job done.

2. Expand your horizons. Get a map, find some water and hit it. Don't assume that every hot-spot on the planet will be prominently featured in the reporting section of your favorite fly fishing forum or fly shop fishing reports. I've found Google Earth to be a huge help in planning my fishing explorations. In addition to that, a GPS and a good set of topo maps can also come in handy. If you're unsure about fish in a given drainage or area, contact your state wildlife management agency. They usually have that sort of information. And most importantly be prepared to get off the main roads, rough it, hike and bush whack. You're less likely to find these "secret" locations near a road that you can drive your Subaru Outback to.

3. Come prepared to fish a variety of methods and tackle. I'll never forget the time we were fishing a small lake at 11,000 feet. The rumors of big brook trout seemed to be just that -- rumors. But as my fishing buddy changed over to a very quick sinking line and started to get into some nice fish, I was on the outside looking in as I had not come prepared to fish that deep. That was the last time, I didn't bring the gear I "might" need. Whether it's floating lines, extra rods, strike indicators or full sinking lines, make sure you have the proper gear to put you into the zone where the fish might be holding.

4. Don't forget you can often put a much higher focus on dry fly fishing at higher altitudes. A book I recommend to everyone I talk to about high country fishing is Gray LaFontaine's "Fly Fishing the Mountain Lakes". In this book, he reviews data that show a high a percentage of a trout's diet at high altitude consists of things they eat off the surface. That's not to say fish dries to the exclusion of everything else, but definitely don't assume that because you don't see trout rising, that they won't feed off the surface. Some of my better days on dry flies have been in the complete absence of fish rising to insects on their own. They're looking up, so give them something to eat! Oh and don't forget the importance of the "anabatic winds". Google that term or read Gary's book. It's one of the coolest things about fishing the high country.

5. Pay attention to the food! This is one of our favorite aspects of this topic. Again, these fish aren't dumb and moreover, they can really dial in sometimes to their food sources. Whether it's damsel adults, crawdads, snails, mice, the lowly chironomid, grasshoppers or whatever, never assume that you can throw a parachute adams all day long and fool these fish. You need to figure out what they're eating, what they might potentially eat and then match it with something appropriate. We spend countless hours each year researching and testing out these "fly fish food" offerings and delving further into the small pea-brain of a trout to find the "why" and "what" of their eating habits.

To wrap up, there are obviously a lot more tips and tricks we could list, but for now this is a good starting point. Just get out and enjoy. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below...

A very effective big bug style mayfly pattern

Based on the great success of the latest version of the Baetis flavored Fripple (see tutorial here), it stands to reason that the same effectiveness should translate to really any kind of mayfly -- big and small. A few weeks ago, we fished a stream that had some large gray drakes hatching and for which I was largely unprepared. Luckily, there was a lot of non-Drake bug action popping, so it didn't matter, but it got me to thinking about taking the Fripple to the next level.

There are only a couple of small tweaks to the original pattern in the form of deer hair substituted for the snowshoe hare toe fur and the addition of hackle to further aid in flotation as well as give a bigger footprint on the water. The butt still slices into the water and hangs there taunting the fish to eat it. I think that is very key to its effectiveness.

Anyway, clinical trials began shortly thereafter and the results were actually pretty amazing. We sought out a river that was known for good Green Drake action and some decent sized Browns. The first part of the day was slow and although I didn't see any Drakes at the time, I decided to throw on my new Fripple. The first cast into a likely holding spot resulted in a slashing grab, but a miss. No fish actively rising and we got one to come up -- good sign. The next cast was fish on. No hesitation, just a big mouthful of drake. To prove it wasn't a fluke, I threw right back into the same little run and caught an even bigger fish a few minutes later.

At about the same time, the adult Drakes started to show up and the fish started staging to intercept so we could see more potential suitors sitting in the feeding lanes waiting for the buffet to pass by. After a few more fish, we decided to run a few tests comparing the Fripple against some other patterns. In one instance, a few casts of a good drake pattern was ignored 4 or 5 times perfectly placed over the feeding lane. "Your turn", Cheech informed me. My awesome casting skills on display, I placed the fly a good three feet to the right of the fish (blame the Euro-nymph leader I was too lazy to change). Nonetheless, on that errant cast, the fish glided out of his holding position and promptly engulfed the fly.

A few fish following that one, I had a similar situation where I twice, on two consecutive casts, pulled the fly out of the rising fish's mouth (I lost track of the fly as the sun was in my eyes...). But the 3rd cast, also quite errant but yet I was able to see the fly this time, resulted in a solid hook-up.

"The fly done work."

Beyond the fact the fish really took to the pattern, it proved to be fairly durable. This is fly right at the point where the foam and deer hair had started to fall apart from being inhaled by numerous hungry fish.

So give it a try. Here's a quick tutorial to help out...

Hook: Daiichi 1160 #8 - #10

Thread: UTC Ultrathread 70 Denier, Light Olive

Hot Spot: Fl. Orange Glo-Brite

Body: Thread

Ribbing: Sulky Holoshimmer, Green

Thorax: Rainy's Evazote 1/8" Foam, Olive/Gray

Down-Wing: Dun Medallion Sheeting

Post-Wing: Deer Hair, Green

Hackle: Grizzly, Green

Body Coating: Clear Cure Goo Hydro

Part 2: Minnows and Baitfish

If you haven't read part 1 of this series, read it here. The important thing to capture from the intro is that we're NOT focusing on the black light effect you get when you shine a UV light onto fly tying materials or other surfaces (like a white shirt). We are rather focusing, especially in this article, on the natural UV Reflectance (UVR) that baitfish exhibit. If you're interested in more information, read the book talked about in the first part.

So the bottom line here is that there is ample evidence that predatory fish will stalk and hunt their prey based, at least partially, on the UVR signature of the prey. With that in mind, and also considering that fish and insects also use UVR signatures for attracting mates and that fish can and do use UVR to identify valid insects for food (vs say a twig), it's important to at least consider using these types of materials in your patterns. Upon reading "the book", I started to look both at natural UVR materials as well as some of the cool things Spirit River has been doing with their UV2 line. So we put in a couple of orders and began incorporating those materials into some patterns.

Big Browns like the big flies like the Snot Goblin.

The main materials to focus on with this pattern is the Dos Jailed Rabbit strips and the awesome Schlappen -- both from Spirit River's UV2 line. I'm not going to go into details on what Spirit River has been doing with these UV2 materials, but you really should read about it from our friends at Frankenfly or directly from the dudes at Spirit River. Also, you can see some video on it here:

Again, lest we face the wrath of any doubting fly tyers out there, we're not suggesting this is the panacea of fly tying, but read the stuff in the previous links here so you can get an idea of where we're coming from.

articulated streamer snot goblin spirit river uv2

The idea, again, is that we're hoping to add one additional piece of "pattern matching" that the fish can key on when being enticed to eat our imitation offerings. This specific pattern is obviously an attractor style streamer but has a pretty heavy UVR signature, given the use of the schlappen and the rabbit strips, so we're asserting that it can also double as a good little baitfish pattern.

And lastly, it's always fun to mess around with cool new materials. So give it a whirl...

Hook: Allen S402 #4
Thread: UTC Ultrathread 70 Denier, Flr White
Tail/Body:Spirit River UV2, Dos Jailed Rabbit, Barred, White/Chartreuse
Body: Arizona Simi Seal, Light Crowley Perch
Hackle: Spirit River UV2 Schlappen, Chartreuse
Articulated Connector: Beadalon 19 Strand Wire
Connector Beads: 6mm Plastic
Eyes: Clear Cure Eyes
Beard: Arizona Simi Seal, Light Crowley Perch

A Yellow Sally Pattern that fits the bill

I've fished through Yellow Sally stonefly (Isoperla Fulva) hatches before without so much as a trout looking up to eat one, so when I find fish actively targeting this squirrelly little bug, it's a lot of fun.

This pattern is the result of some on-the-stream bug watching and pouring over pictures of the naturals I could find online.

One thing I definitely noticed while watching these little critters on the water is that they usually don't land all nice and composed with their wings laying nicely back against their bodies. Instead, they can be a jumbled mess of wings and writhing body just yelling at a fish to lay into them.

With that in mind, I ended up splaying the wings and making the legs a bit pronounced to give a bigger impression on the water. It also helps in flotation.

yellow sally stonefly cutthroat trout dry fly

This Cutthroat took the UM-Butt Sally from an undercut bank

The first couple of times out, the pattern did very well. It floats a little lower in the water, but still has great buoyancy. And it fooled some good fish...

Here's the recipe and tutorial to tie some up!

Hook: Allen D103BL #14
Thread: UTC Ultrathread 70 Denier, Yellow
Eyes: 25 lb mono, melted.
Butt: Fl. Orange UV Ice Dubbing
Body: Pale Yellow UV Ice Dubbing
Under-Wing: Deer Hair, Yellow
Over-Wing: River Road Creations, River Foam® cut with small Stonefly Wing Cutter
Legs: Round Rubber, Small. Colored with Sharpies

The buffet is now open...

There are a lot of stillwaters that we fish that hold huge numbers of scuds. And although, I'd rather fish something more exciting in the way of dry flies or streamers, I can't ignore the times when the buffet is turned on and the fish end up gorging themselves on scuds.

Here's an example of a recent trip where the scuds were literally crawling all over us and a shot of the porker rainbow that had been first in the buffet line.

Just pop these babies in your mouth for a nice treat!

They liked the waders

Bottom View of Mr. Scud Belly

So the "Chewy Goo" scud is a pattern I've been using now for a few seasons. It's nothing fancy, but I like the addition of Clear Cure Goo Hydro to reinforce and give dimension to the fly. The dubbing holds water quite nicely and creates a nice translucent effect. I've had best results fishing it from an indicator, but however you fish it, it's a good scud pattern to have.

Hook: Daiichi 1170 #10 - #18

Thread: UTC Ultrathread 70 Denier, Hot Orange

Body: Gray UV Ice Dubbing

Underbody: Lead Wire

Ribbing: UTC Ultrawire, Gold, BR

Shellback: Tan UV Chewee Skin coated with Clear Cure Goo Hydro

Craft store scores again...

Here's yet another example of a great little tool you can pick up at a local craft store. (see our previous write-up on other craft store scores here).

This cutting tool is great for cutting straight lines in foam and also allows you to maintain enough control to do some free-wheeling cutting for going along curved edges and such. The cutter is made by Fiskars and is fairly inexpensive.

The I found myself able to cut along both a straight edge as well as just following lines on the foam. I made quick work of a few foam sheets to form even width strips for things like Chernobyl style ants and other patterns that need rectangular pieces of foam.

Give it a whirl...

Part 3: Big bugs gone soft

NOTE: This is the 3rd part of our "Fly Tying with UV" series. If you haven't read the introduction behind this series, you can see it here. It's recommended you read that so you can understand the method behind the madness...

From time to time, I get the itch to tie up soft hackles. There's something about these classic style flies that are fun to tie yet have some sort of simplicity to them. Couple that with the awesome wide gape D102BL hook from Allen Fly Fishing and it's game on.

With that in mind and wanting to focus on another UVR signature pattern, I looked to throw something together for a Green Drake hatch that I'd been fishing. The UVR comes into play with the highly UV Reflective Pearl Mylar and the not-so-UV-reflective pheasant tail for ribbing (for good contrast). I also throw in some Spirit River UV2 Seal-X dubbing on the thorax. Again, if you read Mr. Curry's book you'll see it's not all about flash and UVF or all UVR. It's likely a good mix or balance that can best imitate the naturals' UV signatures.

Suffice it to say, the pattern did some work. I dubbed this one the "Mailman" (long story on the name) and it delivers. From what I could tell, the fish definitely keyed in on the pattern and would move out of their feeding lanes to nail it. Whether or not the UVR aspect made a difference, it's hard to say, but it's a great pattern to have in the box.

Hook: Allen D102BL #10
Thread: UTC Ultrathread 70 Denier, Light Olive
Tail: Mallard Flank, Olive
Body: Pearl Mylar coated with Clear Cure Goo Hydro
Ribbing: Pheasant Tail, Green
Thorax: Spirit River UV2 Seal-X, Dark Olive
Hackle: Hungarian Partridge, Olive

show us what you're working with.

Big Terrestrials

We have been kicking this idea around for a while, but we would like to start a virtual fly swap that is hashtag based. This is a great opportunity to see what everyone else is tying, and it may challenge you to tie with materials you have not tried before. We swap pictures and information only. NO MAILING!!! (I always hated that part)

Here's how it works:
1- Flyfishfood will announce the theme for the swap and announce the hashtag to use. (for example ‪#‎fffterrestrialswap‬). This may happen once a week, once every two weeks etc... We'll just have to see how it goes.

2- You tie flies that fit the theme and post pictures on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter with the proper hashtag. (you can add recipes if you want, but this is meant to be as simple as possible.) I think Instagram is going to be the main driver of the swaps.

You can add as many pictures as you want!

3- We comment, get inspired, and enjoy the pictures.

Down the road it might turn into something where there are winners etc, but for now it's just about sharing patterns and having fun.

Ready set go!

A great little tool to apply adhesive eyes to flies

If you've been following the site here, you've no doubt, seen that we hit the local craft stores from time to time. It's probably not really manly or cool or whatever, but it's a great place to find some awesome tools and materials. Here's a good blurb on craft stores in general.

Anyway, this little tying hack is a good way to place the adhesive eyes on flies -- especially in cases where you have to apply super-glue or where your fingers are too bulky to accurately place the eyes. It's not for everyone, but it's something you might try.

Funny name, killer fly

About 12 years ago, I was fishing a local tailwater with a friend from the Bay area in Northern California. As the afternoon turned to evening, the caddis became very active and my friend handed me a couple of these funny looking caddis pupa patterns to try out. The pattern, as I found out, was named the Fox Poopah -- a pattern originated for the Sacramento River caddis hatches by Tim Fox. Google it if you want more information on the origins.

As it turned out, not only did the Poopah's outperform my tried and true caddis pupa patterns that evening, but I ended up fishing them during non-hatch situations later that year and did extremely well just nymphing with them. Since that time, these flies have held a standard spot on the varsity team of my fly boxes.

Including the video tutorial below, you'll see I tie these patterns now in several variations. So don't shoot me for not following the original pattern verbatim (the video is the closest to the original). Plus, those that know our style here at FFF, we don't pay a lot of attention to fly tying rules.

I tend to tie them in both bead-head and non-bead-head versions and I also prefer dubbing over Ostrich for the thorax. Depending on the color of the naturals, I typically vary about equally between the olive and the tan colored variations.

As far as the material list, I'll list out some of the variations I use, but again, you can use your favorite search engine to seek out the actual recipe from Mr. Fox.

Hook: Pictured above I use the Allen D102BL in a #14. However, feel free to use something like a TMC 2302 or other caddis or nymph hook
Thread: UTC Ultrathread Tan or Olive
Bead: 2.3 mm Tungsten or other
Body: Olive or Tan Vernille (or micro-chenille).
Under-Body: UTC Pearl Tinsel
Ribbing: UTC Ultrawire, BR, Green or Gold
Legs: Olive or Brown Partridge
Antennae: Wood duck or mallard flank
Thorax: Black or Brown Ostrich herl. I use dubbing, however. Color to match.

Gettin' jiggy wit it...

Over the past few years I've seen a definite resurgence in the use of jig style hooks for tying flies. Once relegated to the bass or jig fishing world where I had to "sneak" my hooks from the bass hook section in stores, these effective hooks are showing up more and more in the line-ups of most fly hook manufacturers these days.

So what do you gain with these funky looking hooks? Well for starters, they typically are intended to ride hook point up, thus reducing snags on the bottom. There is also possible improvement in hook-up success due to the lever arm created by the bent section of hook. If this holds true, it would also explain why fish are more often hooked in the upper part of the mouth on these style hooks. You'll also notice that a lot of the competition guys are also fishing on these jig style hooks, and they don't mess around when it comes to fish "hookability".

A jig style crawdad pattern

As far as tying considerations, you'll need to think a bit upside-down in your tying as the hook will usually be inverted in the vise and you'll need to deal with the hook point on the top. If this becomes too much of a pain, you can also tie the flies "in the round" (similar to the baetis nymph above), where there really is no top or bottom to the pattern.

Great Stonefly pattern

So where do you get these jig style hooks? There are a variety of suppliers today that you can go to. However, our favorite right now, for the versatility (60 degree bend) and size availability -- especially for smaller nymphs, is Allen Fly Fishing. Their J100BL hooks are sharp as can be and the price is great. The Tiemco/Umpqua C400BL hooks from their competition series are also very good hooks and come in a good size variety as well. You'll pay a steeper price though. Both are barbless. Other hook suppliers will have the jig hooks, but usually limit the selection to bigger sizes (Daiichi is my favorite for the #2 and bigger sizes).

Cheech's Snorkel Hopper

Here's a recipe on the Snorkel Hopper to get you started...

Avoid bad hair days with these simple steps

Mini Workers help fly orders

I have been working on some fly orders lately and realized that I needed a new patch of elk hair for some caddis patterns. I used to just go to the shop and grab whichever package of hair was "next in line" to be purchased, but over the years of having bad hair experiences, I have changed my strategy drastically. I realized that there is almost a checklist of things that I look at to ensure that I buy the good stuff. This checklist is also a good way to get looked at funny while you are shopping.

Not all hair is created equally. Decide what flies you need to tie and buy hair specific to each technique. It's obvious that deer is different from elk, and caribou is different from moose, but each person might have their preferences. I know this is somewhat common knowledge, so I won't go into it too much... Some tyers prefer deer hair for tying elk hair caddis patterns, and others might use elk for spinning instead of deer. I have many patches of deer hair that I label on the back with a sharpie. I have specific patches for humpies, comparaduns, bass bugs, stimulators etc. Point is; don't always trust what the package says until you can check it out for yourself.
Check the black tips!!! (for deer and elk) This is critical in buying a piece of hair. Right at the tip of each hair, there is a black tip that looks pretty cool, but it is really fine and basically useless in tying. That part of the hair is not hollow, so it doesn't aid the buoyancy of the fly at all. When you are looking at a package of hair, make sure that the black tips are not very long, and that they are all relatively the same length.
An example of good black tip length.
Check for underfur. Our hooved friends have to stay warm in the winter, so during the colder months they grow underfur that serves as insulation. If the animal was harvested during the cold months, it is likely that the fur will have a lot of underfur. It's not the end of the world if it has a lot of underfur because it can be combed out, BUT... if it is not completely removed, it will absorb water and eventually cause your fly to sink. Ideally, you should buy patches of hair with minimal underfur. Worst case scenario, you can brush it out with the Wasatch Fur Comb. Arguably my favorite tying tool.
Wasatch Fur Comb
Check for length and color. If you are looking for a good patch of hair for #4 salmon flies, you should probably be looking for something that is longer than average. If you are looking for comparadun hair, look for something shorter and finer (I say this because I have bought packs that were labeled "comparadun" that were junk. I have also found hair that was not labeled as "costal" or "comparadun" that works great for comparaduns.) Also look for the color you want in a natural hair patch. Each animal can vary slightly, so just because it is labeled "natural" it doesn't mean that it will always be the same color.
Check overall condition of the patch. Most manufacturers do a pretty good job of eliminating the bad hair, but there may be patches of hair that have a lot of broken or mangled hair on them. It might be from the animal falling down, being shot etc.etc. When you are looking over your hair patch, make sure that all (or most of) the tips are intact, and that they are relatively straight.

Obviously, this is a lot easier to do in person, so I like to avoid buying hair online at all costs. It also helps to have a shop close by that is understanding enough to let you check each hair patch. Good luck hair hunting, and check back in with us to let us know if we forgot any critical steps in the hair hunting process.

~ Cheech

Walk the Dog

A few years ago, I was fascinated with a common lure the bass guys throw a lot -- the Zara Spook. It's a topwater "walk-the-dog" style lure. Anyway, the hypnotic zig-zag motion with the accompanying clicking sounds were basically a dog whistle for fish on many occasions. As is my modus operandi, I set out to copy that motion with a fly. The Zaggin' Zook was born.

I took it through a number of on-the-water tests and fine-tuned the shape and weight distribution and came up with the final version that seems to do ok. It's nowhere near the action you'll get with the real lure, but it does a good job zagging back and forth given the right movement of line and moves a lot of water when you want to give it a sharp pop. Give it a try

Hook: Gamakatsu B10S 1/0
Thread: UTC GSP 100 Denier
Underbody: 0.30 lead free wire
Body: Rabbit and Squirrel Strips, Ice Wing Fiber, H2O Baitfish, Chartreuse Hackle Flash
Head: Pre-shaped Rainy's Foam Popper, Cut and Dremeled. Painted and coated with Clear Cure Goo

A Serious Attractor Pattern Emerges

cutthroat trout fly fishing chernobyl ant blingnobyl

A cutthroat that slammed the Blingnobyl Ant

The Blingnobyl Ant is another field-testing work-in-process pattern that has been seeing some time on the water this summer. As I wrote about a few months ago, the pattern was originally designed to capitalize on this sparkly craft foam I found at the craft store. I like sparkly things and project that fascination onto the fish I'm targeting. It's only logical.

blingnobyl ant chernobyl dry fly pattern

Be that as it may, a recent trip to a high mountain lake brought up the possibility of throwing some bling at some native Bonneville Cutthroats. The evening hatch was more midge-focused than terrestrials, but I tied on a Blingnobyl as sort of a pop-gear type effect from which to trail some midge emergers. Even though the fish were laser focused on the Foamerger pattern, I caught a surprising number of fish on the big glitzy dry. Logical.

blingnobyl ant chernobyl dry fly pattern native cutthroat

The following day proved to be the litmus test for the pattern. Both during and after the morning midge hatch, the fish started to really key in on the Blingnobyl. When fished side-by-side with other terrestrials and even some match-the-hatch patterns, the Pink Bling really dominated. We ended up trying to throw other patterns, even in similar colors, but the fish still keyed largely on the Bling. By the end of the day, we were left scratching our heads as the fish literally destroyed and tore apart several of these patterns.

So I'm left to wonder what the "secret sauce" is. Orange legs? White Estaz underbelly? Hard to say, but this pattern just passed the field test and earned a spot on the varsity team with flying colors. Logical.

Anyway, the original post was here, but you can see the video tutorial below. Get some of these patterns in your box. Now.

This is "the" way to tie off a parachute hackle

You may have tried other methods (we sure have), but this is one sure-fire way to tie off your parachute hackles in probably the cleanest and easiest fashion. You just need some super-glue a bodkin and to check out this Youtube video where we explain it:

Sharp, Sexy and Functional

I don't very often design a fly around a specific hook, but when I got my first shipment of Allen D102BL hooks a few months back, there were several flies that screamed to be built on this puppy.

Elk Hair Caddis tied on the Allen D102BL

First off, I'm a fan of wide gap hooks. I think they give you a little more leeway in designing the pattern (room to move and adjust) and as long as your proportions are right, the flies tied on hooks like this should look great and will hook fish like no other.

From a functional standpoint, the hook is barbless but the slightly exaggerated upturn of the hook point provides a possible additional "grab" for those of you worried about coming un-buttoned on a fish.

The price is the next grabber on these hooks. A very reasonable price combined with the quality, makes for a very attractive option. I've purchased hooks from other manufacturers at similar low prices, only to find the hook quality and consistency severely lacking. The D102BL has been very consistent with no closed or open eyes and consistent hook strength.

Drake Soft Hackle tied on the Allen D102BL

So in summary, we give this hook 42 stars with a four-leaf clover and 10 bonus points.

You can get your fix here, directly from Allen Fly Fishing.

Fox Poopah on the Allen D102BL

Fly Tying with UV: Introduction

Part 1: Introduction

Stoneflopper

what happens when a hopper and a stonefly become amorous?

Build a better bugger

Versatility meets durability

Amphibious Damsel

A fly meant to be fished both dry and wet.

5 Tactics for Fly Fishing the High Country

These trout aren't stupid

Drakes -- Fripple Style

A very effective big bug style mayfly pattern

Fly Tying with UV: Minnows & Baitfish

Part 2: Minnows and Baitfish

The UM-Butt Sally: A Yellow Sally Fly Pattern

A Yellow Sally Pattern that fits the bill

An Effective Scud Pattern

The buffet is now open...

Foam slicing tool

Craft store scores again...

Fly Tying with UV: An Effective Drake soft hackle

Part 3: Big bugs gone soft

FlyFishFood Virtual Swaps

show us what you're working with.

Craft Store Score: The Magic Eye Attaching Wand

A great little tool to apply adhesive eyes to flies

Fox Poopah, an effective caddis pattern

Funny name, killer fly

Tying on Jig Style Hooks

Gettin' jiggy wit it...

5 tips to selecting good deer/elk hair

Avoid bad hair days with these simple steps

Zaggin' Zook Bass Popper

Walk the Dog

Field Test Results: The Blingnobyl Wrecks...

A Serious Attractor Pattern Emerges

Tying Tip: Finishing a Parachute

This is "the" way to tie off a parachute hackle

Hook Review: Allen D102BL

Sharp, Sexy and Functional