How to Tie Flies Part 3

TIGER: (dark) WINGS, yellow bucketful. BODY peac.o.c.k herl. TAG, gold.

TAIL, barred wood duck. CHEEKS, jungle c.o.c.k. Short red fin.

GREGG'S DEMON: WINGS, grizzly saddle hackle dyed brown. BODY, silver ribbed with gold. CHEEKS, jungle c.o.c.k. TAIL, barred wood duck. TOPPING, golden pheasant crest. HACKLE, Orange.

JUNGLE PRINCESS: WINGS grizzly saddle hackle dyed yellow with large jungle c.o.c.k. CHEEKS, blue chatterer. BODY gold tinsel.

HACKLE, white.

GRIZZLY GREY: WINGS, grizzly saddle hackles. CHEEKS, jungle c.o.c.k.

TAIL, orange. BODY, silver tinsel. HACKLE, white bucktail.

{48}

HIGHLAND BELLE: WINGS orange saddle hackles inside, grizzly saddle hackles outside. CHEEKS, jungle c.o.c.k. BODY, gold tinsel ribbed with silver tinsel. HACKLE, white bucktail.

SPENCER BAY SPECIAL: WINGS blue saddle hackles inside with furnace saddle hackles outside. CHEEKS, jungle c.o.c.k. TAIL, golden pheasant tippet. BODY, silver tinsel ribbed with oval silver tinsel. HACKLE, yellow and blue mixed.

BLACK GHOST: WINGS, white saddle hackle. BODY, black silk floss ribbed with silver. CHEEKS, jungle c.o.c.k. HACKLE, yellow.

GREY GHOST: WINGS, grey saddle hackle with peac.o.c.k herl and white bucktail. BODY, orange floss ribbed with gold. CHEEKS, silver pheasant feather and jungle c.o.c.k.

BROWN GHOST: WINGS, brown saddle hackle. BODY, brown floss ribbed with gold. CHEEKS, jungle c.o.c.k. TOPPING, golden pheasant crest.

TAIL, golden pheasant crest. HACKLE, yellow.

WARDEN'S WORRY: WINGS one red and one grizzly saddle hackle. HACKLE, yellow, tied very full.

WHITE MARIBOU: WINGS, white caribou. CHEEKS, large jungle c.o.c.k and small red feather. TOPPING, golden pheasant crest.

YELLOW MARIBOU: WINGS, yellow caribou. CHEEKS, large Jungle c.o.c.k and small red feather. TOPPING peac.o.c.k herl. Two complete caribou feathers can be used, or sections of the feathers, depending upon the size of the hook. Size 4 long shank hook is a good size to tie them for salmon.

{49}

FLOATING BUGS AND THEIR CONSTRUCTION

A style of fis.h.i.+ng becoming more popular each year is that of Fly Rod fis.h.i.+ng with Floating Bugs. These Bugs represents the large moth, b.u.t.terfly, etc., and are constructed of a large variety of materials.

Some have cork bodies. Some have Balsa Wood bodies. Others all hair bodies. Bodies covered with chenille, and other materials. One of the easiest to make and I believe one of the most successful styles, is entirely constructed from the body hair of the deer, reindeer, or caribou. All of these hairs are rather coa.r.s.e and hollow consequently are very buoyant, and when properly made into a copy of the living insect, they have a soft, lifelike body that appears very natural when taken by a fish. These soft bodied Bugs are not so apt to be ejected before the Angler has time to set the hook, as are those with hard bodies.

{50}

[Ill.u.s.tration: Page sized diagram showing ba.s.s bugs tied by the author.]

Although the object of this book is to teach the Angler how to tie his own flies a few words in regards to the writer's personal experiences in using these Bugs might not be amiss at this time.

Floating Bugs are mostly tied on large size hooks and generally used for {51} ba.s.s. However, I have had a great deal of luck and many pleasant experiences with them tied as small as a #14 Model Perfect hook, and used with a 4x Leader. The small sizes will take many large trout, and are readily accepted by all pan fish. When fis.h.i.+ng in still waiters with the Floating Bugs, whether it be for ba.s.s, pickerel, trout or pan fish I use a light leader, treated so that it will sink. I cast to a likely looking spot, beside an old stump along lily pads, or to an opening in the lily pads themselves. I let the Bug hit the water with quite a splash, as a living moth of the same size would, and there I let it lie, absolutely motionless, as though stunned by the blow. By all means do not be impatient, let the Bug lie perfectly still for two or three minutes, and then simply move the tip of your rod just enough to cause the Bug to quiver on the surface. Again let it lie perfectly still for a minute or two; usually about the second time the Bug is made to quiver you can expect a strike, and when a big ba.s.s comes after one of these Bugs, he comes full of action. When fis.h.i.+ng fast water, I fish them exactly as I would a dry fly, upstream or up and across the current. My personal choice for color is the natural brownish grey body hair from either the deer, reindeer, or caribou. Wings, tail and body all the same natural color. I tie this pattern from size 2/0 Model perfect hook down to size 14, and us {52} the larger sizes for ba.s.s and pickerel, and the smaller sizes for trout and pan fish. I remember one very pleasant experience that happened in northern Maine three years ago. There is a small, deep, spring fed lake of about ten acres in area, completely surrounded by wilderness; this lake had been stocked with, Rainbow Trout and closed to all fis.h.i.+ng for five years. I was fortunate in being there about two months after it had been opened to fis.h.i.+ng and was invited to try my luck, after first being advised that although some very nice catches were regularly being taken on a Streamer Fly fished deep, also on live bait and worms with a spinner, no one had even been able to take fish on the surface.

I arrived at this lake about one hour before dark, and it was one of those evenings when the water was actually boiling with rising trout.

In fact never before or since have I seen so many fish breaking water at the same time. I immediately made up my mind to take fish on the surface. I began fis.h.i.+ng with a small spider, and changed fly after fly for the next half hour with the same results as had been experienced by other dry fly fishermen. In desperation and with darkness fast approaching I tied on a size 4 Grey Bug and cast about thirty feet from sh.o.r.e. The Bug hit the water with quite a splash and didn't even as much as put down one fish, and several continued to {53} rise from within a few inches to a few feet from where the Bug landed. I waited a couple of minutes and gave the Bug a little twitch, nothing happened, again I twitched and again nothing happened. I began to believe I was stumped when again the Bug was moved ever so slightly for the fifth time, and remember this was at least seven minutes after it first hit the water. A fish struck. In a few minutes I landed a 2 1/4 pound Rainbow. Before darkness had brought the day to a close I had landed three more beautiful Rainbows averaging 2 pounds each. I had never since had the opportunity to fish in this beautiful little lake. Some day I hope to return, and again try, and I believe succeed in taking these beautiful Rainbow Trout on the conventional dry fly. However, this one little experience proved conclusively to me the absolute necessity of patience in fis.h.i.+ng Floating Bugs.

FLOATING BUGS: THEIR CONSTRUCTION (SEE DIAGRAM 9)

First let us begin by making the most simple; that is, one that has the Body, Wings, and Tail, all of the same material and color. Follow the ill.u.s.trations carefully and even your first attempt will be a masterpiece.

{54}

Although I use well waxed 00 tying silk, you will find that regular sewing silk size A will work best on your first attempt. First wax your thread thoroughly and take a few turns around the shank of the hook and tie in a small bunch of hairs for the tail, as in Diagram 9, Fig. 1, page (55). We will a.s.sume that we are using regular deer hair cut from the hide. Next clip a small bunch of hairs, about the size of a match, close to the hide. You will notice there is some fuzz mixed with the hair at the base close to the skin, pick out the fuzz and place the b.u.t.ts of the hairs under the hook as in Fig. 2, Take a couple of loose turns with the tying silk, hold the tips of the hair with the thumb and finger of the left hand, and pull the tying silk down tight. You will notice that the hairs spin around the hook and the b.u.t.t ends will stand out pretty much at right angles to the hook, as in Fig. 3. Cut off the tip end of the hairs on the dotted line, press the hairs back tightly, apply a drop of water-proof lacquer to the base of the hairs and the hook, and repeat the same process of tying on a small bunch of hair, each time pressing it back tightly. Remember this is important, because the hair must be as close together as possible to make a firm, smooth, buoyant body.

{55}

[Ill.u.s.tration: Diagram 9. Page sized diagram showing drawings of ba.s.s bug construction.]

When you have built the body up until it looks something like Fig. 4, remove it from the vise and with a sharp pair of scissors trim and shape it until it looks {56} like Figs. 5 and 6. At this stage you should have 3/16" of the shank of the hook left just behind the eye, where you will tie on the wings. Cover this bare hook with the well waxed tying silk, and lay a bunch of hair on top of the hook for wings as Fig.

7. Crisscross the tying silk around the wings and the hook until they are securely tied together. Place several coats of lacquer over he junction of the wings and hook, to more securely bind them in place.

Lacquer the entire wings if you wish and when they have partially dried, press them flat, spread them, trim them as Fig. 8, and your Bug is completed.

Any combination of color may be used, different colored wings and tail, different colored rings in the body. White body with red tail and wings is a good pattern. Yellow body, black wings and tail another. Various feather combinations can be used for wings and tall. Create your own designs, and develop your patterns.

CORK BODIED Ba.s.s BUGS (SEE DIAGRAM 10)

These high floaters are easy to make and may be tied on most any size hook desired. Kinked shank hooks should be used to prevent the body from turning on the {57} hook. Colored lacquer or enamel can be used to decorate the bodies, and eyes can be either painted on, or regular small gla.s.s eyes inserted and held in place with water-proof glue or lacquer.

Any of the fancy feathers that are used for regular ba.s.s flies can be used for wings. Hair or feathers can be used for tails, etc. Let us first make one of these cork bodied Bugs on a size 1/0 hook. Take a 1/2"

cork cylinder and with a razor blade shape it roughly as Diagram 10, Figs. 1 and 2. Then with a piece of 00 sandpaper held in the right hand and the cylinder in the left it is a very simple matter to give the body a nice smooth, shapely finish. Next cut a small V out of the body as in Fig. 3. This is easier to fit to the hook and easier to cement securely than simply making a slit in the cork. Press the V slit over the hook as in Fig. 4. Apply cement or lacquer liberally to the inside of the V slot, and to the hook shank. Press the piece that was removed securely back into place, bind tightly with string, as in Fig. 5, and let set over night. Next day when the cement has thoroughly dried and the body is permanently fastened to the hook, remove the string and with the sandpaper touch up any rough places on the body, and give a coat of lacquer or enamel of the desired color.

{58}

[Ill.u.s.tration: Diagram 10. Page sized diagram showing drawings of cork bodied ba.s.s bug construction.]

When the body enamel has dried, take a pair of feathers for wings (whole feathers that have the quill in the centre, same as are used for regular ba.s.s fly wings are best), and with the {59} tying silk bind these fast to the top side of the shoulders as in Fig. 6. Tie on a tail close to the body, paint on the eyes, paint any other color or designs you wish on the body, and the Bug is completed.

{60}

[Ill.u.s.tration: Diagram 11. Page sized diagram showing drawings of angler's knots.]

{61}

ANGLER'S KNOTS

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 in Diagram 11, page (60) show a very convenient way to tie a dropper loop in the leader; roll the gut between thumb and finger at (A) Fig. 1, next invert loop (B) through (C) Figs. 2 and 3.

Figs. 4, 5, and 6 make the best knot for or a loop in the end of a leader, gut snells etc. Pull loop (C) through loop (B) Figs. 5 and 6.

Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are about the easiest and most secure knots for making leaders, the ends are in the centre of the finished knot and can be clipped close.

Figs. 10, 11, and 12, the figure eight knot, is the best for tying flies to the leader, it won't slip, and the pull is in line with the hook shank.

{62}