The Skip Nymph

 

The Skip Nymph is named after Skip Morris, a prolific tier and teacher. It imitates the nymph stage of the Callibaetis Nymph in lakes. It is easy to tie, which I read was Skips aim when he developed it.

 

May flies are not as prolific in lakes as they can be in streams, but they still should not be ignored. My favorite water has a consistent slow hatch from mid to late May right into August. I have had outstanding fishing with this nymph in June and July. Curiously this coincides with major fry hatches in the top layers of the water column. The small nymph swims much like the fry with short quick darting movement and I am hard pressed to tell them apart other than the fry are in schools and the nymph is usually solitary. This nymph is an excellent imitator of both and I am not sure whether the trout take it as a may fly nymph or fry, or if they even care.

 

I fish this fly on either a floating line or a very slow sinker, I tie it using a light hook so when I pause my retrieve it does not sink like a stone which would be very unnatural. Both the nymph and the fry are always found around weed beds I fish the fly right over or right next to the standing weeds. A finer tippet will not over power the fly and allow it to track in a straight line.

 

A materials list would include a Daiichi 1560 hook in size 12 to 16. Some fine rabbit dubbing in olive or brown shades and pheasant tail fibres. I use a Fine thread, Uni 8/0 in green or brown.

 

 

 

First step is to lay down a nice base and tie in the gold wire. Form a nice tight dubbing loop of the rabbit fur at the rear of the hook.

 

 

 

Trim the loose guard hairs from the body with scissors, we want a nice tight skinny body.

Measure about a dozen pheasant tail fibres, you want the tail to end up about a hook gap past the end of the fly.

 

 

 

Take a wrap of wire around the hook shank and then pull the pheasant fibres along the top of the fly. A nice tight wrap of wire should flair the tail nicely and then wind the wire foreword and tie of and helicopter free in front of the standing pheasant.

 

 



Lastly we tie the standing piece of pheasant back a little to create some room for the thorax. Then form another dubbing loop of the rabbit, make this one a little looser so that the thorax is a little larger than the body of the fly. Pull the pheasant over the thorax and tie down, clip off and whip finish. Final step is to thin out the tail with scissors, I cut about six of the centre fibres out leaving a nice split tail.

 

Try this fly in the weeds in the prime hatch season of June and July, remember to keep the retrieve to quick little bursts. I'm sure you will have success.

Gold Bead Hare's Ear

 

The Gold Bead Hare's Ear is another one of those patterns that doesn't directly imitate anything in particular but does a passable imitation of a few different bugs. It is an excellent search pattern especially in early summer when lots of bugs are on the move. It can pass for a damsel nymph, mayfly nymph and caddis pupa. It is also a very popular fly with lake fishermen and has a place in many boxes.

 

I find it best fished around weed beds with a floating line and leader length adjusted for depth. A slow hand twist retrieve with a few quicker twitches usually produces results. It is also excellent under an indicator retrieved very slowly.

 

I believe the key to this fly is to use very soft hackle for the collar. Hen hackle is what I use and have had good luck with capes from Whiting. Their capes have long feathers with nice soft barbs and have a good range of size of feathers. The soft hackle adds subtle movement to the fly which I believe to be important. Partridge feathers can be used as well, but it can be tricky to find feathers small enough for the smaller sizes.

 

A material list would include a Daiichi 1560 hook in size 12 to 16, a gold bead, partridge feather for the tail, rabbit dubbing for the body, small gold wire for ribbing and hen hackle for the soft hackle wrap. I use olive 6/0 thread and 8/0 for the small size 16.

 

 

First steps are to place a gold bead on the hook shank, then tie in the wire ribbing as well as the hackle fibres from the partridge feather.

 

 

 

Form a budding noodle by twisting the rabbit fibres onto the thread. I try and keep the loop tight and fairly thin. Wind the loop to the bead and chase it by counter winding the wire.

 

 

 

Next I tie in a hen hackle feather by the tip, the barb length should be so that the fibres extend just past the hook point. Wind the hackle while brushing the barbs back towards the back of the fly. Tie off after two or three wraps.  

 

 

 

Form another very small dubbing noodle and place a few wraps ahead of the hackle. This small collar helps keep the hackle swept back nicely. Whip finish and it's done.

 

Give this fly a go when you're not sure what to try in the early summer, I'm positive you won't be disappointed.

 

The Ice Cream Cone

 

The Ice Cream Cone is a very popular fly with Chironomid fly fishers, it's easy to tie and very effective. It uses a white bead to imitate the gills of the chironomid pupa. I put my own spin on it and where others build a taper of thread for the thorax, I tie in Micro Crystal Cactus for the thorax of the fly. I find it a little easier to do and I like the results better. I use a sterling Silver bead instead of white or pearl as well as I think it gives off a whiter sheen.

 

This fly is made for spring chironomid hatches and has a well earned reputation for moving fish. I fish it hanging vertically under an indicator. It can be used anywhere in the water column, shallow to deep, I have the best results around weed beds. I use an open loop clinch knot found here to attach the fly. http://alaskaflyfishingonline.com/tips/tip1clinchknot.html

 

Materials for this fly are Daiichi 1760 hook in sizes 12 to 16, brown super floss, sterling silver bead, small wire ribbing in red silver or gray and micro crystal cactus in peacock.

 

I begin by splitting the super floss into a more appropriate size.



 

 

 

Next I place the bead on the hook and run a base of thread, tie in the wire and super floss.

 

 



 

Wind the super floss forward keeping it from twisting, form a nice body and then counter rib it with the wire. Tie in the crystal cactus. 

 

 

 

A few wraps of the crystal cactus and then tie off. The fly can be given a coat or two of finger nail polish for durability if you so desire.

 

Try the Ice Cream Cone in whatever configuration you desire, I'm sure you will be impressed with the results.



 

The Water Boatman

 

As promised, a sinking water boatman pattern. This fly is best fished on a floating line as opposed to the floating boatman which is best fished on a sinking line. I cast it out and give the fly some time to sink and then begin an erratic retrieve. Because it sinks so rapidly once the fly has gotten into the depth I want to keep the fly moving along quite rapidly. Short, two inch strips are the retrieve I favor with this fly.

 

I have the most luck fishing this fly during the boatman hatch in the fall. During the warmest parts of the day, boatman return to the water after spending time on land mating. It can be a very exciting time to be on the water as the fishing can be outstanding. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to where on the lake the fish rain down, just watch for what looks like rain drop crashing the waters surface. The trout can lock onto fish at the surface or under water, some trial and error may be needed to find the correct depth but I have found closer to the surface to be the most productive.

 

Early spring has also been a very productive time for me with this pattern. I find when I tie on the pattern, if it is going to work the fish will hit it right away. It's not a pattern I would use if the fish are off a little. In spring it works best in shallow water over growing weed beds, again, the warmest parts of the day seem to be the most productive.

 

Materials for this pattern are Daiichi 1550 hook in size 12 to 16, Waspi Woolly Bugger Chenille in tan small size, Super Floss for legs and Waspi Thin Skin cut at about 3/16" for the shell back. Thread is black or brown Uni Thread 6/0.

 

First I split the Super Floss. I try to get it into an exact half, and then use the halves. I find without splitting it, the floss is too stiff to give the legs the proper action.

 

 

 

Next tie in the thin skin for the back, the chenille and figure eight in the super floss.

 

 

Wind the chenille forward making sure the legs will stand out about half way down the hook shaft.

 

 

 

Pull the thin skin over, I like to stretch it a little to make it a little thinner. This makes the thin skin a little lighter and ensures the fly rides hook down in the water. I find this is one fly that the weight on the top of the hook can overwhelm and make the fly ride upside down, so check your fly's action.

Tie the thin skin down and whip finish a fair sized head on the fly. A permanent marker in black can be used to color a design on the thin skin if desired.

Pull the legs back and cut with scissors at a length that is a little longer than the hook bend. The longer the legs, the better action they will have, but if too long, they can get caught up behind the bend of the hook.

 

Try this fly on a floating line in the early spring or during the fall backswimmer hatch, I'm sure you will be pleased.

The Chironomid Pupa

 

 

 

The Chironomid Pupa is one of my favorite flies when there is no discernible hatch going on in the spring. Chironomids are always hatching or preparing to hatch in the spring and the more subdued hues of this fly imitate the pupa that are not quite ready to begin the dangerous journey to the surface. Instead of silver to rib the fly to imitate the silvery appearance of the pupa moving to the surface, grey ribbing mimics a more immature stage of the pupa. Other colors can be used as well, I have had good luck with red as well as tan ribbing. The fly is more realistic than the various bead head flies which for some reason appeals to me as well.

 

I fish this fly quite close to the bottom of the water column and try to stay close to weeds, not because the pupa lives in weeds but because I find trout like to hang around weeds and their various food sources. I like it under an indicator or float, just suspended without any movement on my part. Takes can be quite subtle so a lot of concentration is required watching the indicator for movement. I find if I strike sideways instead of up at the take I hook a higher percentage of fish. I think lifting up a lot of movement of the rod is wasted in straightening out the bow in the line which inevitably forms when still fishing.  When I strike side ways, the weight of the water keeps tension on the line, and even though there is a bow in the line, it is in a more direct motion, if that makes sense. Some people fish this fly without an indicator, I would find this difficult as I think a person would miss a lot of subtle takes.

This fly should be fished hanging vertically, and would benefit from being tied with an open clinch knot found here.

 http://alaskaflyfishingonline.com/tips/tip1clinchknot.html

 

Materials for this fly would be; Mustad C49S hook in size 10 to 16, super floss in brown, small ribbing of your choice in color, pheasant tail fibres, peacock herl, some poly, antron or nylon white gill material, lead substitute weight and black Uni thread in 6/0 or 8/0. 

 

 

 

 

 

First step is to lay a base of thread and tie in about a dozen pheasant tail fibres, on top of this tie down the gill material.

 

 

 

 

Then I add a little lead substitute to help the fly sink faster, tie this down so it doesn't move on you. Next I tie in the wire ribbing and a split four inch piece of super floss. When you split the super floss keep the piece that will give you the body size you desire, stretching it as you apply it can be done to make it thinner as well but I don't like to get carried away with that, as I worry about fatigue in the rubber. I don't want it breaking before I even get to use the fly.

 

 

 

 

 

Wind the super floss foreward and tie off, I counter wind the ribbing so that it keeps everything in place and tie that off as well.

 

 

 

 

Break off the last two inches from the tips of two pieces of peacock, this will leave you with a stronger piece to wind. I then tie them in and wind my thread around them about six times for strength, then make a couple of wraps with this and tie off.

 

 

 

Split the gills into two equal sections and bring the wing case back between them, tie this off behind the peacock and then whip finish the thread behind the wing case. Trim the gills at about 1/8 in.

 

 



 



 

The finished fly will have the two gill plates coming out like this. Try this subdued version of pupa when the hatch is slow in the spring, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

 

 

The Simple Scud

 

 

Scud lakes grow big fish, it doesn't seem to matter what species, they all grow big. Scuds are incredibly prolific and can fill the water column with hundreds in cubic yard of water space. Fishing them can seem an impossible proposition when faced with the dizzying number of naturals available. I'm lucky enough to live near a scud lake where the numbers of scud are more manageable and have had some very good days fishing them. I honestly can't speak to the situation of overwhelming numbers of naturals but admit it would be a little daunting.

 

 Trout seem to love them and my best luck has been fishing under indicators. I have been wondering about this a lot in the last year and after observing the little buggers swimming am convinced I was using a hook that was too heavy when retrieving them. Under an indicator a heavy hook doesn't matter because it's supported. Unsupported, my hooks were sinking like little stones and I think the fish were put off by this. I was trying to come up with a floating scud imitation and so far have drawn a blank, so have had to settle for trying a much lighter hook. I will report back later once the season starts and see if my theory held.

 

I fish scuds around weeds, as I said, most of my luck was suspended below an indicator. The lake I fish they are quite small, 14 or 16, if the hooks were stronger I would even go to an 18 but in this lake an 18 would get straightened out quickly. Retrieving should be done with the natural's swimming motion in mind, fairly quick and steady six to twelve inch pulls followed by short rests. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason as to when they will take scuds other than maybe a lack of other hatches.

 

Materials for my scud are a Daiichi 1550 hook in size 12 to 16, small gold wire, a clear or light green 1/8" scud back, Arizona Scud blend in Olive grey and Uni thread Olive in an 6/0 size. Feel free to use colors that match your particular water, keeping in mind that most colors darken when wet.

 

 

 

First I lay a base of thread and then tie in the wire and scud back, scud back hanging off the front of the hook.

 

 

 

Then I work the thread back to the rear of the hook and dub a noodle of my dubbing material.

 

 

 

Next I wind my dubbing noodle forward and then work the thread to the eye of the hook.

 

 

 

I make one turn with the wire before I bring the rubber back and then lightly stretch the rubber over the top of the fly. I do one wrap of the wire over the rubber, binding it at the back before winding the wire to the front of the hook. I then tie off the wire and helicopter it off.

 

 



 

Gently pull on the rubber and have it fold in two with the peak of the fold pointing up. Cut the rubber, the fold will create two small peaks on the outside of the rubber. 

 

 

 

 Either brush or pick at the dubbing to create the legs of the fly. That's it, a very simple, easy to tie scud imitation.  



 

The Chromie

Chironomids are spring staples in the diet of trout. They are small but readily available in countless numbers in the awakening season. They are the hatch that stirs the hunger in the dormant fish, and fish gobble them by the hundreds. Hatches are available, typically all day in the spring, and can offer some outstanding mid day fishing to the in-tune angler.

The Chromie was developed by Phil Rowley, I have stayed true to his design save the collar, he uses Peacock herl and I have substituted ice dubbing for durability purposes. It imitates the pupa on it's way to the surface to hatch, the silver mimicking the gas bubble the insect uses to help it to the surface. I fish it under a float, casting it out and letting it settle to the predetermined depth. I let it sit for a few minutes and then slowly draw the line through my hand, imitating the slow rise to the surface of the pupa. I then let it settle and repeat the cycle until I need to recast.  Here is a good video of the pupa making it's way to the surface, note the silvery sheen of the natural.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGQEPZqNZU8

The Pupa come in a myriad of color combinations. I have had good luck with this one as well as black on silver instead of the red. This fly definitely benefits from being tied with an open clinch knot found here.
http://alaskaflyfishingonline.com/tips/tip1clinchknot.html

Materials used for this fly are a Mustad C49S hook in size 10 to 16, antron or nylon gill material, silver tinsel, red Flashabou or small red wire, a small bead in gunmetal finish, peacock ice dub by Hairline and Uni Thread in black 6/0.

 

 

First I place the hook in the vice and tie in a hank of gill material, keep the winding small to allow the small bead to slide over it.

 

 



 

 

Next I place the bead with the small hole to the eye of the hook. I then tie in the red flashabou at around half the hook bend and take a few wraps up the shank before I tie in the silver tinsel; the tinsel pictured is gold on one side and silver on the other, I tie it in with the gold out and then as I wrap it the silver is out. All the while I am mindful of my wraps as I want to build a nice taper of thread to the bead.

 

 



 

I then wrap the tinsel forward and follow with the red after creating a bit of a red butt first. This is followed by dubbing a small amount of the peacock ice dubbing onto the thread.

 

 

 

I finish the fly with a couple of wraps of the ice dubbing and then whip finish. It can be given a few coats of nail polish to add durability, just keep it off the ice dubbing.

 

 

I find the best time to fish the fly is during the heavy part of the hatch, late or early in the hatch I find a more subdued fly is a bit more effective. Happy fishing!

The Balanced Leech

 



 

Leeches are a trout staple and in early spring and late fall are a constant in their diet. I had heard of peoples success with balanced leeches and began looking into them when my wife expressed an interest in accompanying me on my fishing trips. She doesn't fly fish so I set her up with a Thill float system and the balanced Leech along with some other balanced flies which I will present in later posts, they seemed to be naturals.

 

As I looked for patterns I began to notice that most balanced leeches looked just like their unbalanced counterparts, bodies were more bushy than I would like in a stationary fly. My thinking is that a fly drawn through the water has the dubbing pulled down along its side when it is pulled through the water. This creates the illusion of life and movement. A stationary fly on the other hand can't draw its materials to its side so I aimed to make a thinner profile fly. I achieved this with a marabou body. It's slim but still has some very fine fibres to give the illusion of movement. The marabou is reinforced with a rib of copper wire counter wound to the marabou, this gives the fly a segmented look as well.

 

Fishing this fly is quite simple, cast it out and let it rest beneath a bobber. It can be retrieved very slowly if you so desire, either way the marabou tail weaves its magic and solicits strikes. I find it best fished over dead weed beds, suspended a foot or two over the bottom. It is effective in both the spring and fall cold water periods and can be tied in a myriad of colors. I like claret or wine, brown, black and even olive. Strikes can be soft or aggressive depending on the mood of the fish.

 

Materials for this fly are; jig hooks in size 10 or 8 (I use Mustad), 80lb. test mono, 1/8in. black bead, Woolly Bugger marabou, blood quill marabou, small copper wire and brown 6/0 Uni thread.

 

 





 

First I take a short length of 80 lb. mono and heat one end, I take the hot end and press it against the vice and create a ball on the end of the mono. I slide a bead on with the large hole to the ball. Others use a cut pin instead of the mono. I don't like pieces of needles bouncing around the house so I bought the mono, either works.

 

 

 

Lay a base of thread on the hook and then tie the mono in with about a half a bead past the eye of the hook. I find with mono I don't have to super glue it on, if you use a pin a drop or two of super glue it's probably a good idea.

 

 

 

Next, I tie some woolly bugger marabou in for the tail, make sure you get the marabou off the side of the feather and place to length so you don't have to tear it, this gives a nice action to the fly. Then get some nice long marabou fibres from the blood quill and tie in by the tips with the tips facing the front of the hook.

 

 

 

Take a pair of hackle pliers and grasp the blood quill fibres as close to the base of them as you can. Spin the fibres, not too tight or they will tear, and then wind them forward. If they are nice and long you will get to the front of the fly. If not, tie them off and trim and then dub a few fibres unto your thread and continue winding to the front of the fly. Wind the ribbing in the opposite direction to help keep the marabou on the hook shank and to add segmentation to the fly. Tie off the wire and whip finish.

This fly would defiantly benefit from being tied on using and open clinch knot found here.
http://alaskaflyfishingonline.com/tips/tip1clinchknot.html
This knot will allow maximum movement with the fly, something a stationary fly can benefit from. Enjoy.

The Floating Boatman

 

The Floating Boatman, another fly that is an absolute blast to fish when the trout are on them. Mostly fall action, during the flights when they return to the water after mating. I have also had outstanding days early in the spring, it seems the lack of heavy weed cover can leave them a little exposed. Mostly shallow water in the spring, in the fall they seem to crash into the water from their flights in a haphazard way and can be found all over the lake.

I fish two types of boatmen, a floating on a sinking line and a sinking on a floating line. It is my belief that the floating boatman on the sinking line offers a better presentation and that the fish are more easily fooled by the floating presentation. I cast the fly out and give the line time to sink a few feet and begin an irregular quick retrieve. At the pauses, the fly begins to rise in the water column much as a natural does due to the air bubble it drags around with it. I find this a better presentation than the sinking effect of the sinking model when paused, although if you keep the sinking one moving at a good clip it doesn't get the chance to sink at rest.

When fishing, keep an eye out for splashy rises in the spring, that usually indicates the fish are chasing boatmen around. I fish over shallow, dead weed beds and retrieve the fly at a good clip with some long pauses to give the fly a chance to rise like a natural, takes are usually quite confident. In the fall watch for the boatman rain, it will look like it is raining, usually in the hottest part of the cool days. Boatmen that can't break through the water surface tension will flail away trying to get through and down. I have heard of people having outstanding top water action on these days but myself have never witnessed this, my fish come subsurface. In the fall I use a fast jerky retrieve and cover a lot of water, even trolling if I have to. The action seems to last through the hottest part of the day and when it's over, it's over. I don't spend a lot of time fishing a backswimmer unless I'm into fish, it seems when they are on backswimmers, you will get bit and when not, they won't budge on this fly.

Materials for the fly include a Diiachi 1550 hook in size 12 to 16, a strip of brown foam about 3/16 to 1/4 in. wide, Super Floss or other small dia. rubber for legs, small Waspi woolly bugger chenille in tan, it has a little flash to it and imitates the trapped air bubble nicely.

 

I begin by splitting the super floss in half, I use the bigger of the halves when split.

 

Next lay a base of thread and tie the chenille on the underside of the hook at the bend, then figure eight the super floss legs about a third to half way back from the eye.

 

I tie the foam in but only use enough wraps to hold it in place, any extra foam is left full as it aids in floating the finished fly.

 

 

Pull the chenille along the underside of the hook. I don't wrap it, again, I want to help the fly stay buoyant. Then pull the foam over and tie off with about six wraps and then get thread to the eye of the hook and whip finish under the head. Trim head to a suitable size.

 



 



I color the foam with a permanent marker. The foam can be covered with a nail polish to give it more durability.
Have fun.