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Browningmirage
06-17-2007, 09:40 PM
Hey all

Well just dusted off the fly tying equipment (box ran out just the other day...completely) And have started tying again. I use a very limited selection of flies, basically the ones that i have found work in my area (North of Port McNeil). I would like to expand, but have nothing to work from.

Now my request...I need fly patterns, with pictures so that i know what the finished result is supposed to look like, and it would be preferred if it was a pattern that was proven to work...im not asking for where it works, just that it does work. I mostly tie dry flies; they are the ones that make fly fishing exciting, but wouldnt mind getting into some nymph or wet fly fishing as well.

As a final request, a few fishing tips for the fly wouldnt go amiss.

Ill start the ball rolling with a pattern of my own that has worked wonders on a certain North Island River.

Matts scud
This has worked wonders on Cuttys and rainbows, I worked from scratch, never saw anything like it, just went on what i thought a scud should look like. I came up with this beauty. When fishing rivers, let it drift with the current, as it swings through the current, give it a couple of short twitches. When it is about 3/4 the way through the run (or when it feels right) start the retrieve, i use sets of 3, 1 inch strips until the leader is up to the tip of the rod, then try again. Fish take this one hard, and it gets beat up pretty quick, but that doesnt matter, fish like it whether its whole or in peices.


Body - Dark Green Dubbing
Shell - tied down deer hair
Tail - Brown Hackle fibers or tip
Legs - Brown Hackle wound up length
Weight - 2 layers of lead wire (you choose how heavy or if at all)

ruger#1
06-17-2007, 09:52 PM
I never can keep up, my buddies keep buying me out of flies. Used to have a thousand on my vest. I will get back into it again.

Dirty
06-17-2007, 09:54 PM
www.flyanglersonline.com (http://www.flyanglersonline.com)

Search there you will find step by step tutorials with pictures.

Sasquatch
06-18-2007, 02:14 PM
Here are a couple of sites I use that have pictures and material lists.


http://www.flystore.net/Fly%20Patterns.htm

http://www.virtualflybox.com/

http://www.danica.com/flytier/

My favorite Island fly is a Muddler of some kind. Matter of fact, that's my favorite fly just about anywhere.

Good luck!

Chuck
06-18-2007, 03:36 PM
One of my favorite patterns for creek, river or lake is a floater called "Tom Thumb". It's a simple pattern which represents a summer gray moth, could even be a tent caterpillar moth. Use deer hair, but a hair stacker is a must.
No pics, so gotta talk. Sorry!....Hook size 12 up to 8 is ok. Wire size whatever, I prefer heavier. Also prefer nylon in black, easy to snap when cynching hair with lighter thread. Use your own judgement - Snip off a clump of hair, maybe 2 dozen. Pick out the wool with bodkin. Put hair tips down in stacker and tap to even ends. Have hook wrapped from eye to curve of shank. Take hair from stacker and tie on as would for dry fly tail. Snip off
hair butts and apply cement. Take another good clump of hair (cut'em long) and again comb out wool. Hair in stacker. Even ends - now comes the hard part - tie this clump on at same place as the tail, but the hair length HAS to be as long as the hook shank (because it forms the body) as well as the length of the hackle. With that clump tied on GOOD, snip a lot butt ends of hair and cynch down to form a taper toward eye. Wrap thread to eye & tie off. Use cement back & front. Form hair with fingers toward eye to make body, alienate tail from mess. Tie off both sides of hair just behind eye. Splay hair tips around behind eye to form hackle. Be sure NOT to close gap between hook tip and body of fly, better to have more hair on top than on bottom for this reason. Refrain from cussing - practice and vary gray shades. This fly too, does not lose its ability to catch when it gets beat up. Good Luck!

Browningmirage
06-18-2007, 07:18 PM
One of my favorite patterns for creek, river or lake is a floater called "Tom Thumb". It's a simple pattern which represents a summer gray moth, could even be a tent caterpillar moth. Use deer hair, but a hair stacker is a must.
No pics, so gotta talk. Sorry!....Hook size 12 up to 8 is ok. Wire size whatever, I prefer heavier. Also prefer nylon in black, easy to snap when cynching hair with lighter thread. Use your own judgement - Snip off a clump of hair, maybe 2 dozen. Pick out the wool with bodkin. Put hair tips down in stacker and tap to even ends. Have hook wrapped from eye to curve of shank. Take hair from stacker and tie on as would for dry fly tail. Snip off
hair butts and apply cement. Take another good clump of hair (cut'em long) and again comb out wool. Hair in stacker. Even ends - now comes the hard part - tie this clump on at same place as the tail, but the hair length HAS to be as long as the hook shank (because it forms the body) as well as the length of the hackle. With that clump tied on GOOD, snip a lot butt ends of hair and cynch down to form a taper toward eye. Wrap thread to eye & tie off. Use cement back & front. Form hair with fingers toward eye to make body, alienate tail from mess. Tie off both sides of hair just behind eye. Splay hair tips around behind eye to form hackle. Be sure NOT to close gap between hook tip and body of fly, better to have more hair on top than on bottom for this reason. Refrain from cussing - practice and vary gray shades. This fly too, does not lose its ability to catch when it gets beat up. Good Luck!



This is exactly what i am looking for...i want flies tried by people here; There are so many patterns on the net, they may have worked once, and people will swear by them, i will make up a couple and fish em every time out all season and never have a sniff...thats why im looking for flies that people have actually tried

When fishing still water is there a particular way you have found for fishing the Tom Thumb that makes it deadly?

Chuck
06-18-2007, 09:09 PM
Well on flat calm water, mind you this fly tends to float due to hollow hairs, just use it as you would any other dry fly. Fish must be rising (of course) then just lay it out there and let it calm down a bit. After a short time, start a slow retrieval, jiggling it a bit, then rest and so on till you get it back. Start over. This fly is great for cuts in fast water or fishing back eddies of moving waters. I've had good success all summer long into early fall.

COHO
06-25-2007, 08:46 AM
The Tom Thumb, this is one of the best I have ever used. As the fish hit it the hair on the fly will break and the better it works!

good fishing

coho <((--(

jackson13
06-25-2007, 10:05 AM
go the sport fishing on the fly website...www.sfotf.com

adams fly and an orange stimulator...the bread and butter

newhunterette
07-17-2007, 02:31 PM
y'all I have been tying flies since I was 5 years old and have always just finished the fly with a special knot my uncle taught me to use but then I got a nice fly tying kit with this thing called a whip finish - for the life in me I cant get that sucker to work for me - I always mess up the head of the fly with it - any suggestions please

thank you
Ali

LOC
07-17-2007, 03:05 PM
y'all I have been tying flies since I was 5 years old and have always just finished the fly with a special knot my uncle taught me to use but then I got a nice fly tying kit with this thing called a whip finish - for the life in me I cant get that sucker to work for me - I always mess up the head of the fly with it - any suggestions please

thank you
Ali


Just use the knot! I gave up trying to figure out the whip-finish that came with my vice...

As for flies - Doc Spratly can never do you wrong...

Fisher-Dude
07-17-2007, 03:06 PM
The 52 Buick works when many others won't.

Hook: Mustad 9671, size 6 or 8 (9672 also works)
Body: Dark olive seal fur (can use synthetics but IMO seal is by far the best)
Wrap: Oval gold tinsel
Tail: Dyed yellow/olive guinea hen
Throat: same as tail
Head: Peac0ck herl (gotta use a "0" not an "o" to beat the spam filter :wink:)

Tie in the tail, 1/3 the length of hook shank. Tie on the tinsel, then dub the seal fur body. Make the body fairly thick, and tie it to within 1/4 inch of the eye. Wrap oval tinsel forward and tie off, 4 or 5 wraps - the oval tinsel will hold the body together when the trout rip at it - flat tinsel will be gone after the first fish! Tie in the guinea hen for the throat, similar to the tail, keep it sparse. Tie in a couple of peac0ck herls, and wrap from the front of the body up to the eye and tie off (you can build up a larger peac0ck head with more wraps of the herl if you want). It's a good idea to wrap your tying thread back over the herl in a criss-cross pattern to give it some strength. Tie off the head.

The 52 Buick can be fished on a fast sinking line, sinking tip, or in shallow waters when the sedges are hatching on a floating line with a long leader. It will imitate dragonfly nymphs, larger scuds, and emergent caddis. I like darker green than this pic, but all shades work well. Have fun!

http://www.geocities.com/mgass_99/flypatterns/nymphs/52buick.JPG

Tuffcity
07-17-2007, 07:23 PM
When fishing still water is there a particular way you have found for fishing the Tom Thumb that makes it deadly?

Twitch it, slow retrieve, fast retrieve, sink it... doesn't really matter, just depends on the mood of the fish. That has to be one of THE most versatile flies ever. It can be fished on beaver ponds, lakes, creeks or big rivers.

The Spratley is another fav. (red, black or green body).


I got a nice fly tying kit with this thing called a whip finish - for the life in me I cant get that sucker to work for me

I've always found it's esier to whip finish by hand instead of the tool. Don't ask me to explain the procedure though! It's one of those easier shown than written things.

RC

mrdoog
07-17-2007, 09:47 PM
When I was a young teen, my second favourite lake was Paul Lake.
It wasn't as busy up there as it is now.
In my flybox I had a couple of Tom Thumbs, couple of Doc Spratleys, couple of Carreys and a few leeches.

I took some nice fish out of that lake.
Leeches when it was hot. Spratleys and Carreys around the logs and over the drop offs.
Tom Thumbs when the sun was going down.

I don't know what a Tom Thumb is supposed to look like, but trout tear them to pieces. They dry off after a few false cast and float forever.