My first, "almost but not quite half decent" zoo cougar

[Crotalus 0]

last week i got a copy of Kelly Galloup's Streamer Flies for Trophy Trout from Netflix.

 

I watched it Friday morning, then after a quick trip to Wal Mart for razor blades i spun deer hair for the first time. My deer hair isnt of the best quality so i know that puts me at a disadvantage to start with, but after my third try i figured i had on decent enough to post for critique.

 

The collar is too long on this one and the head leaves a lot to be desired but they are both vastly improved over the first and second flies.

 

 

 

Any pointers, advice and critiques are accepted

[Bruce Derington 0]

I think its a great job :headbang: The single most important thing about this fly is the positioning of the Flank feather(as you must know). The thing will fish great. I taught this pattern in the virtual classroom several months ago. I've tied 100's for some of the Mich. guides in the past and continue to do so, Very nice fly you tied

 

I have tied them in every imaginable color and I don't think it matters really. Its the action that entices the monster trout into pounding them!

[JSzymczyk 0]

I think it's a pretty outstanding job! For a subsurface fly, you don't want a super-dense deer hair head. IMO you want exactly what you have there... enough to give plenty of bulk and displacement, but not so much it will float like a cork.

 

Have you ever seen a pic of an ORIGINAL muddler minnow tied by the originator? (I think, but not sure, it was Don Gapen in Ontario) The deer hair head as he designed it looks nothing like the dense, close trimmed ones we see today.

[Steeldrifter 0]

That's a very good first attempt Joe. Only thing I would tell ya to make sure you do is to take the razor and trim the bottom of the head completely flat. That's what keep's the Z.C tracking properly on the jerk strip retrieve.

 

Steve

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

very nice tying great looking fly guess the only tip I might be able to give is try getting the hair a little tighter packed before trimming other then that it is a very well done fly and should catch the eye of a hungry trout

[flytyer56 0]

Joe looks good. With a streamer fly like that if the head is to bulky (packed to tight) it will just float and not sink. Very nice job.

[Joe Hard 0]

Great fly, Here is a link to Kelly tying a zoo cougar.

 

 

I tie one to imatate a smelt or parr that the browns here devour. It has a spun and clipped muddler style head, that I fish on a sinking line

 

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?act...amp;showid=1822

 

The zoo cougar is a great fly, Kelly has told me that a Swimming Jimmy is an even more productive fly.

[Green Acres 0]

as a personal modification

 

I prefer to use pearl core braid for the body

 

strip the cotton core out of it, tie in the tail and I like to use floss to color the shank, specifically some red floss up by the the gill area

 

then tie the back end of teh pearl braid to the front of the shank about whrere the collar will be and whip finnish

 

then take teh now hollow braid and invert it backwards on to the hook shank, tie off at the back and continue with the tie

 

looks good though

 

PAuly

[conehead 0]

Good looking fly Joe. What size hook did you use?

 

I only ever tied one of those puppies. Took it to the breeches and hooked a super nice fat brown on the first cast. The second cast something took it for a ride and snapped the tippet. Have not tied any since.

 

Sometimes I just dont think.

 

George

[Crotalus 0]

That is on a 2, i plan to tie some 4s and 6s also once i get some more skill with the spinning and clipping.

[streamcaddis 0]

The collar is just fine. Put the bug in the box and fish it this Spring !!. Only one thing tho. When you tie in the collar clip the butts before you tie the head on. That way you will not clip the collar as you are trimming the head. :hyst:

[Guest]

Personally, I believe that deer hair streamers do not need to be tightly packed. They may look better in a photo but for fishing the added buoyancy may be counterproductive. I would agree that the bottom should be trimmed perfectly flat if possible. I guess it is because of the mallard wing but this fly seems to want to spin in the water more so than any other I can think of.

 

I think it looks great.

[Crotalus 0]

Thanks guys. The angle is somewhat deceiving, it is trimmed pretty flat on the bottom, just not very close to the hook. How closely should i trim the head to the body? I have been leaving about 1/8" of hair on the underside out of fear of nicking a thread wrap in the process. Also the head appears to be trimmed much neater in the picture than in real life.

 

I can see where the spinning is the easy part and the trimming is where the difficulty is.

[Steeldrifter 0]

I have been leaving about 1/8" of hair on the underside out of fear of nicking a thread wrap in the process.

 

 

You should be perfectly fine with that Joe

[ashbourn 0]

last week i got a copy of Kelly Galloup's Streamer Flies for Trophy Trout from Netflix.

 

I watched it Friday morning, then after a quick trip to Wal Mart for razor blades i spun deer hair for the first time. My deer hair isnt of the best quality so i know that puts me at a disadvantage to start with, but after my third try i figured i had on decent enough to post for critique.

 

The collar is too long on this one and the head leaves a lot to be desired but they are both vastly improved over the first and second flies.

 

 

 

Any pointers, advice and critiques are accepted

 

I fish that fly quite a bit and you have a wonderful tie right there. It will catch you alot of big fish if you can find them

 

Joe Fox