Small Trout Flies Swap

[jfinn 0]

I'll give this one a shot! Never tied on anything less than a 12. Someone tell my what thread to use 6/0 or 8/0? I'll have to find a pattern to tie.

I would tie something you are comfortable with in size 12 and shrink proportionally to the hook size you choose. I've learned it's pretty hard to start on a smaller hook if it is your first time tying a pattern.

[flyfishingdom 0]

I would definitely do this! I'm brand new to the site but have been tying for a couple of years. I just did a new pattern called the twisted midge size 22 that I saw in American Angler that I would throw into this swap.

[green 0]

I think I'll tie a the Griffiths gnat.

[ryveradair 0]

[deleted]

[jd1983 0]

My midge pattern is actually going to be the midgehammer.

[kfin 0]

Looking forward to this swap. I used to do a bunch of them for mainly smallmouth when I lived in Chicago. Moved back home to Missouri 14 years ago and have not done a fly swap since. I used to have my own site to display them, shabby as it was all the patterns were there. Anyway, glad to be aboard and back in the swap game. It is a lot of fun and you can come up with some great patterns and the newer tyers always get better at tying as they tye multiple patterns of same fly. I know when I was first tying I was pretty picky about what I sent in (and they were still suspect!)....always had to tie 20 to get 12 to ship off. lol Let's get 'er done!

Keith

[vicrider 0]

kfin, I'm down to about 14 or 15 to get enough to send in for most swaps, and they are only the best of what I have and definitely not show quality flies. I really enjoy participating and hosting tho and gives me things to do since I'm so house bound these days. Now that you're in MO you still have plenty of smallmouth available but can also enjoy some trout action also. When I lived and grew up in the Chicago suburbs we fished mostly for bullheads and carp when I was a kid and the rivers and lakes were not what you'd call quality waters. Then as I got older and more mobile we spent our time mostly in WI and had some great smallmouth and brown trout fishing in the Driftless Area around Dodgeville WI.

[jfinn 0]

kfin, I'm down to about 14 or 15 to get enough to send in for most swaps, and they are only the best of what I have and definitely not show quality flies. I really enjoy participating and hosting tho and gives me things to do since I'm so house bound these days. Now that you're in MO you still have plenty of smallmouth available but can also enjoy some trout action also. When I lived and grew up in the Chicago suburbs we fished mostly for bullheads and carp when I was a kid and the rivers and lakes were not what you'd call quality waters. Then as I got older and more mobile we spent our time mostly in WI and had some great smallmouth and brown trout fishing in the Driftless Area around Dodgeville WI.

That's the area of the Dirftless that I visit frequently. What streams did you like the most?

[joseph russell 0]

Im in I have some small ones

[vicrider 0]

jfinn, it has been many many years since I went to that part of the country and it was in the 60's that we were going there. That was before I went to treatment and a lot of things I did back in those are very fuzzy memories. The main river I'm pretty sure I remember was the Dodge Branch, the Pecatonica, Blue Mounds, and several others in Iowa and Grant counties primarily. I used streamers with a fly rod or #2 Colorado spinners with my ultralight spin. One fall just before season closed we made a trip there and I got to watch 2 giant browns swim out, one to get a spinner, one to get a dace streamer. Those browns were the fattest I have ever seen or caught anywhere else. They both went just over 20" but weighed over 5#s. You have to remember the times were different back then and those fish were stuffed and baked like you'd do a turkey. Delicious. Once the initial crush of the stocked rainbow bait fishing was done we had a lot of room to fish back then and there were a lot of carryover fish plus 2-4# smallies.

[kfin 0]

Most of my smallie fishing was done via my canoe on the Kankakee River. It was still really clean back then, not sure now as I have not been to it in 14 years. Was a great way to spend a day for sure.

[add147 0]

I will be tying a Pheasant Tail Nymph on a size 18 hook. This will be my first attempt to tie on this small of a hook. My hooks have arrived today now I am just waiting on my 6/0 thread.

[DavidHE 0]

I'll be tying size 18 stimulators

[jd1983 0]

David - Excited to see what you make. I've only seen stimulators in the much larger sizes and I'd bet a size 18 will be fantastic.

[vicrider 0]

An 18 stimmie is out of my league. Even with a 1x or 2x long shank it would be hard to get everything on without ruining the stimulator look. I'm glad I joined to see this along with the other great little ones people will tie. Mine are ready to go, just have to get my butt to the PO before they close like they did today. Maybe tomorrow I'll make it on time. I stuck an extra little black gnat on there for those tailwater fish that like that kind of thing.