McFlyLures

9 hours ago, Capt Bob LeMay said:

They commonly feed on small fry, glass minnows, etc — as well as shrimp, small crabs and worms etc.   

The only change I’d make for bones is to use a standard (or shorter) hook.

Oh yeah for sure, these are freshwater hooks.  Would bend on a bone I’m sure.  And that’s cool, never knew they are fish as well as shrimp.  

1 hour ago, Capt Bob LeMay said:

That Cypert would work just fine as a bonefish bug on bare sandy flats as well… Just lay it out in front of a feeding or pushing group of fish.  Allow it to settle then simply twitch it up a tiny bit when they’re close enough to see it.  They’ll do the rest.  That’s how we’ve been using Crazy Charlies for years…

Ya? I’ve always thought of bonefish as crustacean eaters.  Shrimp crabs but not small baitfish.  Although maybe this could imitate a shrimp in a way also.  

Oh I had no clue that the hair was this long!  Wow!

1 hour ago, Allan P said:

Years ago I had about 3 or 4 collars but I made the mistake of getting rid of them when I moved. Some shops sell peccary/javelina. 
Several things to note:

the hair takes dye easily

you can split almost every hair so that each resulting piece is half as thick and makes a great thin body

hair is very tough

hair does not need to be soaked and wraps easily

Depending where on the skin you get the hair, it can be used for tailing, feelers, bodies, legs or whatever you come up with.

Allan

 

 

 

Awesome thanks Allan, yeah it looks like good stuff and Ive seen some amazing flies tied with them, like flytier posted.  They look amazing!  I always wanted to try using it, just have had trouble finding it.  All the local fly shops around me are not big on materials.  I have to order most.  The only shop that has a good selection is like 2 hours north of me, which I rarely travel to.  Otherwise im stuck with bass pro and a very small tying section in the Orvis shop here at San Antonio.  Ill have to keep my eyes pealed out for it at the online shops I shop at.  

Being in Texas though you would think I could find Javelina skins somewhere.  I might have to schedule a Javelina hunt here soon to get my own.  What part of the body does the ones that flytier used in his flies come from?  

The Perdigon is a very popular euro nymphing fly that is pretty simple to tie and is very effective.  The tunsten bead makes for a heavy fly that reaches the bottom to where the trout are quickly and riding hook point up helps keep it from snagging on the bottom as easily.   When I moved to Texas, I noticed the perdigon worked well also for sunfish, crappie and bass.  So I decided to work at making a small version to mimic some of the other food sources these fish target, namely small fish fry.  While not as easy or quick to tie as the regular perdigon, it is rather quick.  And speed could be increased if you dont worry as much about the fancy eyes.  Heck just a simple dot of black resin by the front of the fly could do it also.  And that would be much quicker than worrying about the eyes. 

This fly also can be tied in a number of different colors.  Just change up thread color, bead color, flash color and tail color.  The resin comes in a number of different colors also and you can swap out colors to make different designs as well.  You can also tie it with different tail materials and more options and also a host of different fly sizes.  Just get creative and have fun.  

After posting some pictures of these on Instagram I had someone comment on the pictures telling me these closely resemble some flies tied by foppazonker on Instagram.  I looked and sure enough they are quite close.  So I want to give credit where credit is due, it seems like this fly has been tied by someone else in the past.  Or at least a similar fly.  I did not know of this tier before posting those pictures, however I feel I should mention his as they are similar.  Go check out his instagram if you wish, he has some pretty cool patterns on there.  

I’ve had trouble finding it.  Where are you getting it?  Do you need to soak it in warm water like other quills?

This fly is something Im calling a brush minnow.  I am positive something similar or exact has been tied before so I am not saying I came up with the pattern, but it is something I tie quite often.  Both for myself, and for many of my customers.  A smaller version is one I tie for Ryan Sause down in Florida to fish for some baby tarpon.  He finds the tarpon there where he wades target small little baitfish.  He wants something durable but also not too expensive.  So once a brush is made, I can tie 5 or more of these flies and get them done very quickly for him which reduces the cost of the fly.   

Its quite simple to tie.  Basically once you make the brush (or you can buy one) you just tie in the tail portion, then wrap the brush up the body and its done!  Of course you can fancy it up with some eyes which I usually do.  It also works well in much larger sizes as well, however if you tie it much larger than I did here on this video, make sure you add a bit of more stiff material under the tail like bucktail so it wont foul on the hook as craft fur is very soft.  But of course this makes for a very life filled fly that moves with the current and flows well when stripped.  

Go check out Ryan's Instagram where he posts pictures of a wide range of different fish species he catches.  From bass, to tarpon, to even tilapia, and peacock bass.  Florida has a lot of different species, and he sure does seem to hook so many awesome different ones.  Go to instagram and search for - fishing_with_sause

Prince Nymphs have been around for quite some time.  Originally designed by Doug Prince in 1930 (at least from what I found online), it has been a fly that has worked well even to this day.   While they aren't the easiest nymph to tie, they really aren't too difficult when you get the hang of them, and you can fill a box in a day or two.  They really do work well even though they dont look like anything specific.  More of an attractor pattern in my opinion, they still seem to get bites.  Every nymph fisherman should at least have a few in their boxes of varying sizes.  These can be tied in large to small sizes, Id say probably size 10-18.  Under size 18 they start to get kinda difficult, but with some major skill and practice maybe you can get even smaller.  

While these are specifically made to fish for trout, I have caught a fair share of sunfish and bass on them, and even heard of people using them for catfish and carp of all species.  

On 3/14/2022 at 3:22 PM, RickZieger said:

Works well for me.

 

Rick 

Awesome 

This originally was developed by Charlie Cypert for fishing South Texas white bass runs.  It can also be used well with sunfish, bass and crappie.   You can add some lead to get it down faster, or even some heavier dumbbell eyes if you choose.  However traditionally it is tied with bead chain eyes.  Its a very simple pattern that can be tied in a number of different color combos and you can fill a box quickly.   I would call this a guide style fly, that allows someone to make many flies in a short amount of time with low cost materials.   You can tie these in a number of different sizes as well.  

Crabs and shrimp are a staple food source for fish like the Redfish, black drum, pompano, and other popular saltwater sport fish.  These are fun fish to catch while fishing flats as you can sight cast to them while they are eating.  I fish a lot for redfish down in the Gulf of Texas and the reds down there love eating crabs.  Most crabs are difficult to tie, but when you get them down they can work really really well.  

This crab fly has worked really well for me and my closest fishing buddies for fishing redfish in the Gulf of Mexico.  It is a great representation of a blue crab, but can mimic other crab species if you want to tie it in other colors.  It sits on the bottom in a defensive stance which make it look like a crab trying to use its pinchers against a redfish or other crustacean eater.  They aren't easy to tie and definitely aren't quick, but do work well.  So give it a try. 

2 hours ago, WWKimba said:

No problem and the only time I have had a slipping issue is when I have tied the fly and tried to overtighten the whip.  Thank you for sharing as well!  This pattern, the Mop fly and it's versions and even Josephine Sedlecky-Borsums Hot Mustard all have seen their share of haters.  If a fly is TOO simple to tie and catches fish TOO easily then tyers and fishers seemed polarized.  I always thought tying was about tying a fly that catches fish!?

Kim

I totally agree

3 hours ago, WWKimba said:

I like this fly pattern.  Have you ever seen Al Campbell's version?  The way his ties it doesn't matter what the thread color is.  Check out "Too Simple San Juan Worm - Fly Angler's OnLine (flyanglersonline.com) and let me know what you think.

Kim

Yeah that’s another way to do it also, interesting. I wonder though how well that holds together.  I think the color of the thread isn’t all that important since most people have red thread, or at least a red sharpie to color the thread, and I do think the version I tied is a little easier but I haven’t tried that version so it’s based only on what I think it would be.  Btw, this version I did isn’t “my version” it’s been around for a while.  I still think I prefer the one I usually do.  However it’s cool to see some other techniques also.  Thanks for sharing 

The San Juan Worm is a divisive fly.  Some love fishing with it, others think its an abomination.   However no one can deny its effectiveness in certain situations.   The traditional way of tying these is to just tie the chenille in two points, and not wrap around the hook, however I find wrapping it makes it look more like an earthworm, and gives it more durability and less chance to spin around the hook shank.   

This fly is one of the more easy to tie flies.  It requires very little materials, and you can fill a box in a short amount of time.  Once you get in a grove, you can pump these out in very little time.   I have tied up to 30 in an hour, even with this style which takes just slightly longer than the traditional San Juan Worm.  You can also tie these in a number of different colors.  I know people who fish them in white, red (like you see here and most common), olive, black, brown, pink, chartreuse and much much more.   
 

1 hour ago, SilverCreek said:

Did you know Peggy Harrell? 

She is one of the best female fly fishers I have ever met. I met her many years ago along with Chuck when she used to work at for him at Rizzutos. Those were good times.

I don’t recall that name no.   

4 hours ago, SilverCreek said:

For historical context, here is a Fly Fisherman magazine article on Mark Engler, inventor of the WD-40

https://www.flyfisherman.com/editorial/mark-engler-the-man-who-created-the-wd-40/151699

https://duranglers.com/mark-englers-wd-40-nymph/

 

 

Yeah, I met that guy.  Very nice man, very great fisherman.  Ive seen a few videos on him tying it.  He used to with a straight hook from what I remember.  Also I think rabbit fur dubbing instead of synthetic.  But man, he could bust these out quickly!   I used to work at a fly shop on the San Juan River.  I lived right near Duranglers also and stopped in there all the time.  He was always very nice when I met him.  

WD-40s are probably one of the most widely used baetis emerger and midge pupa patterns.   The key to their success is not just their effectiveness in catching fish, but mostly because they are very easy and quick to tie.  You can tie dozens in an hour, and therefor it has become one of the most widely used guide flies for western tailwaters.  These guides in many summer months will have a customer every single day, many of which loose a bunch of their flies.   When they get home, after pulling up the boat and getting things organized for the next day, they need to tie more flies for the next day or week.   They only have a few hours to tie, and therefor need to tie up some quick patterns so they can fill up boxes with flies that the customers lost.   This is where the term "guide style fly" came from.  Almost entirely easy and quick to tie flies that plain work in catching trout.   

The simplicity of the WD-40 also gives another benefit.  The ability to tie these very very small.  I have tied these down to size 26 before.  Now not all rivers require small flies, but some rivers, especially western tailwaters, do require smaller flies to get bites.  And the more simple the fly, the easier it is to tie them small.  

A customer of mine sent me a video and asked if I could tie the fly for him.  It was interesting enough so I said I would.  I liked the fly so much that I decided to make a video on it to show you all how to tie it.  Now I am not the originator of this fly, but I believe the person making this video is...    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cces2jWlEOc  You can go check his video out if you want, it is quite informative.   He did a few things differently than I did.  First, he used a different dubbing for the tail section.  His was Lazar dub, I used a more flashy dubbing.   He also didnt make cutouts for the eyes, instead used an eye with a protrusion on the back so it stuck into the foam.  I think the cutout, while takes longer, looks nicer and is more durable.  But its up to you.  

Now, I had tied it in the same colors he did, red/white.  However I believe this fly could do really well in many other color combos.  Like Chartreuse and white, chartreuse and pink, black and blue, brown and orange, etc.  Just get creative and make it your own.  

10 minutes ago, skeet3t said:

Stonefly is close enough. Have a population around these parts.

 

It can be tied to any coloration to mimic local stonefly populations for sure.  Give it a try.  

The stonefly is a staple food source for many trout around the world.  Not all river systems or lakes have them in there, but when they are present, trout cannot turn down such a large meal.  These Biot stoneflies work really well as a golden stonefly imitation, but I have seen them tied in black, brown, olive and more.  So get creative with them.  They aren't the easiest to tie, but they are heavy so they will sink well, and work wonderfully as a lead fly to bring down a lighter fly behind it.  That is if you are fishing a tandem fly system.   They also seem to get more bites than some other patterns ive fished as well.  

Once you get the hang of these though, they really aren't too hard to tie.  And you do not have to double up the lead the same way I did here.  If you want to tie it lighter, you could also use another material instead of lead to widen up the abdomen.  In fact I have seen some people use pre cut pieces of plastic over the hook to get a wider abdomen.  All the rest would be tied the same way.  

To be honest I dont even know the real name of this fly.  I call it the Biot Stonefly but, Im sure there is another name for it.  If any of you know, please let me know in the comment section.  

Materials
____________
Hook:  Risen 200r (size 10)
Thread:  Veevus 10/0 (brown)
Bead:  Risen Counter Sunk Tunsten Bead (size 3.25, gold)
Biots:  Turkey Biot Quill (yellowish tan)
Dubbing:  Hareline, Hares Ear (natural)
Lead:  Lead Wire (0.010, and 0.015)
Marker:  Colored Sharpie (brown)
Wing Case:  Turkey Tail Feather (cinnamon tip)
Legs:  Hen Saddle (small, brown/speckled)
Glue:  Loctite Brush On
Thin Resin:  Solarez Ultra Thin
Thick Resin:  Solarez Medium

On 1/14/2022 at 2:59 PM, mikechell said:

I didn't watch the video, but based on the picture, it'd probably work if you put it in front of a trout, too.

Yeah probably for sure, especially stocked trout 

On 1/13/2022 at 6:21 PM, niveker said:

Nice, @McFlyLures  I like that wing pad or whatever it is made with a clump of hair, don't think I've seen that before.  

Yeah the original tier I think was onto something here.  Let me know how it works for ya.  

On 1/13/2022 at 2:24 PM, tmrkr said:

Great looking fly that I will have to try making.

It’s pretty simple, tie up a few.   

On 1/13/2022 at 10:04 AM, skeet3t said:

A fish-getter, for sure. I never tie with legs as it is frustrating when little fish grab the leg and pull on the fly, making a false take. I do this mainly with poppers and some other flies. My trout water has loads of little shiners that make you think you have a trout but nothing when you set the hook. BTW, the do this with dry flies, too. If it's a store bought fly or popper, the legs are clipped off.

Good to know, yeah sunfish are like little piranhas….  

The bream killer fly pattern was requested by one of my subscribers a while back. I decided to give it a go, and it seems like a pretty good pattern. Somewhat simple to tie, and im sure it will be effective. I can see more than just sunfish, bluegill, and crappie eating this though. I suspect bass, and other warm water fish should eat it as well.