Chasing_Tails

Popcorn Shrimp Hook: Gamakatsu Live Bait Heavy, #4 Thread: Uni-Thread 6/0, Fire orange Tail: Select craft fur, tan Flash: Flashabou Holo, gold Legs: Sili-legs, brown/orange Body: Estaz, standard, peach Eyes: Bead chain, medium, black Weedguard: mono, 25lb

Happy to report mine came in on Saturday. Thank you for hosting.

I was born and raised about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh and fly fishing since I was 12, but mostly warmwater. Never went up there and left when I was 18 for college. Can't make up for the lost time fully, but I sure will try from now on any time I visit. Elk is a beautiful creek to fish. I am not one for combat fishing and it definitely does not get the pressure that is found on Walnut. I fished the same area last year and was quite successful as well. Didn't see quite as many fish this year as last, but I definitely couldn't complain.

Greaser Shrimp Hook: Octopus short shank, #1/0 Thread: Uni-Thread 6/0, Dk. brown Tail: Coyote tail Flash: Flashabou, pearl orange Eyes: Shrimp eyes, large Rear body: Estaz, standard, peach Legs: Sililegs, amber/gold flake Underbody: 7 wraps 0.020 lead free wire Body: EP 3D fiber, tan Weedguard: Hard mono, 25lb In aviation, a "greaser" is a near perfect landing where you barely know you have touched the ground. As the time of year where the redfish will begin moving up shallow on the mud flats with clear water, a near perfect presentation is required and any extra disturbance can send them quickly running back to the deeper water. This fly is designed to land very lightly on the water, and combining it with a long 12ft. leader makes it extremely stealthy, atleast until you want the redfish to see it right off it's nose.

Headed up to Pennsylvania for the week of Thanksgiving and was able to get out on the water for a day of chasing steelhead. Ended up fishing Elk Creek. Air temps were cold at 25 degrees but thankfully the wind that was forecast for the day never materialized. Had some snowfall during the day, but not bad conditions overall. Water was at a moderate level with just a bit of color. Rig for the day was a standard dual nymph rig on a 7wt. under an indicator with various colors of rubberleg stoneflies and an egg fly. Took a bit of time to find some productive holes but then ended up going 4 for 5 out of a single run. Sizes were average in the low to mid 20" range. The water temp was definitely down and the fish were a bit lethargic, but not impossible. This boy had been in the creek for a while...

I can't take credit for the idea, but here is an EZ squirmy: #14 curved caddis hook with a 1/8" tungsten bead: Add a thread bump 2/3rds back from the hook eye and a drop of superglue: Using 0.3mm wire as a threader, pass it through the bead and put the end of the squirmy in the loop: Wet the squirmy material and pull it through the bead: Add a thread bump in front to trap the bead, place a drop of superglue on the thread only, and trim the squirmy to length: Once the squirmy gets beat up just save the hook, cut the front thread bump off and thread another piece of squirmy through the bead, securing it with a new thread bump. Not as quick to change out as yours, but does keep the expensive bits.

Purple Demon Hook: O'shaughnessy hook, #1/0 Thread: Uni-Thread 6/0, purple Tail: Marabou, black and 4x saddle hackle, barred purple Flash: Flashabou, purple Body: UV Polar Chenille, purple UV Eyes: 3D molded 5/16", red Head: UV resin

Green mullet bucktail Hook: Mustad 3407, #1 Thread: Danville 3/0, gray Tail: Saddle hackle, red Body: Mylar tinsel, silver Rib: Wire 0.3mm, silver Wing: Bucktail, gray/olive/black Flank: Saddle hackle, grizzly Topping: Peacock herl Eyes: Stick on 1/8", yellow Head: UV resin In todays world where saltwater flies are primarily made up of synthetic materials, sometimes it is nice to get back to basics.

Good to see, Thanks. After the foam swap mail debacle I have been gun shy of the USPS...

Did you get mine, showed picked up at the post office on Monday?

Went back into the marsh creeks where I found a bunch of snook blowing up bait last week. They did not disappoint and ended up landing over a dozen up to 25 inches and hooked a real pig that broke me off and took my last schminnow.

Wurgler shallow running shrimp: Hook: Worm hook, #3/0 Thread: Uni-Thread 6/0, tan Mouthparts: Calftail, tan Eyes: Stonfo Shrimp eyes, small Antennae: Krystal Flash, gold Legs: Sili-legs, sand/gold barred Body: Cactus chenile, small, bonefish tan Main body: Ultra-hair, tan Shellback: UV resin Markings: Sharpie marker, brown Floating head: Craft foam, 2mm, orange This is a pattern I have been thinking about working up this week. It is built off of the "wurgler" design, but with the main body of the fly below the floating head providing a very shallow running fly that also gets a bit of a pop from the gurgler head. The shrimp portion is a variation of the ultra-shrimp and uses many of the same techniques. I have been using orange or bright green foam for the heads of these subsurface wurglers to act as an indicator on long casts in dirty water when trying to lead a cruising fish and knowing the precise location of the fly matters.

The Gifted Grouse: Hook: Mustad 3906 #10 Thread: Uni-Thread 6/0, Dk. brown Underbody: 0.015 lead wire (5 wraps) Tail: Ruffled grouse body feather Body: SLF Spikey Squirrel dubbing, natural fox Rib: Wire, 0.3mm, gold Thorax: SLF Spikey Squirrel dubbing, natural fox (dubbing loop) Wing: Ruffled grouse wing Hackle: Ruffled grouse body feather Head: Bone Dry UV resin I was going through some old materials and found a bunch of ruffled grouse I collected over 20 years ago. Figured it was time to put it to some good use.

Belly Flop Frog: Hook: Bass bug, 1/0 Thread: Danville 3/0, flouro. green Weedguard: 25lb mono Rear legs: Bucktail, Flouro. green/white Body: Craft foam, 2mm, bright green Front legs: Round rubber legs x3, green Eyes: 1/4" googly eyes Markings: Sharpie marker, black

Swimming crab: Hook: Standard length saltwater, 1/0 Thread: Uni-Thread 6/0, dk. brown Tail: Calf tail, brown Flash: Flashabou Holo, rootbeer Claw supports: 50lb mono Claws/body: Zonker Strip, black barred gold variant Eyes: Bead chain, large, black Body: Cactus chenille, pearl rootbeer Weedguard: 50lb mono Legs: Sili-legs, brown/orange glitter The goal of this pattern was to great a very flowy looking body. The legs are pushed down so they will fall vertically when stripped and provide a lot of movement.

I started much like you. My first company was Bass Bugger Flies, was back when I was 13. I was primarily a warm water fisherman so I began tying a lot of spun deer hair bugs. That became my specialty and got me in the door of quite a few shops. From there I connected with a few commercial suppliers for Umpqua and Orvis and began tying specialty flies for them as well. When I was 16 I was hired at the local fly shop. I fully agree with you about finding a niche market. It is incredibly difficult to compete with cheap foreign labor that crank out standard patterns by the millions for pennies on the dollar. Here are a few tips I learned along the way: 1) Only accept perfection. When commercial tying, every fly is expected. If I tied 12 dozen flies and one doesn't look right, it gets redone, even if it is only that 1 out of 144. 2) Learn how to be efficient. With any pattern run look at how you can minimize your efforts, plan your steps, prep your material, minimize the amount of picking up tools (I always wear my scissors on my right thumb so I never have to put them down), learn how to hand whip finish. Every little bit saves time and effort. 3) Learn the material, not the recipe. Don't always rely on a recipe. Look at how a material can be used in various ways. Think outside of the box. 4) Test, test, and test some more. Especially when working up custom flies, have a good understanding of fly design, how does the fly look in the water? how does it balance? How does it move? How does it cast? Sometimes a fly looks great, but just doesn't fish well. 5) Know your market. I started with spun deer hair because it was what I fished with for the species in my area (western Pennsylvania). As I expanded my fishing experience I also expanded on my tying capability as well. If you want to mostly focus on custom flies you have to understand the fishery they are used in. 6) Network. Go to shops and meet the regulars, the guides, the suppliers. Go to fly fishing/tying shows if available. You never know what kind of opportunities this can bring about. 7) Let your energy and enthusiasm show. People will notice your passion and that will grow into expertise.

Wurgler Super Shallow variant, mullet Hook: Worm hook, 1/0 Thread: Uni-Thread 6/0, white Wing: Slinky Fiber flash, black/UV gray/white Eyes: 3D molded 1/4, yellow Flash: Krystal Flash, red Minnow head coated in UV resin Head: Craft foam 2mm, white On breezy days it sometimes is more productive to have the fly just under the surface. The goal of this variant is to have the main body of the fly just below the surface, but with a floating head that gives a bit of pop.

Wurgler (worm hook gurgler), frog: Hook: Worm hook, 1/0 Thread: Uni-Thread 3/0, green Rear legs: Bucktail, green/white Body: Standard Estaz, pearl Front legs: Sili-legs, olive barred Head: 2mm craft foam, green Eyes: 1/4" googly eyes Markings: Sharpie marker, black Wurgler (worm hook gurgler), minnow: Hook: Worm hook, 1/0 Thread: Uni-Thread 6/0, white Tail: Bucktail, white Flash: Holographic Flashabou, silver Body: Standard Estaz, pearl/red Head: 2mm craft foam, white Eyes: Prismatic stick-on 1/4", silver Saw a post on another fly tying site of a gurgler he was working on using a bendback style hook. His idea was intriguing so I sat down and looked at refining the design. The foam body doubles as the floatation and also a weedguard.

The majority of the tarpon I have hit on fly are on top water (gurglers are my go to). What has always surprised if is the subtlety of the strike. More times than not they sip the fly off the surface without any flashy strike, just like a trout taking a dry fly.

Thank you. Wish I had a bit more light to really light the fish up. The spot that fish came from is a very special place. It is a small municipal pond off of a canal that flows from the river. It has a healthy population of tarpon up to 40-50lbs, snook, large mangrove snapper, black drum, and I even caught two juvenile goliath grouper a few years back (i wonder if they are still in there somewhere). Most people show up to try and catch bass, bluegills, or mullet, but a few of us know what really swims below the surface. Best part, it is less than 2 minutes from my front door...

The poon gods were good to me this evening. I was hoping to pull out the fly rod with a gurgler but the wind had the surface too roughed up for top water this evening. A live mullet under a float though did the trick. Definitely going to have to go back again this weekend.

Worm hook rattlin' shrimp: Hook: Gamakatsu worm hook, #2/0 Thread: Uni-Thread 6/0, tan Underbody: 0.025" lead wire Rattle: 4mm glass rattle Eyes: Shrimp eyes, large Tail: Slinky Fiber, mullet brown and Krystal Flash, tan Body: Estaz standard, peach Legs: Saddle hackle, tan grizzly Wing: Slinky Fiber, shrimp Markings: Sharpie marker, brown

Woven Dragonfly nymph, olive Hook: Mustad 79580, #8 Thread: Uni-Thread 6/0, olive dun Underbody: 0.2mm plastic card Tail: Goose biots, olive Body: Embroidery yarn, olive Wing cases: Thin skin, mottled bustard, olive Thorax: SLF Superbright dubbing, olive Legs: Turkey biots, olive Antennae: Goose biots, olive Eyes: Mono dumbell, medium, black

https://www.jsflyfishing.com/hareline-premium-hungarian-partridge-feathers

Mayfly nymph, brown: Hook: Mustad 79580, #10 Thread: Uni-Thread 6/0, brown Underbody: 0.015" lead Tail: Pheasant tail fibers, natural Body: Ostrich herl, brown Rib: Turkey biot, brown Thorax: Haretron dubbing, seal brown Wing case: Turkey tail Legs: Hungarian partridge, brown