cornmuse

I'm in for two. I'll take one in Pine and one in Maroon.

Joe C.

Skip Morris designed the Morrisfoam Predator as a dragonfly nymph imitation with the intent that this floating fly be fished on a sinking line. If you haven't fished a fly in this manner, this is a good place to start. The Morrisfoam Predator is the fifth in a series of monthly featured fly patterns accompanied by streaming video with step-by-step instruction. Designed for lake dwelling trout, this fly is an awesome producer of largemouth, bluegill, crappie and white bass in warm water lakes and ponds. Give it a try!

There is a link at Fly Fish Ohio that will take you directly to the BUFF (Buckeye United Fly Fishers - an FFF affiliate club) site where this feature is hosted. You'll also find an archive of the other patterns in the series.

Tight lines,

Joe C.

Anyway, I personally use the claws as a way of creating action. My claws don't stick out to the sides and they are streamlined with the rest of the fly for the exact reason you mentioned. I wont fish flies like clouser's crayfish, they are just to "stiff" for my liking. IMO the bass are simply attracted to the action of the claws as it comes swimming by.

We're actually imitating the same things. When the rabbit strips fold, they imitate the folded legs and claws, not the defensive posture. It's stiff claws that remain open and hard that kill the effectiveness of the fly. You see, we actually agree

:hyst:

Joe C.

Nicely done, Will! :headbang: That should fish nicely.

I agree with you regarding lighter body colors for crayfish imitations. Shedders and soft-craws are almost translucent with a light gray and orange cast to them. As they harded they darken significantly.

At this time of the year, try red painted dumbell eyes to imitate the eggs on the female craws.

Regarding claws, that's the last thing you want to accurately imitate on a crayfish fly. When a crayfish is startled it folds all its appendages together and swims backwards. The claws are not noticeable. Only a defensive posture from a male exhibits the chelea - and that is the least desireable posture for a crayfish to be in. Females have smaller, less developed chelea and it's a well researched fact that smallmouth are selective towards crayfish between 1 and 3 inches long, with small claws and in a soft shell state. The bigger the smallmouth, the more selective they will be towards these parameters (interestingly, the larger the smallmouth, the larger the baitfish they are selective towards. If you are fishing a streamer fly for smallies make it a BIG one!).

Regarding lead eye placement, this is one fly where you actually want the eyes close to the eye of the hook. The idea is two-fold. First, make the length of the fly as squared as possible to imitate the carapace of a crayfish. Second, make the "tail" of the crayfish (the eye of the hook) dip towards the bottom first. These animals swim backwards so they always approach the bottom tail first.

Again, nice job on the fly. I expect the next pic will be some big, tiger-striped beauty from a local creek. This will be a nice weekend to get out.

Joe C

The Crease Fly (that's what it is, indeed) is the creation of Joe Blados. There are now cutting jigs available to get the foam just the right size and shape. I believe the fly was originally designed for striped bass fishing on the mid-Atlantic coast and quickly spread to the gulf coast where it is something of a hot pattern for redfish. I first used them for schooling black bass on Florida's Puzzle Lake about 5 years ago and they are a killer pattern.

For something completely different, try fishing a Crease Fly on a sinking or sink tip line. I fish a size 1/0 on a modified Teeny T300 (cut back to 18 foot head) and an 8wt rod for hybrid sunshine bass, smallmouth and largemouth here in Ohio. Under water the fly fishes much like a Rapala. It's a very productive and versatile pattern.

Joe C.

I just posted the first installment of "Fly Box Porn". Fly Box Porn will take you there. The article is a profile of Mike Schmidt's smallie streamer box. It features seven "must-have" patterns. Check it out.

Joe C.

I think you're onto something, Mike. Nice fly to slow drift using a circle hook. I'd even experiment with a second tube to stack on that one to give it more bulk and motion when extra depth is needed. Put on a crayfish "head" and augment with two or three diferent sized and weighted "bodies".

I can see this becoming a "smallmouth bass kit" with a small selection of singe and double hooks, two sizes of "heads" in one or two shades, two "bodies" on different weight tubes and perhaps in two shades. One little four comparment snap box and you'd be able to carry a crayfish to respond to almost any condition.

Joe C.

I'm thinking big bluegills at Conesville. It might be a bit early, but I'm even thinking of making a run for in on Friday. Time for a vacation day, and that fly just convinced me I'll be fishing for bluegills.

Joe C.

I saw R. Vernon "Gaddabout" Gaddis fly fishing on television one Saturday. I knew I had to do that. I was about 7 when this happened. Starting tying "flies" that very day. Took a year to get a real fly rod. By 12 I was building them. No one in my family fly fished at all, we all meat-fished in the salt for flouder, cod, pollack, mackeral and tautog. In fact, few in my extended family even fished fresh water. None for trout other than those stocked for the local Fishin' Derby.

I got into that, too and signed on as a charter member of the newly formed Cape Cod chapter of Trout Unlimited. This would have been in 1974 or so. That means a fly rod and my Thompson Model B vice (still have it and still works just fine making for a nice $6.95 investment) have been in my angling arsenal for 32 years or so. I hope I have as many left!

Joe C.

The streaming video and instructions for The Modern Thief have been posted on the Buckeye Fly Fishers web site. There's a link from the landing page of Fly Fish Ohio. The Modern Thief is my variation on Dan Gapens Thief - a fly which itself was a variation on Don Gapen's Muddler Minnow. Its a productive early season smallmouth bass fly, easy to tie and easy to fish. A good choice for rock bass, largemouth and even white bass when they're hugging the bottom during the spring runs. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Joe C.

Cabela's sells some from Blue Sky Fly Fishing or something like that. Anybody know anything about them? Would these be a good one to try to see if I like it?

Blue Sky is the first furled leader I tried. Excellent product. Highly recommended if you want to start out with a purchased solution. There are a number of on-line sales venues now. I think the Blue Sky went for about $14 and lasted me 4 seasons of pretty regular use.

Joe C.

I can't vote! You didn't put in soft hackles!!! :baby:

Joe C.

Joe, got your flies today. Awesome pigboats!!! Man, I really like the color combination you chose.

I'm glad they finally got there. I mailed them after my last email and they ended up back in my mailbox. Evidently the stamps fell off :dunno: - my wife swears she put postage on them! Anyway, a couple more stamps and it looks like the USPS comes through again. What a wonderful service they run!

I love grape for largemouth, and I've found smallies are fond of the whole Kookaid color thing, too! I tied them a bit smaller than I usually toss them, I figured some folks would freak out at a size 3/0 freshwater fly! I never found a bass that wouldn't eat something half its size, though!

Thanks for hosting the swap and sorry about my tardiness. I'm on my way to yet another trade show. 15 of my last 20 nights have been spent in hotels. :crying: :crying: :crying: I need to win the lottery!!!!!!! Get a new job!!!! Anything!!!!

Joe C.

Ok guys here is a newbe question! What are they? (I think I kind of know I saw some at ridderbos's tonight) and why? When you say "turn over a fly" Do you mean on you back cast? Help me out here Im interested

I just posted a review of a furled fluorocarbon leader and an overview of furled leaders in general at FFOhio. There's a link on the landing page. The article includes links to several web sites that give explicit instructions for how to make your own. This might answer your question. Just click the link in my sig file.

Joe C.

Okay, it's been a whirlwind day. Packed up for 5 days at a trade show - 15 of the next 20 "on the road". No fishing for me :crying: :crying: except next Monday if the flight gets in on time and my wife is late coming home from work :dunno: Managed to deliver a pit sofa arrangement to my son's apartment, clean the house and finish all the paperwork I need to do before I hit the airport.

Anyway, got the dozen pigboats done, packaged and ready to ship. But I don't know where to send them!!!! :hyst:

I'm leaving in an hour for Vegas. Back Sunday night about 7PM. Email the addy to [email protected] and I'll get my wife to put them in the mail. Thanks and sorry about the delay. This has been the weirdest winter!!!! I just can't seem to keep up with everything coming together at the same time!!!

Joe C.

Beauty, Alec. This is a pattern on my list to try for Ohio River wipers in a month or so. That is if the river is below flood level by then!!!! Wow, did it come up fast - highest water I've seen locally in more than a year!

Joe C.

I don't know what size Will ties'em on, but I tie double bunnies for smallmouth on a 4/0 4xl Sealy Octopus light wire hooks. The finished fly is about 4" long and casts like a wet cat :bugeyes: but it is definitely in the size range smallmouth bass like. Several studies have shown that LARGE smallmouth are very selective towards their meals and actively select for crayfish between 2 and 3 inches long with under-develope chelea - and for baitfish more than 5 inches long! If you want a sense of perspective, hold up a 1/8 ounce buzzbait (great size for smallies) next to your "typical" streamer.

Joe C.

Hey guys

Sorry I was running late. I've got about a billion things on my plate all at once and I'm leaving for 15 days of travel in the next 20 for work on Tuesday. I finished up my flies last week, but I didn't get them mailed out till yesterday. Mike, they're heading for you first class mail, you should see them tomorrow or the day after.

Joe

Sorry!!!! I'm late on all kinds of things this month. I'm late with Redwings pike swap, late with this swap, behind on my article deadlines, etc... And I've got the flu just to top it all off!!!! :crying:

I promise I'll get a boatload of pigboats out this week!!!

Joe C.

Jim Stuard, the producer and editor of these efforts, tells me the whole podcast thing is pretty hot :dunno: - We're going to try explore that media as a way to demonstrate fly fishing and fly tying techniques. We'll parallel release the fly tying videos we're creating for the Buckeye United Fly Fishers in streaming Real Audio with a downloadable podcast in Windows Media and Quicktime right here on The Fly Tying Forum (thanks for hosting this project, Will). That way you can select whether its easier for you to get a lower bandwidth streaming feed or download the full 20/30 Mb file here. The podcast files are definitely producing a better image and sound quality, IMHO.

The Simple Shad and the James Wood will soon join the Sparrow in the list of flies available here. Jim and I will be filming the next few flies in the series over the next couple of weeks. I'm trying to focus on tying primarily warm water fly patterns for the remainder of this year. Of course, no fly pattern is exclusive to any one environement or technique.

Upcoming flies include the Thief- a variation of the Muddler Minnow - and a variation of the Thief that I call The Modern Thief (a great smallmouth bass fly, btw). This will be for April. For May we'll be presenting The Predator, a Skip Morris foam pattern that is great on-top for 'gills and bass or fished, as intended, on a sinking line as a dragon fly nymph imitation. For June the fly will be the Roderick Haig-Brown Steelhead Bee as modified for warm water applications - just in time for those warm, early summer evening outings.

Along the way we may play around with some on-the-water technique sets demonstrating different rigging and presentation ideas for warm water rivers, creeks, lakes and ponds. I'm not sure exactly how this will all evolve, but it should be an interesting ride! :thumbsup:

Let us know if you have any particular requests or suggestions.

Thanks!

Joe C.

The tying instructions, patterns and streaming video of The James Wood Bucktail has been posted at the Buckeye Fly Fishers web site. This is the third in my series of streaming fly tying videos. Check it out - this is a great springtime smallmouth and largemouth fly.

Joe C.Buckeye Fly Fishers

I've been remiss in sending in my pattern. I'll do a classic Pig Boat in black with a trailer hitch.

Joe C.

sparkleminnow WOW that is sweet!!!! You should do a hatches article!!!!!

I think he just did! Fabulous! I really want to try this, this is a hot looking fly rod lure.

I love the old fly rod plugs and spinners - this is a contemporary adaptation of one of the most traditional American bass fly fishing artificials made. I'd love to see more folks discuss some of the fly rod "alternatives" they fish with. I enjoy spinner flies, fly rod spoons and soft plastics when the occassion merits. In fact, a recent read of the 1947 Byron Dalrymple book on panfish has me jonesing for a day of drifting redworms on my fly rod for sunfish just like I used to do! :devil:

Making a few of these is definitely on my overcrowded and hopelessly optimistic "To Do" list for preseason!

Joe C.

I'm all set up. Bagged the materials - enough for a few different "flavors" of Calcasiue Pig Boat including a flat wing version of the Albino Serpent. I'm tying at 1PM. Also bringing materials for Foxee Clousers, Mixed Media and Troth Bullhead - I'm obsessing with bass flies! I'll be in the tying ring from 12 till 4. At the TOSA or CAOG both before.

If it weren't for the show tomorrow, I'd be hunting stipers. Good cold spell and ideal weather for those guys -they love to make it tough!

See you all at the show!

Joe C.

It really depends on the size of the hook and the type of mono you're using. I use 20lb Mason Hard Mono and it works like a champ. The trick is the diameter - it should be about the same as the hook shank.

Joe c.