White Ghost – Tubefly

My last fly for the season, unless I find I am short something for spring trout. My adaption of the white ghost fly (for brown trout) on a tube. The wing is fox, with some amherst fibers

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Drunken Monkey

I use our naming (daughter and I) for my variants of the Banana and Nasty Banana Fly.

The key ingredients and some notes on variances:

• Always a copper tube
• Tube Body is a combination – two or three – of:
  • Copper Braid
  • Natural Orange to Copper Floss
  • Dubbing – Seal usually, but will use Ice Dub, from Yellow to Orange
  • Yellow Synthetic Tail, such as Fish Hair
  • Hackle
• Wings – all applied in progressive darker tones-colours
  • Optional: Stiff Underwing, like Polar Bear
  • Arctic Fox – 2 to 4 applications. At least the first wing is tied in reverse
  • Throat after each wing – except the last – in progressive darker tone-colours
  • Will use long synthetic fibers, such as Steve Farrar Blend after Wing 1
• Top-sides:
  • Peacock Herl or Amherst
  • Jungle Cock

I present side and top vies, from yellow to orange to yellow-olive:

Yellow to Orange

Dark

The spectrum ….

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Fox Teardrop Fly SBS

Quick instructions, but note not all fur is equal, so you must adjust to the fur in hand.

Protube with a drop weight to push the fur up. I will also use a combination of bullet and drop weights.

This was a beautiful *long* sunburst fox from FoxyTails, and wanted to use its long length. The fur was well combed out.

On top is 3 strands of orange krystal flash, and there is a gap on the under side.

A short Fiery Orange with yellow tips is reverse tied in on top, with butts cut in taper.

I found this fur to short and thin, so I have added a “bottom”.

And then tied in reverse at top and bottom more fiery orange. I trimmed the butts, but I left a substantial bulk head to head form the shape.

Now, I begin to use saliva to shape and inspect the form.

** remember after each section, whip finish and cement.

Now, I am adding the finish deep red for the head, and again in a reverse tie.

To help, I am using small hair clips to hold the hair and fur back.

Help set the shape with saliva, and again whipfinish and cement the head.

Add in Amherst Center Tail. Use the trick to slide in multiple fibers under one wrap, and re-position to keep the head size small.

Again, shape, secure, whip-finish and cement.

Final finish – add Jungle-Cock, trim and cement.

Dried and allow to set.

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TeardropTube Flies – Arctic Fox

In anticipation of this season and also looking for large predatory trout, I complete these teardrop tube flies, where I have blended a graduation of 3 tones of arctic fox. Attached is a sample of the flies tied.

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As below, a few flies have a front hackle and jungle cock eyes, but most are only dressed with dyed Amherst Tail fibers.
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Post release update, in response to the Qs that I use these flies for trout, I present these flies in comparison to one of Kelly Gallop’s large trout streamer flies.

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Francis Fly (blue variant)

Taking inspiration from NordicAngler’s quick Francis Tie, I have taken this pattern and applied the following variances:

• Blue – one of my preferred colours for winter steelhead
• Protube Dropweights (hence, the taper is reversed) with blue baked enamel on it.

Recipe:

• Inspriration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8B8b9ZDlHY
• Protube Dropweight – Baked Blue Enamel
• Krystal Flash
• Rooster Hackle – stripped with clipped ends
• Arctic Fox Tail – dyed to suit
• Hen or Spey Hackle – dyed to suit.
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• Tied in “the round”

It is a simple tie, but the time is spent in generating the colours you want.

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Leader and Tippet Material – IMHO

As an (fly) fishing enthusiast, engineer, experimenter who fishes many waters, I have developed …

• Preference for making my own leaders
• Preference for specific materials

Why I tie leaders?

🙂 I now can make a good blood knot – consistently – so it is not a frustrating endeavour. Yes, I can make a Uni to Uni knot, but I prefer the blood knot.

Many commercial leaders fall short of what I believe is important. Examples:

1. The bonefish standard 9′ leader is too long for very windy days and too short for all other days, so I make my own.
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2. The standard 3′ tippet on a pre-made leader is too weak to turn a heavy bass fly, and if you are fishing for pike, you need to add a bite tippet. Typically, I am looking for a fast 7.5′ stiff leader.

In summary, there are no waters or conditions where a standard mono-filament commercial leader is better than a hand tied leader? Maybe equal, but never better.

When do I use (buy) commercially made leaders?

1. Airflo Polyleaders for Scandi spey lines – intermediate or sinking versions. I will typically tied on Seaquar Blue 12# or Maxima Chameleon 12# as the final leg (tippet) to the fly.
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2. For trout, uni-thread furled leaders form Streamside. I have meant to try one of these leaders for bonefish, but have not yet done so. I will either use a fine Seaquar Blue# or RIO PowerFlex 5x for my final tippet.
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   I really like to build a board and try my hand as long spey leader, but that will be another time, when my project list is much smaller.
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3. Hand tied French Leader from FishOn with a fine Seaquar Blue tippet added. This or the Hends Camo French Leader maybe the exception, where the leader is better than what I currently can tie.
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4. If you are looking for a floating Spey Leader, I would also recommend the hand tied leaders from Doaks of New Brunswick.

So tying my own leaders is no righteous cause, it is just that I make a better leader, than commercial brands available today.

Materials that I use

RIO Hard Saltwater

Makes for a good stiff butt and (for me) easier to knot that Mason. Here I will make a plug for Deneki’s Bruce Chard Video (on YouTube) for hints on tying and cinching down on the knot.

My collection is just to build the stiff butt and mid-sections of leaders, though I will use this line also to build mono-filament eyes for flytying,

Other tips:

• If you use Mason, buy it in the large loose coils.
• For making eyes:
  • • EP is using a hard 0.024 monofilament, which can also accept a seed bead, but
    • I have updated my preference to RIO Hard 12# 0.015 is my preference for a seed bead eye, but this is linked to my preference for a fine eye stalk with a small black pupil that does not hinder the sead bead from shining through.

A Flats Fiend Fly, using Polar Bear.

Seaguar Blue

I ran through several competitors fluorocarbon material before I settle on Seaquar Blue Fluorocarbon as being reliable. I will use their material from butt to fine tippet and my kit reflects this.

As recently reported (blogged) for Bonefishing, a long tippet may be necessary, but rarely is a fine tippet needed (or helpful). There is a valid argument a fine tippet may be harmful for turn-over, so my Bonefish flies will typically terminate at 12#.

I have found for most bass flies, tube flies for salmon and traditional flies for steelhead, that a 12# tippet is ‘just right’. I may have finer Seaquar in my kit for trout fishing (dry flies, nymphs and wet flies), but as of today, 12# is my default tippet.

If I had to reduce and simplify my kit, I would focus on keeping Seaquar Blue, and eliminate the hard nylon.

I also use the finer lines to create segments in fly bodies, when I am tying flies.

For trout flies, especially nymphing, this is good line.

Maxima Chameleon

Abrasion tolerance, a slickness great for tying knots and nice stiff line that helps to present the fly makes this is my other goto tippet (for spey fishing).

I do * really * like Maxima Chameleon at greater than 10#, and I have expanded my kit to build leaders for spey casting by adding 30#, 25#, 20#, and 15#.

Conversely, I am not fond of Maxima’s product at a weight listing of 10# or less, as I have observe break-off rate is high, as we progress to tippets below 10#. I will keep 10# and 8# for trout leaders, but will frequently use Seaquart Blue at 10# or less.

As noted in my blog, and may other reviewers, you find that Maxima understates its actual diameter. Maxima is typically “bigger” than posted.

Hint: If you are tying a lot, consider buying large spools (200 yards/m), versus smaller tippet spools.

RIO Powerflex

When I want monofilament tippet, typically the tippet onto a furled leader, I will use RIO’s PowerFlex. 5x is sufficient to keep, and if I need heavier I will revert back to Seaquar.

I rarely travel to water where finer than 5x is required, and if the occasion comes up, I will buy a spool of 6x locally.

There is a good argument for 3x and 4x, if you are fishing big dry flies, but I have had no issues with using Seaquar Blue for dries as well.

Sunset Amnesia Red

As a sighter, built into a leader, especially if you are nymphing, I will use 12# (or 15#) and 25#. Not easy to locate, but it is a good line to have in your kit – it is easy to sight, stiff, knots well and presents itself straight.

If is recognized as a good monofilament shooting line, and I expect a clear version would build excellent leaders.

If you are looking for an alternative, you could consider Siglon F Fluorescent. Many of the lines focus on CenterPin fishing are high quality products.

Beadalon 49 Strand 0.024 Bead Stringing Wire

Just right – flexible, stiff and strong enough a musky will not bite through. This material is also used in my fly-tying for extended bodies, trailers, et cetera.

I have in my kit, Knot 2 Kinky Wire, but I have not tested it.

For extended flies, such as the Scuplzilla, where the stiffness of Beadalon is “too stiff”, I will use SpiderWire 30#. But this spool remains indoors and never ventures out onto the water.

Reference Table of my Kit

And the table of material I keep on hand, listed in accordance to the published diameter. I would note Maxima is usually larger than stated, while the differential between 25# and 20# Seaquar Blue is greater than 0.001″, but this tight grounding is a function of rounding.

Diameter	RIO Hard	Seaquar Blue	Maxima	RIO PFlex
0.029”
0.028”		50#
0.027”	30#
0.026”
0.025”
0.024”	25#	40#
0.023”
0.022”			30#
0.021”	20#
0.020”		30#	25#
0.019”
0.018”	16#
0.017”		25#	20#
0.016”		20#
0.015”	12#		15#
0.014”
0.013”		15#	12#
0.012”			10#
0.011” 0x		12#
0.010” 1x			8#
0.009” 2x		10#
0.008” 3x		8#
0.007” 4x		6#
0.006” 5x		4#		5#

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Streamers – tube bunnies

And with the exception of my black flies, this is the gamut of tube bunny colours that I use.

For fly-fishing, I like to throw dry flies, but if the fish are not eating off the surface, I am more likely to move to streamers or wet-flies, versus the effective (efficient) nymph techniques that has been so well refined in the past 20 years.

I will catch fewer fish, but I seem to enjoy the hunt more, with throwing that large streamer in the pool or pocket, searching for that aggressive fish.

So what flies are critical to me, in this pursuit.

1. Sculpzilla – Size 8
2. Marabou Muddles – Size 4-6
3. Conehead Muddles – Sizes 10-6
4. Tube Bunnies – Tube flies <5cm.

There are other great flies out there – think the Deceiver, Clouser Minnow and anything articulated from Kelly Galloup.  If I was going to add more flies into my box, it would be a Clouser for mid-summer crawfish imitation or Galloups’s Heifer or Dungeon for the good big or go home events.

One observation from our last fishing trip – in soft water where you are stripping in flies – the rear weighting of a tube fly can result in an unnatural pause as the fly slides back with the rear hook weight. It is important to have weight in the head of the fly in these situations.

So here is how I tie my trout tube bunnies for soft water, where the fly may not always be under tension, when presented to the fish. (The alternative is to tie on a Sculpzilla). (Please note that I am experimenting with using an iPhone 6 as my camera for this SBS).

Using the Protube System, put on a medium bullet weight.

Secure your thread, as bulk is important (or lack of it), I am using Danville Flymaster 6/0.

Attach the X-Cut Rabbit for the under belly, at the front of the weight.  Sorry, for the picture, I am also showing a waste piece extending on the far side. This is not necessary.

Using a Magnum (wide) Rabbit strip for the top, cut a 6cm strip,  Trim the tail end to form a blunt taper. This provides for a more natural profile, when being fished.

Leaving 3cm for the rear, wet the front of the rabbit and pull forward to separate the fibers.  Then secure the rabbit  over the X-Cut, at the leading edge of the weight.

Do a tight wrap forward of the under-belly – 3-4  turns, and secure. You should not have advance more than 15mm forward.

If using a plastic head, keep the underbelly to 10mm.

Trim the top head to a taper. This is important to keep the bulk of the head down.

As we are concern with keeping bulk of the head to a minimum, we need to use good thread practices:

1. No more than 5 turns to secure! I will use 3.
2. Keep thread the flat – using Danville Flymaster.

Trim the tag – excess. I will often use a scalpel to do this, but in this SBS, I have used scissors. You will also find having a small “trough” where the thread compresses the rabbit will help in securing the Lady Amherst fibers.

Add the lateral line, with the material of your choice.

With one turn of thread, add a clump of Lady Amherst Center Tails fibers that have been separated for the top half of the fly.

I like the colours to compliment the body, reflecting the natural I am “mocking”, but use the irregular pattern to break the uniformity of the rabbit.

Use the bodkin and fingers, separate the feather fibers, while being head with one thread. This is a salmon fly tyers technique (shown to be my Scoville Stack), where he is using the weight of the bobbin to provide just enough weight to keep the father in place.

Once fibers are in place, apply head cement to the top, and add a wrap.  Repeat for the bottom, and as illustrated, I have been able to secure the Lady Amherst on all sides with 3 turns of thread.

Five (5) turn whip finish, then apply a little head cement. Here you can see, I have some bleed into the rabbit, but this will not harm the fly’s action, but avoid doing this.

Pull fly out, apply head and trim the excess front tube, leaving

Push the fly back onto the needle, such that the needle and tube end is flush. Then, use lighter to melt the plastic back to the head.

Take the fly out and trim excess tube at the rear.

I want the hook to set as closest as possible to the front, but not so close that the rabbit rear can foul (wrap) around the hook’s end.

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Small Fly Fishing Kit

Fly-Fishing can be a bulky endeavour – rods, waders, boots, and hundreds of flies. So I have been working to reduce-reduce and reduce, so I can take a small kit with me on my travels. So here is my current answer:

• No Waders and Boots – so I must keep to the shore and the edges of water.
• Jacket and Hat  – my regular Gore-Tex jacket.
• Fly-Rods + Reel: 9′ 5pc (9wt and 5wt) – will fit in my regular check in luggage.
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• Fishing Bag, as below.

Fishpond Bag – with the large back pocket holding:

• Maui Polarized Sunglasses
• Waterproof Camera
• Buff – with sunscreen and hat provides the protection I need from sun and insects
• Flies – Either tube bunnies or one box dry flies

On the bag’s side – floatant, tippet (2x-6x) and nippers.

On the bag’s front – a rare earth magnet – as previously reported a catch all convenience to hold flies on the stream as I can things around.

The most open pocket holds:

• Leaders for Dry Flies – 7.5′ (4x pocket water) and 9′ in (5x flat water).
• Leaders for Streamers – often stubby dry fly leaders, conditioned
• Furled Leader – 12′ Leader
• Seaguar Fluorocarbon Tippet – 3x (streamer) and 5x (nymph)
• Maxima Chameleon Tippet – 12lb 
• 3x Glasses and Lens Cleaning Cloth
• Scissors, Needle with a thread loop
• Licenses

Streamers and Nymphs on the Foam Patch:

• Scuplzillas
• Conehead Muddlers
• Marabou Muddlers
• Couple of Crawfish
• Caddis Nymphs
• Red Squirrel Nymphs
• Rambo Nymphs

Moving to the outer edge, the front flap, we have tools used to support me when I need to release a fish:

• Foreceps
• Leahterman Multitool Juice S4 that includes pliers, siccors and a knife

Under the flap are some stream side accessories

• Insect Repellent
• Weight – Tin Shot and Mud to treat nymph leaders
• Floats – either home made or “pin” style
• note picture shows the rare earth magnet

And in the one dry fly box, given I do not know what water I will be on, I keep soe generic, but favourite flies that span a wide range  – starting in the top left and going clockwise – in varying colours and sizes:

• Ballon Caddis
• Usuals
• Comparaduns
• Ants and small CDC Dries, such as BWOs
• Spare
• Large floating Stoneflies
• Klinkhammers
• CDC Emergers
• Ausable Wulffs
• Stimulators

Is there anything missing, yeah, but right now the only thing I am wishing to add are:

• Spiders
• Caddis Popa

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Brown Trout

and moving back to my favourite method of fishing – spey casting streamers. Here is my rabbit tube fly “brown trout” imitation when I am searching for bigger fish.

Side view

looking down on the fly

and the view looking up

and a couple of different heads to disturb the rabbit, as it moves through the water.

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Tubefly – more play than for fishing

I have been away from the vise for sometime and been noodling in my head this idea of a Snaelda Shrimp on a tube fly.  It took me 4 goes to get what I wanted.

I am not sure I will ever fish it, but it was something I wanted to create.

What is  the recipe, in order of tie in on a black tube using black Danville Flymaster 6/0 thread:

• Polar Bear
• Krystal Flash – White Glow in the Dark x2
• Yellow, Orange and Black Schlappen feathers with most fibers stripped off, leaving just the tips (as feelers)
• Mono-eyes on a stick.
• Yellow, Orange and Black Schlappen collars (could be thinner).
• Silver Veniard Tinsel – Medium.
• Thread Body.
• Veniard Varnish – 6 coats.