Aug
30
Tying Fly Fishing Flies - The Frankenstein Fly
August 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment
You can buy flies for fly fishing, but you’ll want to tie your own at some point. Undoubtedly, your first fly will be the Frankenstein Fly.
Of Flies…
There is a particular fly for every fish, location and situation. There are basic flies like the Woolly Bugger and millions of exotic ones. You can buy thousands of them, but it will set you back a pretty penny. So, it’s time to tie your own.
The first step in the fly process is getting some educated advice at the bookstore. You’ll need to browse the fishing section for the hundreds of books on the subject. You’ll see books like “Flies for Idiots”, “Be One With The Fly”, “I Fly, You Fly, We All Fly” and other mythical titles. Pick the one that seems tailored to your needs, buy your tools and supplies and head home.
One of the first flies most people try to tie is the Woolly Bugger. It can be used for most situations and seems fairly simple to tie. Since this is your first time, you’ll actually be tying the Frankenstein Fly whether you realize it or not. This is true regardless of the specific fly you try to tie.
With the Woolly Bugger, you’ll use a jam knot, a fluffy piece of marabou, lead wire and so on. You’ll follow the directions in detail. You’ll wind. You’ll strip fuzz. You’ll wrap like you’ve never wrapped before. In the end, you will have followed every step in agonizing detail. As you finish the last step, whip finishing your fly, you’ll step back to admire the best Woolly Bugger.
At this point, you’ll look at the book and your masterpiece. Then you’ll jump on the Internet and pull up pictures of Woolly Bugger flies. Then the neighborhood will shake with a piercing scream. Yes, you’ve created something that faintly looks like a Woolly Bugger, but strikingly like Frankenstein.
Congratulations, you’ve tied a Frankenstein Fly. Welcome to the league of mad tie scientists.
Have Faith
Tying flies is definitely an art. You will almost never get it right the first time. Don’t be discouraged. Keep at it. Who knows, maybe the fish will find your Frankenstein Fly to be a tasty treat.
Rick Chapo is with http://www.nomadjournals.com - makers of writing journals. fly fishing journals are great gifts. Visit http://www.nomadjournals.com/flyfishing.cfm to see journals for fly fishing trips and fly fishing vacations.
Popularity: 2%
Aug
28
Fly Fishing - In Search of the Chase
August 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment
With fly fishing, sometimes it is all about the chase. Here’s a day trip that looked unfruitful, but turned out alright in the end.
Colorado Fly Fishing
We put the raft in on a warm morning in Sept. without a cloud in sight. My expectations were not high, since a warm sunny day tends to put the fish down, at least on this stretch of the Colorado. When the fish aren’t rising, I go straight for tandem streamers; there is nothing more exciting than a big pissed off brown chasing your streamer off the bank in shallow fast moving water. Dredging the bottom with a nymph just doesn’t do it for me. If I break out a nymph’n rig, I must have exhausted all other options.
The first quarter mile of water put a bleak outlook on the remaining 9 house of river ahead of us, not a single chase through some of the higher quality water on this stretch!! My invited guest on board had no experience throwing a heavy awkward tandem streamer rig, and was fairly discouraged after nearly throwing his shoulder out with only a handful of well-placed casts. I always talk of the exciting chases, but now; he must think I am full of it. I now know the frustration that guides must endure while watching miles of quality water go by without a singe well placed or completely untouched. “There was probably a nice fish it that pocket we just passed”, came out of my mouth far too many times than I care to recall.
About 3 miles into our float, which is exactly what it had become, a sightseeing float, the weather began to change. Here came the clouds, an encouraging sign, of course unless the wind comes with it. Here came the wind, and next thing you know, our beautiful sightseeing float turned into a back rowing battle to keep the boat heading downstream. Luckily, this did not last long, but the rain did begin to fall.
Within a few minuets after the rain subsided, the mayflies were swarming and the fish were rising. Were eddied out in several prime spots and began to catch fish in the swirling foam. Just about any well-placed cast was rewarded. Time went by unnoticed, until suddenly I realize that we had only traveled half way to our take out and more than half of the day was gone. Pushing through the slack water and hammering the moving water with the streamers was now becoming very productive. Finally, I could prove to my guest how exciting the chase could be. It seems that every other cast produced an aggressive brown, either territorial or just plain hungry.
We landed several nice fish while powering through the final stretch, arriving at last light. A turn in the weather sure can turn on the fish and bring on the chase.
Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com - makers of diary and writing journals for fly fishing. Visit NomadJournalTrips.com to read more articles about fly fishing and the great outdoors.
Popularity: 2%
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