Tying and Fishing Tiny Flies: mars 2014

måndag 31 mars 2014

HOWTO Use The Dick Clark Spinning Block

The Dick Clark Spinning Block

Above there is a picture of the spinning block. I've already waxed the thread and put it in place in the block. I use Overtons Wonderwax which is very tacky. So to begin cutting a length of Gossamer Silk, in this case black, about 45 cm or a foot and a half. Wax it thoroughly in a very tacky wax. Then put it in the block as seen above.

The next step is to cut some dubbing and spread it out on the thread lying straight in the middle of the block.

Take the loose end of the silk thread and put it above the dubbing exactly over the thread under the dubbing. Put the thread in the same cut as the other end. Grab both ends and tvist them clockvise before lifting them up and letting the dubbing to get trapped between the silk threads. Continue twisting until you like the looks of it. The most practical is to make some bodies at the same time and put them on a card with small cuts on both sides where you put the ends of the double thread.

Fasten a hook in the vise and tie on a tail of grizzly colored hen hackle.

Fasten the premade body onto the hook on the loop end of it and start winding it forward gently pushing the fur backwards each turn.

At this point I put it in some solution to make it float since I use this flymph mainly as a dry flymph. Let dry and it's ready to put into your fly box.

TYING DESCRIPTION

Hook: TMC 103BL (For this flymph since I mostly use it dry)

Tying thread: Gordon Griffith 14/0 Black

Thread: Gossamer Silk Black (To make the body of the

flymph in the block)

Dubbing: Australian Possum Black

Hackle and tail: Genetic Grizzly Hen Hackle

It might seem a little complicated but I can assure you all that it's well worth the effort. The flies turn out like nothing you've ever seen. So give it a try! Happy tying! If I have forgotten something (most probably it is so) just post a question.

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onsdag 26 mars 2014

FLYMPHS Etc. Continued 2.

THE BLACK POSSUM

This is my favorite flymph (not a spider) which I designed for like 15 years or so ago. At first I didn't tie it with a body made with a Dick Clarke spinning block. I just spun the body onto the tying thread. These two are tied that way though. The first one fat and the other slim. Have to excuse myself that it was quite some years ago I made flies with this method although it's a fascinating one.

          There is a story behind this particular fly. I had found a lovely small lake with very nice trout that readily took a dry fly. In the fall that year, when there were a lot of sedge or caddis flies around I naturally tried some dry patterns that are supposed to imitate them. I just spooked the trout all the time. They just wouldn't take my fly. I gave quite some consideration to this problem. Finally I designed the Black Possum and treated it with floatant to act as a dry fly. The fly became a wonderful success! It's one of the most "killing patterns" that I've designed up to this date. Usually I use it as a dry fly in different sizes. Sometimes though I also use it wet just below the surface and it produces this way too like when a trout has taken the flymph and you wash the slime off and just continue fishing. Now just below the surface.

          This makes me recall a fishing trip to this lake in the beginning of the summer. It was in the evening and I saw trout probably taking something below the surface. Anyway I put on a little Black Possum trying it dry. I couls see movements below the fly but no takes at all. Thinking about this I finally gave some motion to the fly and wham it was taken by a 2+ lb trout. The fly was easy to regain but now full of slyme. I rinsed it off and just threw it out again. Didn't feel that I had the time to change to another dry one. Kaboom and it was violently struck by a 3 or 3+ lb trout when I took home the fly slowly. Finally I had taken 9 gogeous trout weighing from 2+ lb to perhaps 4 lb. They were all taken on the same fly and at the same place. Naturally most of them were released again but some for the table too.

          This is not an isolated event when trout readily have taken the Black Possum. I have a very fond memory of a trout taking a floating Black Possum. It was about ten years ago. The 15th of Oktober was the date (wich year I've forgotten) and I knew that this would be the last fishing trip of the year. I don't remember much of what happened before dusk but at that time I saw a nice brown surface feeding. I approached carefully with my #1-2 7' carbon fiber rod loaded with a Black Possum. The first cast I just let go and watched the fly floating. After a short time the trout took it quiet and slow but I was like a loaded spring and snatched the fly out of the mouth of the trout before he had time to close it. Luckily I hadn't spooked the trout. It started to feed and I could breathe again. Another cast and the same waiting for the trout to take and it did. This time I forced myself to wait until the floating tippet moved and then when lifting the rod I could feel that the trout was hooked. A one and a half hour of tug of war started since I didn't have a net. But finally I had it. A beautiful 20" trout. So you can understand why I hold this fly in high regard.

Here comes the tying instructions if you would like to try it out:

Hook: TMC 103BL 11-21 (All sizes)

Dubbing: Black Australian Opossum (Hence the name)
             Either dubbed on the tying thread or premade with
             a dubbing block. (In my next post I plan to explain
             the use of a dubbing block)

Hackle: Genetic Grizzly Hen Hackle

Tail: Same as hackle

The picture above shows The Black Possum using the method of dubbing the possum fur directly onto the tying thread. As seen above I plan to explain the use of a dubbing block in my next post since I think that this method enhances the fly by making it more "buggy". So until then ...

TO BE CONTINUED ...

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tisdag 18 mars 2014

FLYMPHS Etc. Continued 1.

THE BLACK SPIDER

Designed by James Baillie in 1835 but made known to a broader public by W. C. Stewart in his book "The Practical Angler" in 1857. A proper fly to illustrate the main thoughts that Gunnar Johnsson and his coauthors wanted to convey in the book "FLYMPHS and other soft-hacled flies" that I presented in the previous post.

This fly I've tied according to the instructions given by W. C. Stewart in his book "The Practical Angler" which reads as follows and I quote:

"Take the hook firmly between the forefinger and thumb of your left hand, lay the gut along it's shank, and with a well-waxed silk thread, commencing about the centre of the hook, whip it and the gut firmly together, till you come to the end of the shank, where form the head by a few turns of the thread. This done, take the feather, and laying it on with the root end towards the bend of the hook, wrap the silk three or four times round it, and then cut off the root end.

What remains to be done is the most critical part of the whole operation: still holding between the forefinger and thumb of your left hand, take the thread, lay it along the centre of the inside of the feather, and with the forefinger and thumb of your right hand twirl them round together till the feather is rolled around the thread; and in this state wrap it round the hook, taking care that a sufficient number of the fibres stick out to represent the legs; to effect this it will sometimes be necessary to raise the fibres with a needle during the operation. Having carried the feather and thread down to where you commenced, wrap the silk three or four times round the end of the feather, and if there is any left cut it off, and finish with a succession of hitch-knots, or the common whip-fastening."

As you probably understand I used a vise etc. to tie the fly but essentially it's tied according to this instruction and with the same materials (without tying on a gut), making it quite durable to be a spider pattern. Since this fly has been acclaimed as the best fly pattern ever by a lot of well known fly fishers I'll certainly going to give it a shot this season.

TO BE CONTINUED ...

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måndag 17 mars 2014

FLYMPHS and other soft-hackled flies

This word (flymph) was coined by Vernon (Pete to his friends) S. Hidy in 1963 to describe a soft-hackled fly just about to reach the surface and transform into a mayfly or caddis (sedge). He became friends with an excellent fly fisher, Gunnar Johnson, here in Sweden and they were using letters to communicate. Finally in 1982 mr Johnson visited mr Hidy who was living in Boise, Idaho, at the time. Unfortunately Mr Hidy was quite ill at the time so they didn't fish together but they exchanged ideas about fly fishing and as it seems a lot about "The Flymph". Mr Hidy wanted Mr Johnson to publish a book about the subject since he himself couldn't because of his illness. It was published 1989.

My copy of the book

Unfortunately Mr Hidy had passed away when it was published but he had read most of the material and also contributed with an introduction to a very special "book" namely "The Leisenring Color & Materials Book".

Here at the right of the photo is the introduction of Vernon "Pete" S Hidy and to the left the first color charts of Leisenrings book.

Here some feathers and hackles of various birds can be seen on the right page. On the other there are some dubbing brushes made with a dubbing block using Pearsalls Gossamer silk and some kind of fur. Everything written down so that James (or big Jim) Leisenring could have them with him and make comparisons with real insects and make his flies more like the actual insect. In my next post I'll get more into the benefits and lessons the authors wanted to underline with this book. So until the next post ...

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