Matt Erny is working hard on the videos lately. You get two for the price of one on this one. Visit Streamers Fly Fishing for more. Matt’s comments are below.
Both are EXCELLENT patterns for Bass. I prefer the Frog for LMB and the Coyote for SMB. My biggest Smallie ever cam on a Coyote Ugly. A 6.5 pound beast!! Drag them on the bottom jig them strip them, just a great all round bug!
Filed under Largemouth, Smallmouth
If we were to play a word association game with Southern New England fly fishers, what words would the name Dave Goulet conjure up? Most would probably say, “Classic & Custom,” the name of Dave’s fly shop. Others would mention the Farmington River. After moving Classic & Custom from Holyoke, Massachusetts to New Hartford, Connecticut, the shop sat near the banks of the Farmington until Dave’s retirement in 2009. Some might mention the wary Farmington brown trout, on which Dave was an expert. And you might hear mention of some of Dave’s most well known trout flies, such as Moby Dick, Unicorn, Dirt Diver, or a host of others. Regardless of the words associated with Dave’s name, most would agree that Dave left an inedible mark on the local trout fishing community.
A much smaller percentage of us tapped into Dave’s other area of expertise. Dave is a hardcore atlantic salmon fisherman. Though he has fished all over maritime Canada, Dave knows the Miramichi River inside and out. In terms of atlantic salmon fishermen, Dave Goulet is my favorite kind. He has never been afraid of public water. In a world seemingly full of pricey lodges, pristine Bogdan reels and an overt sense of exclusivity, Dave is the real deal…a salmon fisherman’s fisherman.
Though Dave is mostly known as an innovative trout fly tyer, he has created some fine atlantic salmon flies. I am aware of six original patterns. Four of which can be found in Flies for Atlantic Salmon (Stewart & Allen; 2001) and The Complete Directory of Salmon & Steelhead Flies (Mann; 2008), among other publications. As far as I know, the two remaining flies have never been published.
Below are the dressings for all six of Dave’s original patterns. I didn’t try to copy Dave’s tying style, but I did try to respect his choice of materials whenever possible. There are a few unavoidable material substitutions, however. For a more personal account of my experiences with Dave, please see my piece in the Spring 2014 issue of the Atlantic Salmon Journal (Fit To Be Tied, p. 62).
The Atlantic Salmon Flies of Dave Goulet
(tied and photographed by Ben Bilello)
Bette Jane
Tag: Oval gold tinsel
Butt: Fluorescent green wool
Tail: Red hackle barbs
Rib: Oval gold tinsel
Body: Rear half: medium green floss; Front half: peacock herl
Throat: Yellow hackle over light green hackle
Wing: Badger hair
Head: Black
Catch-A-Me Lodge
Tag: Oval silver tinsel
Butt: Fluorescent green wool
Rib: Oval silver tinsel
Body: Black seal fur (or substitute)
Hackle: Golden pheasant breast feather dyed black (or other spey-type hackle)
Throat: Speckled guinea fowl
Wing: Two strips of white goose shoulder, tied short and splayed (Dee style)
Cheeks: Jungle cock (optional)
Head: Black
*The original was tied with a black silver pheasant body hackle.
Chipper Lodge
Tag: Flat gold tinsel
Butt: Fluorescent orange floss
Tail: Golden Pheasant tippets, tied in at the second black bar
Rib: Oval gold tinsel
Body: Black wool
Throat: Purple hackle
Wing: Woodchuck guard hairs, topped with soft orange hackle fibers 1/3 of wing length
Cheeks: Jungle cock (optional)
Head: Black
Cockburn (unpublished)
Tag: Flat silver tinsel
Tail: Chartreuse bucktail with a few strands of peacock green Krystal Flash
Body: Fluorescent green floss
Underwing: Chartreuse arctic fox or bucktail with black tips
Wing: Chartreuse arctic fox or bucktail with black tips
Hackle: Black-Laced-White hen saddle dyed fluorescent yellow; tied collar style
Head: Black
*The underwing and wing were originally tied with dyed mongoose fur.
Golden Girl
Tag: Flat gold tinsel
Butt: Fluorescent green floss
Tail: Golden pheasant tippet strands
Rib: Oval gold tinsel
Body: Black floss
Throat: Black hackle
Wing: Black squirrel tail
Head: Black
Mezmerizer (unpublished)
Tail: Pearl Krystal Flash (or substitute flash material)
Shellback: Pearl Krystal Flash (or substitute flash material)
Hackle: Black, palmered up length of body
Body: Fluorescent green floss
Wing: Pearl Krystal Flash (or substitute flash material), doubled back and evenly distributed on both sides of the hook shank (same flash as used to make the shellback)
Head: Butt ends of the Krystal Flash wing and black thread
*The original was tied with a generic Krystal Flash substitute with which I am unfamiliar. It is less kinky than the original Krystal Flash. I substituted Crystal Mirror Flash in the fly pictured.
Filed under Salmon
Fly-Carpin has released another very fine carp fly tying video. In this one they show you how to tie McTage’s Chubby Chase Leech. This is a leech fly pattern which combines Pat Cohen’s Carp Dub with a very short section of black magnum rabbit strip to create a wide latterally flattened profile leech that does a headstand on the bottom in a similar fashion to many of McTage’s other carp flies. Pat Cohen’s Carp Dub was just released recently by Hareline Dubbin, so check out the colors on Pat’s site: www.rusuperfly.com
Filed under Carp flies
Many fly tyers spend hours each year developing new patterns. Half the fun is tinkering with the latest new synthetic materials, fluids and hairs. We all love the magic of developing a new pattern that we just can’t wait to try on the waters during trout season.
‘Flexament’ or ‘Flex-Seal’ are brand names for a special fluid used to coat feathers and other fly tying materials. When applied, it provides a flexible, durable coating that aids in preventing feathers from shredding. The brand names cost on average of $5-6 per one ounce bottle and usually with an extra charge added on for shipping and handling. There is an alternative to bringing the cost down. A little knowledge of basic ‘hardware store chemistry’ is all that is needed to get started.
Let’s talk about how to make your own ‘home brewed’ variety of a flex-cement. It becomes very economical if you use a lot of it; especially if you tie with a club, or group of tyers, where everyone can help to share in the expense of the hardware store chemicals.
From a local hardware store, pick up a tube of “Amazing Goop.” I used the original but any of their formulas will work. The tube comes in different sizes. I picked up the 1 ounce size and paid $4.00. Next, I picked up a quart of toluene (it’s the smallest I could find) and paid $9.00.
Use a small disposable, plastic mixing cup and a disposable mixing stick. I started out with a teaspoon of “Goop” and added about ½ teaspoon of toluene. Mix these together until the “Goop” is totally dissolved. This process only takes a couple of minutes. Adjust the viscosity (thickness) of the solution by simply adding more “Goop” to thicken or more toluene to thin. I prefer a solution about the thickness of maple syrup.
Once adjusted to the desired thickness, take a small paint brush and apply the fluid to a feather or other material. Once it has dried determine if it has achieved the desired effect. If needed, readjust the viscosity.
Once the correct per portion of Goop vs. toluene has been determined, mix up a larger quantity of the home made flex-cement. Once prepared, it can be stored in small glass bottles with tight sealing lids. At any time in the future if the fluid thickens, simply add a little more toluene to thin it out.
According to the company’s technical data sheet, “Goop” is made with toluene; that is the recommended thinner. It also states that it can be thinned with gasoline as well as other solvents. I never recommend the use of gasoline as a solvent for anything … I strongly suggest that you just stay with the toluene. When it comes to “Goop” and toluene be sure to read the precautions on the labels! In fact, when using any organic compound it is advisable to read all of the precautionary labels! Organic compounds and their vapors can be extremely dangerous!
The ‘commercial’ product arrives in a little 1oz. flint wide mouth square glass bottle with a polyseal cone lid. These bottles are available on the internet but only in large quantities. I suggest that you talk to a local pharmacist and see if they can assist with an alternative bottle.
The 1oz. tube of “Goop” mixed with the toluene, to the consistency I desired, yielded about 8 oz. of my homemade flex. The remaining toluene is enough to make an additional 24 1 oz. bottles.
Visit Tom’s website at www.michigandryflies.net
Filed under Quick Tip
Matt Erny of StreamersFlyFishing.com is at it again! I’ve seen Matt tie this fly and I know he has a lot of faith in it. He says it is his “go to” fly and for the last 3 years it has proven to be effective on trout, smallies, and largemouth.
Filed under Largemouth, Smallmouth, Step by Step, Streamers, Trout flies
Tim Cammisa welcomes guest tyer Joe Kayafas as he shares a version of the ever-popular Intruder fly. During the tying, Joe goes into detail explaining the various steps and techniques for tying this pattern, plus offers insight towards other possible variations and methods. This is an excellent pattern for various species, including steelhead.
If interested in learning more about Joe, or simply to follow his fishing and tying, be sure to add him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joe.kayafas
Filed under Steelhead, Step by Step
HMG Shrimp
Recipe:
Hook: Mustad 34007, size 4 thru 1
Thread: UNI 6/0
Antennae: Rubber legs material & crystall flash
Lead: 0.30
Underbody: chenille
Hackle: hen neck & CDC
Shellback: craft foam
Horn: mono 80 pound
Eyes: bead & hot melt glue
Shell: hot melt glue
Glue: hot melt glue
1.
Thread wrap hook shank from eye to bend
2.
Tie in antennae with rubber legs and crystal flash.
3.
Wrap lead weight (optional) on hook shank Thread wrap lead and coat with superglue
4.
Wrap chenille from hook eye to bend
5.
Tie in marabou, palmer to middle of shank, secure with several thread wraps.
6.
Tie in hackle, palmer to eye, secure with several half hitches. Note: You can choose to reverse steps 5&6.
7.
Cut narrow strip of foam (approx. 1/2 inch) enough for head, body and tail.
8.
Using thread tie foam near hook eye and proceed to create segments along hook shank to above hook bend. Whip finish and remove thread.
9.
Add a thin layer of hot melt the entire length of the foam shell. At the head, add hot melt glue to underside of the foam. While glue is tacky, pinch the foam together to form head. Trim foam to shape head.
10.
Cut mono on an angle, push into the foam to create horn. Secure horn in place with hot melt.Trim to length.
11.
Eyes: Attach glass beads (your choice of color) with hot melt glue. Create iris with a contrasting color of hot melt glue.
Fishing Instructions:
I prefer to sight fish the HMG Shrimp to tailing redfish or speckle trout (weakfish). Cast in front of moving fish, strip and pause, strip and pause.
Visit HMG Fly Systems for more HMG flies.
Filed under Saltwater
Inspired by many, many, many flies I made this one. Could look like a lot of things, but the main plan is to have it float just below the surface. Like a Klinkhamer without the hackle. Tying the cdc feathers behind the legs makes it more balanced. Tight tying threads folks!
Filed under Step by Step, Trout flies
Fly-Carpin ties John Montana’s Hybrid Carp Fly. I talked to John about this exact pattern last summer here and posted a quick bit on FrankenFly. This is definitely a productive carp fly. Fly-Carpin has a super nice carp website, so if you are into catching carp on the fly read up. Check out the video and enjoy!
Filed under Carp flies, Step by Step
Another awesome pike fly by Ulf Hagström. Visit Ulf’s The Way of the /:Fly:/ for more flies.
