In the world of fly tying some patterns are hard. Hard doesn’t
mean it will catch fish, it just means it’s hard. A traditional Atlantic
salmon pattern can cost you $200 to buy just one, and you are
supposed to look at it, not fish it. Other patterns are easy. Easy
doesn’t mean it’s a bad pattern, it means almost anyone can do it.
For the next few articles “easy” means generic flies –
simple-to-tie patterns a novice tyer can accomplish and which
require less than four dressing components. Generic patterns
don’t have to look like anything to catch fish. Some generic
patterns are famous. The Royal Coachman and Prince Nymph
are generic patterns that looks like…well, nothing. Trout
love 'em. The epoxy spoon fly looks like…duh, a spoon.
Redfish love it. A hair’s ear nymph looks like your cat got sick.
Trout love it too. All generic patterns are intended to sort of
replicate something food-ish that fish might eat.
Generic terrestrial patterns. As summer approaches the
number of terrestrials (ants, grasshoppers, crickets and beetles)
falling into the water increases dramatically. Opportunistic fish
gorge on insects suddenly blown into the water by a spring breeze
and will lose much of the caution they developed over the colder
months. Generic patterns are the apple fritters of the fishing world,
they don’t exactly look like regular food but they look good enough
to eat – a lot of.
Now suppose the angler is approaching fishing waters and sees
something black with wings flitting around where fish are smacking
at the surface. It could be any of a hundred buggy things. Suppose
also that around the water are rocks or stumps or fallen timber or ant
piles. Lift an old log to find a smorgasbord of insects, and maybe a
face full of little black flying things, some of which bite. And suddenly
the welt covered fisherman is in a quandry – what pattern to use?
This is where generic ant patterns are at their best. Why? Because
they look like a lot of different little black things. And many little black
things (like ants) are available year round when other insect species are
not. In some instances, little terrestrials may actually dominate a fish’s
diet during the hatch-free late summer months.
Fishing an ant pattern is as simple as it gets. This is a small fly so use
a tippet appropriate to the fly (which means the hook set must be gentler
than usual). Cast the fly directly on top of the target area. Casting to a
spot 6" above the target area and letting the fly drop on the water is more
difficult but is the best approach because the intent is to replicate a
terrestrial bug blown onto the water. Let the fly sit then execute the
smallest of finger strips and let the fly sit. An ant on the surface film
can skitter, but an ant in the surface film cannot locomote very well.
No big strips are necessary. If a sinking ant pattern is used, do not
use any additional weight and let it gently glide down the water column.
After only 3 or 4 strips recast.
Finding your ant fly on the surface can be an optical trick for the
best sighted of fly fishermen, even in still waters. A common help
is to tie the ant onto another (more visible) floating pattern. Once
you know how long the tippet is connecting the two flies, a ripple
about that distance from the larger fly (or if the larger fly moves
and you didn’t do it) is likely a strike. Inspect the fishing area for
ants or other terrestrials before choosing a fly. If the predominant
ant colony is black or rust the color of the pattern is obvious. Some
species have both rust and black, and an assortment of color
combinations is a good idea.
Do they actually work? Floating ant patterns have produced
several hefty bluegill when nothing else was attracting attention.
A size 12 sinking version (all thread body) with soft hackle legs
took two 4 pound bass one afternoon in late spring. Yes, they work.
Are they easy to tie? You bet.
GENERIC FLOATING ANT PATTERN
Hook: Dai-Riki 070 (or equivalent) Size 12-18.
Thread: Black or red flat waxed nylon.
Body: Fun foam (red and/or black).
Legs: Black or red (badger) dry fly hackle
Wing: (optional) poly yarn.
-
Wrap a layer of thread from hook eye to bend and back
toward the eye 1/4 of the shaft length. -
Cut a strip of red or black (or both) foam 1/16th inch wide
and trim to point at one end. (It doesn’t matter how long the
strip is, any remainder can be reused on another ant.) -
Tie in the point (of red or black) of the foam strip with
the strip extending over the hook bend. -
Wrap thread over the foam to the bend (tightly) and bring
the thread back to the middle of the hook shaft. -
Bend the foam over the thread wraps toward the hook eye
and tack down with thread at the middle then wrap thread up
to near the hook eye. If you want a red-butt ant (red rear with
black front) cut off excess red foam and tie in black at the middle
with foam strip extending over the eye. -
Move thread back to middle of shaft.
-
Bend foam (the part extending over the hook eye) back
toward hook bend and tack with thread wrap in the middle
of the shaft. -
Trim excess foam and cover trimmed end with thread.
-
Coat entire fly with Hard As Nails (2 coats).
10a. Optional wings – tie in a small sparse clump of poly
yarn toward the hook bend.
10b. Tie in dry fly hackle and wrap 4-6 times in middle of
thread covered area between two folded foam ovals.
- Tie off hackle and whip finish at middle of fly.
Coat the entire fly with some floatant.
GENERIC SINKING ANT PATTERN
Hook: Dai-Riki 070 (or equivalent) Size 12-18.
Thread: Black or red flat waxed nylon.
Body: Thread.
Legs: None or very sparse black or rust partridge hackle.
-
Wrap a layer of thread from hook eye to bend.
-
Overwrap thread on shaft above hook point to form an oval ball.
-
Bring thread toward eye and form another overwrap ball behind the eye.
-
Coat entire fly with Hard As Nails (2 coats).
To add legs:
-
Move thread back to middle gap between the two thread balls.
-
Tie in a hackle and wrap 2-3 times.
-
Tie off the hackle and whip finish at middle of fly.
OR GENERIC 2 TONE SOFT HACKLE ANT
Hook: Dai-Riki 070 (or equivalent) Size 12-18.
Thread: Black and white flat waxed nylon.
Body: Thread.
Legs: Black partridge hackle.
-
Wrap a layer of black thread from hook eye to hook bend.
-
Tie in a few barbs of soft hackle to form a tail.
-
Bring thread toward eye and let bobbin hang.
-
Tie in white thread at center of hook shank and make
a white segment then tie off there. -
Tie in a hackle behind hook eye and wrap 2-3 times.
-
Tie off the hackle and whip finish.
-
Coat thread with Hard-As-Nails. ~ Bob
About Bob:
Robert Lamar Boese has fly fished for five decades. He is an
environmental negotiator, attorney and educator who has provided
environmental legal services for more than thirty-three years including
active duty with the U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Justice. He is a
well known fly tyer with several unique patterns to his credit. He has
developed and authored federal and state regulatory programs
encompassing a broad spectrum of environmental disciplines, has
litigated environmental matters at all levels of the federal and state
court systems, and is a qualified expert for testimony in environmental
law. He has authored over 60 published text chapters, comments or
articles on environmental matters, is a member of the Colorado, District
of Columbia and Louisiana Bar Associations, and is a certified mediator.
In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Boese has been a high school
teacher, an associate professor of Environmental Law and Public Health,
has authored numerous fiction and sports publications, and is a softball
coach and nationally certified volleyball referee. He is the president
of the Acadiana Fly Rodders in Lafayette, Louisiana and editor of
Acadiana on the Fly. He has been married for thirty years and is the
father of two fly fishing girls (25 and 21). For additional information
contact: Boese Environmental Law, 103 Riviera Court, Broussard, LA 70518
or call 337.856.7890 or email coachbob@ymail.com.
Generic flies are simple-to-tie patterns that a novice tyer can
make, which require less than four dressing components…
and which catch fish. Like most fly fishermen, you may have
fished beetle patterns but aren’t all that familiar with real beetles.
That’s not the beetles’ fault. Beetles are practically everywhere.
They are the largest order of insects; they can be terrestrial or
aquatic, predators or scavengers, carnivores, omnivores or plant
eating (phytophagous). Practically everything is beetle food. They
account for about 20% of all living organisms on earth and so far
scientists have identified over 350,000 varieties). Both the largest
insect (Titanus giganteus at 12.0 - 20.0 cm –the
size of your hand–yuck!) and smallest (Nanosella fungi
– 0.035 mm) are beetles. Their “shell” is actually a forewing hardened
into a protective covering that encloses delicate flying wings which are
folded underneath it when not in use. Most people have a love/fear
relationship with beetles, some are cute and we are glad for the their
assistance protecting plants (e.g. the “lady bug”) but others are simply
repulsive. Most beetles are harmless to humans (like the June Bug),
though some will bite or have spurs. And fish love them.
Beetles tend to be warm weather creatures and starting in May/June
they appear in the south. Most anglers won’t notice beetles unless
they disturb some while tromping through underbrush to access a
pond or stream, but beetles will be there, usually in bushes and trees
close to the water. Many varieties move at night and fall from
overhanging branches into the water. Early mornings are a beetle
buffet for fish who aren’t that particular about repulsive appearances.
All that matters is that it’s food-ish. How many year old bream do
you think have actually ever seen a beetle before they eat one?
The first beetle flies were probably created by the earliest fishermen
from animal hair. While that option is still available, most modern
patterns use closed cell foam (aka “fun foam”) because it’s easier to
work with and generally more durable. Because of the incredible
variety of beetles, there is little restriction on shape, size and color
of the beetle fly pattern. In general, the generic fly should be oval-ish
and black, rust or olive, with a hackle or chenille underbody and
rubber/silicone legs that angle down. Bright foam strips, dots or
layers can be added to the upper body to increase visibility and
flotation, but the underside (which the fish see) should be rather plain.
However, there are many bright colored beetles and reds, yellows,
greens and orange will all take fish.
The best beetle patterns are generic and do not represent a specific
variety. For warm waters it is generally a good idea to start with and
black or rust colors in sizes 8-12. For cold water streams (yes, trout
eat them too) a size 10-16 can be used in lieu of a strike indicator.
Beetles are six legged creatures, but fish probably don’t count. Some
patterns (not the one below) choose to use only chenille or hackle
underbodies with no legs, but legged patterns seem to catch more fish.
Fishing the fly: Beetles generally don’t fall into the middle
of a water body, and fish will expect them to be near the bank,
especially by overhangs. Find a likely looking fall-in area and
concentrate there. The fly should be delivered onto the water
with a very slight “plop” and roll casting is excellent for providing
the correct landing force to the fly. Strikes normally come right
after the fly is delivered. If not, a few small finger strips to animate
the fly are all that should be used (strip-pause-strip-pause) and then
lift the fly from the water as if it flew away before delivery again
(which can be to the exact same location).
GENERIC BEETLE PATTERN
Hook: Dai-Riki 070 (or equivalent) Size 12-18.
Thread: Flat waxed nylon in a color to match foam .
Body: Fun Foam.
Underbody: Chenille.
Legs: Round rubber or silicone skirting
-
Wrap entire shaft of hook with thread to provide base for
other materials. -
Cut a rectangular strip of foam approximately 1.5 times the
width of the hook gap (equal to for larger hooks). Trim one
end to a point. -
Tie in point of foam at middle of the shaft. Make sure the
tie-in tacks down all of the angled portion of the point so that
only rectangular area is left. -
Bring thread to the hook shaft above the bend.
-
Tie in chenille. Wrap chenille forward or to 1/4" behind eye.
-
Tie in three strands of rubber leg material or silicone skirting
material by doing the following:
a. Lay legs on top of and parallel to hook shank.
b. Make two snug but not tight threadwraps over the center of the legs.
c. Turn the legs 90 degrees.
d. Using 3 figure 8 wraps tack down the legs which should now face
perpendicular to the shank.e. Pull back the two rear most legs and make a wrap of thread
in front of them.f. Pull back the four rear most legs and make a wrap in front of them.
-
Move the thread to the space 1/4 inch behind the hook eye.
-
Pull the foam tightly over the chenille and tack down with thread
wraps behind the hook eye and whip finish. -
Trim the excess foam.
-
(optional) Cut out a dot of highly visible foam with a standard
hole punch. Super glue this to the top of the beetle shell. -
Coat the entire top of the beetle and thread wraps by hook
eye with Hard As Nails.
EXTRA DOTS:
Foam beetles can disappear in the surface film. Extra foam dots
can be added to the back of the beetle with super glue or
zap-a-gap to allow the fisherman to see it better. The dots
don’t discourage the fish.
~ Bob
About Bob:
Robert Lamar Boese has fly fished for five decades. He is an
environmental negotiator, attorney and educator who has provided
environmental legal services for more than thirty-three years including
active duty with the U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Justice. He is a
well known fly tyer with several unique patterns to his credit. He has
developed and authored federal and state regulatory programs
encompassing a broad spectrum of environmental disciplines, has
litigated environmental matters at all levels of the federal and state
court systems, and is a qualified expert for testimony in environmental
law. He has authored over 60 published text chapters, comments or
articles on environmental matters, is a member of the Colorado, District
of Columbia and Louisiana Bar Associations, and is a certified mediator.
In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Boese has been a high school
teacher, an associate professor of Environmental Law and Public Health,
has authored numerous fiction and sports publications, and is a softball
coach and nationally certified volleyball referee. He is the president
of the Acadiana Fly Rodders in Lafayette, Louisiana and editor of
Acadiana on the Fly. He has been married for thirty years and is the
father of two fly fishing girls (25 and 21). For additional information
contact: Boese Environmental Law, 103 Riviera Court, Broussard, LA 70518
or call 337.856.7890 or email coachbob@ymail.com.
(Generic flies are simple-to-tie patterns that a novice tyer
can easily accomplish and which requires less than four
dressing components.)
Some fishermen get to use manly terms when discussing their
angling passion. Things like lead sinkers, and hard wire leaders,
and size 6/0 hooks, and gaffs and billies, and drag (well maybe
not that). In contrast, fly fishermen get to talk about split bamboo,
and maribou, and krystal flash, and beads and chenille and nippers
and tippet. Ouch!
A Roman scholar, Claudius Ælianus, and his conqueror buddies
were traipsing through Macedonia in the 2nd or 3rd Century when he
noticed the locals fishing. He later described them using bug-shaped
wool and feather lures. Note, the Romans were doing the crushing and
destroying while the locals were doing the fly fishing. Not a good omen.
For the next 1200 years we can suspect that fishing for survival wasn’t
very artistic, but there were a lot of sheep and chickens available. Then,
in 1496, the prioress of an abbey is credited with writing A Treatyse
of Fysshynge wyth an Angle which gave specific details about the
construction and use of fishing equipment, including artificial flies. (There is
debate about authorship of the Treatyse, and admittedly, it would have been
nice to learn that the author was Sir Bicep the Potent.) Regardless, some time
later, in 1653, Isaak Walton wrote The Compleat Angler
and is credited for describing 60 fly patterns, although it took till the 5th
edition and work of his student, Charles Cotton, for the book to mention it.
(It is unfortunate for our cause that Walton, once an Ironmonger, became a
drapery salesman.) Next thing you know, some Spaniard steals worms from
China and European fly fishermen began tipping their macho horsehair lines
with silk leaders until World War II and the advent of nylon. Meanwhile,
back in the late 1800s, British nobles and gentlemen, who were always
rather particular, having recently discovered the dry-fly, decided that they
despised any fly that wasn’t a floating insect replica. Stodgy owners of
English fishing waters actually banned nymphs – from the boudoir
and the stream. Eventually, many socially unacceptable non-dry fly fishermen
immigrated to America and brought along their fly fishing techniques. Another
100 years pass and, waiting around for D-Day, the GIs successfully trolled
for sweet young things and bad old trout with silk and nylon until the stuffy
nymph and Yank-despising Englishmen reluctantly delved into actual romance
and fished wet flies.
While conventional Brits considered “wet flies” to mean a bladder failure,
it actually describes any non-floating fly that is not a streamer or nymph.
“Streamers” are feather or bucktail winged patterns that represent fish,
while “nymphs” represent – no, not that – the aquatic stage
of insects. As the GIs knew, both warm and cold water species eat
aquatic insects frequently and in great numbers. Trout can be ridiculously
selective, and with almost religious zealotry, today’s nymph fishermen insist
that a pattern must closely match the predominant insect species in the water
being fished. (Which is sort of silly, since many dubbed nymphs look like a
dust bunny or hairball.) On the other hand, while precise replication may
be helpful for cold streams with selective or over-fished rainbows, warm
water species are much less discriminating. Consequently, it is foolish for
any angler not to have generic wet flies or nymphs available in a bass/panfish
fly fishing arsenal.
A difficulty with tying many trout nymph patterns is their size. Other than
large stones, hexes and dragonflies (the T-Rex of nymphs), patterns can
call for sizes in the 18 to mid-20s, with tiny hooks that are barely visible
to the naked eye and unforgiving of any masculine meat hook tying
approach. Many patterns also call for advanced tying techniques like
weaving (don’t go there) or dubbing uncooperative materials or attaching
difficult components to achieve adequate resemblance to the nymph de jour.
Fortunately, warm water fish are not so particular and they roam a pond
like grocery aisles with one thought in mind – “It’s all good.” More
importantly, panfish and bass do not require microscopic flies and a more
macho size 14 is as small as need be tied, more likely a husky 10 -12. The
really good news is that the larger the fly, the more room for tying error.
Admittedly, while dressing a fly with remnants of dead things may
seem virile, chenille makes tying much easier. As opposed to
dubbing loose fur, chenille comes in long strips, ready to apply,
and is very forgiving. Chenille was created in the 1830s and at
the turn of the 20th century was one of the most popular materials
for soft feminine bedspreads and in the 50s was incorporated into
fluffy carpets. One saving grace is that, for many decades, chenille
was mostly seen encasing a metal stem for pipe cleaners. Then, in
the 1970s, the Wapsi Company set up headquarters in Mountain
Home, Arkansas (by the famous White River full of man-sized
browns) and began manufacturing a line of fly tying materials,
including chenille, plus a tight nap chenille they called “ultra”. Next
came flashy products such as “crystal chenille” and “estaz,” adding
more movement and flash to the basic chenille product. Today,
hundreds of varieties of chenille are sold by a multitude of
manufacturers, in fabric stores (shudder) and fly shops, and
each one can have some use in fly tying.
In selecting a chenille fly, the first consideration might be color.
Chenille is available in a wide spectrum and, while it may be
tempting for some to tie a fuchsia and pink striped pattern, the
better option is to stick with something more likely to be owned
by a male, and to be found on creatures usually in the water.
Chenille is the principal ingredient of Woolly Buggers and
Woolly Worms, which are addressed in Part V of this series.
Nymphs appear in many colors, sometimes variegated, usually
tending toward warmer hues of browns, reds and yellow/tans.
Streamers should be fish colored and wet flies can be anything
the tyer’s imagination and common sense tells him is buggish.
Weight is another option. Wet flies are meant to be fished
below the surface, and how far below is a factor of fly weight
versus resistance/buoyancy of the leader/tippet. Many tyers
prefer to put a metal bead on the head of the fly (tungsten has
a nice sound to it) which makes the fly fall head first. Or better
yet, or underwrap the fly with practically illegal lead wire.
Then use it to catch big fish with names like bass or crappie.
JITTERBEE (by Randy Leonpacher)
Hook: Size 8-10, Dai-Riki #305 or equivalent.
Thread: Flat waxed nylon or 6/0.
Tail: Black silicone skirt material.
Head: Gold metal bead.
Body: Chenille in contrasting colors.
-
Put bead on hook and thread it to the hook eye.
-
Wrap hook shank with thread to form base for other materials.
-
Take two short pieces of silicone skirt and hold them
flat sides together. Slide them over the hook shank and
wrap with thread leaving a tag end slightly shorter than the
hook shank. Using this tie-in method, when you release the
silicone it should flare to a “V” shape. If it doesn’t, do a
couple of figure 8 wraps over the skirt pieces to separate the tail. -
Tie in two contrasting colors of chenille and move
thread to behind the bead. -
Hold the two pieces of chenille together and wrap
clockwise to the bead and tie down. Cut off excess chenille. -
Whip finish smoothly behind the bead.
-
Pull back the chenille to allow you to put a drop of Hard
As Nails on the whip finished thread.
Chenille yarn consists of short lengths of spun yarn or filament that
are held together by two ends of highly twisted fine strong yarn.
The short lengths are called the pile and the highly twisted yarns
are called the core. Chenille yarn can be made from many
different types of fibers and yarns. Most common are cotton,
viscose (rayon), acrylic, and polypropylene (olefin). ~ Bob
About Bob:
Robert Lamar Boese has fly fished for five decades. He is an
environmental negotiator, attorney and educator who has provided
environmental legal services for more than thirty-three years including
active duty with the U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Justice. He is a
well known fly tyer with several unique patterns to his credit. He has
developed and authored federal and state regulatory programs
encompassing a broad spectrum of environmental disciplines, has
litigated environmental matters at all levels of the federal and state
court systems, and is a qualified expert for testimony in environmental
law. He has authored over 60 published text chapters, comments or
articles on environmental matters, is a member of the Colorado, District
of Columbia and Louisiana Bar Associations, and is a certified mediator.
In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Boese has been a high school
teacher, an associate professor of Environmental Law and Public Health,
has authored numerous fiction and sports publications, and is a softball
coach and nationally certified volleyball referee. He is the president
of the Acadiana Fly Rodders in Lafayette, Louisiana and editor of
Acadiana on the Fly. He has been married for thirty years and is the
father of two fly fishing girls (25 and 21). For additional information
contact: Boese Environmental Law, 103 Riviera Court, Broussard, LA 70518
or call 337.856.7890 or email coachbob@ymail.com.
Originally published October 6th, 2008 on Fly Anglers Online by Bob Boese. Combined from 3 parts.