Neal Osborn
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Fishing a few minutes from home allows you the chance to sit on the bank, enjoy a local brew, and enjoy the memories of the season.
I love your “backyard” Mike.
Mark that is a great video tutorial!!! Thanks for posting that link. I learned a bunch of tricks.
Edit:
Great question Tim. Working with deer hair is one of my least favorite tying skills. Therefore, I have forced myself to work with it more often and incorporate it in my patterns. Through my own trials and tribulations and talking with really good deer head tiers at conclaves lots of little pearls have come down.
To speak directly to your question about getting a nice deer hair collar, I highly recommend watching this YouTube video of Kelly Galloup tying a deer head streamer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWq95R0vv24.
Here are a few tricks in picture form. These are from a tutorial I’m currently putting together.
Measure the collar to extend back the desired distance. Then trim the front flush just past your fingers on your material hand. For this tutorial I purposely left the front fibers long (i.e. did not trim them, kind of a do as I say and not as I do teaching point). Then Bind the deer hair with 2.5 turns of gel spun or other strong tying thread. The 2.5 turns are important here because you are not putting a lot of pressure on the thread during this phase. It’s easier to show in person. Then on the last 1/2 turn when you are completing the third turn you then tug very hard and apply maximal pressure. Hold your tension at the completion of the third turn for a few seconds and be patient – let the thread bite into the deer hair and grab. Then make two more turns to bind the hair and if all was done correctly the hair won’t spin.
Next, trim off the front hair fibers at an angle and make a few wraps to secure the fibers. They should be locked in place and bound tightly at this point. Mission accomplished.
FYI – You DO NOT have to trim of the front hairs. Instead, if you pre-cut the front tags to a short length then you simply push them backward to abut the collar and continue with your next step. If you are making a spun deer hair head then that makes sense. For the wool head sculpin the head is made with wool so it is necessary to trim the front hairs away.
Final result
Once you master this technique the creative possibilities expand. Here is a little streamer I like to tie using the flared collar combined two patches of loosely spun deer hair for the head. It has a rabbit strip tail and a fuzzle body. The deer hair collar pushes water and creates an eddy at the tail of the fly which makes the rabbit strip come alive and likely creates an acoustic profile.
Allen, below are Belize specific flies that work for bonefish. If you are chasing Permit or Tarpon, use standard crab patterns or the Toad fly respectively (especially a black and red Toad). If you want to tie specifically for that region try these patterns. PM me if you questions about materials, etc.
The number one fly in Belize during our last trip was the craft fur flea (a local concoction). This pattern is very productive down there. Hook is Gama SC15 size 4-6. Basically, cut up craft fur dubbed and twisted with silly legs in three pairs. Pair of burnt mono eyes off the back. Bead chain and dumbbell eyes. Very easy to tie and inexpensive. Best color is white or light tan craft fur with white silly legs. Light blue and medium tan also worked.
Henry Cowan’s Bonefish Shrimp Scampi http://www.henrycowenflyfishing.com/flies_07.html
Spawning shrimp
The Kwan
Bonefish Sliders and variants shown below (small, tied on Gama SC45 size 8)
Gotcha fies. Tie on a Gama SC15 size 2-4, most importantly tie a variety with mono eyes, beadchain eyes, and lead eyes to vary the sink rate.
Adam McDowell, I liked your idea about the shad pattern. Here’s a trial, looks like a great scheme. Unfortunately, I don’t have grey wool (yet) so I tied it all white and colored the dorsal/top with a grey marker.
Tim Pommer-
Here are a few shots of my wool head sculpins. These images provide a better visual of the wool characteristics. These are tied with a looser head but you can see compression of the wool. I tie them two different ways – the first is with a deer hair collar under the wool head and the second is wool head alone with a big sloppy bulbous head and tailing wool. By the way, these sculpins are also very deadly on slow moving currents when dragged slowly on the bottom with a full sinking line.
For fun – this is a shot of my prized catch. A sculpin on a size 18 Rooks Berry Nymph, Ha. I look at this picture a lot when tying sculpin patterns. I still don’t understand why the fish prefer a green sculpin fly when the naturals are clearly dark brown in color.
A good starting point is Saltwater Fly Tying by Scott Sanchez http://books.google.com/books?id=tHFnINqT5bwC&pg=PP1&dq=saltwater+fly+tying+scott+sanchez#v=onepage&q=&f=false
The saltwater game is a whole different bowl of chili compared to trout and warmwater patterns. Fortunately, many of the saltwater patterns are often effective on lakes for bass – so at least it’s not a complete one trick pony. Honestly Allan, most of the patterns are species and location specific and not easily learned from a single book. Personally, I have wasted more money tying ineffective patterns than I care to mention. Here’s my advice – learn 6 basic patterns that are effective in all locations and then branch out from there. Also, concentrate on three specific species at first. That way you will have go-to patterns for a select target. Finally, saltwater tying is “ALL” about select the right hook for the job. That is advice you won’t get from a book but any guide will quickly tell you on the boat.
Here are 6 beginner patterns that might help you get started and won’t break the bank. In no particular order . . .
1. Clousers (subsurface, moderate to deep). Use TMC 811s hooks, size 1 is standard, also size 2, dumbbell eyes in 3/16″ for size 1 hooks and 5/32″ for size 2 hooks. Buy good quality bucktail (classic) or use modern synthetics once you have the basics down. Video tutorial here http://www.flyfisherman.com/ftb/bobclouser/index.html. Great video.
2. Schminnow (subsurface, shallow to moderate depending on eye weight). Great baitfish pattern and applicable to freshwater fishing. Use 3/16″ eyes for deeper flies and bead chain eyes for shallow flies. Video here http://www.hatches.tv/play.php?vid=222.
3. Velcro crab (shallow). Tie a bunch and leave them white. Color with permanent waterproof markers base on location. Tutorial here http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/101303fotw.php
4. Seaducer (top water). The workhorse! The starting point for most of the advanced topwater flies. Applicable in saltwater and freshwater and rivers and floating and sinking lines. Tutorial here http://flyartstudio.com/wordpress/?p=432.
5. Gotcha (shallow). More of a bonefish pattern but considered a classic saltwater pattern. Also effective for carp. Video here http://www.splashvision.com/Video/5380_Fly-Tie-Goldass-Gotcha.html. Tutorial here http://www.stripstrikecharters.com/gotcha.htm.
6. Toad (topwater to shallow). Effective just about anywhere. Tutorial here http://flyartstudio.com/wordpress/?p=405.
Note: I will throw in a 7th fly for good measure – the Kwan fly! The little jewel! Great for many different species in most locations. Can be fished as a crab or baitfish pattern based on technique. Unfortunately, there are no good tutorials out there at the moment (I plan to post one in the near future).
Note two:
Tim, the wool is extremely compressible and does not abut the hook or impede hookups. It’s really very easy to work with overall. Honestly, the Puglisi baitfish patterns offer distinct advantages from a weight standpoint but there is something about the wool head on this particular fly that gives a more 3-D profile to the front of the fly that makes it look like a “big fat” minnow in the water.
Also, I have been very impressed with the gummy minnows over the past year.
