Neal Osborn
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I might have to start using a bigger hook in the front. I re-listened to a KG podcast and appartently the bigger gap hook in the front section is better for hooking the fish AND also acts as a rudder which keeps the fly in line during the strip retrieve. I never thought about that and have probably just been lucky to hook up stupid pond bass until this point.
I’ll bet you a dime-to-a-nickle that is why (see my last fly picture above) I have been doing better on sinking lines when I shave my heads to a bullet shape.
Good call Michael . . . it was a leak at the foot seam. Aaagghh! I tested it in the tub and it obviously the right foot seam that is leaking.
I will call Simms tomorrow.
Neil,
Why do you prefer a larger back hook on articulated streamers? I’ve always heard to go two sizes smaller (at least one size smaller) with the back hook. Also, can you comment more about wire vs. backing for the articulation joint? I’ve used both materials and actually prefer backing over wire since I’ve found it to give better movement in the water.That’s a good point and deserves a bit of clarification. For “warm water” fishing with articulated flies I like a bigger hook on the back. Don’t have a reason other than experience with better hookups for bass. Maybe it’s the way they take the fly, which is more of a tap and glide take. On the other hand, I do use a bigger hook in front when tying articulated streamers for trout fishing on moving water. Over the past year I have not had much opportunity to fish from a boat on the river (although I do have a pontoon craft which is so much easier to do the one-man thing on the local lakes and ponds vs the river). So . . . it’s been a warm water game for my articulated streamer fishing.
Tim – I hope you don’t mind me posting some notes here.
Loren Williams http://www.flyguysoutfitting.com/articulatedbugger.html has a great tutorial on tying the general articulated wooly bugger. This is a great place to start learning the articulated style of tying and you can get results very fast (I almost guarantee you will catch a trout the first time and then “you” will be hooked).
Here is another link I have saved http://www.flymasters.com/Class_FlyTying_Int_ArticualtedFlies2007.asp (shows pictures of other things to do with articulation).
The next step is the circus peanut – it’s kinda hard to find a recipe online but look closely at the pattern and it is pretty easy once you understand the basics of articulated flies.
Get some yellow (or white) saltwater reel backing and use that to tie your articulations at first. Wire is great but difficult to learn in practice.
Charlie Craven http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/index.cfm has a recipe for the SD variant but that would be considered intimidation-level tying (My picture above is that same fly)
Great flies Tim!!!
Aaaaahhhh, the Gallup flies strike again.
I love the Madonna style but honestly I catch more bass with them than “trophy” trout. Last time I had one on for trout was when I lost my Heliply rod and Hatch reel in the river (long story . . . Zach can vouch that it was the worst fishing day of my life).
I started tying this style with marabou instead of rabbit and using a two-toned body/head and I put a weed guard ventrally. Again, I am now using them more for bass. On the lake with standard floating line/leader I think they act like a Dahlberg diver, but on sinking lines they are great baitfish imitators, especially yellow/white. That’s why I tie them with big gaped stinger hooks for the type of fishing I use them for.
Do you use them on the rivers up in MI for trout? What type of sinking line setup do you use?
My version of the fly with weed guard
That second articulated fly looks good! I have tried similar Sex Dungeon or circus peanut variants with deer hair and they look fantastic in the vise but in practical application they are (for me at least) stupid heavy when wet. Need an 8-9wt rod and a hard hat. I personally employ a big stinger hook in the back section and as a rule, use a smaller hook in front.A big SD variant with rabbit hair. I don’t use these anymore because they were just too heavy (but they look great as decorations on the tying desk).
Here is my current setup for articulated CP or SD – I use the LONG fibered marabou from the quill packets. This keeps the weight down when wet. For some reason in my local lake they are more effective if I razor trim the head to a thin bullet shape when used with sinking lines (see picture below) but not with standard floating line/leader setup.
Yellow, white, orange, and black are most effective for warm water fishing in my local area. I’ve been told that a yellow Madonna is killer on the tailwater rivers here in Georgia.
I like the latest shots a lot. The angle of the fly and vise in a tangential position is a nice touch. The red background motif contrasts well with the white fly but … remember that red is the strongest color signal and tends to saturate very easily compared to other colors. I have found a little bit is nice but too much can be overwhelming, especially in macro photography. A black background would be nice for this fly. Your lighting is a bit off but I must say it’s much better each and every picture you post. The great thing on that last series is that the viewer can clearly see the elements of the fly and get an idea how to tie it, nice and clear. Cool shot.
BTW, it is somewhat bad form to comment on someone’s EXIF/Metadata without permission and for that I apologize. However, since we have been discussing your camera and settings I thought it might help you better get at your goal. There are many ways to find EXIF data on a picture if the author doesn’t remove it on export. Whatever program you use to edit pictures (e.g. Photoshop, Elements, NX Capture, etc) has the ability to read the data.
Keith, the second round of shots are much better. I love that you are honing in on the photos and have a desire to learn.
That is a great stealth bomber by the way! Fantastic pattern – I have an entire box of em in many different colors. (FYI, great pattern for the local ponds or DH section of the Hootch during the summer – shoal bass tear em up; literally).
I have the same tripod as Olle. I initially bought the lighter weight cousin but returned it after 1 week for the 055XPROB because it is taller and very solid. It is a great tripod and it swings parallel to do macro table fly shots or on-the-ground flora shots. It’s also great for doing food shots (something I’ve been dabbling in lately). I don’t care about weight so I went for the big guns for what I do.
The other decision is head choice. I personally love my geared head setup which fits my needs well (mostly macro). I would “like” a ball head but that will sit low on the list for now.
At first I was skeptical of simply using an external HD and then just buying another HD and storing the 1st (if that makes sense). However, External HDs have gotten so cheap that I now simply fill one up with Mac Time Machine and then put in away and go get another. I am now on my third HD and plan to finally delete the 1st/original and rotate it back in the 3-way scheme. The slight increase in money is worth every penny in convenience.
A quote from Nikon Rumors, “It’s a very long time since prices in the photo/imaging market increased. Cameras and lenses fell in price until they offered incredibly good value for money. In times of recession it seems counter-intuitive for prices to rise but that’s exactly what is about to happen, mainly due to the currency fluctuations.”
Apparently Sigma is going to significantly increase the price of all U.S. lenses next week.
Sams Club is having a smoking deal on 1 Terabyte external drives (USB 2.0 only) for $109. I use external drives.
Agree to with David – – – would like to see some more portrait type shots of fly fishers!
Thanks Buzz.
