I was looking through some old fly fishing magazines today and was reminded of how many hours of fun I had fly fishing for brook trout in all the brooks around Moncton, New Brunswick. Back then I was only working part time and had plenty of time to fish, just not much money to spend.
Back then gas we a whole lot cheaper but still I managed to fly fish about 5 days a week. We ate a lot of trout back then. Today I do more catch and release although I still like a feed of brookies in the early spring and I love Atlantic salmon steaks, so I keep my limit.
I bought a vice along with some fly tying supplies and started tying my own trout and salmon flies at the same time I started fly fishing. Fly tying is a great hobby. I have tied a lot of trout flies that allowed me to keep fishing when I wasn’t making much money.
A lot of the fly patterns I tied were dry flies. I was pretty hooked on top water fishing for a long time. Some great memories.
There is one brook I want to take my fishing buddy Jamie with the fly rods. It could take us all day to go what would take 20 minutes to walk the way the crow flies.
Can you tell I am eager for spring to get here. It’s so cold here I won’t go outside so all that is on my mind is fishing, fly fishing in particular. I still have to get my butt in my fly tying chair and get some of my favorites done.
A friend who is also one of my web design clients was yesterday to pay me for a job well done and we telling me how many Atlantic salmon flies has tied in the last little while, the Green Machine, most popular here, was the one that he mentioned.
I have a desk setup in my office so that I can start tying again, it’s been a few years, but now I have it pile high with all things fly tying but nothing is in it’s place yet.
So instead of cleaning up the mess and sitting down to tie a few flies I started poking around online. I spent have the afternoon, so here are a few links that might help you, learn or perhaps just idle away some time.
Fly Tying Patterns – Fly Fishing Flies. The Artwork, Posters and Prints that can be found here are just … Fly Fishing Flies …. see what you get. The list [...] – 4 months ago …
Fly Fishing Guide – How to Tie Fly Fishing Flies and Knots. Fly Fishing Fly Patterns Tieing flies requires the right tools, threads and experience. …
Fly Fishing Secrets – The thing about fly fishing flies is that you really cannot go fly fishing … This is why having a wide variety of fly fishing flies is so important. …
How to Cast a Fly Rod – recreation; fly fishing tips; fly fishing knots; fly fishing flies; rods for fly fishing; choose a fly line; cast a fly rod. HubPages …
Fly Fishing Guides – Help You Enjoy Angling Trips to the Fullest – If you are new in the sport of fly fishing, then certainly there would be times when you will have to hire fly fishing guides. A guide is someone much like a travel guide of sorts, except that he gives information on the water spots …
Tying the Blood Knot for Fly Fishing – Video – Tags: Fishing Flies Fishing Gear Fishing Line Fly Fishing Fly Fishing Flies Fly Fishing Gear. Please wait while the video loads. You will need Adobe’s Flash Player plugin to view this page properly. …
I was doing a bit of research on fly fishing flies this morning and saw this article on EzineArticles.
Tying Fly Fishing Flies – The Frankenstein Fly
By Richard Chapo
You can buy flies for fly fishing, but you’?ll want to tie your own at some point. Undoubtedly, your first fly will be the Frankenstein Fly.
Of Flies?
There is a particular fly for every fish, location and situation. There are basic flies like the Woolly Bugger and millions of exotic ones. You can buy thousands of them, but it will set you back a pretty penny. So, it?s time to tie your own.
The first step in the fly process is getting some educated advice at the bookstore. You’ll need to browse the fishing section for the hundreds of books on the subject. You’ll see books like ‘Flies for Idiots’, ‘Be One With The Fly’ and other mythical titles. Pick the one that seems tailored to your needs, buy your tools and supplies and head home.
One of the first flies most people try to tie is the Woolly Bugger. It can be used for most situations and seems fairly simple to tie. Since this is your first time, you’ll actually be tying the Frankenstein Fly whether you realize it or not. This is true regardless of the specific fly you try to tie.
With the Woolly Bugger, you’ll use a jam knot, a fluffy piece of marabou, lead wire and so on. You’ll follow the directions in detail. You’ll wind. You?ll strip fuzz. You?ll wrap like you?ve never wrapped before. In the end, you will have followed every step in agonizing detail. As you finish the last step, whip finishing your fly, you’ll step back to admire the best Woolly Bugger.
At this point, you’ll look at the book and your masterpiece. Then you’ll jump on the Internet and pull up pictures of Woolly Bugger flies. Then the neighborhood will shake with a piercing scream. Yes, you’ve created something that faintly looks like a Woolly Bugger, but strikingly like Frankenstein.
Congratulations, you’ve tied a Frankenstein Fly. Welcome to the league of mad tie scientists.
Have Faith
Tying flies is definitely an art. You will almost never get it right the first time. Don’t be discouraged. Keep at it. Who knows, maybe the fish will find your Frankenstein Fly to be a tasty treat.
Image via WikipediaThe summer of 2008 was a real blessing for me. After spending 4 years without fishing, trying to survive an inoperable heart attack in 2004, I had all but given up on ever being able to go fishing again.
The most fun I had during the 2008 season was fishing pickerel with my fishing buddy Jamie. We only used our spinning rods so Jamie didn’t get the opportunity to experience what fly fishing for pickerel is like. Look out 2009.
I fish a lot from my float tube and pickerel is one of the most fun fish to catch on the fly here in New Brunswick. I know the Atlantic salmon can’t be beat but they sure come in a close second in my books.
I have had a few days fishing with friends from float tubes where we just had our arms pulled off all day long. It makes for one of those days that your face hurts from laughing and your throat hurts from yelling “FISH ON” all day long. Jamie is in for a treat he will never give up.
Fishing for pickerel almost always takes us to the weeds where it becomes important to have flies that are weedless or 95% of the time you will be hung up on the smallest of weeds. That tends to take a lot of the fun out of fighting pickerel as they fight a whole lot better than those darn weeds.
I am scouring the net for pike and pickerel flies for 2009 but I would appreciate it if you would take a minute and give me your opinion and best choice for artificial flies that catch pike and pickerel.
Image via WikipediaI love the joy I get from fly fishing. Not too many things thrill me like casting a line to a spot you know could holding. Even better is when the water explodes and in your mind you can’t help screaming FISH ON.
Now imagine the same scenario but this time you are using a fly you tied yourself. That adds a whole new level of excitement for me. Now you have the excitement of fly fishing but it’s just so much more.
It doesn’t matter to me if I am fishing for Atlantic salmon, Smallmouth bass, brook trout or even Chain pickerel tying artificial flies for them just makes for more excitement.
Tying artificial flies doesn’t have to difficult at all. A few fly tying tools and materials and you are ready for a new experience that will be with you for life.
Where To Start Tying Artificial Flies
I would suggest that you first find someone that will show you the ropes. I had someone show me and in no time at all I was out buying my own vise and materials.
Having someone show you how to tie flies and then letting you try your hand at it will give you a good indication of whether you will want to do this for yourself. I was hooked right away but I have a few friends that would rather just buy their artificial flies.
My fly fishing friends and myself of course look for fly tying supplies on eBay . It’s a very affordable way to get started. I also use eBay to buy the artificial flies I don’t want to tie myself or just don’t have the time to tie.
Required Fly Tying Tools
The Fly Tyers Vise
To begin with you will need a vise to hold your hook while you are tying. It just doesn’t work when you try holding the hook with one hand.
There are a variety of vise types. I personally have a very basic, inexpensive vise that has worked for me these past 30 years. But you can get some really nice vises. The only thing I wish my vise did would be to rotate the hook when I need to, it would make tying even easier.
Price range for Fly Tying Vises: $30 – $200
Fly Tying Scissors
Scissors are extremely important. I like to have two pair of small scissors. One pair have straight cutting blades while the other has curved blades.
The curved blades make trimming your fly so much easier, especially the body of the fly as it’s usually oval and not square so the curved blades follow the shape making it easier to trim.
I have been using the same two pair of scissors for at least twenty years, maybe a bit longer, and the only thing I have ever had to do was to sharpen them.
Price range for Fly Tying Scissors:
You will need fly tying materials like feathers, hair, yarn and of course a variety of thread colours.
I started by buying a fly tying kit and later I purchased all the supplies and tools a friend I worked with at Sears was selling when his health took a turn for the worse and he no longer went fishing. I still have a lot of things he sold me and that was some twenty years ago.
I have found eBay to be a great place to get the best deals on all things fly tying.
Well I really don’t like putting my fishing gear away at the end of the fishing season, but there’s always next year and it’s just 6 months away. Oh man I have to move to a longer fishing season.
I had already put my gear away a couple of weeks ago thinking I was done for the year but then Jamie came through and off we went, but that’s not going to happen now. The season is over.
Since I started working from home I have more time on my hands but because my wife still works outside the home we can’t just pickup and leave when ever we please, soon but not quite yet. For this reason the winters can seem very long.
I was talking with Jamie, about next year, and I was telling him I want to see him fly fishing for bass and pickerel. That means that we need to tie a few weedless flies that float high in the water.
I have been fly fishing for bass and pickerel and of course everything else here in New Brunswick but Jamie hasn’t. Once he has he will understand what I am talking about. It’s like they become 4 or 5 pounds heavier while you’re fighting them.
If you are fly fishing bass and pickerel or pike let me know what fly tying patterns you use for your top water flies so please leave a comment.
I have tied big deer hair bugs that work great fly fishing for both bass and our chain pickerel here in New Brunswick but I want more variety in the flies we will be using.
Fly fishing for bass is one of the most popular types of fly fishing there is. The thrill of your first time to catch a largemouth bass, can be counted as one of the most thrilling fishing experiences you will have. Most anglers will use spinning or casting reels to catch bass. But if you really want a challenge, then you need to try fly fishing for one.
Fly fishing for bass certainly will not win you any fishing tournaments. But it is the most challenging way you will find to catch bass. It is far removed from most fly fishing techniques, such as fly fishing for trout in a mountain stream.
The rod used is heavier than those used for catching trout. Rods for bass fishing are usually 8 weight, a rod such as this is required because this type of fish takes some landing. Also the fly used would be larger as well. The leader used for this type of fishing would be shorter as well, 4-6 feet, with the tippet at around a 8 pound test line.
The best way to catch your first fish, is to cast your line from a boat towards shore, making sure it lands underneath trees and there branches. A technique that is known to work well, is simply letting the fly rest on the water for a period of time, then snap it across the water quickly, this is a great way to get the attention of any bass that are there. You will find that the popping sound of this action will attract the fish and then you can make your first strike.
Some of the best fishing you will find is in smaller bodies of water. Small county lakes and slow moving creeks are perfect for fly fishing. Slow moving creeks are a favorite, this is because can use the shore to cast from and position your fly in a favorable position, such as, beneath trees.
The thing about this type of fishing, is the fight the fish will put up, will make it seem far larger than it is. A two to three pound bass caught will seem and feel like a six pound fish. All this adds to thrill and excitement of your new fly fishing experience.
Fly fishing for bass is not only an exciting experience, it is also fun to do. So next time you are thinking of going fishing for bass, put aside your normal rod and reel, then give fly fishing a try. You will not regret doing so and will have the most thrilling fishing experience that you will ever have. Also just think about the tales you will be able to regale your friends with, about your new found experience. So are you up to this challenge?
I was talking with Jamie, about next year, and I was telling him I want to see him fly fishing for bass and pickerel. That means that we need to tie a few weedless flies that float high in the water.
