Category Archives: Fly Tying

Blogs related to tying flies

Beadhead RS2 – 11/20/2011

Perhaps the second most productive fly in my arsenal after the beadhead hares ear is the beadhead RS2. Whenever I see any BWO adults in the air, I quickly tie a beadhead RS2 to my line. Sometimes the RS2 is a second dropper from a large buoyant attractor, and this can be a deadly approach. Other times I add a strike indicator and split shot and then a larger nymph followed by the beadhead RS2. When the fish are very active chasing emergers, the deep method seems to outperform the dead drift dropper approach.

ComponentMaterial
HookSize 22 straight eye
BeadSmall silver bead
ThreadGray 6/0
TailSeveral fibers from pheasant body feather
BodyMuskrat fur
WingGray fluff from base of pheasant body feather

 

RS2

This is another fly that I stocked too few of entering the 2011 season, and I was forced to tie an extra supply late in the season. Consequently I have only five in inventory and needed to tie an additional 25 to build my stock to 30. Happily this was accomplished over the weekend, and I hope to be adequately prepared for BWO hatches in 2012.

25 RS2's to Open Season

Beadhead Hares Ear – 11/20/2011

Fly ComponentMaterial
Hook Tiemco 2487 Size 14
BeadGold Sized to Fit Size 14 Hook
ThreadDark Olive
TailSmall Clump of pheasant feather fibers
RibFine gold wire
AbdomenFur from hare's mask
WingcaseStrip of Tyvek material (FedEx envelope for example) colored with black permanent market width of bead
ThoraxFur from hare's mask
LegsPheasant feather clumps

 

I began the 2010 season with 50 beadhead hares ear nymphs in my fly boxes and almost ran out. I actually had to take time away from fishing to tie an additional fifteen toward the end of the season. The beadhead hares ear is my absolute “go to” fly, and it seems to catch fish no matter where or when I’m fishing.

60 Beadhead Hares Ears

 

My goal for 2011 was to tie enough so that I had 70 in my fly boxes at the beginning of the season, and I’m happy to report that this goal was achieved. I scheduled some time each day to tie five flies after I arrived home from work and held to this fairly rigorously. If the season started tomorrow, I’d have beadhead hares ears, and I’m confident I’d catch fish.

Closer View of Workmanship

Fly Tying – 11/6/2011

Time: Sat. and Sun. off and on

Location: My desk

With the onset of colder temperatures and daylight saving time, my thoughts turned to tying flies for the upcoming 2012 season so on Saturday, November 5 I made a list of the flies I plan to have on hand to begin the 2012 season. I counted my inventory and subtracted to determine what I needed to tie.

Here is my list:

1. Beadhead hares ear  85 – 12 = 73

2. Beadhead RS2 30 – 5 = 25

3. Olive and black woolly buggers 10

4. Damsel fly nymphs 10

5. Light gray deer hair caddis 20

6. Dark olive deer hair caddis 20 – 5 = 15

7. Beadhead prince nymph 15 – 5 = 10

8. Tricos 10

9. Sunken tricos 10

10. Letort hoppers 25 – 5 = 20

11. Charlie boy hoppers 15

12. Green drakes – 10 – 2 = 8

13. Purchased irridescent pheasant tail nymph 10

14. Cream parachute hoppers 8 – 2 = 6

15. Emerald beadhead caddis pupa 25 – 14 = 11

16. Bright green beadhead caddis pupa 20 – 9 = 11

17. Beadhead pheasant tail nymphs 40 – 26 = 14

18. Jujubaetis – 10

From this list I generated a material shopping list:

1. Size 14 scud hooks 100

2. Beads for size 14 scud hooks 100

3. Camel (brown) thread

4. Yellow heavy thread for Charlie Boy Hoppers

5. Size 16 saddle hackles for caddis dries

6. Size 20 scud hooks for RS2’s 25

7. Silver beads for RS2’s 25

8. A way to weight the sunken tricos

9. Calf body hair patch for parachute hopper wings

10. Materials for puchased fly

11. Materials for jujubaetis

Jane agreed to accompany me to Charlie’s Fly Box in Old Arvada on Saturday afternoon, so we departed at around 3PM. A friendly salesperson greeted me and helped me gather all my materials in a basket. He also advised me on the materials required to make the irridescent nymph that I took along and requirements for the jujubaetis.

Fly Tying Materials from Charlie’s Fly Box

After making our purchase, Jane and I discovered a new micro brewery in Old Arvada so we checked out the tasting room and purchased a pair of Arvada porters. Next door was a new Belgian Frites (french fries) shop, so we shared a cone of fries along with a sampling of dipping sauces while we drank our beers.

On Sunday I got down to business and began tying beadhead hares ear nymphs. I managed to crank out 22 off and on around a bike ride and watching the Broncos.

Charlie Boy Hopper – 2/1/11

Suppose I could have a fly with the profile and fish catching abilities of a Letort hopper, but the buoyancy of a Chernobyl Ant? If such a fly exists, I would likely fish it every day all season long. It would only get removed when fish tuned in to specific insects or I needed to fish deep.

ComponentMaterial
HookTiemco 200R Size 10
Body2MM closed cell foam strip, color of choice
ThreadYellow 3/0 or color to match body
LegsYellow round rubber legs, medium
WingDeer hair

 

Charlie Boy Hopper

In one of my fishing magazines I spotted the Charlie Boy Hopper, created by local Denver fly designer, Charlie Craven. I love the fly shop owned by Charlie in Old Arvada called Charlie’s Fly Box. I checked out Charlie’s web site and printed off the tying steps for making Charlie Boy Hoppers and planned to create some of my own during the winter of 2010. Unfortunately, by the time I refilled all my proven inventory, I ran out of time.

Deer Hair Wing on Top

However, 2011 is a new year, and I prioritized making Charlie Boy Hoppers for the coming season. I had everything required to make these flies except Zap-A-Gap and a sharp razor blade, so I visited a fly shop and picked up these necessities. The tying instructions were quite voluminous, but once I’d done my prototype, I discovered they are fairly easy to tie. I was so optimistic that this fly will be a winner, that I made 15-20 of them in different sizes and color combinations. I tied 5 tan and 5 yellow in size 10, and then 3 bright green in size 10. I then added 3 tan and 3 yellow in size 12.

Segmented Foam Underside

I’m quite anxious to test these flies on the streams in 2011. The foam bend back style should really provide a lot of buoyancy, yet I feel like the profile is close to that obtained with the Letort hopper. If these work as expected, I’ll have no problem floating two medium size beadheads through delicious pockets and runs.

Chernobyl Ant – 2/1/11.

I was introduced to the Chernobyl Ant on the Green River below Flaming Gorge Reservoir ten years ago by my guide, Mark. We drifted all the sections of the river, and the most productive fly was the large Chernobyl Ant. Mark had me cast the large buggy ant near the bank and ahead of the drift boat. He was expert at maintaining the speed of the boat and instructing me on when and how to mend so that we held long drag free drifts in all the attractive eddies and currents along the bank. I experienced some of the best fishing ever during these couple of fall days on the Green River. I asked Mark if he thought the Chernobyl Ant would work in other streams in Colorado, and he guaranteed it would.

I began tying a few Chernobyl Ants to experiment with during my Colorado outings. Typically I used it as a top indicator fly due to the buoyancy of the foam body. During late summer when fish would refuse my Letort hopper, I’d substitute the Chernobyl Ant hoping that the fish would grab the trailing nymph and not pay attention to the top fly. Guess what? I discovered that the fish loved the Chernobyl Ant and rose to smash it as frequently as they nabbed the trailing nymph.

Peacock Flash on Underside

The only change I make to tying this fly compared to store bought versions is the addition of a peacock metallic chenille on the underside of the foam. My guide, Mark, featured this attractor quality, and I adopted it. I’ve also experimented with brown legs and fancier striped rubber legs, but the brown seems to perform as well as any. The first thing to get damaged from usage is loss of legs or appendages. After a Chernobyl loses two or more legs, I generally set it aside, and then in the winter I rehabilitate with limb replacements.

Refurbished Chernobyl Ants

I’m not sure what a Chernobyl Ant imitates, but the fish, especially bank hugging browns, seem to like it. Possibly it imitates large terrestrials that get blown into the water from time to time. It certainly looks buggy with its large black body, peacock chenille underbody, and dangling rubber legs. The yellow foam section on top of the fly is purely for the fisherman, and this fisherman loves its visibility.

Yellow Indicator on Top

This past summer I probably used the Chernobyl Ant more than any other season. In fact, I tied the Chernobyl to my line as the top fly first on many occasions where I’d previously opted for a hopper. The combination of fish catching ability, visibility, and buoyancy are difficult to surpass. My favorite application is on small headwater streams with dense vegetation reaching out to the casting area. When there isn’t enough space to execute repetitive backcasts to dry a traditional dry fly, I dig into my fly pocket for a Chernobyl Ant. This fly can simply be roll cast or dapped in tight quarters with no drying required. It works like a charm. Another benefit on small streams is that the fish that are too small, can’t get the large hook in their mouths and fall off, so I only tend to land fish worthy of counting.

New Chernobyl

During the summer of 2010 my best Chernobyl days were probably on Chalk Creek, Fooses Creek, North Fork of the St. Vrain, and Clear Creek. These streams are all small in scale and the ease of fishing the Chernobyl Ant created hours of fun. My son, Dan, and I hiked into the North Fork of St. Vrain Canyon from Meeker Park on a very hot September day, and caught numerous brown trout on the Chernobyl Ant. Dan is a believer in Chernobyl fishing!

RS2 – 1/21/11

The RS2 is a tiny nymph developed by a gentleman name Rim Chung in Colorado. Orignally this fly was developed to fool the selective trout on the South Platte River in Cheesman Canyon and Deckers. I’ve been tying RS2’s since I first heard of them and read about them when I moved to Colorado in the early 90’s.

The original pattern uses muskrat guard hairs for the tail, muskrat fur for the body and then a tuft of the fluffy marabou style feather that is found at the base of partridge and pheasant feathers. I’ve modified it a bit by adding a tiny silver colored bead behind the eye, and I substituted brown fibers from a hackle or pheasant feather for the tail. I no longer have the patience to pick through a muskrat patch and pluck tiny brown guard hairs. I’ve caught a lot of fish, so I don’t think the fish discern any differences.

ComponentMaterial
HookSize 22 straight eye
BeadSmall silver bead
ThreadGray 6/0
TailSeveral fibers from pheasant body feather
BodyMuskrat fur
WingGray fluff from base of pheasant body feather

 

I nearly always tie on a RS2 when I spot tiny mayflies in the air. The primary mayfly that seems to result in RS2 success is the baetis, also referred to as blue wing olives. These mayflies are very small and typically range between size 18 and 24. I use size 20 and 22 RS2’s the most to imitate the nymphs of these mayflies.

Beadhead RS2 in the Vise

Most of the best blue wing olive hatches occur in Colorado in the spring and fall. The spring hatches tend to be slightly larger than the fall hatches. I added the beadhead to my RS2’s so I could fish them as a dropper below a large indicator fly such as a Chernobyl ant or Letort hopper. This works sometimes, but more often I’ve discovered that working a RS2 deeper with a strike indicator, split shot and another larger nymph as the top fly produces more fish. I’m guessing that the nymphs emerge in deeper runs and swim rapidly from the bottom of the stream to the top, and the action of the swinging and lifted nymphs with the split shot comes closer to imitating the emergence.

In 2010 I was fishing on a Thursday on the Frying Pan River in September, when a blue winged olive hatch occurred at the tail end of green drake and pale morning dun activity. I added an RS2 to my PMD imitation and caught a few fish, but I felt like I should be attracting more attention given the intensity of the hatch. When I returned to the stream the next day, I decided to go deep with a beadhead hares ear and RS2 using a strike indicator and split shot. I experienced much more success using this technique and even maintained this approach as I spotted fish rising to take surface flies.  Trout love to hammer the RS2 at the end of the drift when the line begins to swing across current and lifts the nymphs toward the surface. This day on the Frying Pan River probably represents my most successful RS2 day in 2010.

Royal Stimulator – 12/7/10

I began tying this fly several years ago when I discovered it in a book I purchased by Scott Sanchez at the fly fishing show in Denver. I made 5-10 flies in the 12-14 size range, but they were poorly tied using calf tail hair for the wing. I crowded the head and the slippery wing material tended to to pull out after catching a few fish or even from handling the fly.

For the 2011 season I plan to begin with 15 solid royal stimulators. I’ve already tied nine of them, and I’m now putting three coats of head cement on the thread wraps ahead of the wing. I’ve also switched to calf body hair instead of calf tail, and the calf body hair seems to be less slippery and less unruly. I tie these flies on 3X long hooks.

I believe the main fish attracting qualities of the royal stimulator are the iridescent peacock body material and the red thread. I also love the white wing for visibility in the twilight hours. The large size of the fly and the dense palmered hackle contribute to buoyancy and visibility.

Top View of Stimulator

I’ve experienced much success using the royal stimulator early in the season and also throughout the season in the small headwater streams in Colorado. The royal stimulator floats well and brings up fish in the likely spots in small streams such as those found in Rocky Mountain National Park and tributaries to the Arkansas River.

Perhaps my best fishing experience during the summer of 2010 occurred while casting a royal stimulator in the last hour before dark on Brush Creek near Eagle, CO. You can read more about this on the page link, Brush Creek – 7/10/10.

Hares Ear Nymph – 11/5/10

The beadhead hares ear nymph is my go to fly. Nine times out of ten, this is the first fly I attach to my line when I approach moving water. The bead and gold rib give it attracting flash, and the unruly guard hairs of the hares mask provide an all around buggy look. This fly seems to produce when caddis are active, but also is effective before and during mayfly hatches.

Fly ComponentMaterial
Hook Tiemco 2487 Size 14
BeadGold Sized to Fit Size 14 Hook
ThreadDark Olive
TailSmall Clump of pheasant feather fibers
RibFine gold wire
AbdomenFur from hare's mask
WingcaseStrip of Tyvek material (FedEx envelope for example) colored with black permanent market width of bead
ThoraxFur from hare's mask
LegsPheasant feather clumps

 

My friend Dave Gaboury calls the hares ear that I tie Dave’s Hares Ear. Dave is convinced my fly produces more fish because I tie it on a curved scud hook which gives it a more natural appearance. I don’t know if Dave’s theory is right or not, but I can vouch for its effectiveness.

A Brand New Beadhead Hares Ear Nymph

My other variation on the traditional hares ear pattern is the substitution of Tyvex material for a quill section for the wing case. I use old bibs from road races I entered and color the bib black with a permanent magic marker. Another good source of this material is Fedex mailing envelopes. This stuff is indestructible and the first place the fly breaks down are the thread wraps right behind the bead. If the thread unravels, I remove it from my fly patch and toss in a cylindrical canister then refurbish the flies for the next season.

Hares Ears Needing Rehab

After Refurbishment

If you read my fishing blogs on this site, you will probably notice that I fish this fly on every outing. During the first half of the season I tend to pair it with a yellow Letort Hopper, and then later in the season I drop it off of a Chernobyl ant. In rare occassions when the water is too deep for the dry/dropper, I fish the beadhead hares ear as the top fly on a two fly nymphing rig with a smaller fly like a pheasant tail or beadhead baetis as the point fly.

Still in the Vice

I entered the 2010 season with 30 beadhead hares ear nymphs in inventory in addition to the ones that remained in my fly patch from the previous season. By the end of September I had completely depleted my inventory and worked from the ones that remained in my fly patch for my last few outings. In order to build a larger cushion, I began my winter production fly tying yesterday and produced 19 beadhead hares ear nymphs. The first six were rehabs. I plan to enter 2011 with 50 in my bulk inventory box.

South Platte River – 05/18/1997

Time: 9:00AM – 4:00PM

Location: NIghthawk

May 18 was a nice day, with a high around 75 degrees. Rain and clouds arrived in the late afternoon. I landed ten trout in total on the day. The first brown came from below a small island below Osprey on a tan San Juan worm. Next a rainbow arrived in my net from a San Juan worm just below where the brown was caught. Two rainbows fell for a San Juan worm below rocks in current seams half way down to the first pullout. After lunch I landed a large rainbow on an orange scud by the high bank below long island, and then the orange scud yielded two browns in the run below long island. Toward the end of the day I duped three beautiful browns on a light pink San Juan worm in the current seam below island two directly across from Nighthawk Hill road.

Fish Landed: 10