Fly Fishing Reporter

[Video] Chimarra Caddis Larva

Ken Sperry — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:15:55 +0000

In this fly tying video from Tightline Productions, Matt Grobert ties his version of the Chimarra Caddis Larva, a super simple fly pattern (just the way I like them). Grobert, an author and blogger, demonstrates how even such a simple pattern can make for a very attractive and imitative pattern that trout will find hard to resist.

Chimarra Caddisfly

The Chimarra caddisfly, also known as the little black sedge, is common to the eastern and Midwestern United States. In it's larval stage, the Chimarra caddis is bright orange to yellow and darkens to black during emergence in the Spring (weird I know). Fishing this bright Chimarra caddis larva pattern in late February and March, the months leading up to the hatch, is often very effective. This pattern works great as a dropper off a heavier nymph.

Chimarra Caddis Larva Material List

Hook: Dai-Riki #125 (2X-short emerger hook), sizes 16-20
Thread & Underbody: Orange, 6/0 or 140 denier
Body: Yellow Uni-Flexx
Head: Brown thread, 6/0

Enjoy!

Related Articles:

[Video] BWO Soft Hackle by Johhny Utah

Ken Sperry — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:07:13 +0000

Click here to watch video.

Johnny Utah of Utah's Fly Corner demonstrates how to tie a beautifully simple blue-winged olive (BWO) soft hackle that is deadly on the eastern PA limestone streams he fishes.

BWO Soft Hackle Materials

Hook: Daiichi 1550, Size 14-18
Thread: Uni 8/0, light olive
Tail: Pheasant tail fibers
Thorax: Tying thread
Rib: X-small copper wire
Thorax: Pheasant tail fibers
Hackle: Grey partridge

Related Articles:

[Video] Rosenbauer’s Lucky Rabbit Foot Emerger

Ken Sperry — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:49:05 +0000

Click here to watch video.

Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions demonstrates how to tie Tom Rosenbauer's Lucky Rabbit's Foot Emerger in this fly tying video.

What Makes it Lucky?

Well it is made from a rabbit's foot, right? Kidding aside,Tom Rosenbauer, noted author and host of the Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast, developed this pattern some 20 years ago while a guide in Yellowstone National Park and to this day it's still his go to emerger pattern.

In fact, in a recent podcast where Tom named his top 12 dry flies that will catch fish "anywhere in the world", there was only one emerger on the list; Tom's snowshoe-rabbit foot emerger. I'd say that qualifies this emerger pattern as lucky.

What Makes it Work?

Undoubtedly, the snowshoe-rabbit foot fur has a lot to do with the success of this pattern. Snowshoe rabbit is just one of those fly tying materials that has near magical properties. It's tough, floats like a cork and is just buggy in the water. I don't know how else to describe it.

Next is the non-specific nature of this pattern. Many describe it as a mayfly emerger pattern, but in discussing this pattern on his podcast, Tom theorizes that it works equally well to imitate an emerging caddis or even a small adult stonefly.

Mayfly, Caddis or Stonefly?

Tom's theory is that if you observe an emerging mayfly or caddis up close when they are trying to escape from the surface of the water they actually look pretty similar and share 3 characteristics: an emerging wing, a trailing shuck and legs.

Tom's emerger pattern imitates all 3 of these characteristics with the Snowshoe rabbit (wing), Antron (shuck) and CDC (legs). All you need to do is vary the size of pattern and maybe the colors a bit and you can cover a wide range of emerging mayflies and caddisflies with this one pattern.

Tom's rabbit-foot emerger may also respresent a small adult stonefly since the pattern rides very low in the water with just the Snowshoe rabbit wing riding on the waters surface, as illustrated by Tim Flagler in the video.

I suppose nobody really knows what a trout thinks, but one thing I know for sure is that this pattern flat out works.

Rosenbauer's Rabbit Foot Emerger Material List

Hook: Dai-Riki 125 (or favorite curved emerger hook), size 14-20
Thread: UTC 70, Brown Olive
Shuck: Antron Dubbing, Chocolate Brown
Abdomen: Rabbit-Fur Dubbing, Olive
Hackle: CDC, Dun
Wing: Snowshoe-Rabbit's Foot Hair
Head: Rabbit Fur, Dark Olive

Enjoy!

Related Articles:

[Video] Davy Wotton Cinnamon & Brown Emerger Caddis (Variant)

Ken Sperry — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:30:15 +0000

Click here to watch video.

Master fly tyer Davie McPhail demonstrates how to tie a Cinnamon/Brown Emerger Caddis, a variant of a Davy Wotton' emerger caddis pattern.

Cinnamon & Brown Emerger Caddis Material List

Hook: Fulling Mill Super Grub size 12
Thread: Uni-Thread 8/0, Orange
Rib: Clear Nymph Wrap or Tinsel
Body: SLF Dubbing, Cinnamon
Thorax Cover: Cock Pheasant Tail Fiber or Antron Floss
Wing: Deer Body Hair, Dark Brown
Legs: Summer Duck (Wood Duck) Fibers
Thorax: Dark Brown SLF Dubbing and Bug-Bond
Horns: Cock Pheasant Tail Fibers

Enjoy!

Related Articles:

[Video] Tying a Green Royal Coachman by Davie McPhail

Ken Sperry — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:19:24 +0000

Click here to watch video.

Davie McPhail demonstrates how to tie a Green Royal Coachman dry fly is this fly tying video tutorial. Why green? Why not. It looks great and it's a little different from all those red ones. I'm game.

Green Royal Coachman Material List

Hook: Kamasan B170, Size 10
Thread: Uni-Thread 8/0, Olive
Wing: Calf Body Hair, White
Tail: Moose Body Hair
Body: Peacock Herl (dyed Yellow) and Hot Green Uni-Floss
Hackle: Cock Saddle, dyed Dark Olive

Enjoy!

Need fly tying material? Hit the links above and check out the deals that await in the FFR Fly Tying Magic Kingdom.

Related Articles:

[Video] Tying the Mighty Mite Hellgrammite Fly

Ken Sperry — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:54:22 +0000

Click here to watch video.

Diane Blair demonstrates how to tie Michael Verduin's Mighty Mite Hellgrammite fly in this fly tying video demonstration.

What's A Hellgrammite

Hellgrammites are the aquatic immature (larval) stage of the Dobsonfly. The lifespan of the hellgrammite ranges from 2 to 5 years which constitutes the majority of a Dobsonfly lifespan for the pupal stage lasts for only 2-4 weeks, and the adult stage only lasts for 1 to 2 weeks. The hellgrammite is usually found beneath rocks in cold, fast flowing, well-oxygenated streams, lakes, or rivers and is intolerant of water pollution, which means they are present in many freestone streams where our friends Mr. Trout and Mr. Smallmouth Bass hang out.

About Hellgrammites

The hellgrammite has a pair of hooked prolegs where the abdomen ends, as well as three pairs of segmented legs on the mid section of the body. It has short antennae and large pinching jaws, and it is thick-skinned and dark gray or black in color. The hellgrammite passes through 10-12 instars (development stages) and can be 35-65 mm in length at maturity and are a sizable meal for hungry trout and bass.

The hellgrammite is predacious and uses it's strong mandibles (biting mouthparts) to feed on aquatic insects, small fish, amphibians, or any small invertebrate that is a bottom dweller. Among the organisms that they will prey upon, their main preferences are black fly larvae and net spinning caddisflies (how dare they!.)

When preparing for pupation, the hellgrammite crawls out of the water and either burrows into the stream bank or beneath rocks, logs, or debris. The adult dobsonfly usually emerges from the pupal stage during the month of June.

Sooo, if you fish clean freestone streams you might try spinning up this Hellgrammite fly pattern and give it a try this spring or summer.

Mighty Mite Hellgrammite Fly Materials

Hook: Mustaad 3366, Size 4
Thread: UTC 140, black
Tail: Zonker Strip, black
Legs: Schlappen Hackle, black
Body: Estaz Grande, black
Shellback: Swiss Straw (Raffia), black
Eye: Bead Chain, black
Pinchers: O-ring, black

Enjoy!

photo credit: pfly

Related Articles:

[Video] Tying Al’s Rat (Variant)

Ken Sperry — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 22:09:41 +0000

Click here to watch video.

From Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions comes this fly tying video demonstration on how to tie Al's Rat or a least a slight variant of orginal fly pattern (the original pattern calls for Danville monocord in lieu of the UTC 70 thread used in this video - picky I know).

What Makes Al's Rat So Effective

In a nut shell, simplicity. Developed by the late Al Miller to fool finicky wild brown trout that inhabit Little Lehigh Creek in Eastern Pennsylvania, Al's Rat is about as simple as a fly pattern can get. Al Miller, who fished and studied the Little Lehigh daily for some 35 years, believed and practiced tying in the round such that a fly pattern is symmetrical from all views. Could that be why Al's Rat is so effective? Or maybe it's just that when trying to mimic midges size 20 to 28, less material is better. I don't really know, but I do know this pattern works!

When To Fish Al's Rat

Developed as a midge pupa imitation and deadly when fished in the film, Al's Rat is not only effective in the winter, but year round. Regulars on the Little Lehigh, myself included, know that Al's Rat isn't just a winter midge imitation, but is also highly effectively during the famed Trico hatch on the Little Lehigh in the heat of summer. Go figure!

Tips on Tying Al's Rat

Using a flat thread on this pattern is key and enables you to build a nicely tapered body on the fly. Tim's tip of cording the thread by spinning the bobbin is a great way to rib the fly without adding another mateial. This a great tip that can be used on many of your flies. As with most small flies, less is better and this is particularly true when you dub the thorax on this fly pattern.

Al's Rat Material List

Hook: Dry fly hook (Dai-Riki 310 or Daiichi 1100), size 20 - 28
Thread/Body/Rib: Danville Monocord (UTC 70 shown here), brown
Thorax: Muskrat dubbing

Enjoy!

Need fly tying material? Check out the deals in our fly tying emporium.

Related Articles:

[Video] Haystack Emerger by Davie McPhail

Ken Sperry — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:29:05 +0000

Click here to watch video.

Davie McPhail demonstrates how to tie a Haystack Emerger in this fly tying video. This fly pattern is a variant of the original Haystack developed by Fran Betters in the 1930s, only tied without a tail to allow rear of the fly to sink below the water surface to imitate an emerging mayfly.

Haystack Emerger Fly Tying Tips

Davie provides some great fly tying tips in this video including how to select deer hair, a really neat way to tie in deer hair without creating a large bump at the tie in point, and lastly how to create an anchor point for your dubbing rope that allows you to easily apply dubbing. All priceless tips that can be applied to many flies.

Haystack Emerger Material List

Hook: Kamasan B160, Size 12
Thread: Uni-Thread 8/0, Olive
Rib: Uni-Mylar Pearl, No.14
Body: SLF Dubbing, Medium Olive
Thorax: SLF Dubbing, Medium Olive
Wing: Coastal Deer Hair

Enjoy!

Need fly tying materials? Check out the deals in our fly tying emporium.

Related Articles:

Cataloochee Creek – GSMNP

Ken Sperry — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:43:24 +0000

Cataloochee Creek Map and Description

Cataloochee Creek lies in the Cataloochee Valley surrounded by some of the most rugged mountains found in the southeastern United States and is one of the most remote regions of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is often referred to as the “Forgotten Far East” because it is so remote and it is so far to the east within the GSMNP.

Cataloochee Creek is formed by the convergence of Palmer Creek, Little Cataloochee Creek, and Caldwell Fork. Cataloochee Creek flows approximately seven miles through open fields and glades within the GSMNP before emptying into Walters Lake an impoundment on the Pigeon River. The creek flows through a gradual change in elevation, creating long runs and riffles as opposed to the pocket waters found in the steeper streams within the GSMNP.

Rainbow trout inhabit the upper reaches of the creek while big browns inhabit the lower reaches. Be prepared to hike to the last couple of miles of the creek in search of the big browns. Be sure to have some terrestrials along especially hoppers in the early months of summer when the fields are mowed.

Cataloochee Creek Access

The most direct route is to take Cove Creek Road (partially graveled). From interstate I-40, exit at North Carolina exit #20 and travel 0.2 miles on route 276. Turn right onto Cove Creek Road and follow the signs 11 miles into the Cataloochee alley. Cove Creek Road ends in the valley adding to its remoteness.

For turn-by-turn driving direction click on the blue icon in the Google map above.

Additional Information

Additional information about fly fishing Cataloochee Creek is available at Trout U who contributed in large part to this fly fishing guide - thanks Jerry!

Visit our Great Smoky Mountains National Park fly fishing guide for maps and information on fishing other trout streams in the park.

Visit our Great Smoky Mountains National Park Fly Fishing Guide for maps and information on fishing other trout streams in the park.

Related Articles:

River’s Edge Guest House, Spruce Creek, PA

Ken Sperry — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:17:45 +0000

Built in the early 1900's, the River's Edge Guest House is a two-story Bed and Breakfast overlooking the Little Juniata River. The Little Juniata River offers some of the best trout fishing in Pennsylvania and excellent fishing awaits just off the front porch.

Located only 19 miles Southwest of State College and 10 miles from Tyrone on I-99- Rte. 453 to Rte 45E. Turn off at the Spruce Creek Outfitters on Eden Hill Road to Blue Hill Lane. The River's Edge Guest house is at the end of the lane.