Fly Tying

Feather Brain: Durability, Castability, and Fishability

Yak Hair Sailfish Tube Flies

I admit over the last 20+ years, I have created some really scary  flies that cast like trash can lids or disintegrate with the first round of false casts, but that’s how you learn. Spot-on realistic flies and extremely delicate shadow-box flies that will never touch the water have their place, but if your aim is to wrestle fish, then you need to take a few more things into consideration.  I like to start with ” The 3 Abilities  I thing all flies should have; Durability, Castability and Fishabiility” Read More

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Feather Brain: Designing A New Pattern

P1020137

Although there are how-to’s for my favorite patterns, my goal is not only to teach you how to tie a particular fly, but rather to explain how to create new productive flies and the reasons why one material may work better in a given situation than another. If you understand why historically productive patterns work so well, it will help you design flies that look cool and catch fish too. My process starts with the fish! Read More

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Tranqu-Hill-izer Bonefish Fly by Drew Chicone

This is the fifth installment of  Essential Bonefish Patterns • Andros. The complete step-by-step instructions for tying this pattern can be downloaded here.

7 must-have pattens for stalking the giant bonefish that lurk around  the island of  Andros.- 96 page downloadable pdf. of Essential Bonefish Flies – Andros, illustrated with ultra-hi resolution step-by-step instructions. Read More

Tranqu-Hill-izer Bonefish Fly by Drew Chicone Read More »

Gotcha • Jim McVay

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=&1=& Tiemco 811S (or similar) sizes #2- #8

=&2=&210 Denier (or similar) Pale Pink

=&3=& Pearl Mylar Braid

=&4=&Tan or Cream Craft Fur

=&5=& Eyes: Medium bead chain (vary the weight of the eyes based on water depth)

=&6=& Pearl Diamond Braid palmered around hook

=&7=&Pearl or Yellow Krystal Flash

=&8=& Clear Cure Goo Hydro

7 must have pattens for stalking the giant bonefish that lurk around  the island of  Andros.- 96 page downloadable pdf. of Essential Bonefish Flies – Andros, illustrated with ultra-hi resolution  step-by-step instructions. Read More

Gotcha • Jim McVay Read More »

90 Percenter • Oliver Owens

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I choose the Arctic Fox because I wanted a material that was a little more durable than marabou.  I also liked the softer more  natural looking tones that were produced by using the combination of the Arctic Fox with the Fish Hair topping.   The technique of fanning the Arctic Fox is very important, because that is what give the pattern its crabby profile. Also reverse tying the Fish Hair will give you a more intense color near the head of the fly.  To Read the rest of the interview with Oliver Owens purchase my ebook Essential Bonefish Patterns • Andros.

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=&2=& Tiemco 811S (or similar) sizes #2- #8

=&3=&4 lb Monofilament

=&4=& Root-beer Krystal Flash

=&5=&Tan Arctic Fox

UV pearl Angel Hair

=&6=& Black dumbbell eyes (vary the weight of the eyes based on water depth)

=&7=& Root-beer Krystal Flash palmered around hook

=&8=&Tan Craft fur or Gold Fish Hair

=&9=& Clear Cure Goo Hydro

7 must-have pattens for stalking the giant bonefish that lurk around  the island of  Andros.- 96 page downloadable pdf. of Essential Bonefish Flies – Andros, illustrated with ultra-hi resolution  step-by-step instructions. Read More

90 Percenter • Oliver Owens Read More »

Bonefish Scampi • Henry Cowen

 

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I was a dyed in the wool striper guy living in Stamford, CT and my go to fly was a fly called a coyote. It was a fly fisherman’s version of a Blakemore Roadrunner lure. It caught EVERYTHING! Stripers, blues, largemouth, smallmouth, tarpon…you name it. I figured that the success of the coyote was twofold: 1) the spinner blade used for either flash or vibration and 2) the rabbit strip tail was magical when in the water. That was what led me to the Scampi. It was basically a Gotcha on steroids. I guess if I designed it in the last 4 years I could have named it “the Balco”. The rabbit tail and the extended polar fiber wing gave it that big juicy look Shawn was telling me about. The tan Scampi was an instant success. I had also tied up some pink over tan to give the fish a different look than what they were seeing all the time. Andros was a happening place in the late 90’s and lodges were opening up all over the island. Andros bones were getting lots of pressure.  Read the rest of the interview with Henry Cowen.

 

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=&2=& Tiemco 811S sizes #2- #8

=&3=&210 Denier (or similar) Pale Pink (for pink/tan version) Orange (for tan fly)

=&4=& Pearl Mylar Braid

Tan zonker strip

=&5=& Medium bead chain (vary the weight of the eyes based on water depth)

=&6=& Pearl Bill’s Body Braid palmered around hook

=&7=&Pearl Krystal Flash

=&8=& Clear Cure Goo Hydro

 

7 must have pattens for stalking the giant bonefish that lurk around  the island of  Andros.- 96 page downloadable pdf. of Essential Bonefish Flies – Andros, illustrated with ultra-hi resolution  step-by-step instructions.

  Read More

Bonefish Scampi • Henry Cowen Read More »