File - SaltyFlyTying.com

Drew Chicone's Salty Fly Tying Chronicle
Friend on Facebook
Follow on Twitter
Salty Fly Tying Chronicle
Forward to a Friend
April 2013
In This Issue:
"Most Frequently Asked Question... "
Answering the one question I hear most..."What kind of glue do you use to attach eyes for
baitfish patterns?"
"eBook Debut - Essential Bonefish Flies • Andros"
It's finally finished! My latest eBook featuring ultra-hi resolution step-by-step instructions for the
7 must have patterns for stalking the giant bonefish that lurk around the island of Andros.
Feather Brain
Pre Order
Recently I partnered
with Stackpole Books
to publish my latest
"Capt. Daniel Andrew's Pine Island Ice Tea"
work Feather Brain -
Learn how to Capt. Daniel's hot new pattern that has all the SW Florida redfish a little tipsy!
Saltwater Flies. If you
are interested in a
signed copy of Feather
Welcome to Salty Fly Tying Chronicle. My goal is to spread the word about new or unique
materials, techniques and patterns that I come across each month.
Thanks for reading, and as always, let me know what you think. Tell Drew
Drew
Most Frequently Asked Question...
How to Design Better
Brain, Click Here and I
will email you as soon
as it becomes available.
SFT Blog
Saltwater Fly Tying
Tips, Tricks, Tutorials &
More... Check Out the
Salty Fly Tying Blog
by Click Here
Logo Gear
Shirts, Hats, Decal's,
Travel Mug's you name
it! For more colors,
styles & options check
out the Salty Fly Tying
Online Store
Over the last few years of teaching fly tying, I have been asked all kinds of bizarre questions
concerning materials and techniques. Without a doubt the most frequently asked question is
"What kind of glue do you use to attach eyes for baitfish patterns?" Unequivocally E6000 is by
far the best adhesive I have found for gluing on dome style eyes.
E6000 comes in a metal tube, with your choice of large or small applicator tip.Trust me, make
sure you buy the one with the smaller tip. It keeps the glue from drying out quite so fast, and you
don't get it all over everything if you inadvertently apply too much pressure while squeezing it
out.
You really don't need to use to much of it either, a pea size drop or enough to cover the back of
the eye is enough to get the job done. It's not too thin, water proof, dries quickly, and once the
eyes are glued on... they do not come off! That being said, If for some reason the eyes shift
while drying, or you accidentally glue them on cockeyed, its better to start tying a new fly rather
than messing around with pliers and a razor blade.
You can find it at most craft stores or on Amazon for under $5. Click Here or on the E6000 pic to
head over to amazon and pick some up.
Ebook Debut - Essential Bonefish Flies • Andros
Although there are thousands of existing bonefish patterns, spend any amount of time around
dyed-in-the-wool bone fishermen and you will find that that the Pareto principle (also known as
the 80–20 rule) definitely holds true. Only a small assortment of proven patterns earn a spot
their fly boxes, no matter where they intend on fishing. Friends, guides, travel literature and
most importantly personal on-the-flats experience have narrowed my list of must have bonefish
flies down to 7 essential patterns… in no particular order.
Ververka's Mantis Shrimp, Cownes Bonefish Scampi, McVay's Gotcha, Owen's 90 per center,
Chicone's Tranqu-Hill-izer and Bone Appetit and Ginevri's Avalon have all proven to be highly
productive for Andros Island in the Bahamas. Understanding where the fly was intended to be
fished, what factors led the designer to choose the materials he did, and why the pattern has
evolved helps to give you the whole picture. Interviews with each fly’s designer will give you a
peek into the heads of some of these innovative tiers and should help you to understand how
they think and create new patterns. You'll also gain an insider's perspective, valuable insight,
and hopefully encouragement to create your own unique patterns.
7 flies that must be in your box for stalking the big bones lurking around Andros Island,
Bahamas. 96 page downloadable pdf. illustrated with ultra-hi resolution step-by-step instructions.
Download your copy by Clicking Here or on the book above. $14.99
Capt. Daniel Andrews' • Pine Island Ice Tea
About Capt. Daniel Andrews
I grew up in Southwest Florida and fishing has always been a huge part of my life. I spent my
summers fishing for snook off the beaches of Sanibel Island, and fished with my uncles on their
flats boat. I never played any sports, just fished. I got my first fly rod when I was in 3rd grade,
and began tying flies shortly after. I sold flies to a few local shops, as well as over the internet for
several years. I bought my own flats boat after graduating high school. After 2 years of college at
Florida Gulf Coast University, I realized that my calling was being on the water and guiding
people on the body of water that will always be my home, Pine Island Sound.
When did you come up with the fly?
I came up with the fly that is now known as Pine Island Ice Tea in late 2012. I was going through
my flies the night before a charter and I was short on seatrout and redfish patterns. It was late, I
was tired and I needed a few flies quick. I am a strong believer that redfish, snook, and trout in
my area are not very picky about what they eat. I have filleted many fish in my lifetime, and they
are full of all sorts of different things. It is crucial however to have a fly that looks natural, doesn’t
collect weeds, and can be presented at the correct level in the water column. Being a fishing
guide, durability was also a very important factor.
Why did you choose the materials you did and the techniques to apply them?
I wanted something that would have enough flash to attract redfish and seatrout if blind casting,
but not something so overwhelming that it would cause a sightcasted redfish to spook. Crystal
chenille is durable, and provided enough flash to make the fly visible in clear or stained water. I
chose the Pseudo Eyes because they are very durable. We often get into ladyfish and mackerel
while fishing for seatrout, and painted lead eyes do not hold up. I chose bucktail for the tail so it
would not foul on the weedguard. That is a problem with marabou and other feather tails.
Has the pattern evolved or changed any over time (Materials, Tying Techniques etc.)?
The fly hasn’t evolved much at all. I’ve tied it in olive and in white, they all seem to be effective
colors. Sometimes I use Raccoon tail instead of bucktail, It profiles better in the water.
In your opinion what makes the pattern so effective?
The Pine Island Ice Tea is very versatile; tying the weighted eyes further back on the hook allows
it to sink level, rather than nose-dive like a clouser. I use it with a floating line and a fluorocarbon
leader for redfish in the shallows. An intermediate line and fluorocarbon leader allows you to fish
deeper water for seatrout. The weedguard is very effective in the turtle grass found throughout
Pine Island Sound.
The first day we used the Pine Island Ice Tea, we landed redfish, seatrout and a snook on one
fly. We also managed to catch a few ladyfish, jacks and even a pinfish on it. Bagging a
backcountry slam (snook, redfish, seatrout) on fly is quite an achievement, but what really sold
me on the fly was the durability- we caught somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty fish and
the fly was still in great shape. I used it for several more days before eventually the weedguard
pulled. I now have a fly that I am confident will produce strikes from all of our inshore target
species, and I don’t have to spend valueable time changing flies all day.
For more info on Capt. Andrews please visit his website and blog
at www.http://andrewscharters.com or Follow Capt. Daniel Andrew's on Facebook. For the
latest fishing reports, feel free to subscribe to his Monthly Newsletter
The Pine Island Ice Tea
Materials
Hook: Daiichi 2546 or Mustad S71SZ size 2
Thread for body: 210 Danville Flat waxed Nylon - Chartreuse
Eyes: Pseudo Eyes 5/32 or 3 mm - Silver & Chartreuse
Body: Crystal chenille or Estaz - Root-beer
Tail: Bucktail - Brown
Krystal Flash - Chartreuse
Weed-guard: 20lb Mono - Clear
Adhesive: Clear Cure Goo Hydro
Step 1:
Start the thread at the eye of the hook and lay down a layer of thread until you reach the point of the
hook. Tie in a 3 inch piece of mono on top of the hook shank. Cover the mono with a layer of thread
until you reach the middle of the bend. Wrap back to the point of the hook.
until you reach the middle of the bend. Wrap back to the point of the hook.
Step 2:
Cut a pencil-size hank of buck tail measuring slightly longer than the shank of the hook, and remove
any loose hair or under fur. Tie in the bundle at the point of the hook.
Step 3:
Directly in front of the bucktail, secure the dumbbell eyes with a series of figure eight wraps. Make a
few wraps around the base of the eyes, passing the thread underneath the bead-chain, but over the
top of the hook shank. This really helps to keep the eyes from spinning around the hook. Add 4
strands of Krystal Flash to both sides of the fly. Trim the flash slightly longer than the tips of the
bucktail.
Step 4:
On top of the the bucktail, tie in a 6 inch piece of Crystal Chenille with several tight wraps and advance
the tread to about an 1/8 of an inch behind the eye of the hook.
Step 5:
Palmer the Crystal Chenille forward with snug wraps being careful not to trap too many fibers. Make a
figure eight wrap around the eyes to cover the thread wraps with Crystal Chenille, and continue
palmering forward until you reach the thread. Secure the Crystal Chenille and leave the excess intact.
Step 6:
Pull the mono down, leaving roughly a 1/4 inch gap between the bottom of the hook and the mono
weed-guard. Tie the mono in place and cover it with 2 turns of Crystal Chenille.
Step 7:
Once you have secured the mono and Crystal Chenille with several tight wraps, cut away the excess.
Pull back the fibers and build a thread head behind the eye of the hook. Whip-finish, cut away the
thread and apply thin coat of head cement or Clear Cure Goo Hydro to complete the fly.
Thanks again for sharing, Capt. Andrews!
Until next time, keep your wraps tight &
your feathers straight!
www.saltyflytying.com
follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend
Copyright © Andrew D. Chicone 2012* Salty Fly Tying, All rights
reserved.
unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences