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Drew Chicone's Salty Fly Tying Chronicle
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Happy Belated Halloween!
Feather Brain
Pre Order
Salty Fly Tying Chronicle
Recently I partnered
November 2012
to publish my latest
with Stackpole Books
work Feather Brain -
In This Issue:
"Barbless Saltwater Hooks"
Highlighting Grip Hooks High Carbon Steel Barbless Hooks
How to design better
saltwater flies. If you
are interested in a
signed copy of Feather
Brain, Click Here and I
will email you as soon
as it becomes available.
"Clear Cure Goo Eyes"
A revolutionary line of ultra realistic eyes that will pimp out
any pattern
"The Strawboss"
Learn to tie Joe Mahler's deadly wounded baitfish fly
SFT Blog
Welome 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
Saltwater Fly Tying
Tips, Tricks, Tutorials &
More... Check Out the
Salty Fly Tying Blog
by Click Here
Drew
Barbless Saltwater Hooks
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
If you have ever taken a trip to the ER to have a hook removed,
you are acutely aware of the physical and financial pain this
easily preventable accident can cause. After burying a 2/0 past
the barb in the tip of my index finger a few years back, I have
become neurotic about taking the pliers to all my creations
before they leave the bench. Whether you are doing if for the
fish, your safety or the safety of everyone around you, I strongly
recommend bending down the barbs or better yet tying on
barbless hooks.
The notion of barbless hooks for tying freshwater trout flies has
been around for several years, but to my knowledge there has
not been a barbless saltwater hook available until now. Last
week I had the pleasure of kibitzing with Arno Laubscher, the
owner of Scientific Fly and Grip Fly Hooks. They are the largest
hook manufacturer and distributor in South Africa. Arno
graciously mailed me a sampling of his saltwater product line for
me to test, and I have to say I am impressed. The beautifully
manufactured high carbon steel hooks are extremely strong,
and chemically sharpened so you can believe they are razor
sharp. Scientific Fly is producing them in a number of popular
saltwater sizes, and they are also available with a black nickel
finish as well. Distribution to the US is currently somewhat
limited, but they should be more readily available here soon. In
the mean time if your are interested in giving them a try, shoot
me an email.
Clear Cure Goo Eyes
When it comes to tying Saltwater baitfish patterns I am a firm
believer in using extra large, ultra realistic eyes whenever
possible. In my experience this simple addition makes a big
difference especially when fishing in gin clear water where your
target species can get a good look at what you’re offering. This
is also crucial when tying sparse flies, or patterns that utilize
materials that become translucent when wet. If you have ever
seen underwater photos of baitfish schooled up the only
features that are clearly distinguishable are their eyes. Although
there is no way to tell for sure, my suspicion is that predatory
fish, especially ones with acute vision tend to focus or key in one
the eyes. When it comes to selecting a pair to finish off your favorite
pattern, the choices seem infinite. Dumbbell or Stick on, with a
post or with out, Holographic, Prismatic, Jurassic, Doll, 3d, Oval
Pupil, 3/16’s, 1/4th or ½ inch… the possible combinations of
colors and sizes alone are enough to plague the most seasoned
tyer with decision paralysis, and let’s not forget about the big
issues of quality. The last thing anybody wants to see is two
Mylar discs where the bargain-basement eyes used to be glued
on.
The answer is finally here my friends! Clear Cure Goo has come
up with some killer new eyes that are just about bulletproof, and
will make your flies look remarkable. Their revolutionary
dumbbell eyes are lighter than aluminum, more durable than
lead, and less expensive than tungsten. Created by combining
the detailed optics of the original clear cure eye with a durable,
high-density resin dumbbell. This new system allows tiers to add
realism without weight. Pick up a few packs on Clear Cure
Goo's website, You won’t be disappointed!
The Straw Boss
While fishing Lake Okeechobee with Capt. Mark King, I had a
series of follows and “near-strikes” but not much luck getting the
bass to commit to a popper. We caught our share of fish on
Wooly-buggers and baitfish patterns, but I left Lake O baffled by
the ones that wouldn’t take on top. I sat at my vice remembering
a fly created by legendary Hoosier hackle bender Everett Drake
and began to tie. The Drake’s “Wounded Minnow” is a reverse
deer hair bug that becomes more and more effective as it
becomes distressed and sits lower in the film.
Looking for a little more sink and length than the Wounded
Minnow provides, I began to experiment with buck tail and then
decided to try it with the hair only on the top giving an
opportunity to feature a brightly-colored underbelly. When I
pushed the fibers back with a hollow pen casing, tied it off and
removed the tube, the butts of the buck tail flared out to the
sides and the rest, as they say, is history.
Since that day, I have tweaked and tested the fly extensively. A
little time spent in the neighborhood swimming pool revealed
that, when slowly settling, the “wings” lend a back-and-forth
tilting motion- the signature move of the Straw Boss.
Although white-on-white is one of the most successful colors,
the possible color combinations are limitless. The Straw Boss is
made from two bunches of buck tail- the second one represents
the wing color and the lower part of the tail. I am an earth-tone
guy by nature, so browns, reds and greens make up the bulk of
my collection, but chartreuse and bright orange seem to do the
job on the brightest of days. Black and purple has worked well
on baby tarpon.
This fly takes a little patience to tie and to fish properly, but with
the Straw Boss in charge, I think you will see some serious
results. -Joe Mahler
Materials
Hook: Mustad 34007 or similar, sizes 2-6
Thread: Danville 210 denier flat waxed nylon
Tail: Extra select craft fur
Body: Buck tail
Belly: Thread color
Legs/Wings: Buck tail in contrasting color
Misc: Hollow tube, .025 lead or lead free round wire
Adhesive: Clear Cure Goo Hydro
Step 1: Start the thread 1/8” from the eye of the hook and tie in
a 1.5” length of lead wire. Cover the first ½” of the hook shank
with thread and coat with cement. Wind wire back, coat with
cement. Right behind the lead, tie in a clump of craft fur one
fourth the size of a pencil.
Step 2: Cover wire with thread and build a “football-shaped”
underbody with thread. Tie in, tips forward, a bunch of buck tail
about half the thickness of a pencil. This will become the color of
the back, or shell, of the fly. Trim the butts 1/8” in front of the
starting point of the craft fur tail. Wrap over the butts making
sure that they stay on top of the hook. Continue to build the
football-shaped body and apply intermittent coats of cement.
Step 3: At the same point, tie in a second bunch of buck tail
about half the thickness of the first, making sure that the tips are
even with the first bunch. This bunch of buck tail will represent
the wings and the second layer of the tail. Trim butts 1/4” above
the start of the craft fur tail.
Step 4: With a needle or bodkin, divide the butts of the second
bunch of buck tail and figure-eight them so they stick out to
either side. Continue to build the underbody to a smooth shape
ending with the thread at the point where the tail begins. If a bit
of the buck tail butts show through on the top, no worries, it will
be covered up in the next step.
Step 5: Gently grasp all of the buck tail and fold back on the top
of the hook, while pulling downward on the wings so they are
not trapped underneath. Place tube over the hook’s eye and
slowly push backwards. With the tube still in place, gather the
buck tail tightly and tie off, applying enough pressure to tighten
the buck tail.
Step 6: Slowly remove the tube, whip finish and turn the fly over
to pick out any of the wing fibers that are trapped and tug the
wings outward. Trim wings if necessary. Apply several thin coats
of Hydro (I often use three) to the back and underbelly.
Thanks for Sharing Joe!
Until next time, keep your wraps tight &
your feathers straight!
www.saltyflytying.com
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