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Creek Fly Fishing Adventure Part 2 and Tying Recipes

8/23/2018

In the video below, I float a small creek fly fishing for smallmouth bass. In part one I floated the upper section and in this part I floated the lower section. If you haven't watched part one you can see it here. Links to the Popper and Big Bird Bugger Tying recipes will be below. The tying recipe for the Drop Shot fly will be below the video. If you haven't already, subscribe to my blog and my YouTube channel for more videos and fly tying recipes. Thanks for watching and tight lines!

Feather Popper Tying Recipe
Big Bird Bugger Tying Recipe

Recipe - Olive

Hook - Eagle Claw L2BU-2 Octopus All Purpose sz 2
Thread - olive 120 Denier or clear mono
Tail - olive krinkle Hair, 3 chartreuse barred rubber legs, 6 strands olive polar or krystal flash, 3 olive barred rubber legs, olive krinkle hair *the krinkle hair provides a foul guard while still enabling the rubber legs to move freely. you can also use buck tail or fish hair as well.

Body - olive cactus chenille
Head - coat with olive or chartreuse finger nail polish and top coat with Sally Hansens Hard as Nails

Tying Notes

This fly is super easy to tie and it catches fish! You can tie a lot quickly and vary colors to match bass foods in your local waters. The rubber legs are the key to this pattern as they provide a ton of action even when the fly is not being moved. The legs should be about three times the length of the hook. Do not skimp on the krinkle fiber as it will keep the rubber legs from fouling. Just remember to trim and taper the fibers as needed.

I will be posting a video soon on how to rig and fish this simple but effective fly for bass!

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August 2018 YouTube Channel Updates!

8/16/2018

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The Big Bird Bugger

8/9/2018

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Recipe

Hook - 3XL, 2XH streamer hook-sz. 2 or 4
Thread - yellow 210 denier or clear mono
Dumbbell Eyes - 11/64 brass eyes in gold (sz.4) 3/16 (sz.2)

*eyes are optional - I add fabric paint eyes directly to the brass eyes before completing the fly. If you would like to learn how to do that, click the button below. If you are new to fly tying and would like to learn how to attach dumbbell eyes to your flies, click here to see a tutorial.

Fabric Paint Eyes

Tail - yellow marabou topped with yellow barred grizzly marabou
Flash - yellow and gold krystal flash - 2 strands of each on each side of the marabou
Body - 2 yellow saddles and yellow sparkle scrub *twist all three materials together with a binder clip and wrap forward to just behind dumbbell eyes.

Legs - 2 yellow rubber or silicone legs tied on each side of the body directly behind dumbbell eyes

Head - 2 yellow, grizzly soft hackles wrapped together behind eyes (2-4 wraps)
*advance thread to in front of dumbbell eyes and tie in two clumps of yellow dubbing on top and bottom - wrap thread back over dubbing and comb backward to achieve desired head shape and brush dubbing out

Finish - yellow nail polish top coated with Sally Hansen Hard as Nails

Tying Notes

This fly is just a beefy woolly bugger with dumbbell eyes. The tricky part is tying the middle body section and twisting materials together with the binder clip. It is not hard to do with a little practice it just takes some getting used to. This fly has awesome action under water and it is in part to the shape of the head. try to get your head shape as close to the picture as possible. This will make your fly dart from side to side when retrieved quickly.

Fishing Tips

This fly shines during the hot days of summer in smallmouth bass streams. This fly can be retrieved quickly or jigged slowly because of the dumbbell eyes. Experiment with your retrieve to find out what the fish will take on any given day. This fly has been known to motivate larger fish to eat during hot weather. In shallow water, use a floating line with a longer leader close to nine feet. in deeper water, shorten the leader and use an intermediate sink or full sink fly line to reach fish. if you couple this fly with a short leader and a sink tip you can also jig this fly in and around structure. The Big Bird Bugger is very versatile! Get out there and give it a try! You will not be disappointed! Check out the video below to see this fly in action!

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Drop Shot Craw

8/8/2018

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Recipe

*pattern is tied upside down and weightless to be fished on a drop shot system

Hook - 3XL, 2XH streamer hook-sz. 2 or 4
Thread - brown 120 denier or clear mono
Claws - brown craft fur tied pointing at out at an angle on each side of the hook bend
Shell - thin orange craft foam - tied in pointing towards claws - this foam can be found at dollar tree

Legs - brown saddle hackle *wrap forward after Upper body dubbing has been applied - wrap to just in front of the hook point
Upper Body - tan dubbing blend - dubbing loop wrapped in front of hook point - *now wrap hackle forward
Rib - clear mono or wire tied in in front of hook point
Lower Body - tan dubbing blend in dubbing loop wrapped to hook eye
*pull shell foam slightly until it stretches a little, center on top of fly, and tie off at hook eye

*take rib and wrap forward over foam shell to create roughly 5 segments
Finish - coat thread wraps near eye with orange nail polish to create a hot spot - after dry, top coat with Sally Hansen Hard as Nails - coat foam with bronze fabric paint - when dry top coat with brown fabric paint to highlight segments

Tying Notes

These flies can be quick to tie once you get the sequence down. Make sure you tie this pattern upside down so it can be fished hook point up on a drop shot system. After tying everything in, before you apply any finish, use a dubbing brush to tease out the body fibers and make it buggy. The fabric paint makes this fly very durable and your time at the vise will be maximized. They will hold up fish after fish. Make sure to experiment with colors to match the hatch in your local waters.

Fishing Tips

This fly can be fished under an indicator while drop shot nymphing, cast with a drop shot rig and darted near the bottom, or slowly jigged. Depending on the depth and type of water will determine if you use a floating, sink tip, intermediate sink, or full sink fly line. This fly is at home in creeks, streams, and rivers but would do well in still water where crayfish are present. Check out the video below to see this fly in action!

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Feather Popper Tying Recipe

8/1/2018

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Recipe

*The foam popping head should be completed first. See tying notes for tips on construction.

Hook - 3XL, 2XH streamer hook-sz. 4
Thread - black 120 denier or clear mono
Popping Head - craft foam tied in at head one piece behind the other until the front 1/3 of the hook is foam. (4-5 foam pieces) cement each piece together with super glue and shape as desired.
*coat foam head with nail polish or fabric paint for extra durability

Tails - tie in a short tag of black krinkle fiber, fish hair, or buck tail to serve as a foul guard followed by 4 black saddle hackle tips tied about 1.5 times the length of the hook. (keep those feathers you cut off to use for the body!!!) Last, tie in six stands of purple/black polar flash or krystal flash on each side of the tail.

Rib - clear mono or fine silver wire *wait to wrap forward until final steps!

Body - with the feathers from the tail you cut off previously, line up three feathers by the cut tips and tie in but leave them to wrap forward after you have tied in the rubber legs and advanced your thread to the foam head.

Rubber Legs - tie in two black rubber or silicone legs on each side of the fly just behind the foam head.
*trim the leg length to just inside the back of the hook to prevent fouling

Final Steps - wrap the three hackles forward and tie off behind the foam head. wrap the rib through the feathers to increase durability and tie off behind the foam head. coat the small thread head with head cement or super glue and you are good to go!

Tying Notes

This foam popper is fun to make and the color combinations and options are endless. Make sure to follow the steps in order to make the tying process as simple as possible. Tying the foam heads first enables you to have them prepared and ready to tie in batches and when the flies are finished they are immediately able to be fished. Don't skip the rib as it will extend the life of your fly dramatically! The shape of the foam head can be square, round, flat, or cupped. I prefer a small flat head as it pushes a lot of water. By cutting a strip of foam and rounding the front you can easily tie a popper head from one piece rather than cutting out individual pieces. Each time you tie the front of the strip to the fly and cut off, you round the top of the strip and repeat until the head is finished. Then you can shape and coat the foam head as desired. Tying the foam head this way enables you to tie smaller poppers that displace a lot of water for their size and you do not lose hook gap. The foam head is all on top of the hook.

Fishing Tips

These poppers catch fish. Based on the day and conditions, experiment with your retrieve to see what the fish are wanting. Sometimes fish will want a steady pop, a pop and sit, or sometimes they want it walked across the water. I have had big bass come up and sip this popper like a trout taking a dry. Always let your popper sit on the surface, after casting, until the rings dissipate. Sometimes fish will be looking at it and hit before you make your first pop. If you pop it too early, you could potentially miss a fish. There is no need for a long leader with this fly. A short, stout leader of six feet with twelve pound mono tippet will do the job. Check out the video below where this popper takes a nice Spring largemouth bass!

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Speed Tying Demos

Creek Fly Fishing Adventure Part 2 and Tying Recipes

August 2018 YouTube Channel Updates!

The Big Bird Bugger

Drop Shot Craw

Feather Popper Tying Recipe

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Speed Tying Demos

Creek Fly Fishing Adventure Part 2 and Tying Recipes

August 2018 YouTube Channel Updates!

The Big Bird Bugger

Drop Shot Craw

Feather Popper Tying Recipe

Subscribe to The Fly Guy Blog

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