Kype+
08-13-2009, 02:50 PM
General Crustacean
http://flyfishinginnh.com/vforum/album.php?albumid=36&pictureid=727 (photo)
Hook: #1 #1/0
Thread un-waxed 3/0 brown or olive
Body: Aunt Lydia's rug yarn tan almost a buff. There is one that is a bright obnoxious tan but the subtle creamy buff tan is the one you want.
Horn: black tipped brown bucktail died orange
Hackle: two long hackles brown / furnace is even better
Caprice: brown bucktail or brown bucktail died chartreuse green
Epoxy: 12 hr epoxy strong stuff (I like my flies to last forever)
Preparation: Score the hook shank with a file or a sand paper to assist with epoxy bonding.
1) Apply epoxy to hook shank
2) Tie in thread with a 20 turn base at the eye. Move with wide wraps to the bend of the hook. Wrap a 12 turn base so as to make the turn on the bend of the hook shank.
3) Apply a bit more epoxy to the new hook bend base of 12 wraps
4) Pinch of orange died brown bucktail; do not stack it is best if the hair is staggered so there are short hairs in the mix.
5) Turn hook so the eye is down and the bend up in the vise. Tie in the horn about 1 ½" - 2" long. Add more epoxy to the butt ends of the hair and wide wrap it to the eye base and back to the bend base.
6) Tie in the Aunt Lydia's yarn and blend the tag end into the body.
7) Tie in the two hackles with the dull side facing rearward. Bend the quill stems and add them to the body base. Add a bit more epoxy to the entire body base structure.
8) Wrap the Aunt Lydia's yarn to the eye. I tighten the twist of the yarn a bit before wrapping it over the wet epoxy leave a tiny space. As you approach the eye of the hook you must unwind the twist a bit so you can blend the yarn into the eye base. The goal is to bring it to the eye but have the yarn flatten out.
9) Take the pair of hackles and wind them so that the quill slips into the small space between wraps of warn. The epoxy in the space will ensure they ain't goin no place! Wrap the hackles all the way to the hook eye base and with several turns they will be secure. I NEVER EVER USE HALF HITCHES IT IS IN MY OPINION THE SUREST WAY TO WEAKEN THE FLY.
10) Turn the hook upside down so the horn and point are up on top. Add epoxy to the eye base.
11) Grab a good bunch of brown or brown died chartreuse bucktail. Be sure not to stack the hair! Measure it so the center tip serves as a caprice extended so that the tips of the deer hair just extend beyond the bend of the hook and trim the butt hair to that length. This way you will not have scissors loaded with epoxy attempting to trim the hair at the eye. Tie in the buucktail adding epoxy as you go so as to have the epoxy bonding from the hair right through to the steel. Note if you have excellent long full soft hackle you may wish to trim the hackle along the shank a bit where the caprice will be tied in. This is not a fly for short sharp dry fly saddle hackle. I use big wide barn yard hackle for this fly.
12) Turn the hook over. Take lead barbell eyes of med size. Add a bead of epoxy to the eye base and sit the barbell on it and bond it down with cross wraps and I also make a number of turns around each side of the barbell. I add epoxy and allow the epoxy to build here and penetrate so as to be included in the bonding to the steel which you scored in step one. I use a thread loop to whip finish when the head is as it should be. The barbell is tied in rather close to the eye of the hook and not as is tied with most Clouser Minnows. Remember I some times have to trim a bit of the hackle which will be under the bucktail caprice before I tie in the bucktail. I avoid trimming the hackle at the bend as I want the hackle to dominate there and stick out and breathe as if they were legs of a crayfish, lobster or shrimp what ever.
If tied correctly the fly keels exceptionally well. The fly should never tangles no matter how windy of sloppy you cast. This is exactly why I love it and designed it this way. I get so sick of hackles wrapping around the hook and the fly not swimming correctly after a poor cast. It drove me crazy! This fly is relatively small by saltwater standards but fish of all sizes want it! I began fishing it with 12 lb Seagar but after hooking some large fish I now use 15lb - 20 lb tippet.
This is not intended to be a bottom fly and sit there as a crab fly is used. I swim this fly on the swing if at all possible. I fish it mostly in a river so I get plenty of swing. I cast it up and across stream using a Cortland #9 15 ft Ghost tip intermediate sink tip line. I mend to allow the fly to sink; which it does like a rock! Then I begin the retrieve. I begin with a raise of the rod tip followed by a long smooth moderate strip as I lower the rod tip for the next sequence, my striping arm extended fully to the rear of my body and repeat it until the fly is retrieved. The hit usually comes after the rise of the rod and the beginning of the strip.
I do the same for smallmouth bass and trout or all the other critters I mentioned. In fresh water it seems the fish need it to be as deep as possible. I have made small versions but then they don't get down any better than Crazy Charlies which I also use for trout and bass.
Tight Lines!
Bobby
http://flyfishinginnh.com/vforum/album.php?albumid=36&pictureid=727 (photo)
Hook: #1 #1/0
Thread un-waxed 3/0 brown or olive
Body: Aunt Lydia's rug yarn tan almost a buff. There is one that is a bright obnoxious tan but the subtle creamy buff tan is the one you want.
Horn: black tipped brown bucktail died orange
Hackle: two long hackles brown / furnace is even better
Caprice: brown bucktail or brown bucktail died chartreuse green
Epoxy: 12 hr epoxy strong stuff (I like my flies to last forever)
Preparation: Score the hook shank with a file or a sand paper to assist with epoxy bonding.
1) Apply epoxy to hook shank
2) Tie in thread with a 20 turn base at the eye. Move with wide wraps to the bend of the hook. Wrap a 12 turn base so as to make the turn on the bend of the hook shank.
3) Apply a bit more epoxy to the new hook bend base of 12 wraps
4) Pinch of orange died brown bucktail; do not stack it is best if the hair is staggered so there are short hairs in the mix.
5) Turn hook so the eye is down and the bend up in the vise. Tie in the horn about 1 ½" - 2" long. Add more epoxy to the butt ends of the hair and wide wrap it to the eye base and back to the bend base.
6) Tie in the Aunt Lydia's yarn and blend the tag end into the body.
7) Tie in the two hackles with the dull side facing rearward. Bend the quill stems and add them to the body base. Add a bit more epoxy to the entire body base structure.
8) Wrap the Aunt Lydia's yarn to the eye. I tighten the twist of the yarn a bit before wrapping it over the wet epoxy leave a tiny space. As you approach the eye of the hook you must unwind the twist a bit so you can blend the yarn into the eye base. The goal is to bring it to the eye but have the yarn flatten out.
9) Take the pair of hackles and wind them so that the quill slips into the small space between wraps of warn. The epoxy in the space will ensure they ain't goin no place! Wrap the hackles all the way to the hook eye base and with several turns they will be secure. I NEVER EVER USE HALF HITCHES IT IS IN MY OPINION THE SUREST WAY TO WEAKEN THE FLY.
10) Turn the hook upside down so the horn and point are up on top. Add epoxy to the eye base.
11) Grab a good bunch of brown or brown died chartreuse bucktail. Be sure not to stack the hair! Measure it so the center tip serves as a caprice extended so that the tips of the deer hair just extend beyond the bend of the hook and trim the butt hair to that length. This way you will not have scissors loaded with epoxy attempting to trim the hair at the eye. Tie in the buucktail adding epoxy as you go so as to have the epoxy bonding from the hair right through to the steel. Note if you have excellent long full soft hackle you may wish to trim the hackle along the shank a bit where the caprice will be tied in. This is not a fly for short sharp dry fly saddle hackle. I use big wide barn yard hackle for this fly.
12) Turn the hook over. Take lead barbell eyes of med size. Add a bead of epoxy to the eye base and sit the barbell on it and bond it down with cross wraps and I also make a number of turns around each side of the barbell. I add epoxy and allow the epoxy to build here and penetrate so as to be included in the bonding to the steel which you scored in step one. I use a thread loop to whip finish when the head is as it should be. The barbell is tied in rather close to the eye of the hook and not as is tied with most Clouser Minnows. Remember I some times have to trim a bit of the hackle which will be under the bucktail caprice before I tie in the bucktail. I avoid trimming the hackle at the bend as I want the hackle to dominate there and stick out and breathe as if they were legs of a crayfish, lobster or shrimp what ever.
If tied correctly the fly keels exceptionally well. The fly should never tangles no matter how windy of sloppy you cast. This is exactly why I love it and designed it this way. I get so sick of hackles wrapping around the hook and the fly not swimming correctly after a poor cast. It drove me crazy! This fly is relatively small by saltwater standards but fish of all sizes want it! I began fishing it with 12 lb Seagar but after hooking some large fish I now use 15lb - 20 lb tippet.
This is not intended to be a bottom fly and sit there as a crab fly is used. I swim this fly on the swing if at all possible. I fish it mostly in a river so I get plenty of swing. I cast it up and across stream using a Cortland #9 15 ft Ghost tip intermediate sink tip line. I mend to allow the fly to sink; which it does like a rock! Then I begin the retrieve. I begin with a raise of the rod tip followed by a long smooth moderate strip as I lower the rod tip for the next sequence, my striping arm extended fully to the rear of my body and repeat it until the fly is retrieved. The hit usually comes after the rise of the rod and the beginning of the strip.
I do the same for smallmouth bass and trout or all the other critters I mentioned. In fresh water it seems the fish need it to be as deep as possible. I have made small versions but then they don't get down any better than Crazy Charlies which I also use for trout and bass.
Tight Lines!
Bobby