Mike G

First, Happy New Year!

Here's the pattern that inspired the Chaos Locust from the foam fly swap.

This one looks like someone just put a foam fly on the hook the way you might put a grasshopper on. There is a nice story about its effectiveness along with how to tie it at:

http://www.eflytyer.com/patterns/chaos.html

"The first night that I fished this hopper, I caught 10-15 trout, and 4-5 really big smallmouth on my 3 weight. On another trip I went to a creek in a deep gorge and caught another 30 plus trout. On yet another trip I caught some more really big smallmouth. So while my Chaos Hoper is a bit different than Blue Ribbon's it is still pretty neat." Mike Hogue

Enjoy!

please post them here. if we get a large number it may become a newsletter article.

i'll start. i used a cubby mini mite rod , with a diawa trigger spin reel for throwing light jigs and weighted flies. the 8ft rod was a joy to cast and fight fish with. cant wait to use it with the f n f next weekend .

other tip is a swim jig or in my case a swim fly rich

The Parasite Concept

Great question, Rich.

the Paracite Clip is a great rig. Finding out that the Brand Name clip can be replaced with a barrel swivel with no loss of effectiveness was a bonus. I passed it on here aftr I saw it in BASSMASTERS.

Here's another one from the foam fly swap. With a designer like Morris, it needs no introduction. Though it looks like a good floater, it was primarily designed to fish sub-surface using a sinking line and a short 3-4 ft leader.

The rest is in the writeup and video. Scroll down to the Predator slowly so you can take in the other flies on the page.

http://www.flyfishohio.com/Adventures_in_Fly_Tying.htm

i would cut and paste the fly if i knew how. its a creation on jackgartside.com. using the bohemian chennile. its a full bodied woolly bugger. if someone could post the picture , thanks. rich

Thanks Rich,

That was a good tip. When I went to the site I noticed Mr. Gartside has added some more Bohemian Chenille creations to his offerings-all kinds of his "Wiggle Worms," divers, gurglers, weighted ...

Where can I get some of that Chenille?

I noticed that Jack sells his Wiggle Worm Chenille at $3.00 for 9 feet. That is a dollar a yard. What do we pay, $5.00 for a 62 yard skein. More power to Jack if he can get people to pay that markup.

many patterns and instructions can be found at atlantic saltwater flyfishing , www.aswf.org i like the rabbit candy by bob popovic. rich

Thanks for that great link, Rich. We have a lot to learn from Saltwater Ties.

The first of four. As promised elsewhere, here is a link to instructions for the Stealth Bomber. i was impressed with the action of this fly. The tapered head and collar give it a nice diving action while the loop to the rear gives it a good popping sound. Tied per directions the bug is very buoyant. To get a deeeper dive reduce the amount of EVA foam.

You can also ask if the Jude Bug is this pattern tied in reverse; or is the "Bomber" a Jude Bug tied in reverse?

The link:

http://www.flyfishga.com/stealth.htm

Rob,

5 Stars. From the pic it is hard to judge the length. Are they available 4" or longer?

My gear is packed up for an upcoming move. Since I was unable to tie up something specifically for now, I went to the scrapbook. These are from a swap I was in earlier this year. It turned out that only Bassbuggers were in it even though it was on a non-ISA site. Some of these are originals; some are based on tutorials on other sites. I will put up the links as I work through the process of retrieving them.

Top Row: Beadhead Chenille Worm, Chaos Locust, Chenille Worm

Second Row: Stealth Bomber, Yelow Diver

Third Row: Orange Diver, Skip Morris Predator, Draco

Fourth Row: Black Diver, Gurgle Pop, Black Gurgler

Rich requested that I put this previous post here. Enjoy!

Row 1: The long worm is 5" long.

Row 2: Adding a foam tab gives some action and floats the grub's tail up.

Row 3: Hula Grub and Tube?

Row 4: Furled Grubs. Furling slightly increases bulk and stiffens the worm.

Row 5: 6" diving slug. The bulky tail is a braid of three pieces of chenille. The EVA foam diving head is an interesting alternative to a spun "Dahlberg" head.

mike g, can you repost the chennile worm flies on the pattern forum.

Rich,

I just signed on to put up the foam fly swap flies. Remember that? I will be glad to put the worms there too.

Mike

Let's see some more patterns!

Mark,

This site is a little different about posting fishing spots as you know. Most want to keep such information to themselves or a small group of members; and, therefore, they avoid putting it in these forums where anyone can get to it. Some of this approach seems to rub off on the publication of fly patterns. Unique ISA Member creations may not appear here though, like Michael T's Zonker Bouncer, they wind up in the Bronzeback Bulletin. That is a fair compromise between telling all to everyone and telling nothing to anyone.

However, where other sites have set out patterns for all to view, that is different. Georgia River Smallmouth fishing, where Craig Reindieu appars often, has a nice and growing collection of links on there fly forum.

http://georgiariverfishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3627

The Hairy Fodder is there along with traditional and innovative bugs like the Stealth Bomber.

Enjoy, one and all!

I do believe that is a Chinese subspecies, Mike. As juveniles, they're normally found at large discount stores and then later shift their habitat use to garage sales and still later to landfills and the walls of confirmed bachelors (or those who soon will be).

Thanks, Tim.

As I bury this guy I will sing:

Take me to the River

Don't Worry be Happy

He's a Fad Bass.

What do you guys know about the Heritage Redfish Angler? 10 or 12 ft.

 

 

 

http://www.heritagekayaks.com/redfish10.htm

http://illinoissmallmouthalliance.net/foru...=1122&st=20

Heritage Crafts work.

I should expand. Heritage has been around a while-not a fly by night operation. The one I used was provided by a resort in the Keys for their guests; so they stand up to some use.

Like a car manufacturer, Heritage typically makes a basic model like the Featherlite I used and then adds some features to generate a "Fisherman" model. A $300 craft becomes a $400+ craft.

Your Redfish SOT shares some design features with the Sit In Featherlite. They are both "recreational" designs. Don't expect competition speed and or whitewater performance. They are more for beginners.

Their relatively broad flat bottoms resist tipping giving them a nice stable feel. That is called "high initial stability." Aficianados will point out that there is a trade off for final stability. Final stability is the craft's ability to recover from extreme angles. For instance a round bottomed performance solo canoe feels tippy, but one can lean way over and not go over. That is nice to have in waves and other rough water. On the other hand, I tipped the Featherlite over when I leaned out to pick a buoy out of some mangroves. That happens fast in a craft with "low final stability." A PFD is a must.

Bottom line, you will not take the racing Gold Medal with this design. For long distance paddling or big waters, this would not be the one. But, for fishing small lakes and slower moving rivers, it looks like a winner with the open cockpit and rear storage area. It is a sturdy recreational craft.

Ya'll,

Tim Smith's excellent challenge gave me a swelled head since I tied with Jamie for the most right.

I got my proper comeupance when I realized that the only mounted Bigmouth I had was clearly not a Bigmouth.

Here he is:

What say ye one?

What say ye all?

What is Bigmouth Billy? Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spot, Guadalupe, or Shoal Bass?

Glad to find a board dedicated to smallmouth fishing. I'm from Ontario ,Canada and I mostly flyfish but I like to think outside the box and often use flyrod tactics and lures that would make the flyrod purists faint. I'm looking forward to learning from the smallmouth experts in this forum. I fish from kaysk, pontoon and float tube and will likely get my canoe back on th water next season so I can spend time with my granddaughter who is 4 years old and loves to fish. She even helps me tie flies.

Don,

Welcome to the ISA forums. After you get a chance to look around, you will see that there is a lot on the site. But as the Canadians would say, "Wait there's more, aye!" Assuming you live in Illinois, investing in a membership is well worthwhile. Getting the newsletter alone is worth more than the membership fee. It really is not a newsletter; rather it is a top notch magazine covering Illinois Small Mouth fishing from A to Z. Besides the newsletter, membership gets you into a lot of activities from fishing and conservation events on the water to meetings featuring expert speakers. As a tyer you should try a Bassbugger session. (BTW I just joined ISA this Spring and already feel I have gotten more than my money's worth.)

As for your unorthodox tactics, I do not think you can outdo my father. He was very adept at lobbing Canadian Crawlers, shiner minnows, and grasshoppers with his boo rod and varnished HDH silk line. He developed the habits in the days before spinning gear was available for light persentations and just kept on even after. He was definitely from the "catch and kill" school of fishing. At least I hope you don't top him.

I always enjoyed the teamwork required to fish from a canoe. Teaming up with the granddaughter next year should be especially rewarding for you.

Let me add 10 inch Power Worms. I was using them at least 10 years ago on LM Bass. 10 inch worm, 10 inch bass. With Smallmouth Bass I would expect 10 inch worm, 8 inch bass. But, at times, true to the theory, the big meal attracted a big fish. I can't imagine no one has tried them on SM Bass.

 

Now that I have converted to fly fishing, my 10" Power Worms are excess baggage. pMail me if you want some at a reasonable price.

Here's an 11 incher from Doug Hannon:

The site is worth a look: http://www.bassprofessor.com/

has anyone tried this?

 

Nick,

That is a great video showing a new wrinkle on tying the clinch knot. The final product is a simple clinch knot which I haven't used in a while due to some problems I have had with it slipping. However, it looks like the same approach would work for tying a Trylene knot which is a similar knot which seems to avoid the slipping common to a simple clinch. Though I have not tried it, I will give it a try.

Still in the running are the Uni, the Orvis, the Crawford Figure Eight, and the Improved Clinch.

PS: Since Davy's knot was a disaster, I changed the title of the thread to protect the reputation of the good knots that have been mentioned. Thanks to responses here, I never tried to use it on the water.

Well think again. This is just hot off the presses at Bettencourt Baits, may not even be on the website, yet. We've all seen snakes in or on the banks of the local rivers, swimming around and doing whatever it is that snakes do. Now we've got a bait to match them, and can see if they're on the smallies' menu. Oh yeah.... they're just about 10" long!

Let me add 10 inch Power Worms. I was using them at least 10 years ago on LM Bass. 10 inch worm, 10 inch bass. With Smallmouth Bass I would expect 10 inch worm, 8 inch bass. But, at times, true to the theory, the big meal attracted a big fish. I can't imagine no one has tried them on SM Bass.

Now that I have converted to fly fishing, my 10" Power Worms are excess baggage. pMail me if you want some at a reasonable price.

http://www.onemorecast.com/

 

http://www.onemorecast.com/thursdaynight.htm

 

http://www.onemorecast.com/tt_flycast.htm

 

Joseph

Joseph,

I am glad to see you caught my drift. Before August 15, when I made that comment, OMC was a nice site. Adding pics since then has really kicked it up a notch. Continue to showcase your fine looking shop. If the cost is not prohibitive, a virtual tour would be the best way to do it justice.

Craig,

That says it all to me. Thank you. Thanks to Eric. And thanks to all, each and every one, who posted in this thread.

Had to read this twice and then go get my vest.

 

Kevin's right, it's easier than you think and it does work.

 

Joseph

I can visualize it. Wave good-bye to my problem. On the water the Suggeon's Knot is what I will use to save time if that is an issue. And it usually is. In the comfort of the den, the day before, I can see myself using the classic Blood Knot, the Nail to Nail, or the Uni to Uni.

This is to say that, in my opinion, theoretically the Blood, the Nail, and the Uni have a slight advantage over the Surgeon's in net pound test. However, with the clock running on the water (TOW), I pick the surgeons.

"Never say never; and never say always."

Again, Mike G. You're a walking contradiction. I thought you were the Messiah for this knot:

 

http://illinoissmallmouthalliance.net/foru...?showtopic=1699

 

Learn to correctly tie either Lefty's No-Slip mono loop or the Uni-knot and you won't have any worries.

 

The tyer of the loop knot is responsible for the size of the loop. We went over this when we had the Knot Seminar here two years ago.

 

I use it for a size 20 how hard could it be for a size 12?

 

 

Joseph

 

.....and I only have one eye

That's a while ago. Later in that thread, I renounced Davy's knot because it was such a dismal failure against the Figure Eight in strength. I am already heeding your advice. I use the Uni Knot regularly while I am coming up to speed on the Non-Slip Mono Loop.

The open loop is said to provide better action. Therefore, just to be on the safe side, I use an open loop as much as possible with 2 noteworthy exceptions.

The Exceptions are:

1. Cases where the fly presentation requires that the line form an angle with the axis of the hook shank like that riffle hitch.

2. Cases where the size of the open loop begins to exceed 1/4 the size of the fly. This is subjective for me since it is based on looks. I draw the line at about size 12. For these cases I use the Crawford Figure Eight which I can tie instinctively due to my early addiction to Fishing Facts. I think the Figure Eight is less bulky too. (This thread suggests that I re-evaluate my prejudices.)

The Uni is the best open loop for me. Here best is a relative term. Though I try to use the non-slip mono loop that Lefty Kreh promotes, It is going to be a while before I can tie it small enough to use with medium and small flies. That makes the Uni my best option. On the other hand, though tying the Uni comes very easly for me, I do not like how it slips and snugs tight once in a while. Maybe I should not be so hard on it since the Uni even works with The Tyger Wire I bought to use where Pike and Muskies are common.

There it is.

Outstanding Video!

Thanks for giving us the link, Kevin. Everyone should watch it.

(Adult supervision for children 12 and under. The audio is not edited for prime time.)

Wish list items for USGS river gauges:

 

> To be able to receive the height and flow from the gauging station of my choice on my cell phone.

> Text alerts (to cell phone) when river data matches the markers of my choice, i.e., my preferred gauge height and flow for good fishing while wading or kayaking.

> Temperature readings

 

You'd need to register for an account to be able to get that info. USGS could later sell their subscriber info to places like Cabelas, Bass Pro, Orvis, etc. to help offset the costs for the technology.

 

Somehow, somewhere, would like to see a pilot program for Web cams on bridges to help anglers checkout conditions. Not necessarily by USGS, but would be neat to see some day.

I could say,"Dream on, Eric." But then I remember that I once thought cell phones were just a fad.

Now I say that a subscription to a service like that would be the ideal gift for the angler who has everything. I want one for Christmas even though I do not have everything.

Before we start wondering how this relates to the USGS programs in place, let's say that continued full functioning of the current USGS programs would be the foundation of the "subscription service." The service would dispense public information from sources like USGS, SMA Chapters, etc. along with proprietary information. A big part of its value would be having all the information in one place. Now I am dreaming.