Rob G

Are there any fly fishing shows planned for the Chicago area in 2011?

Joseph, best of luck in your future endeavors.

The long rod unless the water is too stained or too fast. Even then might give it a shot but generally I get frustrated and then rarely go pick up my spinning rod.....but more likely to take the long rod to a nearby pond or lake and start chasing his green cousin or other assorted trash fish

Thanks Mike, Also saw these at Bass Pro fly tying stuff, go down to 1/124 oz.and 1/80 oz. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_3085_175004002_175000000_175004000?cmCat=CROSSSELL_THUMBNAIL

So is this pretty much the standard tie? Any other colors or variations work well? For years we've tied black wooly buggers with with white or yellow rubber legs protruding.

Ok, Rich, have to ask, what is a tequeely fly because when I image googled "tequeely fly", this is what I got :

John, love the colors and sparse material but like Ben, wonder if the eyes on the bottom or top create a more upright hook? Does it matter?

Undoubtedly they'll only be good for catching dogfish. On a more serious note, we once had a fly swap where the main material used had to come from some part of your pet. I found that cat under fur makes wonderful Hare's Ear nymphs, but of course all I could catch on the darn things was........

and in close proximity to a love bug, coincidence?...I think not!

John, do you have any pics of your flies that you've modified for fnf? I'm not sure how I could make a fly float exactly horizontal.

Mike and Ben, I added the December date to the event calendar and posted it above in the 2010/11 schedule. Let me know if there are any further modifications needed.

A guide once turned me onto this stuff for indicators, it works great, is cheap, and you can make your "bobber" as big or long as you would like. He said other double sided foam tape didn't work nearly as well as the Duck brand. Oh, and you can find it at Menards.

Ben, that's very generous of opening up your home to those who are likely to trash it with cut up fly tying materials. December is a tough month for me with so much going on but if I'm free, I'm sure I would try to make it. Again, thank you for your offering.

Was getting ready to tie up some different flies and a leech pattern was suggested to me. Though I see them all the time up north, I almost never see one on our local rivers down here in central Illinois. Was curious just how pervasive they are throughout Illinois. Thanks.

Happy BD and many more !

Rich, count me in. Do you want us to send in a materials list with each fly as I've seen that also requested in the past? For my entry, I think something similar to what I posted above is what I would do, unless you think something else might be more appropriate. Though I know nothing about ice fishing flies, I would think that the soft hackle might produce since it can add so much attraction with so little movement. I could do something more Boudreaux like if desired.

Paul, no, in a fly swap, everyone ties a different unique fly but one that is related to a pre-defined specific use or type such as in this case, one that would be well suited for ice fishing. If you have 8 participants then you end up tying 7 flies of the exact same fly pattern, send them in to the host (Rich), he then divides all the flies up so each participant gets one fly from all the other tiers and then sends everyone back a set of the 7 different flies. This way you get to see other individual's interpretations and will be exposed to new materials and techniques. Oh and when you send in your flies, you also send with them, a self-addressed stamped envelope to make it easier and no expense for the host. They can be fun, but in one that I participated over on Flytyingforum.com, the host took off with all the flies and never sent any back. I think you can trust Rich, but he does have shifty eyes.

How about a bright mylar pearl braid body with a soft patridge hackle that should provide a "come hither" look on a size 12 caddis hook

This fly the work of Reggie Alexander of Indy and his rendition of Everette Drake's Wounded Minnow displayed at the latest Central Illinois Bassbuggers fly tying event.

Just wanted to say what a nice time we had this afternoon tying with Reggie Alexander from Indy. We all learned to tie a couple really useful patterns and had a nice BBQ meal afterwards at a local watering hole. If you couldn't make this event, hopefully you will be able to join us on January 9 in Bloomington. A few photos below.

Rich and others, help me out here since I haven't a clue what constitutes a good ice fishing fly. Should it be significantly weighted so it gets down quickly? Should it have ample room on the bend and point of the hook to secure a real larva? Should it be brighter than what may be considered normal under non-ice conditions? In other words, are these flies more for attraction and to hold a real bait or do they imitate something that the fish would actually feed on? And at the risk of showing my ignorance, do you drop these in a hole and jig them up and down or do they just sit there while one is having a beer and a brat while watching Da Bears beat up on the Pack inside a heated shanty?

BTW, did you see that RIO is offering a new fly line designed just for ice fishing?

how about these, the one almost looks real Oh and btw, isn't it tough to cast into those small holes from any distance????

Also found these "ice flies" elsewhere, sure are bright.