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| August 20, 2008 |           |
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Jack Gartside first created his Gurgler in 1988. Although now incredibly popular for east coast striped bass and bluefish the Gurgler was actually an evolution of a beetle pattern. Jack Gartside has developed many successful patterns including the Sparrow Nymph, Floating Minnow and numerous soft hackle streamers. Talking Turkey The white turkey offers an array of feathers including flats, biots and wing quills. In a world were natural oak or white tip turkey, partridge, grouse and other wild bird materials are not always available white turkey feathers and plumage do a more than capable job in relief. Horizontally Opposed-The Art of Balanced Flies Hanging or suspending flies beneath a strike indicator is nothing new nowadays. The catatonic presentation technique is a staple in just about every stillwater fly fishers arsenal. Czech Nymph's Participants of the 1989 World Fly Fishing Championships were witness first hand to the short line nymphing skills, techniques and flies of Polish fly fisher Vladi Tzebunia. Vladi obliterated the competition, taking the individual gold medal by storm. Vladi’s performance was nothing short of spectacular as he garnered more points than the next three national teams combined! Alaskabou's The pedigree of northwest steelhead fly fishers realizing advantage of the animated properties of marabou is impressive. Trey Combs, Bob Aid, John Farrar, Mike Kinney, Joe Butorac and George Cook to name a few were all seduced by the magic of marabou. Each of these renowned tiers manipulated marabou in their own way. Building a Better Bugger One has to wonder if Pennsylvania fly fisher Russell Blessing knew what his merger between the chenille bodied marabou tailed Blossom fly and a Woolly Worm would become. Wet Flies With a long standing history over 100 years old, pre dating dry flies, wet flies are still popular choices in many areas of the world today such as the British Isles. Deceiver Details The Deceiver was conceived over 40 years ago by fly fishing icon Lefty Kreh for chasing Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass. This proven pattern offers a generic baitfish profile that adapts matches any forage, in both fresh and saltwater, from long slender needlefish to broad shiners. Pacifying Parachutes Parachute patterns offer a relaxed proportional approach and the soft upright landing habits of a parachute offer fly fishers unparalleled stealth. Managing Marabou Marabou is one of the most versatile and widely used fly tying materials available today. Lacking the barbule hooks common to most outer contour feathers soft mobile marabou fibres spring to life beneath the surface creating animated patterns few predatory fish can resist. Muddling Through-A hair spinning primer There are a number of ungulate hairs suited to spun and clipped patterns but the best spinning hairs are coarse, spongy and soft. Woven Wonders Fly tiers and fly fishers seem drawn to patterns with a “get up and walk” look to them. The kind of look where you know if the fly were to fly away it would be a fantastic pattern on the water. Spey Substitutes With their long flowing hackle moving at the slightest current pulse or flicker few flies offer the grace, elegance and style of a Spey pattern. Epoxy Moxy With the interest in salt water fly fishing growing worldwide the number of epoxy based patterns has jumped exponentially. Nearly all saltwater fish feature razor sharp teeth as standard equipment and an even nastier disposition. Adding the Magic Touch A few of years ago innovative Swiss fly tyer Marc Petitjean introduced the world to a fantastic set of tools appropriately named the Magic Tool. The Magic Tool allows fly tyers to control materials such as thick stemmed grizzly marabou and CDC. Handling Humpies With its universal appeal and superior floatation the Humpy is one pattern B.C. fly fishers should never visit a river or stream without. Soft Hackle Solutions Soft hackles offer a broad appeal with an inherent ability to suggest a wide range of prey. With animated flowing hackles and often scruffy looks, soft hackles appeal to the most basic of predatory instincts. Plight of the Intruder Most northwest steelhead patterns are steeped in history dictating specific materials, proportions and construction techniques. Enter the Intruder, the new kid on the block spurning history and forging its own creative path and personality. Fun with Foam For stillwater applications foam is an ideal material for fly tyers to experiment with. Most would consider foam perfect for dry flies but by taking advantage of its buoyant properties beneath the surface affords another dimension. Getting the Skinny on Chironomids Whenever I feature a chironomid pupa pattern on lookers often ask how I manage to keep my patterns so slender. I firmly believe developing a skinny pattern discipline is one of the keys to successful chironomid fishing. A feat that can be harder than it seems. The Popsicle Minnow It was during a late night insomnia driven web search I stumbled across an interesting pattern created by American fly tyer Fox Statler. Discovering Dubbing Loops A source of frustration to some, dubbing loops offer numerous benefits. Dubbing loops create durable patterns capable of withstanding a solid chewing from numerous fish. An Epoxy Substitute-The Tied Down Minnow The reality of any fly pattern material or component is that it is not always roses. Regarding epoxy some find it one messy material to play with. To get things just right epoxy must be mixed properly to ensure proper drying and with a minimum of air bubbles. Adult Cranefly Mention the word terrestrials and most fly fishers recall memories of grasshoppers, beetles and ants. Crane flies or Daddy Long Legs to some are another worthwhile terrestrial for the fly box. Dazzle Caddis Emerger As summer strolls its way into mid June through July, anglers can expect to hit the exciting caddis (sedge) emergence. Imitating the pupa stage during a hatch can be very effective if you have an idea of the zone where the fish are feeding, but many fly anglers especially enjoy fishing patterns imitating the moth-like winged adults CDC Booby Fly Craft Angling.com member Richard Duiker hails from Lemmer Holland and supplies us with his favorite Booby, the CDC Booby. The Pond Monkey The Pond Monkey is an innovative pattern created by fellow stillwater addict Paul Fox. Paul hails from Oregon and considers the many lakes in the eastern region of the state as his stillwater playground. Flycraft Fullback Fly fishers worldwide have favored searching or “go to” patterns. In England it might be the Diawl Bach for many in North America a Hare’s Ear Nymph could be the pattern of choice. When fishing is tough or there is little in the way of a hatch to focus feeding trout generic suggestive patterns work best. The Popsicle Leech VIDEO STEP BY STEP...John knotted on a pattern first shown to him by Cariboo Fly and Tackle’s Jason Brautigam the Popsicle Leech. During previous trips to Quesnel Lake Jason had experienced fantastic fishing using this pattern. Foam Sprawler VIDEO STEP BY STEP...Foam Sprawler. Commonly referred to as “sprawlers” these spider like nymphs are ambush feeders and prefer to lay in wait amongst the bottom vegetation and debris. Chara beds are favorite haunts. The Herl May VIDEO STEP BY STEP...Herl May The Bead Worm A simple but deadly pattern for imitating chironomid larva or bloodworm as they are referred to by many. Works well throughout the season, especially during the summer months in deeper water. The Alberta Stone VIDEO STEP BY STEP...There are times when the "matching the hatch" philosophy is not working or perhaps even not recommended. Turkey Quill Callibaetis Callibaetis nymphs are slender almost anorexic in appearance and patterns designed to imitate them need to be too. Frostbite Bloodworm Larval or bloodworm patterns are an important stillwater staple and tend to be ignored by many fly fishers Collaborator (Clear Water Style) The Collaborator traces its roots to a creative tying session between friends amongst the breakfast dishes on White Lake near the town of Salmon Arm, British Columbia. Chromie Perhaps the most important feature of a chironomid pupa is the radiant glimmer caused by the trapped air and gases the pupa uses to aid their pupal ascent and emergence process. Water Floatman After the first frosts off the fall fly fishers can expect the first boatman falls of the season. Rabbit Damsel Amongst many stillwater fly fishers damsel nymph patterns are the starting point to a day’s fly-fishing. Pearl Shrimp Scuds are arguably the number one food source for trout in productive stillwaters through out the entire year and can be considered the premier stillwater staple. Draggin All dragon fly nymphs have the ability to absorb water and eject it in afterburner type fashion out of their posterior. Early Season Bomber Typical size ranges run from 3/8ths of an inch to an inch. The pupae and adults from the larger species have been christened "bombers" by local anglers. The Aftershaft Leech Despite their near blindness state leeches are confident swimmers moving through the water in a ribbon like manner. "Because you never stop learning"
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