I have the honor of leading the first fly tying session of 2020 on Saturday, 4 January at 10:00 a.m. in the clubhouse.
I’m not an inventive fly tier, nor do I make flies that require lots of steps and materials. I generally stay with tried and proven patterns that require minimal time in the vise. Along those lines, I will share a simple unnamed articulated streamer pattern with you on the 4th that has proven to be very effective for me last winter and this winter in catching pickerel. Here’s a couple I recently made:
Thus far, I’ve yet to find a color that doesn’t work. I’ve even made them in all black materials and they worked. The red and white fly was particularly effective for me on a pickerel outing yesterday. And here’s a 24-inch fatty from that outing that chased the first fly in the photo above:
I will bring the materials and hooks. All you need to bring is a vise, bobbin, thread, and tools. (As noted in the leading message to this thread, the club has a few vises and toolsets you can borrow at the session if you do not yet own your own.) The color of the thread is your choice. I like red or fire orange but I doubt that the fish care. I’d recommend a heavier thread to help you cinch down on the tails. These are not subtle flies.
Also, I will come up with a bluegill pattern for next Saturday — presumably one that will produce a trophy winning fish in next year’s Bluegill Tourney! Again, just bring your vise, bobbin, thread and tools.
See you next Saturday.
Mark
I will be helping Mark this Sat. We will be tying the Bullethead bluegill, a great fly for the predator fish like bass and pickerel. I will be bringing all the material, just bring 3/0 thread for tying. This will show the members the versatility of streamer hair. -Joe Bruce
Fly tying has remained a focus for the club, with regular fly tying sessions open to all members. During these sessions, we swap patterns, help novice tiers, learn new techniques, and just enjoy the fellowship of other members in a relaxed setting. Plans for what will be the fly pattern of focus at each fly tying session are announced through a club email message distributed to all members. Materials enough to make 2-3 flies are included in the session. All we ask is you join the club (see Membership). Bring your tools and vise. If you are new to tying, the club has some vises and tools you can use to get you started.