"Walking" On Water The D/C Dodger

     Fly anglers who chase Bass, Stripers, Pike, Musky or any other predatory fish that takes prey from the surface have long wanted a fly that could reproduce the tantalizing action of the legendary topwater lure the Zara Spook. I've spent hours on end shaping different styles of foam heads and playing around with "counterweight balances" in an attempt to create a pattern that would walk, or rather sashay, across the water like a Spook. I even went so far as to reverse engineer a few lures by tearing apart Spooks from the clearance bin at Wal-Mart but nothing I tied would walk the way I hoped it would. My creations didn't dart side to side but instead limped pitifully causing any fish that saw them to probably feel to sorry for whatever it was up there to eat it! 

     I had just about given up on the idea when I started hearing about a fly called the Pole Dancer that was reported to be the fly equivalent of a Zara Spook. After all, a fly called the Pole Dancer would have to have some wicked action right? Indeed it did have the action I was looking for but no matter how hypnotizing the YouTube videos of it zig-zagging across the water were there was no way in hell I was paying twenty bucks for a fly just to figure out how it was tied! A recipe for the fly seemed non-existent but while searching around for one I found an alternative, the D/C Dodger Fly!

     As soon as I could I ordered the D/C Dodger kit as well as the other necessary materials. The Dodger kit comes with everything you need to tie five flies except for hooks, body materials, and tailing material. Detailed tying instructions are included as well as a few tying videos on YouTube that walk you through putting it all together. Even after purchasing everything required it was still cheaper than buying five Pole Dancers! The Dodger fly goes together like a standard popper except for a few twists. A counterweight is added on the hook shank with lead wire that comes in the kit as well as a loop of hollow tubing tied off the hook bend to prevent the tail section from fouling. The tail section is where things get tricky but it's also what makes the D/C Dodger truly unique. Not only can the fly be fished as a walking topwater popper but the tail section can be removed and fished by itself as a subsurface streamer! To accomplish this the tail section is tied on 3/32" hard tubing which is inserted into the rear of the popper head via junction tubing. All the necessary tubing and a Tube Fly Mandrel that can be used in a standard vise come in the kit. This design also allows the angler to mix and match different tail sections with different colored popper heads. I was a little apprehensive about the whole "Tube" concept having never tied them before but everything went together great.

     I mentioned earlier that hooks, body material, and tailing material are not included in the kit so I'll run down what I used. For a hook I chose Cascade Crests 3/0 Pike/Popper hook which is recommended although I have seen others used. For body material the recipe suggests Micro Cactus Chenille but I substituted both Estaz and UV Micro Polar Chenille. Cascade Crests Hackle Flash is used as the collar on the standard pattern but I used UV Polar Chenille. For the tail I stuck to the script and used the Synthetic Yak Hair also from Cascade Crest. Flash Blend and other synthetic hair can be used but the tail section must be made from synthetics. Natural hair and fur retain too much water and not only rob the fly of maximum action but make it that much heavier and difficult to cast. Also, I painted the foam heads with spraypaint and stencils after sealing them with Delta CeramCoat. Permanent markers or other paint can be used as well. I finished the heads off with 5/16" 3D eyes and a few coats of CCG Hydro.

     When the cold weather finally loosens it's grip here in Maryland the D/C Dodger will be getting lots of use. Unfortunately we haven't had a stretch of warm weather long enough to make surface fishing as good it will be later in the season but when it does I'll be ready! Me and many other anglers have long wanted a fly version of the venerable Zara Spook and the D/C Dodger is that and then some. Just make sure to use a loop knot when fishing it and leave the Trout rod at home. When you are fishing it keep your rod tip low, use short strips, and pay close attention to what the fly is doing. Wait until the fly has darted to one side or the other before you strip to ensure it walks properly. If you've ever fished a regular Spook on spinning gear the cadence is much the same and once you get the rhythm down you'll be walking on water.

-D/C Dodger-

Hook: Cascade Crest Pike/Popper Hook sz. 3/0

Body: Estaz/UV Micro Polar Chenille

Tail: Cascade Crest Synthetic Yak Hair

Collar: Hareline UV Polar Chenille

     

     

Midge Larvae Pure & Simple

     A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of fishing alongside the Maryland StreamWaders who were collecting aquatic insect samples from the Klees Mill Rd. stretch of Morgan Run here in Carroll County Maryland. The Maryland StreamWaders are a group of volunteers who travel around the state and assess the quality of area streams and watersheds through sampling the macroinvertebrates that inhabit them. For a fly fisherman, studying these samples is like being given the opposing teams playbook before the big game! Having taken my own less "scientific" samples in the same area I was anxious to see what they would find, and when I did I was surprised! 

     Unfortunately no new species of aquatic insects were discovered but all the old one's were and one group in particular made up anywhere from 30% of the samples to over 50%! Can you guess which group? If you guessed Midges you'd be right. After all we hear all the time that Midges make up the majority of the Trouts diet but it's another thing to actually see it in person. In a stream like Morgan Run, that doesn't have the biodiversity and wide selection of bugs available to Trout that other streams do, Midges become extremely important to fish and fisherman alike.

     Although some very interesting albeit sometimes frustrating Midge fishing can be had on the surface I've had the most success fishing subsurface with larvae imitations. The Midge larvae pattern I use the most is John Barr's Pure Midge Larvae. Barr's Pure Midge Larvae is a simple fly that is easy to tie and requires only two materials, one of which is your tying thread! The only other material needed is Clear Micro Stretch Tubing which does a fantastic job creating the subtle segmentation found on natural Midge larvae. By using Clear Tubing you need only change the thread color and hook size to match the Midges found in your own waters. They not only make for great Midge imitations but depending on the color can pass for smaller species of Caddis like the Chimarra Caddis or small Hydropsyche. If you don't have Clear Stretch Tubing on your bench you may also use a product called Stretch Magic that can be found in the craft isle of Wal-Mart or at Michaels and Hobby Lobby. Unlike Stretch Tubing, that is hollow and flattens when stretched, Stretch Magic is a solid round tubing that retains it's shape increasing the abdomens segmentation.

     Dead drifting a Pure Midge Larvae or suspending it under an indicator by itself will produce fish but it's best used as a dropper fly. I've had the most success hanging it off the back of a heavier nymph or dropped off the bend of a dry fly in shallow water. If you find yourself on a new stream or an old favorite and aren't sure what to fish you can't go wrong with the Pure Midge Larvae. Go ahead and tie on that gaudy attractor nymph but hang a Pure Midge off the bend and I think you'll be suprised which the fish prefer.

      When I started Fly Fishing and learning about what Trout eat I couldn't believe that the Trout would even see such tiny larvae drifting by let alone eat them by the hundreds, if not by the thousands,but they do. Tight lines and tighter loops!

Barr's Pure Midge Larvae

Hook: Daiichi 1140 or Tiemco 2488 sz. 20-26

Thread: Uni 8/0 Color of Choice

Abdomen: Clear Micro Stretch Tubing or .5mm Clear Stretch Magic

Head: Uni 8/0 Color of Choice

Stretch Magic Variation: