Smallmouth Snack Articulated Sculpin

Here's another Articulated Sculpin pattern for Smallies and hungry Trout.

I got out this weekend for my first Smallmouth specific trip of the season. This pattern was a great producer along with a single hook version and my Simple crayfish from a previous post. I concentrated on deep pools and undercuts, swinging the flies deep. Smallmouth are a true gamefish and unlike Trout that live in very specific streams and rivers, I will almost bet most people have a decent Smallie spot nearby. Enjoy!

Rear Portion:

Hook: VMC Flippin' Hook sz. 1/0

Thread: Uni 6/0 in Olive

Tail: Black Barred Olive Marabou

Hackle: Black Schlappen

Body: Olive Crystal Chenille

Collar: Olive Schlappen

Front Portion:

Flymen Fishing Company 35mm Articulated Shank

Tail: Black Barred Olive Marabou, Work it around the shank to cover articulation point

Hackle: Black Schlappen

Body: Olive Crystal Chenille

Legs: Barred Rubber Legs

Collar: Olive Schlappen

"Wing": Sculpin Olive Sculpin Wool, Reverse tied and folded back, then "Barred" with permanent marker

Pectoral Fins: Sculpin Olive Sculpin Wool, "Barred" with permanent marker

Head: Olive Sculpin Helmet sz. small

"Lead" Zepplin Caddis Larvae

Like the band here's a Caddis that "Get's Down." It's great in a multi-fly Czech rig and equally effective by itself under an indicator. It's tied on a Partridge CZF size 14 which is really a size 10 in US hooks. Also, because of this hooks fine diameter wire I'm able to pack lots of lead onto the shank while still maintaining a fairly slim profile overall.

Hook: Partridge CZF sz. 14

Thread: UTC 70 in Fluorescent Chartreuse for the abdomen, and Uni 8/0 in Black for the thorax and head.

Underbody: Veniards Extra Fine Flat Lead, three layers tapered.

Abdomen: Jan Siman Magic Shrimp Foil in Light Olive, tied shiny side down so shiny side faces up when wrapped.

Rib: 5x Mono

Thorax: Black Ostrich Herl. Wrap herl and stroke fibers on top down, coat the top of thorax and head with Liquid Fusion (shown here) or any UV cured adhesives. Look up JC's Electric Caddis, the thorax is created the same way.

Extras: Brown Permanent Marker to color Abdomen.

Notes: Try not to wrap the Shrimp Foil too tight or your segmentation won't be as pronounced when your mono rib is wrapped.

Along Came Two Spiders ( A Pair of Soft-Hackles)

I tied these two little flies last night. I won't go into the history of Soft-Hackle flies but I can attest to their effectiveness still today. I've caught everything from Trout, to Carp, to Panfish on wet flies of some kind or another. Although they can be tied to imitate specific insects, some of the best patterns are those that are the most suggestive. When I studied figure drawing at the Maryland Institute College of Art I learned the importance of capturing the "essence" of the subject through a quick sketch or "Gesture" drawing rather than get caught in the details. Wet Flies and traditional Soft Hackles are "Sketches" of potential food items for the fish. There's just enough information there to suggest life, and a possible meal for a hungry fish. I highly recommend giving them a try if you haven't already. Also, from a tying standpoint there is quiet beauty in their simplicity. They are easy to tie as well making them excellent for new tiers out there. If your in Maryland and want to know more about Soft-Hackle Flies or need the materials to tie them (some of which are hard to find) I highly recommend stopping in Great Feathers located near the Gunpowder River.

Left Fly: 

Hook: Tiemco 3761 sz.16

Thread: Uni 8/0 in Yellow

Body: Turkey Biot dyed Sulphur Orange

Thorax: Fly Rite Poly Dubbing in Pale Watery Yellow tied very sparsely in a split thread dubbing loop

Hackle: Hungarian Partridge

Right Fly:

Hook: Tiemco 3761 sz.18

Thread: Uni 8/0 in Olive Dun

Body: Stripped Peacock Quill (Polish Quill) dyed Olive

Thorax: Nature's Spirit Emergence Dubbing in Blue Winged Olive tied very sparsely

Hackle: Small grey feather from a Pigeon ( I find them on the street!! )

Quigley Inspired Sulphur

In keeping with the "Para-Loop"/"Hackle-Stacker" style of fly, here's one for the Sulphur hatch. I've found myself tying this style of fly a lot lately, not only because they look great, but I guess it's my own personal way of keeping Mr. Quigleys memory alive on the water. Unfortunately we lost him a while back but the body of work and innovative flies and tying techniques he left behind live on. That being said, I had his "Sparkle-Flag" pattern in mind when I was tying this. It's a pattern to try when the Trout have seen everyone else's Sulphur Duns and it just might trick those fish who want to see something different when they look up from their watery lair. Happy Fishing!

Hook: Tiemco 100 Size to Match Natural ( sz.14 shown here)

Thread: Yellow Uni 8/0

Tails: Microfibbets (I typically use 4 for sz. 14's and up, and 2 for sz.16 and smaller)

Abdomen: Turkey Biot dyed Sulphur Orange (coated with Veniard Cellire Varnish)

Post/Loop: 5x or 6x Mono

Hackle: Light Dun

Thorax: Fly Rite Poly Dubbing in Pale Watery Yellow

Wing: Light Dun CDC Plumes

New Warmwater/Big Trout Combo, Thanks Tax Refund!

For the past couple years I've fished exclusively with an 8 1/2 ft. 5 wt. and a 7 1/2 ft. 3 wt. For the small Piedmont and Freestone stream Trout fishing I do most of the time these two rods are all I need. For Bass, Carp, and river Smallmouth I would usually over-line my 5wt. with a 6wt. line, but there's only so much you can do with such a set-up. Lately I've found myself under gunned as the fish I encounter are larger and the flies I use to trick them bigger. So I decided this season to put together a dedicated big fish/big fly combo with my Tax Refund. I searched around for a while until I settled on the Temple Fork Outfitters Mini-Mag. There are two rods in the Mini-Mag series, a 6-8wt. and a 8-10wt. Both are 8  ft. 3 piece rods. I chose the 6-8wt model and couldn't be happier. Although I might not win any distance contests casting it, I am confident in it's ability to cast heavy wind-resistant flies and muscle in the big fish that eat them. For a reel I went cheap  and chose the Bass Pro Shops Hobbs Creek Large Arbor. It's basic, reliable, and the money I saved buying it left me with enough to grab two spare spools. I loaded them up with a WF 6, WF 7, and kicked it old school spooling the reel up with a Cortland 333 HT 8wt. Bass Taper! I also have to mention Bears Den who I bought the rod from. They were the only shop I called that had the rod in stock. They boxed it and sent it out the same day I ordered it. It arrived a few days later and I was fishing! I highly recommend them and look forward to shopping with them again! Also, it's not a bad idea to cast a heavier rod now and again, especially if your used to 5wt's and under. Any casting flaws you have show up in a big way! Tight Loops!

"Skittish Crayfish" Variation

Here's another crayfish pattern I'm working on. It's a spin-off of the Skittish Crayfish, an easy to tie and very effective crayfish imitation I became aware of in a past issue of Fly Tyer. I've made some slight adjustments to the original pattern which make it a little easier to tie I think. The original pattern uses Squirrel Tail for the claws and a Zonker strip for the legs and underbody. I use Zonker Strips for the claws instead of tying in a clump of Squirrel Tail, dividing it, then posting the two clumps to form the claws. I use Schlappen for the legs instead of a Zonker Strip mostly because I like the way it looks. My version also doesn't include a wire rib through the body but it doesn't hurt to add one. I've found after coating the Moose Hair shellback with CCG, Bug-Bond, or Liquid Fusion the fly is plenty durable. In smaller sizes I like to fish it dead drift, and larger sizes I like to fish on a sink tip, stripping it along the bottom and shaking it whenever I feel a rock or log. Tie a few up in sizes 8-4 and get fishing!

Hook: Streamer hook sz. 8-4 (The fly in the picture is tied on a Mustad R74-9672)

Thread: UTC 140 in Rusty Brown

Eyes: Lead Dumbell (Painted or Unpainted)

Claws: Crawdad colored Zonker Strips (Mottled with brown permanent marker)

Antennae: Brown Round Rubber

Head/Body: Crawdad Orange Wapsi Buggy Nymph Yarn

Legs: Brown Schlappen

Shellback: Moose Body Hair coated with epoxy, Bug Bond, CCG, or my favorite Liquid Fusion

A Little "Rusty" With My Spinner Tying

I'll admit I'm not too much of a dry fly fisherman. Probably when I get older into my golden years I'll re-discover the art of fishing a dry fly. But while I'm young and reckless I'm gonna nymph! Every once in a while I'll fish dries though, especially when the major hatches of the Eastern USA get going. One of the best times to fish a dry is during the spinner fall. If you had to choose only one pattern in one size to fish you would have to start with a size 14 Rusty Spinner. Everyone has their own version of this pattern and here's the one I use. It floats well and is easy to see.  Enjoy!

Hook: Tiemco 100 sz.14

Thread: Rusty Brown Uni 8/0

Tails: Microfibbets (For a size 14 I use 4 and split them leaving 2 on each side)

Abdomen: Rusty Brown Turkey Biot ( I almost always coat the Biot body with Veniards Cellire Varnish or Super Glue for durability and shine)

Wings: Light colored Snowshoe Rabbit, Natural Cream or Light Dun work fine

Thorax Cover: Yellow Craft Foam

Thorax: Rusty Brown Antron