FLYFISHER magazine of the Federation of n 201 1 fedflyfishers.org Conserving, Restoring & Educating Through Fly Fi shing 20 12 • $3 mmer g - Su 2012 ing Fish Fly ugh Thro ing ucat & Ed g n ori Rest ng, ervi Cons Sprin - Winter .org ishers fedflyf Spring - Summer 2011 • $3 Autum • $3 Autumn 2010 - Winter 2011 • $3 fedflyfishers.org Photo by Bill Toone Fly Fishers Conserving, Restor ing & Educating Th rough Fly Fishing fedflyf ishers .org Con serv ing, Res tori ng & Edu cati ng T hro ugh Fly Fish ing Choices on REDFISH FLATS Make rods bend in Texas’ Redfish Bay WET FLIES FOR BLUEGILLS er the Form Behind CURTAIN Become a G FISHVIN ENIA IRON MIDGE SLO MAJOR COASTAL ALERT Oil spill effects and shredded seagrass FISHING FUN IN TEXAS TIPS FOR FINDING GREAT OUTH LOCAL WATERS SMALLM Education for trout flies and fishing UT ALL ABO S DAMSEL BAUATUSMSN IQUES TECHN INCR CRAYEFDIIBS LE H ARKANSAS RIVER BROWNS FLY FISH IN FAIR THE IN SIDE SC OOP G A MO N FISH TANA ING ADVENTU RE c ons e r v i n g re st o r i n g e duc at i n g t hrough f l y f i s h i n g . e n i z a g a m e t e l p m o c e h t t e G ! y a d o t F F F e h t n i Jo By Terry and Roxanne Wilson O PHOTO BY ERIC ENGBRETSON n any given summer weekend at most stream crossings in our part of the world, you will find kids happily chasing crayfish, known as “crawdads” in kid speak, to imprison them in hastily improvised pools at the water’s edge. Whether the fun is in the quantity captured or the thrill of the hunt is hard to say, but we fly fishers know using crayfish imitations for catching bass is as much fun as anyone can have on the water. Crayfish aren’t difficult to catch, and they’re a primary food source for all big freshwater game fish. Whenever there is a disturbance nearby, they quickly dart a short distance just above the bottom from the safety of one hiding place to another. To find and devour food, largemouth and smallmouth bass are attuned to the movement of anything in their environment. If it looks to them like crayfish, moves like crayfish, then they’re likely to strike. That is, after all, how little bass grow into the leaping, twisting, running, thrilling catches we live for. Nearly 500 species of crayfish exist worldwide, and more than 390 are native to North America. They are widely distributed in swift streams, sluggish rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps and bayous. Most crayfish are short-lived. Males commonly die at the end of their second summer, while females last until their third summer. They grow in size by shedding (molting) their hardened exoskeleton. This molting process occurs several times a year during the warm months. Game fish prefer these post-molt, soft-shell crayfishes, often called “peelers,” and prey most heavily on those that are 1.5 to 2.5 inches long. Fly patterns to imitate them should reflect that length and be tied in pale colors to replicate this vulnerable stage of development. Crayfish come in a wide variety of colors, including various shades of gray, brown, tan, olive, orange and green. Many are mottled and some can be described as freckled, but each matches the color of its environment. North Arkansas fly-fishing guide and well-known wildlife artist Duane Hada advised us years ago, “If you have trouble seeing your crayfish patterns against the background of the bottom, its color is just right.” That point was driven home for us as we camped along Huzzah Creek located southwest of St. Louis. The smallmouth bass thoroughly rejected our crayfish offerings until we did some rock turning and discovered that the local population was much lighter in color than our imitations. A campfire fly-tying session corrected the discrepancy and we contentedly spent the next four days with bent fly rods. Three other crayfish fly characteristics need consideration. First, stiff materials used to replicate the pinchers can cause the fly to wobble, sacrificing control, when retrieved. This wobble can also cause the fly to spin (in or out of the water), resulting in a twisted tippet and rejection by game fish. Observation of crayfish as they use their tails to propel themselves backward out of danger reveals that during this evasive action their pinchers are folded together as if in prayer, not extended apart in attack mode as many anglers believe. After all, how menacing can a 1.5-inch crayfish appear? Consequently, we like to use a flexible material such as marabou, rabbit strips or a soft synthetic fiber to represent pinchers. Second, it is important that any crayfish pattern be in contact with or close to the bottom throughout the drift. Tiers and fly shoppers should consider several weighting options. First, barbell eyes come in several sizes, weights and colors that can adjust the weight of the same fly pattern to allow bottom contact at varying current speeds and depths. Barbell eyes make the fly ride hook-point up, which helps keep the fly from hanging up on the bottom. Second, bead heads and cone heads offer another weighting option and are available in different sizes and colors. Third, wraps of lead or tungsten wire can be incorporated under the fly’s body to add weight to the hook shank. Fourth, another option is the use of Quick Descent Dubbing (made from metal fibers), which can be applied easily to the fly’s body using the direct thread dubbing method. Since crayfish flies are in contact with the bottom so frequently, a third consideration for some form of weed guard is helpful. Again, several options are available. Most common is a single monofilament loop that is attached to the hook shank near the hook bend and then looped below the hook point and re-attached beneath the hook eye when the fly is completed. A double mono weed guard can be similarly attached by placing one strand on each side of the hook shank. Other options include the Nelson point guard, which is a loop tied directly beneath the hook eye to protect the hook point and the nylon brush guard. We like weed guards that can be purchased in the spin-cast tackle aisle called hook guards. They’re simply TONY SPEZIO’S CHILI PEPPER Hook: 3X- or 4X-streamer hook, sizes 6 or 8 Thread: fluorescent orange, 140 denier or 6/0 Tail: marabou, burnt orange Tail Flash: Krystal Flash, copper Body: tinsel chenille, copper Hackle: saddle hackle, brown or ginger Head: Cyclops Bead, copper Additional Weight: (optional) 0.020 lead wire wrapped under the body WILSON’S BASS BULLY (colors: black, rust, olive, chartreuse) Hook: Mustad 3366, size 4 Thread: 240 denier or 3/0 Tail: straight-cut rabbit strip Body: large ice chenille Gills: medium red chenille Legs: Sili-legs Eyes: Extra-small red barbell eyes with black pupils Head: sculpin wool, stacked and trimmed Two presentations serve most moving water needs. The first is the “crayfish hop,” which is performed by casting upstream. Allow the fly to settle to the bottom and then lift the rod tip to cause the fly to “hop” off the bottom and allow the current to move the fly downstream. Lower the rod tip so that the fly will re-settle on the bottom, then strip the line to remove slack before repeating the process. The imparted action mimics the attempts of natural crayfish to flee predators. The second stream presentation utilizes the same “high sticking” technique used in nymph fishing to dead drift the fly. Hold the rod tip high so that the fly enters the water in a straight line. Follow the movement of the fly by reaching forward and moving the rod tip at the speed of the current. Whatever freshwater species you pursue, try tempting them with one of their favorite meals: crayfish. You’ll like the results. Terry and Roxanne Wilson of Bolivar, Missouri, are longtime Flyfisher contributors focusing on warmwater fly fishing. For more articles, tips and tricks, or to schedule them to speak, visit their website at www.TheBluegillPond.com or email them at terrywil@windstream.net. FEEDING FROGS TO BIG BASS When the water warms, frogs become active near the stream’s banks where insect hatches are abundant. Surface-feeding bass capture frogs with ease, which enables fly fishers to catch bass by exploiting their appetite for these vulnerable amphibians. This is most easily and enjoyably accomplished with floater/divers patterns. This type of pattern becomes most visible to bass as they are pulled under the water and become most vulnerable as they return to the surface. The explosive strikes are memory makers. One of the best flies to use in replicating a helpless frog is Dave’s Orange Belly Diving Frog, created by fly fishing icon and longtime Federator Dave Whitlock. Here’s his recipe: PHOTOS BY TERRY AND ROXANNE WILSON clear plastic worm material flattened and slotted on one end to allow them to slip over the hook eye; the opposite end is threaded into the hook point. They may feel softer and more natural to the fish, and the result is fewer rejections. Several years ago as we researched our third book, “Smallmouth Bass Fly Fishing: A Practical Guide,” we asked many smallie enthusiasts about their favorite flies. Virtually all named crayfish imitations, and most had a favorite pattern and color that worked best in their waters. One of the impressionistic patterns we use often is a simple Woolly Bugger variation created by 2011 Buz Buzsek Award winner Tony Spezio from northern Arkansas. He named it the Chili Pepper. Spezio calls it “the most productive fly I have ever used for a variety of species of fish in cold, warm, and salt water.” Another is our own Bass Bully that accounted for the 21-inch smallmouth adorning the cover of our book. Here are the recipes for both: DAVE’S ORANGE BELLY DIVING FROG Hook: TMC 8089, sizes 10, 6, 2 barb bent down Thread: fluorescent orange Danville single strand flat floss (210 denier) Legs: fluorescent orange neck hackle, grizzly dyed fluorescent green neck hackle Skirt: orange Krystal Flash, fluorescent orange neck hackle Front Legs: fluorescent orange rubber hackle, fluorescent green rubber hackle and black rubber hackle Collar: fluorescent orange deer hair, fluorescent green deer hair and black deer-body hair Head: fluorescent orange deer body hair, fluorescent green body hair and black deer hair Eyes: green and black solid plastic eyes Snag-guard and hook foundation: Mason hard nylon (size 10 = 0.019 inch, size 6 = 0.022 inch, size 2 = 0.025 inch) Cement: Dave’s Flexament, Goop, Zap-a-Gap Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2012 [31]