Dark Star tutorial (step by step)

The Dark Star Dun
Materials
Hook- Daiichi 1180 or 1110 #12-20
Thread- Tan 8/0
Wings- Black hen hackle tips
Tail- Sandy dun hackle fibers
Abdomen- Stripped peacock quill
Rib- Small Opal tinsel
Thorax- Dyed black peacock hurl
Hackle- Sandy dun.

Start the thread and wrap half way down the shank.

Then wrap the thread half way back up. This will give your wing placement.

Select 2 hen neck hackle tips, pair them up and line up the tips. Measure your wings to be the same length as the hook shank.

Pinch and loop the wings to the top of the shank. Take a couple additional turns to secure, wrapping back touching turns as you secure. Then snip the waste.

Wrap back over the butts touching turns to just before the barb.  Dont worry about standing the wings up yet. They will just get in the way.

Take 6-8 hackle fibers and tie them in for the tail. Take one turn on and one under then one to secure.

Tie in a stripped quill by the skin on the butt end with one turn.

Tie in the small opal tinsel, and advance the thread to about a hook eyes back from the wings.

Wrap the quill forward touching turns.

Now rib the body with the opal tinsel,  3-4 turns is enough. Blurry??? yeah sorry about that.  Now before you stand your wings, put a light coat of varnish/head cement on the body. Be sure to get a bit on the under side of the hook bend to anchor the varnish. This helps make it much more durable.

Now stand the wings up by pulling them up with your finger and thumb and putting wraps right in front of the wing base.

Select a hackle and tie the butt end in in-between the wings. This help keep them split.

Tie in a dyed black peacock hurl by the tip and bring the thread in front of the wings.

Wrap the peacock hurl forward, touching turns and just take one turn in front of the wing.

Now wrap the hackle, take two full turns behind the wing and 1-1 1/2 in front of the wing. 

Whip Finish and your head and the Dark Star is complete.   For flatter water cut a V into the bottom of the hackle. 

The Dark Star Tying video

Here it is, The Dark Star Tying video,  Enjoy.

The Dark Star dun

  I have posted about this fly in some of my fishing reports and never put a photo up.  This fly has worked extremely well for me.  I have used it all over the place, from limestone to freestone, it just works. 
  In high glare situations this fly shines as the black wings are easy to see in this situation. I will confess that there are some times when the black wings are next to impossible to see, but the lighter colored hackle(sandy dun) makes the fly visible at those times. 
  The video is currently uploading and will be on youtube late tonight. I will have it on here in the morning.



Materials
Hook- Daiichi 1180 or 1110 #12-20
Thread- Tan 8/0
Wings- Black hen hackle tips
Tail- Sandy dun hackle fibers
Abdomen- Stripped peacock quill
Rib- Small Opal tinsel
Thorax- Dyed black peacock hurl
Hackle- Sandy dun.

Remember......Its wild brown trout approved!!!!!!!!!

Hendrickson Nicheo Video

Here is my latest video. It is of how I tie my Hendrickson Nicheo. I used it this month the few times I got and it worked very well. Enjoy

Spring session 4, Caddis and wild browns

  Well everyone this post was suppose to have gone up last Friday, but i have been very busy lately with work.  None the less i still have this session fresh in my mind. I got out late morning to my favorite freestone stream and upon my arrival I saw the trout rising.  I had tied on the Hendrickson Nicheo dun to the end of my line. I made my first cast and was awarded with a healthy hard fighting wild brown.  I got a couple more from the first run I hit. Then I moved up stream, casting at the occasional rise and likely areas. I managed a few more on the way the up.  I came up to spot that has always given up a large wild brown. I watched patiently in hopes to see a rise. Then, there was a large nose that came up in the film.  I got into position, and sent a drift.  It was just a tad to the left, so i sent a second.  The trout took the Nicheo without hesitation and man did my reel sing when i lifted the rod. The fight lasted for several minutes, as there wast much of current in the area to ad in tiring the trout. The trout dogged down in a deep cut and then, POP, went the hook.  Bummer. 

     I regrouped and moved up a bit, I watched a nice seem with the ever so popular white bubble flowing down. I saw a rise, then another, but this one had a big nose, just like the previous trout.  The story repeats, in that my first cast was just to the right, and the second resulted in the reel screaming. I hook this trout in about 8" of water at the very head of the run. He took off running down to the deep cut that the other one dogged me in. I applied the brakes and was able to get him turned around.  My position this time had currents to my favor. I was able to tire the trout out so i could make the landing rather quickly.

  After releasing the brown, I figured I was good. Only fished for a little over an hour but it was a blast.  There where quite a few different bugs hatching and laying eggs. Caddis, gordons, bwo, hendricksons and even the Jersey skeeters(crane fly) were out in good numbers.   So with "more than four" I headed on back to the car.

Spring session 3, some birthday trout.

  Well on Thursday it was my birthday, and I got out for some flying for wild browns as usual.  The bugs were hatching and first I hit my local spring creek for some action.  The trout were rising all over the place to bwos, caddis and midges.  I know that the stream has a few hedrickson in it so i figured the fish would be on the look out for them. I tied on the Hedrickson nicheo dun and rather quickly i was into my first wild brown of the morning. I got several more before Josh call to meet up for a session, so off to Pa i went to hit my favorite freestoner. Here the caddis were coming off heavy and egg laying as well. However the trout were defiantly more interested in the mayflies coming off sporadically. The hendrickson nicheo did the trick.  We both did well and before i knew it, it was time for me to head out.  All in all it was a great B-day fishing session.

A true master of the thread does the sawyer pheasant tail

Here is Mr. Davy Mcphail doing the sawyer pheasant tail.  Give them a go, they sink like rocks, but catch fish better than rocks do! Enjoy.

Cream midge

  Some people like tying flies to look at such as Atlantic salmon flies and the likes, but well I like tying flies that are hard to see! I very much enjoy the art of tying small flies, and I do it quite often.   Here just a  simple cream midge i tied recently.   

 Hook- Mustad 94859-#28

Thread- Uni trico thread

Body- tying thread

Hackle- Whiting bronze grade neck hackle cream

Fly tying video lessons for begginers.

I am doing a video series for beginner tiers and this is video number 1. It is a green rock worm. Very simple and easy tie.
 This fly will teach you how start the thread, the pinch and loop technique to attach materials and wrapping materials.
Hook- Curved shank hook sizes 10-16
Thread- Black 8/0 uni
Body- Chartreuse or a bright green yarn
Rib-Black utc brassie
Thorax- Peacock hurl. 

Here is video 2 a simple midge pupa, This fly will teach you the basic dubbing technique and soft loop for attaching materials.
Hook- Dry fly hook or Nymph hook sizes 14-24
Thread- Uni black 8/0
Body- tying thread
Rib- Red utc wire
Thorax- Muskrat dubbing

Here is video 3, the griffiths gnat.  This fly will teach you how to palmer hackle.
Materials- Dry fly hook 10-26
Thread- Uni 8/0 black
Body- peacock hurl
Hackle- Grizzly neck hackle, saddle will work also
Rib- copper wire utc, or silver. xsmall

Lesson in the corner

   Today was a different day the usual in that Josh came to the fly corner for a fly tying session. He has never tied before and it was my honor to give him a tying lesson.  I was very impressed with how well he picked up on the task at hand.  I had him tie first a rock worm, then a fancier rock worm with a rib. Then a ultra fancy rock worm with rib and soft hackle.  We then moved onto Griffiths gnats, and finished up with his request of parachutes. I had him tie a pheasant tail parachute.  Great job Josh!!!!!!!!!

Josh's First fly ever

Second fly

3rd fly

4th fly.

5th fly

6th

7th fly

Dying stripped quills

I made a video on how I dye my stripped herls a nice bwo olive.  Its very simple to do and can be fun to do.

Fly tying videos, The Nicheo, and the Still Born Midge

This post as the title describes holds two fly tying videos. The Nicheo is first up, and if you have been following along with the winter sessions, then you may be interested in seeing this fly. I have been fishing with this version a lot latley for the bwo hatches. It floats great, no floatant required and its durable.

Here is a video of Roger hill's Still Born Midge. I like to twist them up on light wire scud hooks, The red thread I feel makes it work better on some of my local water. The muskrat tail makes the fabled griffiths gnat the still born midge, and I have found that it does infact make the fly more effective.

How to strip peacock hurl with bleach to make quills.

  Here is a video I did on stripping peacock hurls with bleach to make quills.  Its simple and easy to make a lot quills quickley.  Clorox bleach in 1 part and hot tap water in 3 parts will make the bath to strip to hurls. Then a simple rinse in tap water and then a soaking in a bath of hot tap water mix with baking soda for 15 mins. 

   

Winter session 30, attack of the NICHEO!!!!

 Well, I finally got out on a Saturday. This never happens for me in the winter, but my daughter is with her grandmother for the weekend so a flying I went.  I had somethings to do in the morning, so i didnt get out till around noonish. Which was perfect because the baetis where just starting to hatch on my local limestoner.  I still had the odd ball on from last time so I cast it out and was quickly into a wild brown. A quick pick and a release. I put some more drift over some trout but they didnt want the odd ball.    So i swapped out for a nicheo, This nicheo was tied using a stripped and dyed peacock quill. I stripped and dyed a bunch yesterday.  This nicheo was the ticket. The trout really dug it.  It was a nice day and a good hatch today.  With "more then four" I headed on home, before the rain came. 

The olive quill body Nicheo. The thorax is dry in the pic, so the color doesnt match but when its wet, it blends perfect.

The Oddball Quill Gordon, Tutorial and video

 
  The Oddball Quill Gordon was devised by a nameless man, who fishes the lower Cheeseman canyon section of the South Platte River.  The only place I know that this fly is talked about is in Ed Engles book "Tying small flies". Which is one of my favorites.  In the book, Ed tells a story about fishing a bwo hatch, and how, like me the other day, couldn't get a trout to take the go to standards.  He goes on to say how he had saw this man before and how on this day, he was catching trout left and right.  Ed mustered up the courage and asked the gentleman what he was using.  The man handed Ed the oddball quill gordon. in a size 18.  Ed describes how he fished the fly, just like the old gentlemen did, Down and across to the rising trout.  Ed was quickly into fish.  If you dont own tying small flies by Ed Engle, you should. Its a great book.

   If you read my winter session 29 fishing report, I had a situation just like in the book. Except I was the one with the oddball, fishing it down and across. I was getting fish left and right, and I talked to an older gentlemen and I told and showed him the oddball quill gordon.   Funny how things go down sometimes.

 Without a doubt this fly should be in your box, Its a great fly that works on small mayfly hatches. Its a wonderful variation to the famous, and fabled Quill Gordon. I agree with Engle that when this fly is fished down and across, giving it a twitch, drag, dead drift is the ticket. If you watch baetis hatch you will notice that they flop around in attempt to dry there wings for flight.(many mayfly species do this) The trout key in on this action. When the fly goes dead drift to regain its energy, gulp.  (click read more)

The still born midge

 Rodger Hill's still born midge is without a doubt the deadliest midge dry fly I have ever used.  It is a griffiths gnat with the addition of a muskrat underfur tail. I have and do use g-gnats but I truly can say that the muskrat tail does make it more effective.  Some times a shuck'll do ya!  The one to left there is tied on a Daichii 1130. Its a light wire continuous bend hook aka scud hook. I prefer my g-gnats and still borns on a light wire scud or emerger hook. I think the clearer gap helps.  I tie them with a red for the Musconetcong river. There are midges there with big red eyes. The wild browns approve of the red.  Be creative and try all different color heads them. Also twist them up with different color peacock hurl and even hackle. The possibilities are endless.   I like to fish these at sipping trout and my preferred sizes for that are 18-24 and I like a size 14-16 for a searching pattern. 

Hook-Daiichi 1130

Thread- Red uni 8/0

Hackle- Grizzly saddle hackle

Body- Peacock hurl

Rib-x-small silver wire

Shuck- muskrat under fur.

A different dun. and the S.G.M. Festival

My Nicheo dun. This one is a size 18 and will be used on bwo hatches. 
Come on out to the Sparse grey matter tying festival in califon and say hello, I will be tying these flies there.  I will be tying for my T.U. Chapter at the event.(R.V.T.U). If you leave a comment and request a fly you would like me to tie along with the Nicheo.


SGM- Fly Tying Fest 2012
Dette’s Trout Flies and Shannon’s Fly Shop are teaming up
for their 2nd annual Sparse Grey Matter fly tying event in
Califon NJ.
Join us for a day of fly tying and fish talk.Bring your vise and
materials or just stop by to see some of the area’s best tyers,
doors are open to everyone.
The event will be held in the spacious Califon Fire House
ballroom, right across the street from Shannon’s Fly Shop.
Any questions call Shannon’s (908) 832-5736 or email Dan
Ansbach- DAnsbach@gmail.com.
Time: 10:00am-4:00pm
Date: Sunday, February 26th
Location: Califon Fire Company Inc
41 Main St, Califon NJ, 078303
www.SparseGreyMatter.com
www.DetteFlies.com
www.ShannonsFlyTackle.com

Johnny's Spartan Buzzer, tutorial.

Here is a buzzer I put together. I call it the Spartan buzzer.  I gave it this name because of the colors I used in the creation of the pattern. The fly is new so whether it works is unknown.  But you can bet I will be putting this warrior to the test!.  I will report back in fishing reports on this one. And if you twist some up and take them out, Please comment back on how they worked!  Click the read more for the tutorial.