Tag Archives: Tutorial

Brassie

A very simple fly to tie, the Brassie is a requisite in your arsenal for opening day fishing exploits. Tied in the small size I demonstrate here (sz 20), it imitates a midge. You can adjust the pattern to mimic a Caddis Larva as well. The Brassie is effective due to the copper wire weighting down the fly to where the fish are feeding on its own. Further, this is my favorite dropper as it stays down but will not pull the lead fly down.

Materials

  1. Mustad – Nymph Sproat – Size 20
  2. Black Ultra Thread 70
  3. Copper Ultra Wire
  4. Black Rabbit Dubbing
Step 1 - Size 20 Hook
Step 1 – Size 20 Hook

Carefully place your hook in the vise. You can de barb the hook at this point. I do not go through the hassle for such a small hook, any bit of hold you can maintain on the Trout’s jaw is worth it.

Step 2 - Base Layer
Step 2 – Base Layer

Start your thread an eye width’s behind the eye. Careful not to crowd in this step as you will need to dub and whip finish later. Work the thread down the shaft to the hook bend and then back to your starting point. This creates a base layer and prevents the copper wire from slipping later.

Step 3 - Tie in wire
Step 3 – Tie in wire

Now we tie in the wire. I like to start with the wire partially perpendicular, underneath the hook eye and wedge it in there good with a few turns. Then pull back the tag end under the wrappings you just created, this will make a nice, clean starting point.

Step 4 - Cover the Wire
Step 4 – Cover the Wire

Wrap your thread down the shaft and back up to your tie in point. This creates a firm base with which we wind the wire up the shaft back to the tie in point.

Step 5 - Wind wire
Step 5 – Wind wire

Wind the wire in tight wraps back up to just before the tie in point. Make four twists of thread over the tag end of the wire. Helicopter the tag end off and locate your dubbing.

Step 6 - Apply Dubbing
Step 6 – Apply Dubbing

Apply as small amount of dubbing to the thread and twist. Do not apply too much,  this is after all a size 20 hook. You can always add more dubbing later, it is more difficult to remove once applied. Some tiers will change the color of the dubbing, a red head looks neat.

Step 7 - Whip Finish
Step 7 – Whip Finish

Finish dubbing and whip finish in front of the dubbing. If you spaced your tie in part properly, there will be room to get in four turns. Be careful and do not mash your dubbing.

Finished
Finished

Opening day in New Jersey is next weekend. I plan on deploying this pattern in my nymph rig outs first thing in the morning. The Brassie is both easy to tie and highly effective at any time of the year. When fish are not taking the nymphs you are presenting, it generally means they are too big. Downsize, get the fly down deep and try again!

 

 

 

 

Surf Candy

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Surf Candy

This is Bob Popovics’s latest addition to his fly fishing resume. Bob is a renowned saltwater fly fisherman and tier. This is the newest version of the Surf Candy. Bob has designed a holographic sticker called “Fleye Foils” that adds great detail to this fly. Surf Candies can be tied up to mimic any small baitfish for fresh or saltwater; however, they were designed for the bait that is most important to saltwater fly fishers on the Northeast Coast: bay anchovies, silversides, and sand eels.  These baitfish are the staples of any striped bass’s diet.

At the last Fly Fishing Convention in Somerset, NJ, Bob was giving a demonstration and stated something that drives his fly tying. For larger bait, such as peanut bunker, silhouette is more important than detail. If you look at his Hollow Fleyes, it is pretty apparent that bigger is better. But for small bait, such as sand eels, the detail of the fly is the most important feature of the fly. Fleye Foils add this dimension that other fly patterns cannot achieve.

The most popular combinations are tan and white for Bay Anchovies, olive and white for Sand Eels, and grey and white for Silversides.  However, you are only limited by your own imagination.

Hook: 4-8

Thread: White 210 Danville

Body: Bucktail or your favorite synthetic material ( I used EP Fibers)

Flash: Krystal Flash, Flashabou, or your favorite material ( I used Flashabou)

Head: Fleye Foils with a head of epoxy or light-cured acrylic

Step 1:

Lay down a thread base down the hook shank.

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Step 2:

Turn the entire hook upside down and tie in the bottom body of your Surf Candy using the material you have chosen.

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Step 3:

Rotate the hook back to right side up and tie in your flash material.

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Step 4:

Tie in the material for the top of the fly.  Use a color that will contrast with the bottom body color.

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Step 5:

Tie in your adhesive Fleye Foils.

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Step 6:

Use your epoxy or light-cured acrylic to create a slender profile for your Surf Candy.  Apply the epoxy or acrylic to almost the end of the adhesive Fleye Foil.

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Finished Surf Candy

 

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Finished Sand Eel Surf Candies

Tips: If you are using epoxy take your time, you can apply the epoxy in two settings.  Clear Cure Goo is optimal for this fly.  Also, keep the material sparse for this fly.

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Silverside Surf Candy

 

The Mickey Finn

As you may have gathered, the ice season ended abruptly in New Jersey with a long mid-winter thaw. Some lakes and ponds still have ice cover though not providing anywhere near what is considered a safe thickness. As a result, part of the MKFF crew headed up to Brant Lake, NY this weekend in search of thicker ice and boy did they locate it!

Cabin Fever weekend, a few of my favorite things.
Cabin Fever weekend, a few of my favorite things.

Dave and I had to hang back here in Frelinghuysen Township; part of our appointed/ elected official duties included posting the boundaries of the new Frelinghuysen Forest Preserve. Fortunately, there was plenty of time to whip up a traditional Brook Trout Streamer whilst listening to Dave strum some new MKFF theme songs on his guitar.

The Pattern

John Alden Knight first designed this fly in the 1930s, named for the infamous drugged drink of the time; it remains a popular and effective bucktail streamer. The Mickey Finn imitates baitfish commonly found in Trout producing streams, the red stripe of bucktail appears like a baitfish’s lateral line to a predator. Similar to the drugged drink, it certainly knocks your prey out; I once had a 20 fish day on stocked Brook Trout with this pattern. The fly can be effective for Salmon, Trout, Steelhead, Bass and even an occasional Pike.

Materials

  1. Mustad 9672; 2-12
  2. UNI-Thread Black 6/0
  3. UNI-Thread Red 6/0
  4. Small Silver Ultra Wire
  5. Large Mylar Tinsel Gold/Silver
  6. Yellow Bucktail
  7. Orange/ Red Bucktail
  8. 1/8” Flat Eyes

Steps

  1. Start the Red thread and build a base near the tail, directly above the barb.

    Step 1 Red Thread
    Step 1 – Start the red thread, build a base for the tail.
  2. Tie your black thread on, one eye‘s length behind the hook eye, lay thread along the shank of hook.

    Step 2 - Start the black thread and create tie in base.
    Step 2 – Start the black thread and create tie in base.
  3. Tie in both the Tinsel and the Ultra Wire at the head; use black thread to layer the length of the shank. Leave red butt end uncovered by black thread.

    Step 3 - Tie in Ultra Wire and Tinsel.
    Step 3 – Tie in Ultra Wire and Tinsel, wrap thread down the shank, locking in Ultra Wire and Tinsel.
  4. Wind the Silver side of the Tinsel flat and tight with a narrow part of each strip overlapping back to the tie in point. Tie off and cut excess.
  5. Wind the ultra wire evenly up the shank in similar fashion, it will provide additional strength to the Tinsel wraps.

    Step 4/5 - Warp Tinsel and Ultra Wire up hook shank, tie off and remove excess.
    Step 4/5 – Warp Tinsel and Ultra Wire up hook shank, tie off and remove excess.
  6. Select a pinch of yellow bucktail, tie in at the base you have created, near the tie in point. Remember to not apply too much pressure to make the butt end of the bucktail flare out. Instead, use multiple loose wraps and create a mound.

    Step 6 - Tie in yellow bucktail.
    Step 6 – Tie in yellow bucktail.
  7. Repeat the same steps completed for the yellow bucktail, this time with the orange. Trim the excess ends of the bucktail off in an upward angle. Add an additional amount of yellow on top of the red. This will create the lateral line effect.

    Step 7 - Add in orange buck tail, use staircase method to layer on thread.
    Step 7 – Add in orange buck tail, use staircase method to layer on thread.
  8. Build up a mound of black thread over the butt ends of the bucktail. Apply some head cement and then add your eyes.

    Finished Mickey Finn, a little light on the yellow thread up top. I will update this picture later in the week once I perfect the pattern.
    Finished Mickey Finn, a little light on the yellow thread up top. I will update this picture later in the week once I perfect the pattern.

How to Use

The Mickey Finn, can be retrieved upstream or down, just don’t use it at a bar, it won’t work on chicks! You can also retrieve across the current with a jerking twitch to imitate baitfish.

Completed Mickey Finn W/O Eyes
Completed Mickey Finn W/O Eyes. Take notice of the lateral line effect created by the layering of bucktail. To a hungry Trout this fly resembles a bait fish.