Another Zoom Coffee Hour but We've Got Fish Caught and Fly Tying This Week
- Don LaChance
- Nov 16
- 6 min read
Thursday, we held a weekly Zoom call with 19 of our vets and vols. The biggest topic this week is related to the lack of stripers. They are overfished and baitfish are becoming less available based on harvests from the commercial sector. Stripers are on the decline, we need to look at them with a conservation effort in mind, slot limits exist but Catch and Release is the way to go. Commercial groups are fighting further tightening of the catch, but at least we can do our part, let them go, pics should be enough.
We are just starting to grow now have 60 followers on Facebook. Please consider following us and you will be notified when we have new and fresh content.
Gary with a smile on his face holding a steelhead from his trip to Pulaski, this past week.
Gary was fishing the egg patterns pictured below.
John got his on a micro black Wooley Bugger fishing the Farmington at a favorite Vet haunt, Zack's landing
Jeff a volunteer with our group, pictured below picked his up on the Naugatuck. He got this beauty plus a couple more
If you are a vet with disabilities, or know one that may be interested in our program, maybe you are interested in supporting our program as a volunteer or through donation, please contact us through the links on this site.
This week, we are meeting to tie flies. We are tying the "Little Black Stonefly". This is a must have for late winter early Spring and is a trout favorite. Give it a Try.
The Little Black Stonefly
Black Stoneflies are among the first insects to hatch in late winter and early spring in Connecticut, leading to an early season "snowflake hatch," and providing opportunities for fly anglers. These stoneflies are small (size 14-18) and emerge from the water to crawl onto rocks and trees before taking flight as adults. Both the wiggling nymphs, which trout often eat as they try to hatch, and the adults are a reliable food source for fish during this time. This pattern has provided a lot of early season success on both Farmington and Salmon rivers as well as smaller local streams in March and April.
Materials
Hook: Standard dry-fly hook, size 16.
Thread: 8/0 or 70 Denier, black.
Body: CDC, slate gray or black
Wing: Coq de Leon soft hackle feather, dark.
Hackle: Grizzly, trimmed on bottom.
1. Smash the barb and place the hook securely in the vice. Start your thread on the hook shank a full eye length space behind the eye. Take wraps rearward, then snip off the tag. Continue taking wraps rearward all the way to the start of the bend.
2. Take the CDC feather and pull all the fibers toward the tip of the feather. Get hold of it so just the tip is exposed and place this at the tie-in point. Take one or two wraps to lightly secure it on the top of the shank. Gently pull rearward on the feather so only the very tips are fastened to the hook. To securely anchor the CDC, take a wrap just around the shank before starting to wrap the thread forward to the initial tie in point.
3. Clip the butt end of the feather with hackle pliers and give it 2-3 twists. Start taking touching wraps with the twisted feather forward up the hook shank to form a slightly segmented body. Some of the fibers will stick out, this is what you want. At the tie-in point, secure the feather with 2-3 wraps of thread, and snip the excess off close. The stray fibers will imitate legs.
4. Strip the lower fluffy fibers free from the stem of the soft hackle and then snip the butt of the stem off so it's not in the way. Pull a half inch or so of the lower fibers down the stem with equal amounts of fibers pulled down on each end. Place the mid-intersection against the near side of the hook of the tie-in point and take two thread wraps to lightly secure it.
5. Gently work the stem to the top of the shank of the hook and begin pulling it rearward under the thread wraps. Keep pulling until the intersection point is located about 1/2 a shank length behind the hook bend. Take several tight wraps of thread to secure the Feather. Trim away the excess by lifting and snipping the stem off close then pull the remaining fibers back and take a full thread wrap just around the hook shank behind the eye. Pull the fibers forward and take more wraps over the top of the fibers to lock them down. This prevents the wing rotating around the hook shank. Next lift the fibers up to vertical and using the hook eye as a guide snip them off at a shallow angle.
6. Be sure the hook eye is clear and take thread wraps rearward to build a smooth foundation for the hackle wraps. At this point you can make subtle adjustments to the wing to get it into the correct orientation straight down the back of the hook. When you're satisfied snip the excess tip off at the intersection point.
7. Take the grizzly hackle and strip the lower fuzzy fibers free from both sides of the stem, then snip the stem off leaving about a quarter of an inch. Lay the stem against the near side of the hook so the butt-end lands right at the back of the hook eye. Torque will carry the stem to the top of the hook. Take 2-3 thread wraps to secure the hackle, ending with the thread at the back of the hook eye.
8. Fold the feather forward over the eye and take a couple of thread wraps to secure it that position.
9. Clip the feather tip in your hackle pliers and begin to wrap the hackle rearward. Note: The hackle stem may slip back over the eye. Be sure to go slow and use your fingers to prevent slipping. Wrap the hackle rearward to the base of the wing. Take 2-3 wraps to secure the hackle. Once secure, zigzag your thread forward through the hackle to behind the hook eye. Next take four or five whip finish wraps behind the eye. Snip the thread free. Pull or snip the excess hackle free.
10. The pattern is meant to ride flush in the surface film. Invert the fly in either your vice or in your fingers. Take your scissors, trim off all the hackle fibers from the underside of the hook. Be very careful to avoid snipping the c-d-c fibers in the process.
Never use flotant on CDC flies, carefully blot dry with a piece of chamois cloth.
Finally, for this week, I tried AI for the first time and want to share the...
10 Basic Rules of Fly-Tying (according to AI) Actually, its not bad
Use your bobbin to maintain thread tension, wrap thread away from you, tie in materials with an angle, immediately discard excess material, secure the first tied-in material with the last thread wrap, ensure no thread is visible except at the head, preserve the natural taper of materials by not trimming their tips, build a neat and tapered head, constantly check and adjust proportions, and start with a few simple patterns before trying many complex ones.
1. Use your bobbin for tension
· Use the bobbin to apply consistent thread tension, not your fingers, to avoid loose wraps and control the thread securely.
· Pull the thread at approximately 80% of its breaking strength to maintain proper tension.
2. Wrap away from yourself
· Wrap your thread away from yourself, working from the back of the hook towards the eye, which helps maintain tension.
3. Tie in materials with an angle
· When tying in a material, angle it at about 30-45 degrees relative to the shank. This helps the thread grab the material securely.
4. Discard excess material immediately
· Cut and discard excess material immediately after tying it in to prevent bulk and a messy appearance.
5. Use the last wrap for the first material
· The first material you tie in is often secured by the last wrap around the body. For example, the ribbing on a pheasant tail nymph is tied in first, and the thread that holds it is the last thing to wrap the body before finishing.
6. Keep the thread unseen
· The final fly should have no visible thread wraps on the body. All thread should be hidden underneath the materials or neatly tucked away at the head.
7. Preserve material tips
· Do not trim the tips of natural materials like feathers or fur, as their natural taper adds to the fly's lifelike appearance and action. Trim the "butts," but preserve the "tips".
8. Create a neat, tapered head
· A hallmark of a well-tied fly is a smooth, tapered head. Leave enough space to build this head without crowding the eye of the hook.
9. Check proportions frequently
· Continuously check the proportions of your fly throughout the tying process. A common beginner mistake is not leaving enough space for the head, so always leave a little extra room at the eye.
10. Start simple
· Don't get overwhelmed by a huge variety of patterns. Begin with a few simple, basic patterns and practice them until you are proficient before moving on to more complex ones.
See you next week, Don
Comments