Fly Tying Journal, May 15th, 2006
I finished my 2006 spring order for the shop yesterday. 506 dozen flies finished and delivered a day earlier than my scheduled May 15 delivery date. Today is my favorite fly tying day of the year. I looked forward to it all winter because now I can do a few flies for myself, and the shop.
Now I will take a few weeks and experiment with new materials, dye new colors with the latest dyes and tie new fly patterns for the shop. I can tie flies for the shop that I’ve thought about all winter. Stuff like an Iris Caddis I’ve used the past few years when Rhyachophila caddis flies were emerging on the Madison, Gallatin, and Henry’s Fork in July and August. A bright Iris emerging caddis, one with a Rhyacophia green zelon dubbed body I fashion using Nick’s Dubbing Twister tool. I’m a believer in using the dubbing twister having avoided it for years, and Nick’s is by far the easiest to use. Now I’m sold on the tool. It creates a very buggy caddis-like body with plenty of air pockets so the fly floats like a cork and is very visible. I tie a wing of black zelon so it contrasts with the steely, mirror-like river’s surface in the failing light when this summer caddis emerges heavily. Sometimes the white or cream zelon used in tying our other Iris caddis patterns looks so much like air bubbles or foam riding the currents in the evening that it is hard to see or follow the fly in the late evening hours. It is then that black is the best color I’ve found to contrast and make the fly more visible. I tied 2 dozen of these flies today, size #14. My Iris Caddis box has 2 compartments with over 4 dozen in each section of this type of Iris, never before offered in the shop, and one that I have taken many fine trout over the past few years on area rivers when this caddis comes off over a month period.
I’m working on the PMD and Hydropsyche soft hackle emergers I wrote about a couple weeks ago too. I hope to have several dozen done with the park, Montana and Idaho fishing seasons open. The Alec Jackson hooks, bobwhite quail soft hackle, UTC wire rib and Veniard tying silk ties a very striking fly.
And, I enjoy unpacking the flies our tiers have been working on all winter too. Flies like Rowan’s mayfly cripples, John’s Sparkle Duns and caddis patterns like Goddard’s and X and more, and all of Nick’s flies too. Our 39 tiers have tied their hearts out and we are proud to offer more flies tied by local tiers than ever before. These patterns will be featured in our new fly bins this summer at the shop so please stop in and see them!
Thank you to all of you that have shared your favorite patterns and materials with us this winter too. We are very excited to offer many new materials this year because of your sharing.
Stay tuned for more new flies and materials in this section throughout the summer and fall. Please do not hesitate to call with any ideas, questions, etc. and THANK YOU for yor encouragement, ideas and help over the years!
May 4th, 2006
Craig Mathews
I'm nearing 500 dozen flies for the year. Having been out of town for the past few weeks I apologize for no entries in nearly a month.
This week I've come up with 2 new fly patterns. One a PMD Soft Hackle Emerger and the other a Hydropsyche Caddis Soft Hackled Emerger. Both are tied on the new Alec Jackson "clear" soft hackle hook. Both use Bobwhite Quail as the soft hackle. Both are the most beautiful soft hackles I've seen in years! I can't wait to fish them on the Firehole later this month. I've tied 4-6 dozen of each and put them in our fly bins at the shop. Next time you are in check them out and let me know what you think. They sure look great in my emerger box that is ready to go when the season opens in Yellowstone.
By the way, make sure you check out our Spring Opener Fly Fishing Report via email this year. It is free, all you need to do is get us your email and you'll receive it weekly from mid-May through October. It will be loaded with information on latest hatches, flies, where to go, how to fish, new materials, and forecasts and much more.
I had a chance to fish the flies I told you about in my last entry, the March Brown Sparkle Duns, Improved Zelon Midges, and beaded Lightening Bugs. They all worked great on my trip out of town.
Stay tuned for more later this weekend!
April 11th, 2006
Craig Mathews
I’ve cranked out nearly 400 dozen flies since Jan 1. Our spring weather has been typical. Lots of rain-snow-hail and the Baetis mayflies are beginning to emerge. I plan on being gone for a couple weeks taking advantage of Baetis, March Browns and midge hatches on rivers like the Yellowstone, Madison, Henry’s Fork, Missouri and Gallatin.
We stayed in Montana all winter wanting to ski and tie and work on some new patterns and tying materials. I am revising my “Western Fly-Fishing Strategies” that has been out of print for over a year now. It is scheduled to be out in paper back in Feb 07.
We’ve come up with a dozen or so new patterns and will be testing them over the next few months. We have also located some exciting new tying materials that we will introduce to tiers later this spring and summer.
During the next 2 weeks I’ll be taking March Brown Sparkle Duns, Improved Zelon Midges and Bead Head Soft Hackle Lightening Bugs that I’ve tied and give them a workout.
This spring too, we are installing new fly bins that will hold only our specialty flies, ones tied by us. Most of my 400-500 dozen flies I’ve tied this winter will be in the bins. Of course a fair number are in my boxes, to use over the next 2 weeks and into the summer. I will bring you a report soon on how they are working out!
March 12th, 2006
Craig Mathews
241 dozen
Tonight I’m asked by my fishing companion, and wife, Jackie to tie some of our new Soft Hackle Bead head Lightening Bugs. She caught some trout on this fly today and needed more. It has rapidly become one of her, and most guides, favorite fly.
After I tied Jackie a few I worked on new soft hackle patterns for myself using Alex Jackson’s new crystal hooks and bobwhite quail for the hackle. The flies tied to imitate pale morning dun emergers and Brachycentrus and Hydropsyche caddis emergers are beautiful, if I don’t say so myself! The hackle looks much like golden plover we used to use, but now is impossible to obtain. And, the hooks are exquisite, almost translucent, with fine-sharp points and short barbs. I can’t wait to try them out.
Tomorrow we leave for shows in Michigan. We are trying to raise awareness of The Yellowstone Park Foundation’s Fisheries Initiative. If you love Yellowstone’s fishery check out our web site, and theirs’ at www.ypf.org for more information on preserving the wonderful fishery in Yellowstone. Until about March 20th when we get back to Yellowstone, have great fishing and fly-tying and if you have any questions on flies, tackle, materials, or gear give us a call or email, we’d love to hear from you!.
March 1, 2006
Craig Mathews
Amber Iris Caddis
192 dozen
I’ve been tying Amber Iris Caddis for a couple weeks now. This fly is probably the most important, and effective caddis emerger pattern there is. My order for the shop is for nearly 100 dozen and every evening tying at home I try to tie at least 2 dozen.
I like them heavily dressed with a full dubbed body of Amber Iris Zelon Dubbing for fishing the rough and tumble water of the Madison, Henry’s Fork, and Yellowstone Rivers in the late evening and after dark. The fly when tied properly for evening fishing floats like a cork and is very visible when dusted with Frog’s Fanny Floatant.
. The amber fly is taken readily by trout feeding on the most important caddis fly in Montana and Yellowstone, Hydropsyche sp. This caddis comes off from June well into August on most of our rivers and streams. I first fish it when Hydropsyche emerge on the Firehole River in June. I fish it in late June on the Madison, Henry’s Fork, Gallatin and Yellowstone and finish up caddis fishing in late October when this same caddis fly comes off again on the Firehole! NEVER be without this Iris Caddis!
To tie the fly for my kind of fishing I first put a Dai Riki 125 or TMC 2488 #14-16 hook in the vise and smash the barb down. Next I put on a double shuck of Caddis Gold Crinkled Zelon using rusty dun or tan 8/0 uni-thread. Then I use Nick’s Dubbing Loop Tool to form a dub loop body of amber zelon blend. A work of advice here is to spend time and learn to use a dub loop tool, Nick’s is the best and is very easy to use. Your caddis flies will float better, last longer, and look better to the fish and you.
The next step is to put on a double strand of white crinkled zelon for the wing. Make sure the wing loops the body on top, and envelops the entire body with a loop of zelon.
Finally dub a rough head of Hydropsyche Tan Zelon Dubbing Blend and whip finish.
I have over 4 dozen Amber Iris Flies at all times in my own fly boxes. If you are serious about caddis fly fishing never be without this easy to tie, durable, and most effective caddis pattern.
February 7, 2006
Craig Mathews
139 dozen
I've been tying Epeorus Improved Sparkle Duns in size 16. These little killers are tied on a TMC 2488 hook, with an epeorus crinkled zelon shuck, which is also carried forward for the wing backing. The feather we're using for the overshuck is now from a bobwhite quail, and the dubbing is our blend of epeorus zelon dubbing. One trick that I've learned while tying these flies has been to use the same piece of crinkled zelon for both the trailing shuck and the wing backing. After securing the deer hair wing. I'll bring my thread back to the bend of the hook where the zelon shuck is secured over the barb. I'll then wrap forward laying the zelon over the hook shank all the way to the base fo the wing. I'll clip the zelon tag to be even in length with the wing.
While fishing the Madison the other day, I seined the river expecting to see numerous midge larvae, but was surprised to see tons of immature epeorus nymphs. It looks like we'll see another good epeorus popualtion in the river this summer.
February 1, 2006
Craig Mathews
126 dozen
February 1st is a special day for me. You see, on this date I allow myself to begin tying a few flies each day for my own fly boxes. Up until now almost every fly I’ve tied is for the shop; now I can begin to fill my own boxes!
Steve and Cam are thinking about Belize, Jackie has Mexico on her mind and Buckie only eats and sleeps the powder snow of Big Sky. Me, I’m tying flies for winter and early spring fishing in Montana and Idaho.
Tonight I cranked out a few midges. A Zelon Midge is my favorite adult-crippled midge pattern. I tie it in size 20 on a TMC 2488 hook. Most importantly though, for this time of year, I use a pheasant tail micro-zelon shuck, tiger beetle zelon dubbing, and a dark dun zelon wing. This is a dead ringer for midges on all Montana and Idaho midges emerging from Feb-April.
Another fly I tied some of tonight are Early Baetis. I like a size 20, TMC 100 spbl hook. I use a dark dun krinkled zelon shuck. I tie the fly using 8/0 olive-dun thread and rib the shuck up to the base of the wing. The zelon ribbed with thread creates the abdomen. I carry the zelon up the back of the main deer hair wing, as a backing wing to the main deer hair wing ala Sparkle Dun. The zelon backing wing helps the fly float better, and is much more visible on the water especially during blanket emergences of Baetis. Then I dub around the base of the wing and to the head of the fly with olive-gray supper fine dubbing and whip finish
I never have enough of either pattern in my boxes for early season fishing. I’m not going saltwater fishing this year; I can’t wait to fish midges and Baetis here!
January 30, 2006
Craig Mathews
120 dozen
In December I got my 2006 fly order. The order is for partial delivery in January with the remainder due in mid-May. Last year I tied over 800 dozen flies, down from the 1000 dozen I’d averaged over the past few years.
Today is January 31, 2006. I have tied 120 dozen flies for this month; flies like Epeorous and March Brown Sparkle Duns, Iris Caddis and Zelon Midges along with some experimental flies I’ve been working on for midge emergences. I'm working with our new blend of MARCH BROWN ZELON DUBBING which we've mixed rabbit, muskrat, beaver and zelon to have a softer, finer texture for dry flies, while still having a buggy appearance to match the messy look of a freshly emerged dun. I'm also adding a wing backing of zelon, which is the same shank used for the trailing shuck.
In between dozens of flies this month I’ve been working on our customer appreciation event to be held July 7th at $3.00 Bridge. This event is being held to show support and appreciation for all the hard work in making this land-river project and huge success. The Trust for Public Lands and Blue Ribbon Flies are hosting the event, one that you are all invited to attend. There will be burgers and soda and beer. There will be a few short speeches and announcements, and there will be lots of celebration for keeping this 2 ½ mile stretch of the Madison River forever protected for wild trout and anglers to enjoy.
Thanks to all of you for your support. We are proud to have you as friends and customers. Because you have supported Blue Ribbon Flies with your business, we have been able to give more than 1% of our GROSS sales to projects like this. A percent of every dime and dollar you spend with us goes to work for conserving, protecting, and preserving wild trout and wild lands for the future.
Please remember us when making your fly fishing and fly tying purchases. We are committed to the preserving the rivers and streams along with Yellowstone Park for all future generations with your continued support and our donations.
Now, I’ve got to get back to my fly tying! Thank You for your time, and support.
