flyfisheranonymous

Don't give up keep on them and you will get one.

I think I got this figured out now. 'Bout time! I assume you use a dubbing loop to do your fly ( Haven't seen a picture of it yet ) and if you do don't you find the coarser material a bit tougher to handle. ( ie. twisting the loop tight ) Which brings me to another question: What thread size do you use? For the fly I tie I use 3/0 monocord, your thoughts would be appreciated.

An 8 weight should do fine if you have enough backing. I would suggest at least 100 yards if not more. As for flies the best thing you can do is some investigating around the body of water you are fishing. Up here we use small baitfish patterns, leeches, crawfish, and mayfly nymphs. All will catch Carp. At certain times of the year they will eat grass, cottonwood fluff and elm seeds. Just have to present the right fly. This could be you.

Got out with my son this a.m. and we had a blast. We fished a small tributary of the Red and hooked into some nice Cats for this size of water. The width of the river this time of year is only 50 ft. so you have to find the holes. My son, Kevin, landed 4 Cats while I only managed one. Caught Crappie, Sauger and Carp as well. All fish were caught on a 6 wt. (Primarily used for the Crappie) Won't tell you what else my son caught but he caught an awful lot of fish. Makes me not want to take him out anymore.

The big difference between this fly and others that are similar is the dubbing material. I have been blending my own dubbing since 1976. Since that time I have not used solid dubbing colors at all. I use colors to make colors, ie. my brown has no brown in it at all but a mixture of colors to make brown. When I first started to tie this fly I used rabbit hair and Angora goat hair. Through time I have found that the rabbit blends easier, nicer and moves in the water better. Also to let you guys know I did not copy this pattern from anyone ( it came from my own demented mind). I have been tying it since 1995 and have sent it all over the world including Germany, Austrailia, New Zealand, Belgium, accross the States and Canada. Not to sound cocky or arrogant but when did these other guys come up with the patterns for a sparkle minnow and fuzzle bug, after they saw my pattern.

I thought you guys might find this interesting. First appeared in American Angler in 2007. Spring Time Walleye By Stu Thompson The Waterside guys were at it again. After helping plan and take part in the FLIPR (Fishing Improvement in the Parkland Region) Trout Festival, we decided to do some fishing other than trout. The three of us, Will Milne, Kim Russell, and me, made a decision to pursue a species better known to conventional fishermen. Will and Kim fished this spot a day or two before and landed some really nice fish. In fact Will caught the largest fish that day at 27 ½ inches. After telling me about the fishing they experienced I couldn’t wait to get there. We pulled up to the spot at about 12:30 in the afternoon and raced into our waders. You have never seen such a hilarious sight, three guys hopping up and down on one foot trying to get their waders on, fishing equipment flying in all directions. Did I mention it only took us 30 seconds to get to the waters edge? As always when I got down to the riverside not only myself but the other 2/3 of the Waterside guys stopped to study the water. Will and Kim decided to fish a backwater hole while I decided to fish the wall edge of the spillway. My second cast with a DDH Rubber Leg Leech produced the first fish. Will and Kim soon joined in the fun with fish of their own. Unfortunately they both had to leave after a couple of hours but I had the opportunity to stay. In 5 hours of fishing I managed to land a 41 inch Pike, a jumbo bull Perch at 14 ½ inches, and a whole hockey sock full of Walleye, the largest being 28 ½ inches. (For those who don’t speak Canadian hockey sock full means a whole bunch). It was an absolute wonderful day. Now I know what you are thinking “What is a fly fisherman doing going after Walleye”? They certainly are not great fighters, no leaps or jumps and they don’t even make any long sizzling runs. In fact a lot of fly fishermen call them logs but I can honestly say that they are the most challenging, finicky, and picky eaters you will find anywhere. The best time of year to fish Walleye is the spring so let’s concentrate on this time of year. In my home province of Manitoba the season opens mid-May, so spring for us is the following six weeks, which is the end of June. Let’s take a look at different locations to find Walleye at this time of year and then some techniques to catch them. Lake Locations: Like trout Walleye will hold in different areas. The number one area on a lake is a weed bed. This lunch buffet offers Walleye their choice of diet. Whether its baitfish, aquatic insects, leeches, or whatever, this area will give the fish what it needs, but all weed beds are not created equal. This is what to look for. The depth of the wed bed has to be from 3 – 8 feet with an adjacent drop off down to 15 feet or deeper, not only does this weed bed provide food but also provides protection, through deep water access, to the fish. Find one like this and you have a Walleye magnet. Another prime location in lakes are the underwater humps or depressions. We fly fishermen have to take a page out of the conventional angler's diary to achieve the ability to see through water. A fish locator, whether it’s a Fishin' Buddy II or a high end Lowrance unit, is a must. These units should actually be called structure finders because that is what you are looking for. With this said lets look at a fishing day, of course after you find the hump or depression. If you are fishing an underwater hump in late morning, with the sun beating down on you and the water warming it, what side of the hump will hold fish. If the sun is in the east fish the west side of the hump. It will offer cooler water and shade and this fact could turn the Walleye on. The old spot within a spot. Now let’s change the hump to a depression. The opposite occurs; the east side would have to fish because that is the side that offers the shade and cooler temperatures. The third location is inlet or outlet rivers and streams. Some of my most memorable fishing has taken place in streams you could jump across. Trout fishing rules apply when you fish these areas. Low silhouettes and careful approaches are a must. Casting accurately is a cornerstone in this style of fly fishing. Hitting pocket water or casting tight to structure will ensure your success. Walleye when found in inlet or outlet streams will always look for the nearest structure. It doesn't matter if it’s a log or mid stream boulder a fish will be there. An accurate cast will be well rewarded. River Locations: I will further classify rivers into two types. The first is with man made structures such as dams or water control gates and the second as free flowing. When fishing man made structure do you ever stop to think "If I was a fish where would I be hiding?" Certainly not in the middle of the river where the current is the strongest, no, I would look for places that there is less current but where the current brings me food". If you thought like this while out fishing do you think you would catch more fish? You bet! The first areas that I like to fish are the back eddy pockets. There is a virtual smorgasbord of food items swirling around the fish’s head just waiting to be eaten. My next spot, if I can get to it, is the inside wall of the locks. Baitfish congregate along these walls, less current and food availability, and the Walleye know it. All they do is sit underneath these food items and eat away. In free flowing rivers the trout fly angler has the upper hand in locating fish. Walleye behave similar to trout in this situation so if you know your trout fishing you know how to fish Walleye. One of the best areas you can fish is the riffle/head of the pool location. Once again the food drifts down river and collects at the head of the pool; hence you are fishing for fish that have attained huge proportions. If you are lucky enough to fish a river with a waterfall try the base of the falls. Less current and more food. The last area to fish that I will tell you about is found on both types of river water. This tip is something my father passed on to me when I was about 6 years old and it still has merit today. I have caught so many fish doing this it is unbelievable, in fact my son out fishes me in these spots because he is much younger and can run faster to these spots. Are you interested? Foam patches. How many times have you walked by a foam patch on the water and never entertained a thought of tossing your fly in the centre of the patch. Let me explain to you why you should. First there is nothing on God’s given earth that can see through foam. No bird, no animal, no human being. Total security in the fish’s brain, safety from above. Two, can sunshine penetrate the foam? No, we now have protection and shade. Three, can aquatic insects when they hatch, push up through the foam? No. That’s like me piling 12 feet of dirt on you and telling you to dig out. Impossible! With the aquatic insects trapped what happens? The forage fish start coming to feed. Now we have an area that has protection from above, cooler temperatures, and a menu of food items that is unreal. I’ll bet you’ll never look at a foam patch the same way again. Techniques: These techniques I’m about to explain you may have tried already. In fact if you are a fanatical outdoor magazine reader you may have read about some of these but let me assure you these techniques work. One system I read about was back in the late 70’s. there was an English magazine that I was fond of reading and inside the magazine was an article on fishing booby flies effectively. The bulb went on and the light was so intense it was blinding. So naturally I tied up 2 black and 2 yellow booby flies and tried this technique on walleye. All I could say was “WOW!!” The walleye just annihilated all 4 flies; in fact all I had left were the bare hooks. To fish this fly effectively requires patience. If you don’t have it this technique is not for you. To start you require at least a type IV sinking line. Add to this a 3 ft piece of 6 pound tippet material then tie your fly on. Cast the line and let it sink. A type IV line will usually sink 4-6 inches per second. If the water is 10 feet deep count to 20, then add a couple of extra seconds. The line should be at the bottom and you start the retrieve. The retrieve is also important, one six inch strip for every 30 seconds. The fly should be riding approximately one to two feet off the bottom. The most important thing to be done while fishing this system is to watch your fly line. If it moves set the hook. There is only one reason the line moves and that is a fish has your fly. Another technique I have used with great success is the dropper system or what conventional anglers call a drop shot rig. There are numerous ways to rig droppers but there is only one way to rig for walleye. I run a 9 foot leader and to the end of the leader I add approximately 2 feet of tippet with a blood knot. I leave an 8 to 12 inch tag end and my leader is ready. There are two flies that I like to use. A heavily weighted deep Clouser in chartreuse and white or a pearl dace imitation on the point and on the tag I will tie my foam leech pattern. Now you may ask what type of fly line to use. All of them. I have used this system on sinking, sink-tip, and floating lines. This way you can cover fish that are sitting on the bottom or that are suspended in mid water depths. How do you fish for suspended fish? I have found that when walleye are suspended they will usually feed on minnows. When I first started fly fishing suspended walleye I used a fly that had part of a turkey quill for a body and a shaped cork head that fit into the cut portion of the quill. On the back was a marabou quill that was tied down and extended past the body quill to form a tail. I put this fly on a sink-tip line and over the first few years caught a few walleye this way. Who ever invested the Crease fly – Thank You! Using this fly has increased the percentages of hook ups. When fishing insect hatches you present the fly in the same manner as you would while trout fishing. I have caught walleye on stonefly nymphs, caddis emergers and mayflies. I would like to say that I am blessed living in the province of Manitoba and reason is this. With all our silt bottom lakes and rivers they offer ideal habitat for burrowing mayflies. To be exact the Hexigenia family. The largest hatch in the world occurs in and around the Winnipeg area. Metric tons hatch every year and Walleye key in on this food item. It starts in June and may last a month, with the peak of the hatch occurring in the last two weeks. When the hatch starts I look for a sand or mud bottom flat in 3 to 8 feet of water. A light beige Montana nymph works wonders at this time of year but Will Milne has come up with a Hex pattern that just absolutely destroys Walleye. When the nymphs emerge to adults it’s time to put on a dry fly but with a twist. The dry I use is tied on a size 6 dry fly hook with an extended body of deer body hair. Around the deer body hair on the shank I use a cream colored dubbing. Then two complete mallard breast feathers tied fan wing style, and finally the hackle. When you cast this fly the sound is akin to a helicopter flying past your ear. When it lands it spins like crazy but as soon as it touches the water the walleye will smack it. One last thing I would like to allude to. When you go out fishing take the time to read the water. Also start asking yourself some questions, such as “Where would I be if I was a fish”? If you do manage to catch a fish ask yourself “Why did I catch that fish there”? Doesn’t matter if you spook any more fish out of that spot as long as you find out why that fish was there. I hope I have piqued your interest. Side bar: Tackle required: Most times a nice mid flex 9 foot, 7 weight rod will suffice. A reel with enough capacity to hold the fly line and 50 yards of backing will do. There are times that big pike inhabit the same water and will hit your fly and if you know this then you may want to upgrade the line weight to 8 or 9 weight. Leaders are quite basic and a 9 foot tapered down to 6 pound will do. If you use a dropper system make sure you bring extra tippet spools. Flies are another matter. The following are a blend of traditional and local patterns. Attractor Patterns – Easter Egg Bugger, Mickey Finn, and a DDH Head in Pink and White Leech Patterns – DDH Leech, DDH Rubber Leg Leech, and a floating Foam Leech Bait Fish Patterns – Clouser Minnows tied in the following color combinations: Chartreuse and White, White, Red and Black and White, Yellow and Black, Crease Fly, and Black Nose Dace Aquatic Insect Patterns – Will’s Hex Nymph, F.F.A. Stonefly, F.F.A. Caddis Emerger, Beige Montana and Light Cahill fan wing dry fly. g. First appeared in American Angler in 2007.

The DDH (Diamond Dub Holographic) Leech Created by Stu Thompson Hook: Mustad R 74 #8-#4 Thread: Gudebrod 8/0 or 6/0 color to compliment body Tail: Marabou, color to match Body: Dubbing Mix consisting of either Angora goat or rabbit in a variety of colors, Icelandic Sheep under fur, and Holographic Gold Diamond Dub Eyes: Gold or silver bead chain Tying Note: The DDH Leech can be tied in various color schemes depending upon the species one is chasing for the burnt orange/brown version mix equal parts of yellow, light olive green, dark tan, and light brown angora or rabbit. Angora for larger patterns, rabbit for smaller versions. Once mixed add black Icelandic Sheep under fur to darken or "dirty" it. Add about 10% holographic gold Diamond Dub for highlights to complete the blend. The DDH Leech emerged from the vise of Manitoba fly fisher Stu Thompson. Stu is an innovative tyer who pursues a wide spectrum of fish from freshwater drum to trout. His simple but deadly DDH Leech has a far reaching appeal to fish of all species and utilizes dubbing loops, one of the most versatile techniques available to the fly tyer. A source of frustration to some, dubbing loops offer numerous benefits. Dubbing loops create durable patterns capable of withstanding a solid chewing from numerous fish. When used in conjunction with one of the numerous dubbing mixes available dubbing loops form scruffy translucent bodies, a key component to many successful patterns. A dubbing loop controls less manageable materials such as aftershaft feathers and rabbit fur. Tyers can fashion dubbing loops out of materials beside thread. Crystal Flash loops radiate an inner glow while wire loops turns brittle peacock and pheasant tail patterns into teeth defying wonders. Materials typically not considered in the same vein can easily be combined via the dubbing loop. Crystal Chenille and dubbing are two personal favorites. Utilizing Marc Petitjean’s Magic Tool tyers now use dubbing loops to further combine a myriad of materials including CDC and dubbing. The permutations and combinations are endless. Dubbing loops are simple to master providing you follow some basic guidelines. To form a dubbing loop pull down a manageable length of tying thread, no more than 5 inches. Bring the tying thread around the forefinger and return it straight back up to the hook shank. Wind the tying thread backward in close touching turns. Once the loop is formed rotate the loop to the top of the shank and wind back as though securing a tail. Winding back closes the loop at the shank and helps keep the dubbing in place. I rarely use dubbing wax feeling it muffles the translucent effect we are aiming to suggest. I do use dubbing wax though to control fussy materials such as aftershaft feathers. The key is keeping the dubbing loop short and under control. Long dubbing loops are tough to manage and difficult to wind. If a pattern appears to dictate longer loops build the body in a series of smaller loops. For smaller demure flies it is possible to split some brands of tying threads and insert the dubbing material into the split thread. With the loop formed insert a dubbing whirl or twister into the base of the loop and let it hang. Take a pinch of dubbing and open the loop just enough to slide the dubbing fibers between the thread strands. Slide the dubbing up the loop and into position at the hook. The second clump can be the catalyst for problems. Avoid the natural inclination to place the second application at the rear of the first. Instead open the loop at the base of the loop just enough to sandwich the second clump and slide it up into position behind the first. Continue this process until the loop is loaded and balanced. There should be no peaks and valleys of dubbing material. Pulling down slightly on the dubbing tool also helps keep materials in check. Spin the dubbing tool until the dubbing fibers radiate out in a perpendicular manner creating the dubbing noodle. Wind the dubbing noodle forward forming the body. Once the dubbed body is completed tie off the dubbing noodle and trim the excess. The fly tyer has a number of tools available to ease the dubbing process. Dubbing whirls are a simple tool consisting of spring arms mounted in a weight. The weighted whirl pulls down on the loop, pinching and controlling the dubbing. A quick flick of the wrist sets the whirl in motion, inertia twisting it tight. Be careful with some materials as the inertia of the whirl is capable of casting materials from the loop. Combat these dubbing tornadoes by pinching the loop below the last application of material and spinning the whirl to take up any slack. When the loop is twisted tight below the dubbing release the pinch, the twist carries up the loop in the blink of the eye binding the material in place. Dubbing hooks are ideal for combining dissimilar materials such as dubbing and Crystal Chenille. Making sure the Crystal Chenille is at least one inch longer than the dubbing loop pull the Crystal Chenille parallel to the loaded loop and up under the dubbing hook. Bring the Crystal Chenille perpendicular across the loop. Spin the hook a couple of times locking the Crystal Chenille in place. Continue twisting the dubbing hook forming the dubbing noodle. Using dubbing hooks in this manner has become a personal favorite. The dubbing hook is my preferred tool when working with materials that might be prone to flying out of the loop such as marabou and aftershaft feathers. Electrical pliers are another useful too and can be used to grasp the completed dubbing noodle. They are ideal for twisting pheasant tail or peacock herl within a wire loop. Pull the peacock herl or pheasant tail parallel to one side of the wire loop and clip the material to the base of the loop. Spin the loop a couple of times to lock the herl in place. Wind the body forward 2 or 3 times and then spin the loop again. Using this approach helps minimize herl or fiber breakage. Tying Instructions 1) Cover the hook shank with tying thread to create a firm foundation. Using figure eight wraps, bind the bead chain eyes in place two eye widths back from the hook eye. Apply cement to further lock the eyes in place. 2) Strip a clump from the side of a single marabou plume. Tie the marabou in place behind the bead chain eyes and secure backwards down the hook shank to the bend. The finished tail should be at least shank length. Return the tying thread to the mid portion of the hook. Pull down a 3 to 4 inch length of thread and double it around the forefinger. Return the tying thread directly back up the shank to form a dubbing loop. Begin winding the tying thread backwards to the tail. Rotate the loop to the top of the shank and secure back to the tail, closing the loop in the process. 3) Insert a spring loaded dubbing twister into the the dubbing loop and allow it to hang. Place a clump of dubbing into the loop at the bottom near the dubbing tool. Slide the dubbing up into postion at the hook shank. Prepare a second clump and insert it once again into the bottom of the loop and slide upward. Continue this process until the dubbing loop is full and evenly balanced. Dubbing wax is not required as the tension caused by the hanging dubbing twister will hold the dubbing in place. 4) Once the dubbing loop is loaded spin the dubbing twister tight, locking the dubbing in place. When the dubbing fibers radiate perpendicular to the loop stop the spinning process. 5) Wind the dubbing noodle forward to form the body. Figure eight the dubbing noodle in and around the eyes. Tie off the excess dubbing noodle at the hook eye. Take a dubbing teaser such as Velcro and roughen the body to suggest the flowing body of a leech while providing further translucence and shine. 6) Build a neat head, whip finish and apply head cement. To train the long strand dubbing fibers and further augment the leech profile microwave a cup of water for 30 seconds and dip the completed fly. Sweep the fibers back along the fly and allow to dry. This method works well on other long strand dubbing mixes as well. Photos taken by Phil Rowley.

I had the colors on a website that a friend was running but he switched the format for his photography. He is going to help me set up a web site so I can promote the dubbing properly. Won't be up for a couple of months though.

The dubbings are my own blend and yes I do sell them. I use colors to make colors, ie. my brown contains no brown at all but a mixture of colors to get the desired shade. I do use solid colors such as black, red, white, chartreuse, and hot orange but all other colors are blended. If you google DDH Leech you will find the connection to Phil's web site.

There are numerous flies that will work for Carp. Look at the color, shape and size of forage and then duplicate it. Most of my Carp are caught on small streamers or nymphs. Brown is by far the best producing with tan being a close second. A pic of one I caught on a brown DDH Leech.

Well creek you do what you can to catch fish. This is another buddy of mine with his first fish and first Cat on the fly. Wish I would have caught it.

This fly has been my best producing pattern, ever! It has taken 73 different species of fish so far and its reputation is still growing. Best producing colors are brown, olive, black, and a minnow imitation in tan and red with an olive bronze head. Here are the tying instructions. Hook: Talon TA-SA163c size 4 (mustad 3399 size2 or 4) Tail: Marabou Body: DarkWater Dubbing Eyes: Medium gold bead chain Step 1) Tie on bead chain eyes with figure 8 wraps Step 2) Tie in marabou tail 1-1 1/2 times longer than hook shank Step 3) Form a dubbing loop at rear of hook and place dubbing mixture crosswise into loop. Spin tight then brush out loose fibers with a small steel brush. Step 4) Wrap dubbing loop forward and figure 8 around the eyes, then tie off. Step 5) Catch fish and have fun. If you want a complete step by step go to Phil Rowley's site www.flycraftangling.com and you will see how easy it is to tie.

There are times, up here, that the Cats are slashing at the surface for minnows. As you stated this is the ultimate for any fly fisher. Big fish coming up for a fly on the surface sure gets my blood boiling. Can't wait for that time of year, usually the first or second week of June.

But what a fight they put up! Now I'm going to have to ask the details of that Crawdad pattern, materials etc.

This is awesome. I would like to narrow it down some. I know there will be a lot of opinions but please give them. Ok here goes. Best water for Wipers. I remember reading about these fish and how aggressive they are. I would love to catch one. Best LM Bass water. We only have one small lake stocked with these fish and the largest I've landed so far is 22 inches. Would like to try to get something bigger. Last I want to catch a big horkin' Brown where would I go.

Another question for you guys. If I was planning a holiday down in your neck of the woods where would you say the best fishing was for trout and the best spot for warm water species.

No problem Dano. The young guy tying the fly is a friend of mine. He sure is a believer in it for Steelhead and he even caught one of these.

Yep it is the DDH Leech. Easy fly to tie and it has caught numerous species of fish. Following is a list of fish this fly has taken. Pike 41" Walleye 28 1/2 inches Sauger 18 3/4" Carp 36" Channel Cat 40" Smallmouth Bass 22" Rainbow 30 1/4" Brown 27 3/4" Brook 24" Tiger 23 1/2" Bigmouth Buffalo 35" This fly has also taken Steelhead, Pacific Salomon, Bonefish, Snook, Peacock Bass, and a host of other fish. Is it easy to tie? Yep. Tie on the eyes, add a marabou tail and a dubbed body and you got it.

Thanks for those words drew. Looks like I have some high talking to make these guys believers. Well let's start with a face only Mama could love.

Is it that obvious eh!!!! I'll look forward to the discussions on this board.

A question for you guys, have any of you been actively fly fishing for Channel Cats and if so how have you been doing. Wouldn't mind learning a few new tricks to increase my catch rate up here. Always willing to learn.

Just wanted to say hi from the great white north. Looking forward to talking to some of you guys about the fly fishing opportunities down south. Should be interesting.