BilletHead

This fly has caught a lot of fish for me so far this Spring. When I used to throw plastic my favorite worms were black 4" zoom and purple jelly worms. So when tying this is what I had in mind. On this step by step I have done some tweaking on the original pattern for more durability. Materials, Dai-Riki 270 size 4 or 6 Tungsten 5/32" or 4mm bead Pine squirrel strip color of choice flash color of choice Wire (my tweak for durability) 6/0 thread color of choice Step one add bead, mount hook and tie down wire front to back and give a good layer of thread for the base. Two measure strip of squirrel approx. double the hook length. Tie in behind bead with thread, pull back to back and give a wrap of wire and then work forward on top like a Mohawk. (Barr does not use wire just wrapping at the back with thread) I'm telling you I have caught so many fish they were tearing up the thread thus destroying the fly so the wire will alleviate this problem giving more durability. Three add a couple of strands of flash on each side. Four add a small clump of marabou the length of the hook on top letting it wrap a bit down on each side. Repeat the same step covering the bottom too. Finish off the front behind the bead by dubbing some of the squirrel fur to cover thread wraps and give a couple of whip finishes. The size #6 is about three inches long and the #4 three and a half. Work the fly back by stripping, jigging or crawling. The fish will pick it up and swim with it like a plastic worm. I usually do a strip set at the first pick up. The big bluegill love the shorter #6 size in black inhaling the complete fly. Pain in the rear to get the hemostats in there to unhook them. I bet the even smaller sizes like 8 or 10 would catch them too, A couple photos of finished fly's, BilletHead

Well the BilletHeads have been tearing them up at the ponds. I will start with my trip from a couple of days ago. Finally the wind had slowed down. Decided to take the kayak. Got rigged up and decided to use the "coffee grinder". I'm telling you they smashed it. I would try either spots where I was seeing bass smashing minnows in the shallows or in deeper water where there was some cover. Did not matter. I quit counting fish on the grinder after twenty. The average weight was right at two pounds. When the top water bite slowed I tied on a Barr's Bouface, starting with black and then purple. Thanks again Gavin for getting me on the right track with the Coffee Grinder! We have been smashing the big bluegills too. On another trip the Mrs. and I strung up bunch for eating. They measured eight to nine inches each. Good eating right there. Ok a few photos, A couple photos of the Bouface. I will do a step by step on this fly (hairy worm) Finally my better half on a wade the bank bluegill smack down, BilletHead

They remind me of the Burke buckshot worms ? BilletHead

First of all Mitch I am truly sorry for what you and your pet are going through. Second you really have patience dealing with this trouble. I am not quick in temper but if this would of happened in the country where I live things might of got done different. Some people shouldn't have pets period, no way. We have seen many dogs dumped in the country. One for instance was dumped in front of a abandoned farm across from our home. I was left with a bag of always save dog food and a cup of water. Its collar was dug into the dogs neck and it had cut into the skin and was infected. Its eyes were bulging and it could hardly move. It did not deserve to be treated this way. Wish to this day I knew who dumped it. Neighbors that let there dogs run in a pack, they get a pack mentally too. Running deer for days and nights. We found a goat once already dead and dumped. Collar on it too, looked malnourished to me. Again hope you get this resolved and your pet heals, BilletHead

You are the man. That is why I like this place. Good people. You will be making someone very happy, BilletHead

Good one Ness!

Thank you Clay, Looking forward to getting them when ready, BilletHead

Yep!

The BilletHeads like "C" also

Mrs. BilletHead and I were wanting to know when the fish fry was? Now we know!

Ness we have some lettuce, tomatoes and peppers under lights started. They were looking real good until I had them in the sun on a couple of warmer days. The tips burned some. Hope they come out of it. 24 degrees here right now this morning and it as yesterday too. Need to turn the beds and tubs but hard to excited with temps right now. BilletHead

You got it Mitch from the BilletHeads. Worth repeating, Great photo and memory for you, BilletHead

Tied up a couple of damsel in distress a few days back. Took the Mrs. to a pond where we fished them. Big wind blowing from the south but the fish were stacked on the north side where the waves were hitting the bank, warmer water on that side plus I am sure the waves were stirring up food too. We caught a bunch. There was never a time when one of both of us were hooked up. Bluegill and bass. We really beat up the flys so I tied up more today. I also did some tweaking and instead of rabbit for tails and sides I used pine squirrel strips. Clear cure goo the backs too. Size #8 A couple of yesterdays fish also. Still pretty cold water so we retrieved slowly. Strip, strip, pauuuuuuuuse for a long time and they wanted to hit it sitting still, Bass ran from eight to fourteen inches and gills were all big, BilletHead

Way to go Duane! Tell me how you are going to fix the shad and how it tastes. BilletHead

Good going crappiedoty

JD there is a couple of threads from last year where I kind of talked on how to do it. Had a lot of feedback from the folks on here. and I kind of use brush, spray and stippling. Finish off with coat of 30 min epoxy on a drying wheel. Wayne I'm using an 8 wt. Weird too when casting those prop blades sound like your getting buzzed by a plane. They weigh very little like I said so it's more wind resistance. BilletHead

Well sort of, When doing poppers late last Summer I had remembered where Gavin had posted one time a small prop fly. So I tried and made one then. Worked but not too happy with it. They not too far back he sent me one of the Greg Coffey's coffee grinders. So not that I have one in my hands I got to make one. So out came the balsa and the knife, soon wood shavings were coming off and then sanding, painting and epoxy. I like. Really light too. I thought to myself I have thrown streamers, articulated ones that weighed more than these. For sure some big lead eyed clousers that I have used for hybrids weigh a bunch more than these. I gave them test throws on the river after I have give up on walleye just to see how well they worked on the eight weight and how they worked in the water. Yowza another me like! I also made a walk the dog balsa too and gave it a go. Another worker. So here they are. My version of the Coffee Grinders are an inch and a half long. the walk the dog is two and three quarters long. Tied up a Duane Hada's creek crawler too last week. BilletHead

Went again to my favorite spot this morning and pounded the hole. Water colder than last time with some ice lining the bank. Clearer too, in the one of the deeper spots I dipped the fly rod down to the bottom and I could see my green fly line in 6' of water. About as clear as this place gets. Did not have a hit on the clouser I used before so I changed to a smaller Asp streamer. http://theonefly.com/?p=878 I had a #6 sized one pretty small. Tip to tail less than 2". It will sink slow and I let it. A small 4" strip and let it rest 10 0r 15 seconds and repeat all the way back to the kayak. Slow and tedious which drives me crazy. I don't know how Buster and his likes do it like they do with jerk baits. I have trouble doing that. Finally a hit and had that fish on for a short time and six good head shakes before it came unbuttoned. A short time later got one to the kayak and on the stringer. After that the sun got up pretty high and as I looked in the water I could see the bottom. The fish today weighed 3 lbs. 12 oz. I wanted to add five pounds to it for Fishinwrench I was loaded and on my way home by 11:30. I think I was on the water about three hours. Photos to share. The catch and the fly, BilletHead

Good obituary Al. You are a lucky man to have him that long. My dad did not get that old and my how I miss him. Thank you for posting and getting my memory fired up, BilletHead

So I should add two pounds and four inches so fishinwrench can get the truth from me? BilletHead

When I actually land fish if able I weigh and measure. If I see and loose the fish I am the fisherman that guesses to the max, there be I am a fisherman, BilletHead

Outstanding Mr. Duane !

Well the Mrs. and I have not taken anything but fly gear and our kayaks to ponds for at least the last five years. We use our five to eight weights. Average two trips a week all summer. Streamers and poppers mostly we throw. BilletHead

I think I read up top asking price of 925.00

Personally I would stay in the bottom third of the water column leaning towards the deep part of that. Like most fish in general if they are in a positive mood and feeding they work up. The other day they were right on the bottom and at times I could feel my clouser dragging the bottom. I did not have a thermometer but just guessing I bet the water temp was in the mid thirties or a bit more. Pretty darned cold. I feel like I might of been hitting them in the head or close to get them to take. Two of the caught ones were just dead weight on the line when they bit. The other keeper and one I lost I seen the fly line just pop slightly. For one thing I am no walleye guru but I get a kick out of learning there ways. I am an idiot on a large body of water as far as catching but love to find them early before and during their spawning run. One time in this same spot we were fishing early throwing shad raps. Starting at the time when you can legally keep them but still dark shadows on the water. As soon as the shad raps hit the water sometimes before a turn on the handle they would swirl on top and smash them. Repeated that pattern three times before it quit. I so much wish I was fly rodding them. BilletHead