The Start Of Fly Tying Season Has Arrived

While I tie flies year-round, my fly tying kicks up a notch during winter. As the days get shorter and the nights grow longer, I will spend fewer hours fishing, which leaves more time for fly tying. Nothing beats settling in at the tying desk for an evening of fly tying with your back warmed by a crackling fire. I often tie in the evenings after the family settles down for the night, my only company being a snoring labrador retriever curled up at my feet under the desk.

Fly tying is also a great way to pass the time on those winter days when cold, stormy weather keeps you housebound. Cabin fever can be a real problem for someone accustomed to spending most of their time outdoors. However, fly tying keeps me engaged with my favorite hobby when I can’t actually get outdoors to do it.

The official kickoff of my fly tying season usually occurs in November, generally coinciding with the annual International Fly Tying Symposium that takes place every year in New Jersey. This show is a fantastic event for the fly tier. The symposium features fly tiers from around the world, sharing the secrets of their craft.

When I first started tying flies at this event, I was tying trout flies like everyone else. Then, a few years back, I decided to share my love of warm water fly fishing, particularly fly fishing for panfish, by tying up some of my favorite panfish patterns. I did not know what to expect that first year. Would I be ridiculed for tying panfish flies among the fly tying legends that attend this event? Instead, I was pleasantly surprised that quite the opposite occurred. Every time I looked up from the vise, I saw nothing but smiling faces giving approving nods and enjoyed hours of conversation with folks that shared my love of fly fishing for panfish and bass. As it turns out, many folks enjoy (some secretly) the pleasures of fly fishing for panfish.

That time of year is rolling around again, and I look forward to the start of the show season. The International Fly Tying Symposium is the first of many fly fishing shows for me. In addition to the Fly Tying Symposium, I will be tying flies at three of the Fly Fishing Shows (Marlborough, MA - Edison, NJ - Lancaster, PA), the Maryland Fly Fishing Show, and other local events.

This year, the International Fly Tying Symposium has returned to the Double Tree Hotel in Somerset, NJ. Although the show has taken place at several locations over the 31 years it has existed, the Double Tree Hotel ranks as the favorite location with tiers and attendees alike. The show will take place Saturday and Sunday, November 12 & 13, 2022.

If you are a regular attendee of this event, stop by my table and say hello. I’ll have a little something special to give out to folks who mention this post and are fans of the website and our Facebook Group. If you have never attended this event and live in the tri-state area, I encourage you to check it out. If you are not a fly tier but enjoy fly fishing, the show still has a lot to offer, but you will not want to miss The Fly Fishing Show when it comes to town in January!

For more information on both shows, click the buttons below.

I will be redesigning the flies for sale section of the website over the next few weeks. I will be opening up fly orders again shortly and will be offering several new patterns in addition to the old favorites. Stay tuned!

Fly Tying Friday - The Hale Bopp Leech as tied by Bill Ninke

Let me take a moment to introduce the fly tier who submitted this week’s pattern. Bill Ninke is a member of my local Trout Unlimited chapter and someone I have been associated with for many years. As a fly tier, Bill has forgotten more than I will ever learn on the topic. He taught fly tying in my TU Chapter when I joined the organization back in the early eighties. I never attended one of his beginner students in those early days, but I should have, as it would have indeed flattened out my learning curve. Instead, I took the hard way of figuring things out on my own. Since those early days, I have had many had opportunities to attend his advanced classes and always walked away learning something new. Today I have the pleasure of teaching alongside him, and he still manages to teach me something every time we sit down at the vice together! What follows is in Bill’s own words. Although he initially tied the fly for trout, we all know leeches are an important food source in our warm water rivers, lakes, and ponds. I am confident this one will be a killer for bass and panfish!

The Black Bead Head Hale Bopp Leech as tied by Bill Ninke

When questioned in classes and at tying demos as to what my two highest producing patterns are, the Parachute Adams and the Carlson’s Copper Cripple are at the top of the list..  But I’ve never had anyone ask on which pattern I have caught most of my big trout.  Well, if anyone ever does ask, my answer will be this month’s pattern, the Black BH Hale Bopp Leech.  It’s a still water fly and, as experienced fly fishers know, still waters hold the biggest fish.  There is little current to fight in such water to sap energy.  Trout just cruise slowly around, eat all the goodies present, and grow fat. And those goodies are mostly Mayfly, Dragon Fly and Damselfly nymphs, small fish and leeches.

This pattern was created by Derek Fergus, a California tier and guide, around 1996-7 when the Hale Bopp comet was visible from earth.  If you look at the above photo you notice that with the bright bead head and long wispy tail the pattern resembles a comet. The construction is quite simple – a bead head, marabou tail, and mohair (African goat) body.  Mohair, a seal substitute, is quite translucent. A thread finishing band behind the bead gives a little hot spot. You might say it’s just a mohair leech.  But there are some subtle but important differences. First, the bead is one size smaller than traditionally used for the hook size. This gives the fly a gliding action like a real leech, not the heavy up and down jigging action of a Clouser minnow. The tail is extra-long and thin for lots of sinewy motion.  And the body is very aggressively picked out so that the fly is almost translucent with the body fibers able to move freely as the fly is slowly stripped.

I was introduced to this fly around 2000 by Gary Fritz, one of the premier guides on the Missouri River.  Gary died a few years ago but the important properties of the fly that he taught me will remain forever in my memory.  The pattern is tied commercially by Solitude Flies.  If you look at their version you’ll see a black bead.  But Gary had them specially tied for him with a silver bead since he thought it fished slightly better. It’s Gary’s version I present here.  Gary liked fishing the fly on a floating line with slow stripping and an occasionally pause.  Certainly has worked for me.

When I first tied the pattern for myself I used mohair dubbing for the body. If you’ve ever tried dubbing mohair you’ve probably done a lot of swearing.  It’s very slippery and hard to control.  In recent years I’ve gone to using Mohair Yarn from J Fair.  Other mohair yarns will probably work but I haven’t tried them.  The yarn is simply tied in and wrapped under high tension with the yarn fibers pulled back with each wrap.  No bad words come from my mouth when using the yarn. Then the body is picked out.  The key is to use a strongly hook, like that on the tip of a Materelli style whip finisher, to pull fibers out and create a halo like body.   I typically spend more time picking out the body than I spend tying the fly.

Although I mostly tie and fish a black version, I also occasionally use an olive one. A copper bead is used on this version.  I’ve included an olive one in the photo. I also tie versions without a bead on size 10 hooks in both colors.

Water temperatures are starting to decrease.  Trout will be packing in calories to maintain themselves for the Winter.  So from now through October is prime time to use this pattern.  You’re sure to get lots of “pops” in still water on your Bopps.

Material List:
Hook: Daiichi 1260, TMC 200R or similar curved shank  hook in size (a TMC 2312 used in fly in the photo)

Bead:  1/8 inch Silver Tungsten

Thread: Red Danville 6/0

Tail: Long strands from a premium black Marabou plume

Body: J. Fair Black Mohair Yarn

Tying Instructions:

 1.    Mount bead on de-barbed hook and place hook in vise.

2.    Attach thread to hook slightly behind the bead, wrap back to the bend and then back to starting point. Trim thread tag.

2.    Tear off about 20 strands from marabou plume.

3.    Tie in with tips of strands pointing rearward so tips extend two shank lengths behind fly.  Overwrap with thread back to the bend.  Trim forward marabou.

4.    Tie in mohair yarn tag end rearward.

5.    Wrap yarn forward behind thread under high tension to bead.  Tie yarn off securely and trim yarn tag.

6.    Form a small thread band behind bead, whip finish, trim thread

7.    Apply head cement to thread band.