Mission Statement

Winslow High School's Mission Statement states that its students will demonstrate skills in communication, research, technology, and creative wiriting.  I had to communicate with my readers by teaching them how to tie certain flies.  I used technology by taking photos, uploading them to my computer, and posting them to this blog.  I researched how to tie some of the flies that I tied and different facts about those flies.  I used creative wiriting in my blog entries.  I also met the social expectation of helping others by teaching my readers to tie flies.

Yellow Stimulator

The Yellow Stimulator above was one of the flies I tied for this project.  It is designed to visually appeal to fish.  This Yellow Stimulator is a variation of a stone dry fly.  This fly is predominantly used out west.  All stone flies live only in moving water, so this fly is meant to be used in rivers.  When using this fly, it's important to use the proper variation to match the hatch.  When these flies are in abundance, trout key in on them and refuse everything else because of the large size of this fly.    

Choose a Pattern and Replicate

I chose to replicate the pattern of a Woolly Bugger for this entry.  The fly shown above was the first one I tied, and I didn't use the proper part of the hackle feather.

This fly was featured in the Woolly Bugger "teach to tie" section.   I chose the right maribou feather for the tail and it was of the right length.  I also used the proper hackle,  the wraps were evenly spaced, and my ribbing looks good.  I think this fly is an almost perfect replication of a Woolly Bugger.   

Modify Existing Patterns

Instead of tying a traditional black Woolly Bugger, I modified this pattern by using a white body.  I was experimenting with this one to see if it would catch more fish than a black Woolly Bugger.  I am planning on tying more Woolly Buggers using a variety of colors and color combinations to see which colors and combinations work the best in my area.

This is a variation of a Mickey Finn that my brother tied and showed me.  This streamer is tied on a bigger hook and has a white underbelly.  A traditional Mickey Finn doesn't have an underbelly at all.  This fly also uses green buck tail, instead of yellow.  The buck tail fibers on the back are longer and the head is bigger than a traditional Mickey Finn.  This is to mimic a bigger bait fish.  My brother mostly uses this fly for trolling.      

Analyze a Design for Adaptation (The Bead Head Woolly Bugger)

The Woolly Bugger has many different variations.  You can get marabou and chenille in almost any color you want.  There are quite a few ribbing colors to choose from as well.  The Bead Head Woolly Bugger is one of the variations.  The Bead Head Woolly Bugger works well in rivers because the extra weight of the bead head causes it to go deeper unerwater.  A regular Woolly Bugger doesn't have the extra weight, so it doesn't dive down as deep.  In lakes, you can make a beed head Woolly Bugger imitate a feeding bait fish.

This is a Bead Head Woolly Bugger that I tied.

Replicate Three (Griffith's Gnats)

A Griffith's Gnat was one of the flies I was required to tie for this project.  I tied three of them for the "Replicate Three" challenge, and I had never tied Griffith's Gnats before.  This also serves as my "Criticizing My Own Pattern" entry.  On my first try, the hackle was not uniform and it looked sloopy.  I also didn't use the proper feather off the saddle for the hackle and I was not leaving the same distance between the gaps each time I wrapped.  The second one came out better because the wraps were more unform.  On the third try, I used the correct part of the feather and my wraps were uniform.  I was very careful to make sure the gaps between each wrap were  the same distance apart.  It takes a lot of practice to tie a fly that looks good and works well. 

Technology

I used techological skills on this blog, which is one of the academic expectations listed is my school's Mission Statement, by taking photos with my digital camera, uploading them to my computer, and posting them to this blog.  All photos were taken by me
and my brother, Jason, and we give our permission for them to be used for any purpose.

Teaching to Tie

The Teaching to Tie entries on this blog show communication skills, which is one of the academic expectations in my school's Mission Statement.  I have to be able to communicate how to tie these flies so that my readers will learn and understand how to tie them.  Instead of me taching someone to tie in person, my brother, Jason, taught me how to tie most of the flies on this blog.  I, in turn, taught my readers how to tie flies.  Jason also taught me different ways to tie flies and helped me improve on a few flies that I had tied on my own.

Flies Mimic Nature

Almost all of the flies on this blog mimic an actual fly in nature in appearance and movement at various stages in their lives.  For example, a nymph represents a real fly in its early stages of life. 

This Hare's Ear was one of the flies I had to tie for this blog. 

The Hare's Ear is the most popular pattern in the fly fishing world.  It can be fished anywhere, anytime and you will have a reasonable chance of hooking a trout.  The success of the Hare's Ear is due to its good general imitation of mayfly nymphs.  The colors can be tailored to match the natural mayfly nymphs where you fish.

With respect to technique, the Hare's Ear is identical to the Filoplume Mayfly, except it is tied with a dubbed body and different materials.  When you use different patterns, you will get different mayfly imitations and techniques.

The Woolly Bugger

Materials Used:

Hook - Tiemco 300, size 2-10, weighted

Thread - Match the body color.

Tail - black to marabou or color of the body

Legs - Saddle hackle palmered black or color of the body

Body - Black, olive, or brown chenille fur mixes are also good. 

Start by wrapping your black thread from the eye of the hook back about 1/8 of an inch.  Now you are going to take 1 or 2 full marabou feathers and start wrapping them back to the rear of the hook.  Leave about the length of the hook shank of marabou sticking out the rear for a tail.

Now tie in a piece of wire for the ribbing - your choice in color.  The wire should be about 3 inches long.  The most common color wire used is silver, but I am using red on this fly.  Then, tie in a 6 inch piece of strung chenille for the body.  Wrap your black thread forward in tight close wraps.  This will give you an even under body all the way down the hook. 

Wrap your chenille forward and tie it off at the front of the hook, leaving enough room for the head.  Now tie in a piece of black saddle hackle.  Wrap your hackle back toward the tail, spacing it evenly along the way.  Use your wire ribbing to secure the hackle at the tail.

 Wrap your wire rib forward and tie it off at the head.  Tie your head and whip finish it.

Add some head cement and let it dry.

       
The Woolly Bugger is one of my favorite flies.  What I like about this fly is that you can catch just about any fresh water fish with it.  This fly is also used all over the world.  People in Alaska use it to catch charr and rainbow trout.  In Argentina, fisherman use this fly to catch rainbow and brown trout.  Here in Maine, my brother has caught brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, salmon and bass on this fly. 

The Pheasant Tail Nymph

Materials Used:

Hook - standard nymph, sizes 14,16,18,20,22

Thread - brown 6/0 or 8/0

Tails - Pheasant tail fibers

Abdomen - butts of tail fibers

Rib - copper wire

Back - Pheasant tail fibers

Legs - tips of shellback fibers

Thorax - Peacock herl                   

These are steps 1, 2 and 3 in tying the Pheasant Tail nymph.  You are going to use brown thread on this fly.  Starting from the eye of the hook, wrap the brown thread to the rear of the shank.  Then, tie 4 pheasant tail fibers on the fly for the tail.  Make sure the tail is as long as the shank of the hook.  Now, tie on a piece of copper wire about 3 inches long.  Then, you are going to tie on 4 pieces of peacock hurl that will be wrapped forward in the next step.

You are now going to wrap the peacock hurl forward creating the body.  Once that is done, you will tie in 6 pheasant tail fibers about mid-way on the body of the fly.  These pheasant tail fibers are going to create the shell casing and wings in the next step.  After the pheasant tail is tied in, finish wrapping the body with peacock hurl.  Once this is complete, wrap the copper wire forward, leaving gaps between wraps just as you did with the Mickey Finn. 

Me reading the tying instructions for this fly

Can't tie flies without a moxie.

I am finishing the fly in this picture.

The last two steps of this fly are pretty hard.  You are going to take the pheasant tail fibers that were sticking out the back and fold them forward and tie them off at the head.  This will create the shell on the back.  The, take the fibers that are left and fold them back making sure they are divided evenly on each side, which makes the wings.  All you need to do now is tie and whip finish the head.  Add some head cement and you are finished.  Tie yourself up about a dozen of these.  You are going to want them because the brookies and browns love this nymph.

The Mickey Finn Streamer

Materials Used:

Hook - 6X long, sizes 6,8,10,12

Thread - black 3/0 or 6/0

Rib - fine oval silver tinsel 

Body - flat silver tinsel 

Underwing - yellow bucktail 

Midwing - red bucktail

Overwing - yellow bucktail

This is me getting ready to tie a Mickey Finn.

The first step is to tie black thread to the shank of the hook.

Tie in a 3-6 inch piece of flat silver tinsel, then tie in a 3-6 inch piece of silver oval tinsel.

Then, wrap your black thread back to the eye of the hook.

Now wrap your flat tinsel to the eye of the hook, tying in the flat tinsel with your black thread.  Then, wrap your oval tinsel around the flat tinsel, leaving gaps in between each wrap.

On the third step, you are going to tie in yellow and red buck tail pieces.  You want

the tips of the buck tail to just pass the shank of the hook.  Yellow goes on the 

bottom.  Make sure you stack hair fibers in a hair stacker before tying them in. 

Another picture of me tying

On this step, you are going to tie in some more yellow buck tail fibers.  After they are

tied in, tie the head and whip finish it.

Add a drop of head cement and this fly is ready to be tied on the end of a line.

My brother has caught Salmon, Trout and Bass with this fly.  This is one of the easiest streamers to tie.