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.