CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS for FLY TIERS:

Looking to learn about fly tying or want to spend time tying with others? Join the "Liars Club" group every Tuesday night from 6:30-9 PM at 2628 Constitution Avenue (near Swift Road). Ask Craig Smothers for more details. To reach Craig Smothers, call 941-266-5209, or send e-mail to: thefishdoc@comcast.net.

December Fly of the Month:
More on Dubbing Brushes

As I mentioned last month, I’m cracking out my home made power dubbing brush maker. I rarely ever visit YouTube voluntarily. This was one of the few times where I was actually researching something. YouTube has a bunch of videos on "dubbing brush machines." I needed a clear design. After watching a handful of videos, I blended parts of several to come up with my less than beautiful machine. I located a motor from a dead aquarium filter I had in my bone yard. The rest was from Ace Hardware and a board from Home Depot. It was simple and inexpensive to build.

Last month I attended a fly tying demonstration with Enrico Puglisi hosted by Flying Fish Outfitters. I am familiar with all of Enrico's materials. I noticed he was using a dubbing brush on a fly which was not constructed from HIS fibers, but arctic fox. I called him on it. He claimed that these brushes, which were in fact made of arctic fox hair, will become available early next year. I’ve got gobs of arctic fox. I have a dubbing brush builder. Why not!?

I really like working with arctic fox. I like the way it breaths in the water much like marabou, but is much tougher (damn ladyfish). It does not sink as well--the one drawback. In order to construct a fly from it which works well in the water it must be fairly sparse. In addition to the fox, some flash is in order. Enrico makes a fine flash in several complementary colors. Angel Hair is another form of fine flash available in many different colors. It really doesn’t take much flash integrated into the natural materials to make it shine. This is something which is difficult to emulate when tying with the materials by normal means. Another though would be mixing the arctic fox with a different natural material, maybe rams wool (sinks well).

Although I built the machine many months ago, I really haven’t attempted to use it. Sitting down this evening with it I discovered that it isn’t as easy as it looks. I’m going to postulate a few things from the experience, and make some observations of what I’ve seen others do on the videos on YouTube:

1) If you are making small dubbing brushes for tying small (FW trout) flies, build one of these machines. Fine bodies out of fine material should be very easy.
2) Using the fox hair, I found that if I let the motor twist the material too fast. It balled it up.
3) The longer the material, the more probability of a balling it up.
4) Get a pet wire poodle brush and a hard tooth brush to brush the materials out as you twist.
5) Many synthetic materials might be easier than natural hair. Less likelihood of it sticking to itself.
6) Be sure and comb out the underfur carefully--in that sense it’s like spinning deer hair.
7) Brush a bead of glue down the top wire before you stretch it across the material to add strength.
8) Use stainless steel wire for saltwater flies.
9) Comb as you twist the material. Then comb it again.
10) My next machine will have a finer gauge wire hooks on both ends. There is too much distance between the wires when I first begin twisting. I will also use a DC motor with a voltage regulator on it to control the speed more precisely.

I’m really not trying to put you off trying this. There are just so many possible variations of materials, colors, and patterns which can be tied from these brushes. My hat is off to Enrico for making a marketable, consistent dubbing brush. I just see so many more possibilities.

One thing I imagine is using the rigidity of the wire in the brush to extend the length of the fly body. Glass minnows in adulthood are fairly long yet small in diameter. Since the most popular train of thought is that the predator attacks at the eye, a long shank hook is moot. Using a standard short shank hook, the standard fly would need a very long tail on it. These types of tails often foul around the hook (if your casting is anything like mine). Comb a brush towards the back giving you the correct diameter (cigarette sized diameter). Tie the brush in at the front and back of the hook giving you the body. But let the brush extend the body beyond the hook (cigarette sized length). The wire inside won’t allow it to foul wrap. The materials will breaths along the entire length giving movement. The fly looks similar along it entire length in color, flash, and movement. Stick a couple of eyes on it and it’s done.

Since the meeting is a few days off, I plan to work on dialing the whole process in. I plan to try a number of different types of materials to build my ultimate brush. At the meeting I planto demonstrate the machine and the brushes I’ve created, in lou of my normal tying a pattern. Hopefully I will have examples of patterns which can be tie out of dubbing brushes as well. Stop by and see what’s involved in building your own machine, and creating your own personalized dubbing brushes.

November Fly of the Month:
Enrico Tarantula Legs Dubbing Brushes

This month due to my preparation for the Florida Conclave, and a crashed computer, I am unable to complete a fly of the month. I would however, like to discuss a new Enrico material which has just become available.

On several occasions this year I have used the Enrico Streamer dubbing brushes. I really like these things. They’re consistent in quality, they’re easy to work with, and despite the cost, are really a good value on a per-fly basis. Well, Enrico has done it again with a new type of dubbing brush called EP Tarantula Hairy Legs Brush.

The first two major differences between the Tarantula Brush and the regular Streamer Brush are dramatic. The Tarantula Brush has a great deal more material on it. The Streamer Brush is sparse by comparison. You will need fewer wrap of the new Tarantula Brush to create a fly. Second is the use of a new (“flash”??) material on the Tarantula Brushes. Sure, both types of brushes have the fine Mylar flash (Angel Hair) dubbed in. The Tarantula Brush has what I believe is a spandex (rubber) legging material. Years ago, there was a new legging material (spandex) which had a sheen to it, and didn’t break down like rubber legs do. These legs never really caught on and were soon replaced by the now common “silicone legs”.

Back to the Tarantula Brushes, this I believe “spandex” is cut extremely fine, and dubbed into the brush. This “spandex” adds to the flash of the brush.

Please remember that Enrico also has the Crustacean Dubbing Brush with extremely fine rubber legs dubbed into it. I personally would use that for bonefish/permit flies where too much flash might be a bad thing.

Again, back to the Tarantula Brushes. I can envision very effective night/beach snook flies (seaducer/hi tie) out of the white Tarantula Brush. The tans, olives, browns, and black would be great for crab and shrimp patterns for redfish, cobia, triple tail, tarpon, and trout. All of the shrimp/crabs I have tied at the meetings could be converted to the Tarantula Brushes.

The Tarantula Brushes come in two sizes, ½” and 1” (material length), six brushes to a pack, and about 10” brush length. The ½” size comes in 16 colors, the 1” come in 20 colors.

With all of that said about Enrico Brushes, I have a motorized dubbing brush maker which I constructed from a bunch of mismatched parts. It’s not pretty, but it works. With the ongoing dubbing brush craze I’ve seen lately, I plan to construct some different dubbing brushes at the next meeting. Look forward to seeing some crazy looking brushes…

October Fly of the Month:
The Estaz Spoon

This would have to be considered a hybrid fly. Ron Whiteley and crew call their fly an Estaz Marabou. I have also seen it called a Schminnow. My fly is very much like these flies, yet completely different. It sinks more quickly, and acts much like a traditional spoon.

The basic fly is just Estaz Grande, and a marabou or fox hair, or Finn raccoon tail. Now add some weight to get it down, some eyes, and shape it like a spoon. Done. This is a very easy fly to tie. It swims like a spoon (crippled baitfish), and has all the best qualities and looks of an Estaz Marabou. It rides hook up, out of the weeds although I don’t call it weedless. It rides sideways rather than in profile much like a flat wing deceiver. It’s been quite a while since I’ve tied them, but I know that it works well.

Materials:
Hook: Mustad 34011 #1 or #1/0 (long shank bent keel style)
Thread: White Flymaster+
Body: Pearl Estaz Grande (longest fibered)
Tail: White Marabou, or fox hair, or Finn raccoon hair, Pearl Krystal Flash
Eyes: Silver holographic 5mm 3D eyes
Misc: .35 lead wire, well thinned Dave’s Fleximent, Fletch Tite glue. Sharp Scissors. Red Sharpie pen

1) A few months back I tied a “Bent Foreword Enrico” fly. To start, you have to bend the hook correctly. Grab the hook with the point facing you about ½” back from the eye. The bend is toward you making the hook “keel “ rather than “bendback” style. The eye of the hook should end up parallel to the hook point (see picture). Make sure the hook is in alignment—eye to point looking down the hook.

2) Start with the hook in the vice point down. Thread from the eye of the hook to where the hook begins to curve down. Starting at the back, lash down a single strand of lead wire along the top of the hook to a 1/8” short of the hook eye. Thread back to the bend again. Soak the lead and thread with Dave’s Fleximent.

3) Tie on a gob of marabou (or fox, or Finn raccoon) at the back of the hook on top of the lead wire. Add 3-6 strands of Krystal Flash along either side of the marabou, cut slightly longer. Soak the tie in with Fleximent.

4) Pluck the fibers from the end of the Estaz and tie in the string on top of the previous tie in. Move the thread to the hook eye. This fly needs to be tied full. Start wrapping the Estaz forward, stroking the fibers to the back on each wrap. Keep the string part of the Estaz tight against the previous wrap (don’t barber poll it). Tie it off with the thread close to the hook eye. Whip finish and glue the head with Fleximent.

5) Now comes the trim. It’s much like trimming spun deer hair. First trim the fibers away on the top and bottom of the hook making it look like a spoon (flat). Second is to taper the opposite way leaving the eye of the hook wide, and near the point narrow.

6) Glue in 3D eyes half way down the bent section of the hook on the top and bottom with Fletch Tite. Once dry, mark in some gills just behind the eyes with a red Sharpie Marker.

September Fly of the Month:
The Cactus Bunny

This is a rehash of one of my favorite summertime flies. I have changed it in the way it’s tied from a two-stage to a three-stage fly. This has actually made it easier to tie and made making numbers of them simpler. I have also added some extra flash, making it even brighter. I’m tying it in white but chartreuse, root beer, red, and other combinations are also great for catching fish.

Materials:
Hook: Mustad 34007 #4
Thread: Flymaster + White
Body: Medium Estaz Pearl, Pearl Flashabou,
Rabbit Zonker Strip White (straight cut, not cross cut)
Eyes: 6/32 (small) lead hourglass eyes painted
Misc: Dave’s Fleximent, an extra bodkin or hat pin

1) Start with the hook in the vice point down. Thread from the hook eye back to where the hook bends down, then half way back. The lead eyes need to be placed right in the middle of the thread base. Once attached, thread back to near the back of the hook. Take two strands of pearl Flashabou and divide them in half. Now fold the four strands across the thread and tie them in right at the back of the hook making them point slightly downward. Glue the eyes and the Flashabou.

2) Tie the end of the pearl Estaz in right at the back of the hook. Thread forward to the hook eye. Make three to four wraps forward with the Estaz to the eyes then crisscrossing them tying it off right in front of the eyes with the thread. Trim off the Estaz, add a few wraps of thread and glue.

3) Now turn the hook over clamping it in the vice as close to the back of the Estaz as you can. Remember that the hair on the zonker strip needs to point toward the back of the hook. From the back of the strip, poke a centering hole in the leather side of the strip with the bodkin about 2½ times the hook length. Thread that hole over the hook point from the leather side. Pull the strip firmly forward to-wards the hook eye. Thread tightly over the zonker strip close to the lead eyes three or four times. Trim off the excess zonker strip and build the thread into a smooth head. Whip finish and glue.

I have a few additional comments. This fly does not sink as quickly as a Clouser Minnow; give it some time to sink. When you finish fishing for the day, place the used fly in a glass of fresh water for a while. The saltwater tends to stiffen the rabbit strip if you don’t.

A little lagniappe...
Tips for Attaching Eyes to Baitfish Patterns

Last month I tied a deceiver with a stick on eye. I’d like to clarify attaching eyes to all flies and making them more durable.

The Night Deceiver had a stick on 2-D prismatic silver eye. Generally when I epoxy the head on the fly, I brush a bit of epoxy across the leading edge of the eye to firmly attach it to the fly. Most of you, however, don’t epoxy the heads on your flies. Never fear. There are methods of making them permanent fixtures of your flies.

The sticky back to most 2-D and 3-D fly eyes is wimpy stuff. As you already know I use Fletch-Tite to attach 3-D eyes to my Enrico style flies. It works very well. 2-D eyes are trickier to make stick. The solvents found in most head cements actually dissolve the glue on the eyes. Loon makes a water based polyurethane cement called Hard Head which is really great stuff.

Attach the 2-D eye to the fly the best you can. Over-coat the eye with Hard Head a couple of times and you’re set. They don’t come off. There is a small brush built into the jar lid which is the perfect size.

This stuff works like epoxy on your fly heads as well. Tired of chipping the painted eyes on your Clouser Minnows? Brush Hard Head over the paint—it chip proofs painted eyes and gives the 3-D dimension.

Be sure to shake this cement up well. There is a large amount of solids in it which give it the strength. Too thick? Add a drop or two of vodka to thin it out (not water).

August Fly of the Month:
Craig's night Deceiver

After last month’s snook presentation, Bob Parker approached me and asked me to write up this fly. I have done this fly before for the club, but I bet it was pre-2002 when I did it.

The Night Deceiver is one of the flies I have always carried with me. Being feathers and deer hair, they get torn up by the fish, but the return is well worth the sacrifice. This fly has caught the largest snook and the second largest redfish for me (on consecutive days). I’ve used it extensively in the back-backcountry of the Everglades with great success. I’ve also used in the summer months around the lighted docks in Snook Alley. I’ve even jumped tarpon with it.

Working with feathers can be annoying at times. I plan to show some of the methods I personally use to tame the errant feathers. With a bit of practice, anyone can learn to master the skills (and patients) to make them lie correctly.

Materials:
Hook: Mustad 34007, Gamakatsu SC15 or B10 stinger, Tiemco 900S, Owner Flyliner in sizes #1-#2/0
Thread: Flymaster 6/0 white
Tail: 4-8 quality white or grizzly neck hackles, opal Mirage Flashabou
Body: white and gray bucktail, opal Mirage Accent, opal Mirage Flashabou, black and lavender Krystal Flash, white glow-in-the-dark Flashabou (it is a night deceiver), gray Fire Fly Tye (gray is impossible to find, substitute silver Fire Fly or Flashabou), Optional pearl body braid.
Cheeks: Mallard Flank feathers
Throat: red rabbit fur
Eyes: ¼” or 5/16” stick-on silver eyes
Misc: Dave’s Fleximent, epoxy head.

1) The hook goes in the vice point down. Use 6/0 or smaller thread so it doesn’t build up too quickly. Thread from the hook eye back to where the hook bends down. Match the feathers in size as best you can. Match the ends of the two sets of neck feathers, and then marry them facing inward to each other. The feather shafts of all of them should be closely inline to each other. Decide on your length—I usually go for around 2 ½ to 3 times the hook length. Keep your fingers very close to where you’re cutting. Make the cut. Holding firmly, knock all of the loose fluff away. Thread forward a 1/8”. Now bring you fingers in right on top of the hook with the feathers.
2) IMPORTANT!!! When tying in the feathers with the thread, start right at the tip of the cut shaft. Wrap back firmly, but not too tightly 4 to 6 wraps moving back over the 1/8” of hook shank. You should be able to release the feathers now. Look and see if everything is straight. Now re-grasp the feathers just behind the tie in point. Grab the thread and pull UPWARD, not downward to tighten the wraps of thread you have made. Make several more wraps to cover the tie in point. Soak the wraps in Fleximent. Add 4-6 strands of opal Mirage Flashabou along both sides of the feather. Glue again.
3) Optional. If you’d like, cover the forward part of the hook shank with pearl body braid, stopping 3/16” from the hook eye.
4) Thread forward to the hook eye. Turn the hook over in the vice. Tie in 2 strands of black Krystal Flash along both sides of the hook bottom. Next is the white bucktail. Tie in a good amount of the white on the bottom of the hook. Add 6-10 strands of opal Mirage Accent along both sides of the white. Glue again.
5) Turn the hook over again. Tie in 4-6 strands of glow-in-the-dark Flashabou along both sides of the hook. Add 4-6 strands of opal Mirage Flashabou on top of that. Next come 6-12 strands of lavender Krystal Flash directly over the top of the hook. A good portion of gray bucktail rides of top of that (I prefer a light gray). And lastly, 6-10 strands of gray Fire Fly Tie to top it off. Glue again.
6) The mallard flank feather is added along the sides of the deceiver as the cheeks. Flip the hook again and add a short, sparse amount of red rabbit hair on the bottom. Whip finish and glue again. Stick the eyes on the mallard flack coming very close to the thread wraps. The thread wraps will be coated with epoxy, with the epoxy just touching the forward edge of the eye for longevity.

Things that can be learned in tying this fly:
Feather Handling: Use feathers directly off a whole neck rather than driving yourself crazy using strung material. Tying in groups of feathers that are straight as a razor.
Thread Management: Don’t thing more wraps of thread are better. Learn to control the amount of thread you need to tie something in. The head will be as big as your pinky finger.

July Fly of the Month:
How to copy a crank bait to a fly
And misc. conclusions of a questionably sane fly tier

Shawn from Flying Fish Outfitters and I were speaking the other day about jointed crank baits which are so prevalent today. He said that he had come up with a pattern tied out of Enrico Fiber which emulated the action of those crank baits in a fly. We kicked around a few ideas together which is what I plan to discuss here.

The basics of a jointed fly are simple. But there are several ways of coming at it. Russ Hampton from Clermont, Fl. was the first person I ever saw tying flies with two hooks. His billfish flies are really something to be seen, and in great demand. Russ and Les Fulcher are friends and Les is pretty good at tying them too. Russ’s hook rigs (tandem hooks) are wired together to provide the best possible hook-up ratio. But I want to end up with one hook and more action than wiring hooks would provide. Let’s look at some alternatives.

I’ve said I want to end up with one hook. This is not entirely the case. I want to end up with two hooks, but remove all but the top of the shank on one. Sounds expensive? Not really, because I’ll be using one normal Mustad stainless hook and a cheaper plated hook on which the hook is cut away.

How do I join the two hooks? The “sacrificial hook” will have mono strapped to it with Flymaster+ thread. In addition, instead of using Dave’s Fleximent to glue it down, I’m opting for brushable Krazy Glue. The mono is then tied with a small loop knot to the hook eye on the other hook. I’d like to touch on another avenue in this mix still using only one hook.

Tube flies have been around for quite a while now. You really haven’t seen or heard about them much here as much as in the salmon and striper fisheries north and east of here. Rensetti gave me a tube vice years ago, but I have a Dyna King tube (mandrel) adapter (quite inexpensive) I’ve used quite a bit. A tube fly is a normal fly tied on to a glorified plastic or metallic straw, rather than a hook. The straw is then slipped onto your leader, behind which is tied a hook. This fly then can slide up and down the leader (in theory). Generally the tube fly is attached to the hook by sliding the hook into a sleeve at the back of the tube. It can then slide away (up the leader) when the fish takes the hook. Confused now? I’ll come back to the “tube fly” and what it all has to do with jointed flies later.

Let’s get back to the joining of two hooks. The first step is to lash a piece of mono onto the hook shank and permanently glue it on. But is this the “hook”, or the “sacrificial hook”. It’s a matter of design. It can go either way. Typical thinking puts the “hook” on the back fly, so let’s go with that first. I’m tying an Enrico baitfish pattern. The tail section is tied on a short shank “hook” and the body section is tied to the “sacrificial hook” in the front. This allows the tail to swing independently of the body. Another example: The entire Enrico baitfish is tied to the “hook”. A foam cylinder (popper head) is glued to the “sacrificial hook” in the front. Enrico already manufactures this fly. Another example might be a long shank fly in the back of a silicone skirt (sacrificial hook) in the front. This type of fly is where a tube fly could be used to replace the front “sacrificial hook”.

Next let’s switch the scheme up. What if the front fly is the “hook” and the back fly is the “sacrificial hook”? There is some though that the predator fish aims for the eye—this setup puts the “hook” closer to that eye. Let me stop here and give you a warning about using this setup: The rear fly can foul (under wrap) the hook in the front. This is still a fine and doable scheme give some thought. The first fly that came to mind which would adapt well is Ron Whiteley’s Estaz Marabou (schminnow). The hook in front would carry the pearl Estaz body full length, with the white marabou tail section tied to the rear “sacrificial hook”. Back to tying an Enrico baitfish—tie all but the very back of the tail section on the front “hook” and the center section of the tail on the back “sacrificial hook”. Okay, now change the center section of the tail tied on the “sacrificial hook” from Enrico fibers to a rabbit zonker strip.

Enrico fibers don’t absorb water. A rabbit zonker strip absorbs water, has a much different weight, and the hair breaths in the water much differently than Enrico fibers. This concept fly should actually bend at the mono as it swims, and sink backwards looking like a baitfish in real trouble. This will be my “concept” fly for this month.

The Jointed Tail Baitfish.
I plan to build this fly a bit differently than logic might dictate because of my ultimate goals on its performance. I’m going to join two rabbit strips on the rear “sacrificial hook”. Most might have this section ride with the hair up and down relative to the baitfish fly in the front. I plan to have it placed side to side. I believe the bulk of the hair in a side to side placement will actually make the fly swim with a side to side kick (the best laid plans…).

The Rear Section
Hook: Mustad 34966D #2/0 (cheap tinned hook) (actual size of this hook is more like a #4)
Thread: White Flymaster +
Tail: 2-White Rabbit Zonker Strips
Misc: Tear Mender glue (join the strips), Dave’s Fleximent

1) Cut the hook leaving the shank and eye. Place the hook’s eye in the vice’s jaws. Build a thread base down what’s left of the hook then back to the eye. Tie in both rabbit strips on opposite sides of the hook with the skin sides in along the shank right at the eye. Build a smooth head, whip finish, trim the thread and glue with Dave’s Fleximent.

2) Remove the hook from the vice and glue the two leather strips together with Tear Mender glue (buy at Ace Hardware). Set aside to dry briefly (dries fast).

The Front Section
Hook: Mustad 34007 #1/0
Thread: White Flymaster +
Body: White and a colored Enrico Fibers
Throat: Red Enrico Silky Fibers
Eyes: 7mm 3D eyes
Misc: #20 stiff mono, 6mm pearl glass beads, Dave’s Fleximent, Fletch Tite glue, brushable Krazy Glue

1) Tie the mono to the rear section using a standard fishing knot. Don’t use a loop knot in this case, I want a stiff connection. Slide 2-6mm beads down to the hook eye.

2) Place the real hook in the vice and build a thread base all the way down the level portion of the shank. With the thread in the back of the hook lay the mono attached to the rear section and wrap a few times over the mono loosely. Pull the mono forward until the bead just touches the back of the hook. Remember, the hair on the rear section should point to the sides. Make any adjustment and wrap the mono down tightly along the top of the hook all the way to the eye, trim the mono, and return to the back. Soak the thread with Krazy Glue and let dry.

3) Follow my steps to build an Enrico baitfish from previous months.

June Fly of the Month:
The Enrico Minnow vs.
The Enrico Pinfish

There is a difference in the steps I outlined for last month’s fly (the Enrico Pinfish, or baitfish) to his minnow style baitfish patterns. In this example I will be using a #2 hook rather than a #1/0. Again, the hook is broken down into 4- 1/8th” sections. Again the entire top of the hook is covered in thread.

1) At the back of the hook is the tail section. Move the thread forward 1/8” from the back to tie in the “white”. Pull off a length of the white Enrico material and cut the length in half setting aside one of the lengths. Fold the other across the thread and tie it in on the top of the hook. Section 1 is complete after soaking the tie in with Fleximent.

2) Move forward with the thread to about half way. This second section will have the same half-length of color on the top of the hook, with the red throat color just below it on the bottom of the hook. After completing both of these, glue the knot with Fleximent.

3) The third section is 1/8” forward on the hook cutting the remaining hook in half. Cut both the color and the white lengths in half (making them ¼ length). Fold the color in half and tie in on top of the hook. Just below it on the bottom of the hook, tie in the white. Glue the knot with Fleximent.

4) Move the thread forward to the eye of the hook. Tie in the color and white as in the previous step. Finish the thread head and whip finish. Soak the head with Fleximent.

5) Trimming this is also similar but different to the Pinfish. First, brush the fly on both sides with a stiff (hard) toothbrush. Gently pull the color and the white away from each other in the back, but keep them straight (a ‘V’). On the color, (cut from the back) cut from the bottom of the color in the back to the top of the shorter fibers. The white is the opposite. Cut from the top of the white in the tail to the bottom of the short fibers in front. Do a final trim by rounding off the leading edge of both colors. Glue on a pair of ¼” 3D eyes with Fletch-Tite at the leading side of the gills.

Go fish.

May Fly of the Month:
More easy Enrico style baitfish patterns
The Quick Enrico Flash Fly

As I continue to work with the Enrico material, I keep discovering new ways of making the tying process easier. I know that the small glass minnow pattern which Enrico sells has to be a hot pattern on the beach for everything that swims. I was looking for something just a bit larger than his pattern, but not nearly as large as his “peanut butter” baitfish patterns. It also had to retain the flashy head of his glass minnow.

Tying in his flash material (very fine “flashabou”) is messy and difficult to tie consistently. However, his silver holographic dubbing brushes are simple to handle. This brush is the key in the tying of my medium sized minnow pattern. It does catch fish.

Materials:
Hook: Mustad 34007 or Gamakatsu SC-15 #2 or #1
Thread: White Flymaster +
Body: Enrico Fibers in white and Gray, Chartreuse, or Olive
Gill: Enrico Silky Fiber in Red
Head: Silver Holographic Dubbing Brush
Eyes: 3/16” 3D eyes in your choice of color
Misc: Dave’s Fleximent, Fletch-Tite, 6+” scissors, small wire cutters

1) Cover the hook with thread from the hook eye to where the hanging thread touches the hook point. Thread forward towards the eye 1/8th”. Pick out a small bundle of white Enrico fibers. When you stretch this length tight, it should be slightly larger than the hook diameter. Cut the length in half setting aside one of the lengths. Fold the white fiber across the thread matching the length. Tie it down to the hook.

2) Next is the gill. Cut a sparse amount of red silky fiber. Fold it across the thread and tie it in right on top of the white fiber. Cut it to length right behind the gape of the hook.

3) Next is the back color. Pull out a similar amount of your desired color of Enrico Fiber. Again cut the length in half setting aside half of the length. Fold the colored fiber across the hook and tie it down right on top of the previous two sets. Glue everything with Fleximent.

4) Look at the picture of the trimmed, unfinished fly. Note that I cut from the rear of the fly where white meets gray material in a “V” shape. Trim your fly.

5) Tie in the dubbing brush along the side of your previous steps. Glue. Move the thread to the hook eye. As you palmer the brush forward towards the hook eye, use caution not to overwrap any of the brush which might be pointing forward. Don’t make the wraps too tight against each other; leave some room (barber poll the stuff). Tie it down with the thread at the hook eye. Trim the dubbing brush with wire cutters (not scissors), build the head and whip finish. Glue.

6) Stroke the dubbing back smoothing the finish. Glue the 3D eyes on with Fletch-Tite. The eyes are glued right on top of the Enrico Fiber tie in point, ahead of the gills.

January Fly of the Month:
Craig’s Bent Forward
Enrico Fly

For the next few months I plan to do more work with Enrico Puglisi materials. Everyone is familiar with the Enrico baitfish patterns. I plan to cover some of the shrimp and crab patterns as well.

This fly is a twist on the standard baitfish by weighting it to get it down better, and making it more weedless for those grassy areas we all fish.

There is no exotic hook like the previous Craig’s Slinky Fiber Deceiver or the Schoolie’s kahle hook which I worked with in previous months. This is a readily available long shank Mustad 34011 size 1/0 hook. The body is common lead wire, Enrico materials, Estaz, and eyes. Trimming is the most difficult step.

Materials:
HOOK: Mustad 34011 #1/0
THREAD: white Flymaster + 3/0 or fine mono
BODY: 0.020 lead wire, pearl Estaz
THROAT: red or rusty brown Enrico Silky Fiber
WING: white and light olive Enrico Fiber, chartreuse Angel Hair or Flashabou.
EYES: Enrico or 3D eyes between 5mm-7.5mm
MISC: Fletch Tite glue, Dave’s Fleximent, Large scissors










1) Getting the bend in the hook correct is important. Allow 1/2” between the hook eye and the bend. The eye of the hook should end up about parallel to the hook point. Place the hook in the vice point up. Thread back from the eye to just under the hook point. Attach the lead at the back and wind it forward to just behind the bend you’ve made. Return the thread to the back behind the lead wire wrap. Glue with Fleximent.

2) Tie in the Estaz at the back then more the thread to just behind the bend. Palmer the Estaz forward to just behind the bend and tie in and trim. Glue both ends with Fleximent.

3) Next is the throat. Thread up toward the eye a bit so that the red silky fibers are above the Estaz body. Tie in a small amount and glue.

4) Next comes two layers of white Enrico Fiber. Remember to thread up the hook with each step not crowding the previous step, and not using too much of the Enrico Fibers in each step.

5) Next add the flash material (Angel Hair or Flashabou). Follow that with the olive Enrico Fibers. Build the head up then whip finish. Take a moment now to glue each of the winging steps right at the hook shank. Allow the fly to dry.

6) Trimming is subjective. Take a look at both pictures of the trimmed and untrimmed fly. Absolutely use a pair of large scissors. Mine are 8”. Flair the material a bit to help getting the shape. Trim carefully not removing large amounts at a time. Take your time.










7) Add the 3D eyes using a good amount of the Fletch Tite glue. Saturate the fibers where you are placing the eye then press the eye in. Do so for the other side as well, and then mash the eyes together. Allow the eyes to dry about twenty minutes.


December Fly of the Month:
Baitfish Emulator

Hairline Dubbing Inc., a fly tying material company, has come up with another winning material. Baitfish Emulator Flash is available in 13 colors. I’ve picked up pearl, chartreuse, and gray ghost. It comes in 5 1/2” (Mega size, pearl only) and 3 ½”. This stuff reminds me of fly fur which I use for the Bay Whistler. It is strands of thin mylar fibers with a belt along one edge (picture ammo for a big machine gun). This stuff is simple to handle due to the belt’s design. Simply tie it in near the back of the hook, then palmer it forward a few wraps. Tie it down. Done. Too easy. It is very quick to tie.

MATERIALS:
Hook: Mustad 34007 size #2
Thread: matching color Flymaster + 3/0
Body: Baitfish Emulator Flash
Throat: Red Enrico Silky Fibers
Misc: Dave’s Fleximent, 3-4mm stick on eyes (optional), Fletch Tite glue (optional), Epoxy (optional)

1) Place the hook in the vice point down. Thread back from the hook eye until the hanging thread would touch the hook’s point. Right there is where I attach the red silky fibers on top of the hook shank. Fold the fibers across the thread, tie them down, and trim them to 1/2” long. Just on top of that, tie in the belted edge of the Baitfish Emulator Flash.

Move the thread forward to the hook eye. Now glue the tie in point and along the shank of the hook. Palmer the fibers forward about 3-5 wraps towards the eye. With each wrap, be sure and straighten the fibers out so as not to overwrap any of the materials. Tie the belt down in the front and trim the belt away. Build the head, whip finish, and trim. Glue the finished head with Dave’s Fleximent.

2) If you wish, glue on some 3D eyes with Fletch Tite. To finish the fly, build a head over the eyes with epoxy.



Past Flies of the Month: The Schoolie
I’ve had a couple of conversations about last month’s “Fly of the Month”. Pete Greenan and I discussed how the use of the kahle hook I used for the Slinky Deceiver might not get a good hook set on a fish. I have to now concur, but there is a very good fix.

Bob Popovics’s book “Pop Fleyes” (which I high recommend) has a fly in it called the schoolie. David (Jeff) Jefferson of our club pointed it out to me. This fly was tied on a keel hook (no longer available). One of Popovics’s notes about the fly recommended bending the hook point up slightly in order for it to properly hook-up with the fish. This tip also applies to the use of a kahle hook.

So, this month I continue with the use of the kahle hook, tying one of Popovics’s patterns, slightly modified. This fly is a bit whimsical, but it’s easy to tie and gives you a two-for-one profile.

Materials:
Hook: Mustad 37160S (stainless) or VMC 9801PS (plated) #1/0 or #2/0 (up eye kahle hook)
Body: Ultrahair, Fishhair, Slinky Fiber, Kinky Fiber or the like in white and a color, complementary flash material
Eyes: 3-D eyes
Thread: White Flymaster + or mono
Misc: 5 minute epoxy, Dave’s Fleximent, Fletch Tite, red sharpie marker

1) If the hook you are using has an off-set shank, straighten it out. Now bend the hook point up slightly.

2) Start by tying the bottom fly first. Don’t start it too far back from the upward sweep to the hook eye. Attach and build a thread base, then tie in the white fiber. Don’t be too generous with the materials, and keep the materials on top of the hook. Not flared towards the sides. Tie in the flash. Now tie in slightly less colored material on top. Build a smooth head with which to attach the eyes. Whip finish, cut, and glue with Fleximent.

3) Just below the hook eye, build a thread base. Tie on the white material first. In order for this material to point rearward to the hook point, make several under wraps beneath the material followed by a wrap above the material. This will help cock it in the proper direction. Add flash and the colored material. Build the head, whip finish, cut and glue with Fleximent.

4) To attach the 3-D eyes, I place a glue base of Fletch Tite and apply the eye using a bodkin. Allow this to dry for 20 minutes. Mark in a gills with the red sharpie.

5) Mix up the epoxy and apply to the head. Turn the fly for a few minutes to smooth the head, then allow to dry overnight

A Recent Fly of the Month:
Craig’s Slinky Deceiver

Although I am not a large proponent of synthetic materials, these synthetics lend themselves to this style of "Hi-Tie". This fly looks much like many of the Puglisi deceivers. The differences other than material are the weedless nature using this unusual hook type. This is a deceiver which can be drug right through deep grass without fouling.

This fly was designed for snook in the Everglades. I have also caught my first tripletail on it years ago.

Materials:
Hook: Mustad horizontal kahle hook 2/0 #37160s (stainless) or VMC wide gap up eye 1/0 9801 PS (perma-steel) (Note horizontal kahle hook - offset point - upturned eye)
Thread: White 6/0 Flymaster and Flymaster +
Eyes: 3/8" or 1/4" 3D eyes
Body: White and chartreuse slinky fiber (kinky fiber™), Pearl green angel hair (lite brite to substitute), White and chartreuse fluoro fiber, Chartreuse flashabou, .030 lead wire
Misc: Red sharpie marker, Pantone #583T chartreuse marker, Dave's flexament, Fletch-Tite glue

STEPS
1) Lock the hook in the vice just behind the hook barb. Overwrap the hook from the eye to just below the hook barb with Flymaster+. Overwrap about one inch of .030" lead wire on the underside of the shank from just below the barb to where the shank straightens toward the hook eye.

2) Tie off: change to the 6/0 thread at the same place. From this point, it is tied in a classic Hi-Tie fashion. Using small bundles of Slinky Fiber (smaller than a match-stick when compressed) with a very small amount of angel hair tied right on top. Of importance is that you trim the ends well, work in tight to your tie-in, keep your material on top (back) of the hook, and not use too much material. It requires 8 or 9 bundles to complete this fly. Use too much and it will act as a fish guard. The last bundle is the char¬treuse. Just under it will be the flashabou; just over it will be the florofiber.

3) Trimming the fly is simple with a large pair of shears. Maintain a baitfish profile as you trim allowing the material to be two times the hook length. Cut from behind the hook at a 450 angle toward the wing. Draw in the gill, and highlight the body with barring.

4) Once the trim is done, Glue on the eyes using Fletch-Tite.

Previous Fly of the Month:
Green and Gold Bendback
Submitted by Craig Smothers

I’m not quite sure who was responsible for this fly. It was either Walter Hamm (former MCFF club member/president) or Leigh West of the Tampa Bay Fly Fishers clubs. The two of them were friends and rivals in certain fly tournaments back in days past.

Designed for redfish, the Green and Gold integrates many desirable redfish attractors. Lightly weighted, it gets the fly down to the fish. It is very weedless being a Bendback pattern. Redfish like the darker olive or brown color. And everyone knows about gold as a redfish attractor.

MATERIALS:
Hook: Mustad 34007 #1-#2/0
Hook Body: Gold body braid, .025-.035 lead wire
Fly Body: Olive or Brown Bucktail, Gold Holographic Flashabou, Peacock Hurl.
Thread: Brown or Dark Olive Flymaster + 3/0
Misc: Dave’s Fleximent

1) Start off by bending the hook. You’ll need about 1/8” bent from the eye in order to tie in the wing. Again I caution you: Do not over bend the hook (see diagram).

Place the hook in the vice point down. Wrap thread from the bend in the hook all the way back to 1/3 of the hook point end, then back. Now tie the lead wire down to the hook along the underside of the shank all the way back to the end of the thread wraps in the back (picture 1).

Break off the excess by simply twisting it. Stay in the back and tie in the gold body braid (picture 2).

Thread forward to the hook eye. Wet all of the thread with glue to improve the durability. Carefully wrap the gold body braid over the hook to the bend near the eye (picture 3).

Overwrap the gold body braid, trim, and thread forward to the hook eye. The body of the fly is complete.

2) To keep this fly weedless will require a decent amount of materials in the wing. Start with the olive (brown) bucktail (picture 4).

Use caution not to tie it beyond the bend you have made in the hook; this makes the bucktail bend down towards the shank of the hook reducing the weedless quality. On top of the bucktail tie in 10 strands of gold holographic Flashabou folded across the thread (making 20 strands) (picture 5).

Lastly, tie in about 25 pieces of peacock hurl on top. Whip finish the fly. Glue well. It looks quite fully tied.

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