Quill-Body Sulphur Mayfly Duns

May15

Some years ago, like ten, after Barry Beck told me in a conversation that the Orvis Flexi-Floss floats, as compared to Wapsi Spanflex that sinks, and being latex, rots after a few years, I began using the Flexi-Floss, a spandex product made by DuPont, for a smooth, quill-body substitute in a number of mayfly dry fly patterns. I figured it was a great substitute for natural quill materials, due to its ease of use and wide range of colors. Indeed, it is. Barry also told me you can split the material, using a bodkin. I have tied small drys with this material, down to #22 Blue-wing Olive patterns using this technique. As I tied more patterns with this material, I also learned that it is very translucent, even the darker colors. It is very much susceptible to changing of shading depending on what color of thread is used underneath. For example, the tan Flexi-Floss makes a great female or Light Hendrickson pattern when wrapped over the pink 8/0 Uni-Thread. The same color of Flexi-Floss makes a great body for the Male Hendrickson when wound over Danville’s Flymaster 6/0 No. 47 Tobacco Brown. I had quill-bodied – made with Flexi-Floss Comparaduns and Thorax Dun Female Hendrickson patterns on display this past show season, and people at the shows went ga-ga over them. How did I get that beautiful pinkish-tan color? Yup. Tan Flexi-Floss wound over the pink thread. Hence, there is an almost unlimited range of possibilities for colors of may fly bodies when using this DuPont product.

Recapping somewhat, of my March Brown Spinners post of a year ago, this brings me to a pet peeve of fly tying merchandisers. They don’t do this intentionally I’m sure, but a number of companies, marketed this product, made by DuPont, each using their own company name. Flexi-Floss, Super Floss, Dyna-Floss, Floss-Flex, and Super-Floss, from Orvis, Cascade Crest, and Montana Fly Company to name a few. Is this confusing to fly tiers? Uh, yeah. I can’t tell you which local fly shop has this product. But here is a link to Montana Fly Company – they still display it on their 2013 product list in eighteen colors: http://www.montanafly.com/mfc_tyingmaterials/sexi_floss.html

The MFC amber is what I would use for sulphur orange.

Here are a Sulphur Thorax Dun and Parachute Dun tied with this material:

#14 Sulphur Thorax Dun, tied and photographed by Don Bastian.

#14 Sulphur Sexi-Floss Thorax Dun, tied and photographed by Don Bastian.

Sulphur Sexi-Floss Thorax Dun

That’s what I decided to call this fly (for now), because I know that Montana Fly Company still sells this product. Sexi-Floss ordering information from Montana Fly Company Dealer, Chris Helm, owner of Whitetail Fly Tieing Supplies in Toledo, Ohio, is at the end of this post.

Hook: Standard dry fly hook, #14 or #16

Thread: Danville Flymaster #7 Orange

Tails: Six yellow or ginger Microfibetts, split 3/3; you can also use just three fibers and divide them with two thread wraps. This works on the pattern because of the floatation qualities of the Sexi-Floss.

Abdomen: Amber Sexi-Floss

Wing: Tan Enrico’s Sea Fibers (also Poly-Fluff or Hi-Vis) same product, if you have or can still find them

Hackle: Ginger

Thorax: Sulphur orange rabbit dubbing

This fly can be tied with Danville No. 8 Yellow, or No. 61 Light Olive, for varying shades of this mayfly dun, Ephemerella invaria. The Sexi-Floss is tied in at the thorax area, after the tail is tied in. Then the Sexi-Floss is s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d and the tying thread is wound evenly over it back to the base of the tail, then forward again. This prevents the bulge that would develop if the Sexi-Floss would be tied in at the base of the tail. This also produces a nice two-layered thread under body, ensuring a good color and smoothness. Flattening your tying thread helps for a smoother body and better coverage.

Here is the Parachute version:

#14 Sulphur Sexi-Floss Parachute Dun. The ingredients are the same as the Sulphur Thorax Dun above, except that the hackle is wound counter-clockwise, parachute style, around the base of the wing post. Fly tied and photographed by Don Bastian.

A parachute version of a mayfly presents a slightly lower floating profile on the water. I also tie a spent wing #14 Sulphur Spinner, using the Amber Sexi-Floss for the abdomen, and clear Enrico’s Sea Fibers and two strands of pearlescent Krystalflash in the wing. Sulphur orange rabbit dubbing, and three yellow Microfibetts complete the fly. Danville yellow or orange thread should be used. This pattern has been my “go-to” sulphur spinner on Spring Creek for a decade. Some people think the Spring Creek sulphur patterns need to be #16, but I’ve seen scores of them, in my hands. They’re a solid #14. That’s what I fish.

Here is a #18 Blue Quill Sexi-Floss Thorax Dun:

#18 Blue Quill Sexi-Floss Thorax Dun, tied and photographed by Don Bastian.

Blue Quill Sexi-Floss Thorax Dun:

Hook: #16 or #18 standard dry fly hook

Thread: Gray 8/0 Uni-Thread

Wing: Dun colored Enrico’s Sea Fibers or Orvis Para-Post

Tail: Three dark dun Microfibetts, divided with two thread wraps

Abdomen: Gray Sexi-Floss

Hackle: Dark dun

Thorax: Dark gray rabbit fur

Make sure your three to four thread wraps are tight when you finish winding the Sexi-Floss at the thorax before you cut it off. One of my subscribers recently told me that the material can unravel after being trimmed. Of course it can. But that is a thread tension issue. I have tied more than 1,000 flies with Sexi-Floss abdomens, and I have never had a single body unravel on me. The main reason for this is likely the fact that as a former commercial tier, I hold my scissors in my hand; also, my hackle is always prepped and ready to tie in, so when I wind three tight wraps over the Sexi-Floss and trim it, I never let go of my bobbin. The trimmed hackle stem is held in place and tied in. On spinners where there is no hackle, I immediately begin applying dubbing, which I learned to do with my left hand, so again, I never let go of my bobbin. I also practice and firmly believe A. K. Best’s advice from his first book, Production Fly Tying: “Ninety-five percent of the time you are tying you should be working with the thread just under the breaking point.” I wrote that from memory, it might be a word or two off, but you get the gist of it.

I like the natural body silhouette created by the slim abdomen and the built-up thorax created with the rabbit fur. The fur thorax also helps the hackle wind smoothly without twisting. These patterns are durable, and they catch fish!

Chris Helm, owner of Whitetail Fly Tieing Supplies, in Toledo, Ohio, carries the Montana Fly Company Sexi-Floss in stock. He does mail-order, is very knowledgeable as a fly tier, and you may speak directly with him and place your order at: 419-843-2106.

My March Brown Sexi-Floss Spinner was posted a year ago, but I thought I’d add that pattern here to provide yet another fly to display the versatility of Sexi-Floss.

#12 March Brown Sexi-Floss Spinner. The head and hook eye are not visible because of the camera angle. Tied and photographed by Don Bastian. This same pattern in a range of sizes can become your standard “Rusty Spinner.”

March Brown Sexi-Floss Spinner:

Hook: #10 or #12 standard dry fly hook

Thread: Danville Flymaster 6/0 #47 Tobacco Brown

Tails: Two fibers of moose body hair; note how they are attached to the sides of the hook shank, not on top. This is accomplished by attaching them above the hook point, then placing your finger on top to move them to the sides of the hook as you wind to the end of the body.

Abdomen: Brown Sexi-Floss

Wing: Clear Enrico’s Sea Fibers, two strands of pearlescent Krystalflash may be added if desired, I do

Thorax: Reddish-brown rabbit dubbing; the “buginess” of the rabbit fur simulates legs

Remember that Sexi-Floss floats, thereby improving floatation for drys. If you try tying some of these patterns with Sexi-Floss, you won’t be disappointed!

On The Fly – Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania

May12

On Monday May 13th, the 17th Annual On The Fly Event will be held on Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania, on the property of the Wayne Harpster family. I have been invited to participate as a guest fly tier; this will be my fifth or sixth appearance at this event. It is a great time!

On The Fly is a fund-raising event for Centre County Youth Services Bureau. Four-person teams compete by fishing on assigned beats. Various sponsors contribute to promote the event. Food is catered, a local winery and brewery make beverage contributions to help support the event.

My part is mostly spent tying flies as entertainment for the team members and volunteers during their off times. I donate flies in return for my participation. This year I am donating three dozen fishing flies and a collection of twenty Carrie Stevens streamers patterns, tied by me, presented in a Riker Mount. There is a live auction in the evening after dinner.

On The Fly sign at the Harpster covered bridge on Spruce Creek.

Breakfast and lunch are served buffet style on the covered bridge. Look at those cookies! Yum!

View of Spruce Creek looking upstream of the covered bridge. The signs designate the boundaries of the fishing contest “beats.” You can see the rings on the water – it was raining.

View of Spruce Creek downstream from the covered bridge.

From the covered bridge, a view of the main dining tent, the Harpster cabin (partially obscured), and the beer trailer at left

From the covered bridge entrance, a view of the main dining tent, the Harpster cabin (partially obscured), and the Otto’s Brew Pub beer trailer at left. Yes, it was raining off and on last year, mostly on.

Parking area. There are usually twenty or more four-person teams, plus sponsors. The evening meal is probably served to close to two hundred persons.

Pennsylbvania fly fishing celebrity and author Joe Humphreys shares a laugh with some contestants.

Pennsylvania fly fishing celebrity and author Joe Humphreys, right, shares a laugh with contestants.

Contestants prepare for the first afternoon beat.

The beer trailer was a popular spot.

Above the covered bridge, view downstream prior to the first afternoon beat.

The covered bridge. This is a really peaceful, tranquil location.

View opf lunch buffet af6ter most of the crowd had passed through.

View of the lunch buffet after most of the crowd had passed through. Note the electric fan light combinations. This is a deluxe model of a covered bridge.

My good friend, Paul Rebarchak, was a contestant last year. Here he is concentrating on his drift while nymph fishing.

My good friend, Paul Rebarchak, of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, was a contestant last year. Here he is concentrating on his drift while nymph fishing. The person to his rear is the controller – they measure and record the trout for point scoring, and also ensure rules are followed. If you lose your fly, you are finished fishing that beat. Large fish can be encountered, five or more pounds, so most contestants use heavy (2x or 3x) tippets.

The ever-popular beer trailer. “What’ll it be, ladies?”

The main tent - table settings for dinner.

The main tent – table settings ready for dinner.

Some of my Carrie Stevens streamer patterns displayed in Riker Mounts.

#14 Sulphur Parachute Duns and spinners that I tied during the day last year. The abdomens are made from the suklphur orange Super Floss. I'll be posting these flies separately - soon - with recipes.

#14 Sulphur Parachute Duns and spinners that I tied during the day last year. The abdomens are made from sulphur orange Flexi-Floss. (Which I found out from the Orvis Rep, Doug Baer, is no longer an Orvis product). The Super Floss, Dyna-Floss, Flexi-Floss, Sexi-Floss, Floss-Flex, etc., topic was discussed on another post here: http://donbastianwetflies.com/2012/04/30/march-brown-spinners/ I’ll be posting these flies separately – soon – with recipes.

The beer trailer – still drawing a crowd.

Appetizers – grilled lamb chops…

…buffalo shrimp…

...and stuffed mushrooms. Served by friendly, roaming wait-staff.

…and stuffed mushrooms. There were other appetizers I did not get photos of. Served by friendly, roaming wait-staff.

Lamb chops sizzle on the grill. Am I making you hungry?

Chef's from the caterer - Otto's Brew Pub in State College - tending the grills.

Chef’s from the caterer – “Catering With Style – Otto’s Brew Pub in State College – tending the outdoor kitchen. http://ottospubandbrewery.com/

View of the Harpster cabin. A waitress carries a plate of appetizers.

Seven Mountains Winery provided a very nice Riesling…

…and a Vidal Blanc, among their wines at the event.

Meanwhile, the Otto’s Brew Pub beer trailer still draws significant attention from the contestants and guests.

Last year the weather was unseasonably warm, early. hatches and blooms were all ahead of schedule. In early May, the day after Mother's Day last year,.the Green Drakes were hatching on Spruce Creek. This was way early by almost two weeks.

Last year the weather was unseasonably warm, early. Hatches and blooms were all well ahead of schedule. In early May, the day after Mother’s Day last year, the Green Drakes were hatching on Spruce Creek. This was way early for them by almost two weeks. There were enough duns hatching that some trout fed on them.

Joe Humphreys gives a nymph fishing demonstration.

Attendees enjoy the evening dinner under the main tent.

Attendees prepare to enjoy the evening dinner under the main tent.

The entree – filet mignon, sea scallops, baked sweet potato, and asparagus. All the food was excellent!

Apologies fopr the less-than-sharp image - dessert was the legendary sticky buns from the State College Diner, and vanilla ice cream.

Apologies for the less-than-sharp image – dessert was the legendary sticky buns from the State College Diner, and vanilla ice cream.

A bonus for my participation - I get to fish after dinner. Here's a brown about 19" - taken on a white crystal bugger.

A bonus for my participation – I get to fish after dinner. Here’s a brown about 19″ – taken on a white Krystal Bugger.

Another very nice brown on the white Krystal Bugger.

Of course, this report of this day can not end without the big-one-that-got-away story. After landing these two nice browns, I went downstream and hooked another nice trout, but lost that one when the hook pulled free. The next pool below that, I hooked a real hawg. I mean, this fish didn’t even move off the bottom. He just gave a heavy head-shaking and pull of serious weight, then after about ten seconds, my 3x tippet broke. I believe that trout was over two feet long.

I went to the beer trailer for one nightcap beverage and then headed back to my friend Paul’s for the night. His hospitality saves me from a drive of an hour-and-a-half.

The On The Fly Event is always looking for sponsors and contestants. Here is the web link with more information: http://www.ccysb.com/onthefly/

I’m leaving shortly to fish on Spring Creek above Bellefonte this afternoon and evening. Monday May 13th, I’ll be on Spruce Creek at the On The Fly Event. Hope you enjoyed this post! Thanks to all site visitors for your support of my blog!

G. Donald Bartlett – Carrie Stevens Pattern

May7

The G. Donald Bartlett streamer is one of three patterns created by Carrie G. Stevens of Upper Dam, Maine, in honor of George Donald Bartlett, of Willimantic, Connecticut. Don as he was known, made his first visit to Upper Dam at age nine in 1909. For thirty-six years, Don made annual trips, sometimes two a year, to Upper Dam. Don met Charles E. “Shang” Wheeler around 1920, and they became friends. It was Shang who gave Carrie streamer hooks and materials in 1920 and encouraged her to try tying some flies.

Mr. Bartlett was a client of Carrie’s husband, Wallace, who was a guide at Upper Dam. The other two streamers Carrie created and named after Donald Bartlett are the Don’s Delight and the Don’s Special. According to Don’s daughter, Lucy Bartlett Crosby, he and Carrie shared ideas for new patterns, and Don enjoyed trying them out. “He was extremely proud of the fact that she named three flies for him…” Notes from: Carrie Stevens: Maker of Rangeley Favorite Trout and Salmon Flies, Stackpole Books, 2000. Sadly Donald Bartlett passed away in 1945 at age forty-five.

G. Donald Bartlett Streamer, tied and photogaphed by Don Bastian. The hooki is a aelic Supreme Martinek Stevens Rangeley Style Streamer, size #2 - 8x long

G. Donald Bartlett Streamer, tied and photogaphed by Don Bastian. The hook is a Gaelic Supreme Martinek / Stevens Rangeley Style Streamer, size #2 – 8x long.

G. Donald Bartlett streamer, same fly as photo no. 1, tied and photographed by Don Bastian.

G. Donald Bartlett streamer, same fly as photo no. 1 but flat on a background mat, tied and photographed by Don Bastian.

G. Donald Bartlett streamer, carded, and ready for packaging. Tied and photographed by Don Bastian.

G. Donald Bartlett

Hook: Any standard 6x or 8x long streamer hook

Thread: White Uni-Thread 3/0 or Danville 3/0 Monocord for underbody working thread (as an underlayment for the floss), then white Danville 6/0 for attaching floss and finishing up to the head.

Tag: Flat silver tinsel

Tail: Lavender hackle fibers

Ribbing: Flat silver tinsel

Body: Danville #7 Orange floss, four strand

Throat: Lavender hackle fibers – these were applied Stevens style – six bunches, three per side, and finishing with one small bunch mounted in front center of the throat at the head

Wing: Four white hackles flanked on each side by one slightly shorter grizzly hackle dyed yellow

Head: Black Danville #100 with an Orange #7 band

For a tutorial on the Rangeley / Carrie Stevens style of the layering of the throat and setting the asembled wings, go to:

http://donbastianwetflies.com/2013/01/13/carrie-stevens-and-rangeley-style-streamers/

To view or purchase my Carrie Stevens Collector’s Edition Set featuring the Don’s Delight, Don’s Special, and G. Donald Bartlett streamers,go to:

http://www.myflies.com/Carrie-Stevens-Streamer-Patterns-Collectors-Edition-Set-No-6-P785.aspx

Future Fly Tier – or A Truckload of Fly Tying Tools?

May6

Last October at our family cabin, one of my grandsons was there with my daughter, Lyneah. They came to visit my brother and his family from Maine, while they were spending some time there. Benner, in age chronology, my third grandson, and at the time almost two, took an interest in my fly tying stuff. These are some photos of Benner and his antics; I thought I’d share them figuring those of you with kids and grand kids will enjoy these.

My grandson Benner – he’s at that stage of contemplation as to his next move. My fly tying station plays prominently with his behavior. By the way, comparing photos of me when I was his age, he looks very much like his Pappy, a true Bastian.

Uh-oh...he's going for the fly tying stuff!

Uh-oh…he’s going for the fly tying vise! His mother looks on in the background. Maybe Benner will one day become a fly tier like his Pappy.

Benner decided that everything within his grasp must go into the Wastetrol. In goes the AK Best hair stacker.

More stuff goes into the Griffin Wastetrol.

Still more tying tools being cleared off the desk.

Gotta get these things, too…as yet, Benner does not know they are a bobbin and a spool of floss.

We ended up having to selectively move some things out of Benner’s reach. Like my bodkin.

This truck is freighted!

Benner eventually chose to be tossed into the air by his Aunt Emily.

Benner eventually abandoned his interest in my fly tying stuff and chose to be tossed into the air by his Aunt Emily. Repeatedly. “Again! Please!”

A close family is a blessing. Grandchildren are a wonderful, life-enriching experience. One of these days my grandsons will go fishing with me.

Muddy Creek – Catch and Release Section

May5

In York County, Pennsylvania, there is a Catch-and-Release, Fly Fishing Only Section on Muddy Creek. I fished it once previously with my friend Jack ten or twelve years ago. It’s got some pretty nice water. On my first visit there, the water was high and off-color, and I remember doing well catching lots of trout on my Gray Ghost Wooly Bugger. Last Friday, Jack and I headed up to Muddy Creek from his home in Bel Air, Maryland. There is an old abandoned railroad that served as a good easy access on my previous visit, but in the intervening years, it has grown up in most sections to the point that it is impassable. So one must walk along a winding footpath if one wants to fish the upper reaches of the project water.

I decided to fish drys, and that’s all I did from our start about 4:45 PM.

Muddy Creek, about a half-mile above the parking area at the lower end of the access area. This is where I started fishing. Nice pools and some good pockets.

Muddy Creek is stocked, but for the most part, the trout I caught were small, stream bred browns.

Downstream view of where I started fishing. The path is on the opposite side of the creek. I entered and crossed to the left-hand side of the creek just to the left of the boulders.

A few caddis flies were coming off, and I saw a handful of mayflies floating on the water. I did not catch one, but from a distance I think they were Hendricksons. I saw a few rises here and there. Most of the rising trout would end up taking a whack at my #12 Delaware Adams.

My first trout of the afternoon. He was all of five inches long, a stream bred fish, but made up for his diminutive size by his spunk, aggressive strike, and beautiful colors. The #12 Delaware Adams in his upper jaw is a big meal for this little fellow, but it’s barbless so removal and release was easy.

Another photo of the same trout. The sunlight allows for better viewing and appreciation of the colors of the fish. Note the parr marks, a juvenile, probably a one-year old trout.

A little farther upstream, looking downstream. Pools, runs, riffles, and pocket water.

Looking upstream at the lower end of a big pool. I did not get farther than the head of this pool, since around 7:00 PM, a few trout started rising sporadically.

After I caught my first trout, I wondered why I missed the next six fish that took my fly. I suddenly thought, “I better check my fly,” and sure enough, my tippet had tangled about the bend and I was pulling the fly backwards. Duh. Stay sharp, you’ll catch more trout.

Upstream view of the bog poolwhere I sopent the evening.

Upstream view from the big pool where I spent the evening. There are lots of large rocks along and in the stream. These make for very beautiful areas along the banks, and in the water, they provide cover and create pockets and holding lies.

Jack had walked above me, and was using three wet flies. I later found out that he caught a lot of trout, swinging them down and across. I admitted to Jack at the end of the evening that I would probably have caught more trout using wet flies or a bugger, but I just wanted to cast and fish dry flies.

By seven-thirty I started seeing some sulphur duns and a few spinners were gathering in the air. I had not brought a flashlight with me, and Jack and I were out of sight and had not communicated with one another since separating more than three hours earlier. I knew he would have to walk past me to return to the car. I was thinking that I should have brought my walkie-talkies along. I was going to wait for him until 8:00 PM, but I delayed my departure for a few more minutes. At exactly 8:05, the pool erupted with more than thirty rising trout. By this time I had switched to a #14 Sulphur Parachute Dun. I stood at the water’s edge at the lower end of a large, garage-sized boulder, and caught several more trout without entering the stream. Just as I released a trout and stood up, five feet away a large black shape boiled the surface and moved away from me underwater. At first I thought it was a gigantic carp, but then I ascertained it to be a beaver. I was startled enough by this event, and he didn’t even slap his tail.

Another stream bred brown from Muddy Creek, taken on a #14 Sulphur Parachute Dun.

Close-up of trout that ate my #14 Sulphur Parachute Dun

One more fish…the flash went off unexpectedly, but it sure highlights the sulphur orange body color of the fly I was using. This was my last fish, and then I had to get going.

Here is the recipe for this sulphur pattern,listed in order of tying the ingredients:

Sulphur Parachute Dun

Hook: Standard dry fly, #14

Thread: Danville Flymaster 6/0 Orange.

Wing: Tan colored Hi-Vis or Enrico’s Sea Fibers (same product, different name), set upright into a post

Tails: Six yellow or ginger Microfibetts, split 3/3 with tying thread

Abdomen: Superfine dubbing, Sulphur Orange. The abdomen is reverse wound, from thorax to tail, and ribbed with the tying thread going forward. This tightens up the body and adds segmentation. You ought to see the benefit of this technique on patterns where contrasting thread color is used.

Thorax: Sulphur orange rabbit dubbing

Hackle: Ginger

A thorax dun version of this same pattern can be made by winding the hackle conventionally. I prefer to clip the bottom of the hackle half-way between the point and shank. My sulphur pattern preference is to use the Super Floss stretch material in sulphur orange for the abdomen. See: http://donbastianwetflies.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/march-brown-spinners/

I ended up staying until almost 8:30 PM, hooking a dozen or so trout. Then I had to get out of there. Still no sign of Jack. I was in unfamiliar territory, with no flashlight, the path winds along the stream bank, with perilous (for waders) barbed wire at one section, my unseen companion, with previous heart-attack history, is seventy-five years old, and I was at least a half mile from the car. I was just a tad concerned. I started downstream, crossed over and found the path. I actually wondered, “What if Jack is not there?” Even so, I tried to believe everything would be OK. After I traveled a short ways, and since I was heading back home to Pennsylvania the next day, Saturday May 4th, I stopped and broke down my Loomis 4-piece rod to avoid tangling the rod in the brush along the path. I put the reel in my vest, and held the rod sections in hand. I had barely enough remaining daylight light to see the barbed wire, but I managed to get past without snagging my waders, and then I finally arrived at the lower section where there is a cleared area by an old camper that probably serves as a weekend camp.

Fortunately, when I could see the parking area, I saw a light on where Jack had parked his car. As I got closer, I saw his standing silhouette at the back of the car, and he had already taken his waders off. He had somehow slipped past me, even though I vocalized “fish on” now and then. He was looking for me, and I still don’t know how he got by me, supposedly traveling along the creek, without seeing me. Anyway, he was fine and had enjoyed some good fishing.

We drove to his house where we had a late ten o’clock dinner of his home-made Maryland crabs cakes. No filler, they were great! The fishing and good meal were a nice conclusion to my visit. These photos will prolong the memories of a good trip.

Great Blue Herons and Bald Eagles

May5

I recently spent some time visiting and fishing with my friend Jack, who lives in Bel Air, Maryland. The original intent for my visit was for me to hit the Hickory Shad run on Deer Creek, but aside from getting some fish the first two nights on April 24th and 25th, the shad run had pretty much fizzled out. Nevertheless we still had a great time. I also traveled to Budd Lake, New Jersey, on Saturday April 27th to tie flies and demonstrate at the Crossroads Angling Auction and Antique Tackle Show. For me the highlight of the day was when Hoagy Carmichael, bamboo rod builder and son of Hoagy Carmichael – songwriter, singer, pianist, composer, actor, singer, bandleader; admired and bought some of my extended body Green Drake Coffin flies and Spinner patterns. Hoagy Carmichael, the elder, is best known for composing the music for “Stardust“, “Georgia on My Mind“, “The Nearness of You“, and “Heart and Soul“, four of the most-recorded American songs of all time. His son has been part of the bamboo rod building heritage for many years. It was a thrill for me to meet him, especially since I have some of his father’s music on CD’s. See: http://donbastianwetflies.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/bxb-green-drake-coffin-fly/

One afternoon Jack and I went to the lower western side access below the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River, just to see the sights. Within the first five minutes, we saw a group of ten mature bald eagles soaring about 1500 feet above the river, all winging on the air currents in a fairly compact group. Other eagles could be seen at lower elevations, and there were several flying about across the river, close to a mile wide at that point. Additionally there were ospreys, cormorants, ducks, and numerous great blue herons. In fact, that part of Maryland has more herons in one area than I’d ever seen before. One night on Deer Creek while we were fishing, a group, or flock, of nine herons flew over at tree top level. Along the creek, they were always stationed in the riffs and pocket water, waiting patiently while hunting the shad or any other hapless fish that got too close to them. There would be easily upwards of a dozen to twenty or more herons on watch in a couple sections of the stream. Here’s some photos I took during my visit:

Great Blue Heons on the Susquehanna River

Great blue herons on the Susquehanna River. How many do you see? The photo was taken with my zoom lens at 24x; these birds are a half-mile away. With no tripod, I rested the camera on the railing.

Another image, same distance and camera setting.

One more long-distance shot…

One night on Deer Creek, Maryland, the hunter waits.

Here is a male in full breeding plumage,

Here is a great blue heron male in full breeding plumage, displaying those long spey hackles that we would love to tie flies with, but can’t because it’s illegal.

Bald eagle nest along the road to Deer Creek. The young eagle’s head can be seen in the nest.

While we watched, the parent flew from the nest to nearby limb.

While we watched, the parent flew from the nest and perched on a nearby limb.

According to my host this particular nest has been here for almost ten years.

According to my host this particular eagle nest has been here for almost ten years.

We also fished Muddy Creek in southern Pennsylvania. I’ll post those photos separately. I hope you enjoyed these pictures of “professional fishermen.”

June Fly Tying Classes – Connemara Farm, New Gloucester, Maine

Apr29

You were teased with these fly tying dates in my post last week, and I am pleased to now announce the details of my fly tying classes that will be hosted by Anne McCormack of Connemara Farm in New Gloucester, Maine!

Dates: Friday and / or Saturday, June 14 and 15.

Location: Connemara Farm

37 Peacock Hill Road

New Gloucester, Maine 04260-3416

Time: 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM

Topics:

Friday – Classic Wet Flies – featuring traditional 1800′s Maine Lake Flies.

Saturday: Fishing Flies – trout patterns, including my original Floating Caddis Emerger, my BXB Extended Body Mayfly patterns, and a host of other techniques for tying nymphs, drys, and emergers.

Lunch included – Stuffed breads, Salad, and Dessert

Registration Cost: $65 per person per day or $120 per person for both days.

To register, please contact Anne at (207) 926-3672 with your credit / debit card information, or mail her a check payable to Connemara Farm, LLC.

Payment is due in full by June 5th. A credit towards a future class at Connemara Farm will be issued in the event of cancellations.

For additional information on the class location, menu, and directions: connemarafarm@gmail.com

It is suggested if you are interested to register as soon as possible. For information on the class itinerary contact: Don Bastian at: 570-998-9124 or by e-mail at: dwbastian@chilitech.net

When your reservation is confirmed you will be provided with a list of required materials, directions, and other details that will ensure your classes and time in Maine, if visiting, will be worthwhile!

Streamers 365 – Volume III

Apr23

The third edition of Streamers 365 is available for order. It is compiled and authored by Darren MacEachern of Toronto, Canada. Here is a web link to the site: http://streamers365.com/2013/04/volume-3-now-available-for-pre-order/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=volume-3-now-available-for-pre-order

The streamers in these books were posted all throughout 2012 on http://streamers365.com/ – a different pattern every day.

Cover – Streamers 365 Volume III. The Lake Fly and streamer conversion are the Moosehead, tied by Dave Lomasney.

The streamer and wet fly were tied by my friend, Dave Lomasney of York, Maine. He did a great job converting the historic 1800′s Moosehead Lake Fly to a streamer pattern. Nice tying Dave! Congratulations to you for your fly being on the cover! I love the color claret in streamers.

Here is the link to photographs of Dave’s actual flies: http://streamers365.com/2012/10/302-moosehead/

The recipe is also there.

BXB Green Drake Coffin Fly

Apr22

This post presents my BXB Green Drake Coffin Fly pattern. It has the same closed-cell foam extended body that I use on my Slate Drakes, March Browns, Green Drakes, Yellow Drakes, and Floating Inch Worm pattern. http://donbastianwetflies.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/extended-body-mayfly-duns/

This design will also be eventually found on my Brown Drake patterns. I noted on the other post that this pattern design was inspired by both the Dette Coffin Fly and the Coffin dry fly presented on Plate No. 13 in Trout by Ray Bergman.

Dette Coffin Fly – an original tied by The Dette’s Fly Shop in Roscoe, New York. The hook is a size #12 – 3x long. This fly was a gift from my friend Bill Havrilla, of Pennsylvania.

The pattern design of my BXB (Bastian Extended Body) provides for the creation of a larger mayfly, but on a smaller hook. The short-shank hook allows for more realistic imitation of the natural, and also enhances presentation by providing a lighter weight fly, that presents and drifts on the water more naturally than a standard large-hook fly pattern. The soft-flexible closed-cell foam abdomen does not impede setting the hook. In fact the smaller hook results in more hookups, not less.

Four BXB Green Drake Coffin Flies, boxed up for sale.

Four BXB Green Drake Coffin Flies, card-mounted, ready to be boxed up for sale.

End view of the boxed Coffin Fly selection.

End view of the carded Coffin Fly selection. That rather messy line drawing under the tails is my signature.

BXB Green Drake Coffin Fly.

BXB Green Drake Coffin Fly

Hook: Tiemco #2488 fine wire, 3x wide gape, 2x short shank, straight eye, scud / dry fly hook, size #12

Thread: Danville Flymaster tan for abdomen, black for finishing on the hook

Abdomen: White closed-cell foam, cut into strips about 1/8″ to 3/32″ in width – the foam section of the body is made on a mandrel. I used to use a pin, but I recently graduated to tube fly tool. Cut a 45-degree angle point at the end before attaching to the mandrel

Tails: Moose body hair, two fibers

Thorax: Black rabbit dubbing

Hackle: Silver badger, clipped on the bottom halfway between hook shank and point

Wing: Two teal flank feathers, placed one at a time, concave (bottom) side up

Head: Black

The best solution for tying instructions of the foam abdomen is for me to do a video…yes, it will be forthcoming. In time. It’s actually very easy to make these. I make these bodies, with tails, in less than two minutes. The tails are the hardest part.

Start by making 4 – 5 wraps of tying thread on your mandrel. Then do a two turn whip finish, cut tag end. Take the foam strip, size it to be about 3/4″ in length, and make one wrap, straight across and over the top. Advance your tying thread at a 45-degree angle underneath, then make another wrap, straight across the top of the foam. Repeat, making 7 – 9 segments, evenly spaced, and then a bit closer near the tail, until you arrive at the base of the abdomen.

Take two fibers of moose body hair, make the tails about an inch long, even the tips, and using a horizontal finger pinch with your thumb and middle finger on your left, or opposite hand, bring the tail fibers close to the foam, holding them on the sides, and make a balanced thread wrap, that is, use just enough tension to catch the moose hair and pull it into place alongside the abdomen, but not so much tension that the hair is forced to move out of position ahead of the tying thread. Once both fibers of hair are captured with the thread, pull tight to flare them, and then advance the thread forward, repeating your forward wraps over top of the same segments created on the first series of wraps.

When you arrive at the final front segment, make a two-turn whip finish and slide the body off your mandrel. I make these up ahead of time by the dozen, by the score, even by the half-gross.

To finish the fly, start the black tying thread at the hook eye, wind a thread base, and then attach the abdomen above the barb, using maximum wraps to secure the body with no spinning and no rotation of the body. It’s got to be lashed down tight. Then I place a very small amount of dubbing, enough to make just 3 – 4 wraps in place, right ahead of the abdomen at the attachment point.

Next attach the hackle, having about 3/16″ of the fibers clipped off the stem at the tie-in point. Make sure you leave some of the clipped section of the stem behind or to the rear of the tie-in point. This will ensure that the hackle fibers do not start to flare until you have made at least a half-wrap with the hackle stem.

Then mount the wing feathers, one at a time, sizing them to be about 3/4″long. Stand them up by damming thread in front, then make a figure-eight wrap, and post around the base of each wing. Add head cement to lock the wraps down. Finish the fly by applying the dubbing. I go through the wings with lightly-dubbed thread once. Wind the hackle, making a total of eight to ten wraps, evenly spaced. Make a nice, small, smooth head, and the fly is ready to fish!

This pattern is a good Green Drake fly to have in addition to spent-wing Green Drake spinner patterns.

This fly is listed for sale on my product page of MyFlies.com: http://www.myflies.com/BXB-Green-Drake-Coffin-Fly-Spinner-P806.aspx

Thank you for your interest!

Roscoe Beer Company and The Barley Hopper

Apr22

Last weekend, I was in Roscoe, New York, to participate on Saturday April 20th for the 13th Annual Fly Tyers Rendezvous, sponsored by the Catskill Fly Tyer’s Guild. It was a fun time! I arrived on Friday afternoon, passed the single traffic light in town, and drove out Rockland Road, heading west. Right before arriving at The Rockland House, I saw this sign:

Roscoe Beer Company sign. This was new since the last time I was in Roscoe.

Whether you drink or not might be irrelevant, but if you fly fish, you gotta love a company sign that has a leaping trout, a flowing stream, a nice whitetail buck, and fishing flies on it. And I’m guessing this image must be in the autumn, when the buck would actually have its antlers. And for that time of year, it also stands to reason the large mayfly that trout is after is most certainly a Slate Drake. But that’s just my take on it.

I had not yet phoned “Buffalo Bill” Newcomb, with whom I was sharing a room at The Rockland House Motel. Not knowing whether or not he had arrived, what room we were in, etc., and after a three-plus hour trip, I was thirsty. So I made straight for The Rockland House barroom. Lo and behold, one of the beers on tap in The Rockland House bar was Roscoe Beer Company Amber. I ordered up one of those. And then I got another nice surprise – the barmaid placed an upside down shot glass at my spot and said, “That’s a two-fer.” So two beers for the price of one, cash in the shot glass and get another beer. Nice! The equivalent of Happy Hour. This weekend was getting better by the minute.

After I ordered a beer and took a few sips, very good by the way, I thought I better contact Bill. I stepped outside and dialed his cell number, but before it started ringing, Bill came out of a second floor door at the motel and started walking across the balcony and down the steps. After exchanging pleasantries, he joined me at the bar. Not long after that, we noticed a large painting of a fishing fly in the corner on the wall. The lettering read, “The Barley Hopper.” Turned out it is part of the logo for Roscoe Beer Company.

The Barley Hopper

As we sat and enjoyed our drinks, I noticed a hand-made sign above the bar that I thought humorous. It read:

“Caution: Tommy Shots may cause you to think you can sing, dance, and talk to girls, but remember – they’re alcohol, not Magic.” We found out that Tommy Shots are served in a plastic cup, 4 ounces. That could explain why singing, dancing, and talking to girls is the focus of the message.

Saturday at the show, even though I was prepared to tie some wet flies, I tied all dry flies; extended body Green Drake Spinners, and an extended body Coffin Fly pattern that I had just designed a couple days earlier last week. I am including a photo of the pattern here, but I am going to place the pattern on a separate post.

BXB Green Drake Coffin Fly. The inspiration for this design is the Dette Coffin Fly, with its white body, teal wings, and badger hackle. I also considered the Coffin Fly pattern from Trout, by Ray Bergman in creating my Coffin Fly version. The Trout “Coffin” pattern has a tail of pheasant fibers or black, a white floss body, black hackle tip wings, and a golden badger hackle.

Rather than mimicking a spent-wing spinner pattern, the Coffin Fly imitates the Green Drake Spinner or imago that can sometimes be seen on the water with upright wings, still fairly active before and during the mating ritual. My extended body Coffin Fly pattern incorporates these features into its design. The pattern recipe and more information on the fly will be in a separate post.

For those visiting Roscoe, New York, at any time, I recommend The Rockland House. It was also interesting to discover that Roscoe Beer Company has been in business barely three weeks as of the date of our visit. Currently the Amber is their only product, but there are plans to expand that. They are open for tours, the beer is for sale, and you can also buy six-packs of Roscoe Amber at The Rockland House.

Don Bastian Wet Flies

Wet fly photos, recipes, interesting information and other fly tying endeavors

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