Fly Tying step by step tutorial

Ive been sick for the last few days with strep throat along with a fever and other cold symptoms and after sitting around taking medicine and watching TV for 3 days,  I decided to do something productive and catch up on some fly tying since I wasnt able to get out on the water. I have meaning to do a few fly tying step by step tutorials for my blog and figured this would be a good time to start. To me fly tying adds an extra element to the sport of fly fishing because you can take a hook, some feathers, hair(real or synthetic), and thread and combine them to create something that mimics a bait or prey species and use it to deceive a predator fish into thinking its food. Also it allows you to use your imagination and the hundreds of natural and synthetic tying materials and create something new that the fish havn't seen.

This first pattern is one that I've been using with success this winter along the Cape Fear Coast for redfish. Its black and purple and shows up really well in dark or stained water. It is basically a modified version of a seaducer and is a great shallow water fly as it lands softly and has alot of action underwater. It can be tied in many different sizes for any salt or freshwater fish that feeds on shrimp or minnows.

This particular one I have been using is tied on a size 1 Gamakatsu SC15 hook and is about 3 inches long.

Materials:
Gamakatsu SC 15 size 1
UTC Ultra Thread 210 in black and optional fl. fire orange
Bead Chain Eyes - size large in gold color
Craft Fur - purple
Schalppen feathers - black
Flashabou Accent - gold color
Tying tools- scissors, bobbin, hackle pliers, needle nose pliers with wire cutter, and whip finisher

Start your thread and create a base from the eye of the hook to just past the hook point

Cut a patch of purple craft fur and pull off any underfur that is attached and place to the side. At the same time cut about 8-10 strands of the gold flash accent the same length of the craft fur. From here you can combine the craft fur and flash together like I did in the picture or you can attach the flash on top of the craft fur after its tied in.

Next tie the craft fur to the hook

Once the craft fur and flash is secured cut off a pair of eyes from the bead chain with wire cutters. Tie the eyes in just in front of the craft fur.

The next step is to pick a wide schlappen feather and attach the top of the feather just in front of the eyes and then work your thread back to the eye of the hook.

Attach your hackle pliers to the schlappen feather and begin palmering the feather around the hook shank, keeping the wraps close together to build a thick body. Use your fingers to keep the fibers from getting wrapped under each other.

Continue wrapping to the eye of the hook. Tie off the schlappen feather and trim excess.

From here you can continue using the black thread or switch to the fl. fire orange color. Using the bright color is simply to help track the fly in the water and is not neccessary to catch fish. From here use one hand to fold the feather fibers back over the fly and work your thread about 1/8 of an inch towards bend of the hook. This forces the feathers fibers to lay back over the fly. Finally whip finish and trim your thread and coat with a drop of head cement.

This is a simple to tie but effective fly and one that I have used with good success over the last few months...just look in the mouths of these 2 fish.

I will try to get a few more tutorials done on other patterns soon.

The weather is still mild along coastal NC and fishing has remained very good so tie up a few flies and bring them down to test on a few Cape Fear Coast redfish.

Capt. Allen Cain

http://www.sightfishnc.com/

February Redfishing

This past Saturday I had Dr. Bob and Pete join me for a half day of sightfishing redfish. I guided Dr. Bob in the Cape Fear RedTrout tournament for Cystic Fibroses last October where he and partner James helped us take home the Most Redfish Division. Joining Dr. Bob this time was his friend Pete. We started the day at our first spot with a good falling tide and calm winds but with lots of cloud cover. Cloud cover meant finding fish and getting a fly shot would be tough. Knowing this Bob and Pete picked up the spin rods with weedless soft plastics and within a short period of time I located the group of around 100 fish slowly pushing wakes in less than a foot of water. We managed to get one fish out of the group before they spooked. Due to the clouds it was tough to see them until they started moving away from us and because they were spooked we couldn't get them to eat again. I decided to run us to another spot where I had located another group of 50-75 fish on a shallow flat just a few days before. These fish had just moved into the area and hadn't been run over by trolling motors for the last few months and weren't quite as spooky. I pushed the guys up on the bar where I thought the school would be and we watched as part of the school started pushing water coming straight at the boat. Both casted and resulted in another hookup. After a quick photo we were back on the hunt. Again after poling up on the bar we watched the fish again push water straight at the boat, and with two quick casts to the front of the school both Bob's and Pete's line came tight. First double of the day. Another couple photos and releases and we at it again. Unfortunatly the fish at that point had figured out our strategy and stayed out of range in slightly deeper water. With time running out I ran the guys to one last spot that had been holding fish all winter. We searched for the fish for a while with no luck. I had just about given up thinking they had moved when I noticed some nervous water in a small creek mouth. As we appoached the creek the water started moving and I told the guys to cast just in front of them and immediatly they both had another double on. Great way to finish up the day. Thanks Bob and Pete, I look forward to fishing with you guys again.

The week before I fished with a few buddies while scouting some water I hadn't fished in a few months. The first few places didn't hold any fish but on our last spot we found a group of redfish hanging out with a huge school of large mullet. The redfish were easy to distinguish from the mullet as their carolina blue tails glowed in the clear wintertime water. A few days later on a trip to another new spot we located the school on which I guided Bob and Pete to. We sightfished a couple of fish on fly from each group before leaving them alone for later charters. This winter had been very mild and the fishing has remained very good.  Don't miss your opportunity to experience the clear water wintertime sightfishing along the Cape Fear Coast.  Call today to book your trip.

This weekend The Fly Fishing Show will be at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. This is one of the largest fly fishing shows in the US and the largest in NC. The show is Saturday and Sunday. I will have a booth at the show so if you're there stop by and say hello.

Capt. Allen Cain

http://www.sightfishnc.com/

More pictures