My Aide-de-Camp & A Nice Crayfish Fly

My Aide-de-Camp

&

A Nice Crayfish Fly

The unusually warm weather allowed us to get out a little bit already this year. My oldest son, Caleb, has already shown me up on the water. Although he is only three, he seems to have mastered the roll cast better than his old man.

Probably due to the fact that I spent years fly fishing small, brush- and tree-lined streams, I developed the habit of always casting with a sidearm motion. That casting motion has become so automatic that I even catch myself casting sidearm in open fields and on the beach! I occasionally force myself to cast overhead, but it requires extrodinary mental discipline and generally leads to worse casts than the sidearm. I suppose it does not hurt anything, as I usually fare alright in the long run.

In addition to casting sidearm, I also avoid roll casting most of the time. Instead, I usually allow my cast to drift downstream and use the line on the water to flick another cast upstream, directing the cast with the rod tip. I realize that these heinous acts of angling heresy should not be mentioned in polite company, but we're all adults here, right?

Anyway, I took Caleb to a local pond where some friendly park rangers sometimes relocate big trout for kids to catch and release. I tied on a size 6 Stimulator, cast it out and handed the rod to Caleb. He pulled in a bit of line, raised the rod tip, dropped it to the water and unrolled a perfect cast. As my jaw hung in amazement, he did it again. Did I mention that he is three?

I suppose the lesson to take home from this experience is that bad habits are learned rather than ingrained from birth. Now if I could just get him to tie up some size 22 Blue-Wing Olives for me...

A Nice Crayfish Fly

Here is a nice crayfish fly that you can try the next time you are fishing. I have tied and fished a lot of different crayfish flies over the years. My personal best smallmouth came on a crayfish fly in southwest Indiana several years ago. My first published magazine article was about a crayfish fly, as well. Although I tend to lean toward the "more action, less realism" school of thought, this one looks good and has enough action to satisfy grouchy smallmouth.

Realistic Crayfish

Hook: Size 6 streamer

Thread: Orange 140 denier

Thorax

Claws: Neck feathers from cock pheasant

Antennae: Fox squirrel tail fibers

Front carapace: Natural deer hair (color orange with a Sharpie when fly is complete)

Legs: Brown hackle, clipped on top and bottom

Thorax: Orange blended squirrel dubbing

Tail

Weight: Lead wire or substitute on tail only

Rib: Copper wire on tail only

Tail carapace: Natural deer hair (color orange with a Sharpie when fly is complete)

Tail underbody: Orange blended squirrel dubbing

Bind down the deer hair and clip the ends long to make a tip-top for the tail.

Enjoy!





"How did you do that again, kid?"

Mr. Wulff Visits Scotland

A Gray Wulff dry fly, salmon-size.



 I like to thumb through old issues of fly-fishing magazines to see if anything catches my interest that I may have missed before. I recently re-discovered an article about Spey fishing. In particular, this article put forth the notion that using Spey equipment actually places the angler at a disadvantage due to the long rod and the difficulty in controlling so much line on the water. Let me state up front that I do not own a Spey rod so I really do not have a dog in this fight. However, I do believe that Spey casting is a beautiful way to fish and I am always amazed by the photographs and videos of Spey anglers whipping seventy or eighty feet of line. I have even tried to incorporate Spey-casting techniques into my own trout fishing with a standard rod, albeit with limited success.

This particular article ended with a short story about fly-fishing legend Lee Wulff, who went to Scotland in 1962 to investigate Spey fishing for himself. Upon learning about the Spey techniques from Jock Scott, Wulff produced his trusty six-foot salmon rod, tied on a dry fly and caught more fish than Scott. My first thought was, "Dear God! Jock Scott was still alive in 1962?" A little research revealed that the original Jock Scott, for whom the famous salmon fly was named, was born around 1817. It seems that the "Jock Scott" in question was actually Donald Rudd, who wrote Greased Line Fishing for Salmon under the pen name Jock Scott. Regardless, the fact remains that Lee Wulff out-fished either world-renowned author and Spey angler Donald Rudd, or an amazingly spry 150 year-old Jock Scott. Travelling to Scotland and catching more fish than a modern legend, eschewing the local fishing standard in favor of more familiar equipment and technique, stands as a great feat that should inspire anglers around the world.

The next time you read an article about the latest fly-fishing technique or the newest piece of gear, try to remember the lesson that Lee Wulff taught us in Scotland. Learn to use your equipment to its maximum potential. As you gain confidence, your skill in using that equipment will far surpass any advantage you would gain from a new rod or the latest hundred-dollar fly line.

Because today's topic centered around Lee Wulff, I would like to share with you how I tie Wulff-style dry flies, salmon sized, like the one pictured at the top of the article.

Gray Wulff

Hook: Up-eye salmon hook, size 8

Thread: Black Danville Flymaster 6/0

Wings: Natural deer hair

Tail: Natural deer hair

Body: Superfine dry-fly dubbing, tan

Hackle: Gray badger



Begin with the wings. Clean and stack your deer hair, tie the wing clump in place and separate the wings with several turns of thread and figure eight wraps. You may place a drop of cement between the wings to help them stay put.





Clean and stack another clump of deer hair for the tail. Because we are using a large hook, a generous amount of deer hair is necessary to help your salmon fly float high and dry. Take care not to wrap the deer hair too tightly near the hook bend, as this will cause the hair to flare out like a bass bug.



You may now apply dubbing and wrap the body.





We will use four hackles to keep this dry fly floating. Push the wings forward slightly and tie in two hackles at the front of the body. Wrap them forward and tie off behind the wings.



You may now push the wings back slightly, tie in two more hackles and wrap to the front. Tie off the hackles, make a neat head, whip finish and cement.





The finished fly has loads of deer hair and big, bushy hackle.



Big dry flies like this one are popular among salmon and steelhead anglers looking to lure fish to the surface. If you are not fortunate enough to live where these big fish haunt the rivers, do not despair. A salmon-sized Wulff fly like this is great for your favorite largemouth pond or smallmouth stream as well.



Welcome to Black Gnat Flyfishing



A Black Gnat dry fly.



Welcome! Black Gnat Flyfishing is all about fly fishing, fly tying and angling literature. We have spent the better part of the last ten years chasing trout, bass, pike and panfish around the midwest.  My wife, Kyra, and I have always shared a love of travel and the outdoors. While I have aspired to her level as a photographer, she has taken up my interest in fly fishing (catching more trout than I do, more often than not). Our travels have taken us from the green forests and mountain streams of West Virginia to the snow-capped peaks of Colorado, not to mention dozens of great rivers, streams and lakes in our native Indiana and our adopted home, Michigan.











The Black Gnat works wet, too!





A little red to grab your attention.



I look forward to sharing our experiences with you. If you have been around the fly-fishing scene for years, I hope that some of our stories will stir up your own fond memories. If you are new to fly fishing or fly tying, I hope that you find inspiration and instruction in what we have to offer. Enjoy!



How about a Black Gnat, spey style? I hope I can remember where I put this one come salmon season.