Jungle Crease

Largely inspired by the crease flies from Rupert Harvey these flies just look the job to take with me to Guyana. Tied on a Gamakatsu SL12S 8/0 with an internal large rattle, they are bound to be noticed by some angry wolf fish....
More time consuming than being  difficult tie, the crease fly has nothing more to prove. A great salt water pattern that's also a killer on freshwater predators.
For the tail i wanted something visual and with great movement on the strip and during the pauses. I could've went with feathers or bucktail , but i just love using faux shammy leather. A synthetic material, it doesn't absorb too much water, keeps it's shape once dry , moves so naturally in the water and it's very resilient. I use it all the time for pike i never had once sliced apart.
For the tie i simply fixed the rattle on the hook, wrapped it with some 2mm foam strips (secured with superglue). Them cut the tails to shape, glued them on the crease body with some lateral scales for added life. Gorilla glued the crease body and tail to the hook a little airbrush and a final coating of Gorilla clear glue ( thanks Rupert for the tip !) Spin dry for a good cpl of hours and let to dry for a further 24 hours.

• First , hook prep:

Large rattle tied to the hook.

Wrap the rattle a few times with some 2mm foam

Hook ready! Simple.

• Crease body and tail prep:

  

  Crease body cut into 2mm foam sheet

  

  Simple but effective tail design

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

Glue in place two lateral scales first (black &peacock here)

Then glue the tail and two more lateral scales on top

Cover the inside with some Gorilla Super glue, let dry for 10 seconds and stick on hook

Squeeze and hold, super glue works very fast on foam so be sure of the foam position before sealing the deal!

The rattle and foam give the crease a fantastic profile!

Stick some eyes, a  little more airbrushing and ready for the final step.

All ready for a nice coat of Gorilla clear glue.

• Finished ties:

Exo leader & Pike leader

A subject that's very personal, and first of all i want to say that what's written on this article is based totally on my experience as a pike angler, guide and lodge owner. This means that over the last 25 years i have seen and tried all sorts of "bite proof" materials here at the lodge and abroad in both fresh and salt water.
All i want from my leader is 100% confidence that it will not break or come undone. If something gives, it's changed right away, i tried countless snaps, tying straight to the fly and now split rings.

• Lets start with the materials that i hate and for good reasons:

Fluorocarbon: To be efficient fluoro for pike needs to be over 120lbs in size.(again i note that i am speaking for here in Ireland) I have seen too many good fish lost here at the lodge with 0.80mm and up to 1.0mm cut clean by pikes. Every year a staggering 60% of big fish are lost because clients still use fluoro that's way to weak!!This isn't right !  I don't see the point of busting your balls tying beautiful  flies and putting in front of them a  huge thick tippet that breaks completely their swimming action . It's not surprising that other guides and lodges (like MSTPA in Alaska) that have a total ban on fluoro. Maybe it works for the lure anglers that fish big baits, but a fly can so easily be engulfed deep in the mouth of any size pike.  Again this is very personal, maybe where you live and the fish you catch need fluoro and you never had a problem, but here i would never put my trust in fluoro. EVER!

Kevlar: too weak, and the so called armed one with wire inside, well there's simply not enough wire inside to resist to pike's teeth.

49 strands steel wire, coated or bare :  Very good resistance but kinks way to easily.

Single strand titanium: Way too stiff for natural fly presentation.

• Now the materials that i trust:

1x7 stainless steel wire: The Bleeding wire from American fishing wire to be more precise.This is the one that i use most.Been using it for about 6 years solid now, both here in Ireland and in Alaska. Yes it does kink but in size 30lbs you can catch a good few fish before it needs changing.This is not a bad thing as changing your leader regularly you will always have something freshly tied and new. I connect my leader to the tippet via either an Albright knot or my preferred : the Six turn Yucatan knot. Inexpensive compared to other materials, i usually buy a 300m spool the will last me a long time, for me and while guiding.Don't be put of by it's bright red colour, it absolutely does not scare the fish away. Many times i fished in the company of other anglers using fluoro and at the end of the day i was catching as many fish (if not more).The idea behind the red colour is that in clear and shallow water the red represents a blood trail.And in deeper water, red is the first colour to disappear.

The Six turn Yucatan knot, easier to make on the water than an albright

Mustad Fastach Nº3

Multistrand titanium: Supple and kink resistant, the only problem is because it lasts so long anglers forget to check it and replace when needed resulting in a "surprise break". If you use that material, be sure to check it often , it usually start it's weakness by having  the small single  strands snapping one by one. Other negative, it's expensive.

Cahira Nitinol wire in multistrands: Very similar to titanium with amazing kink resistance, won't rust, dead straight, can be knotted, but i prefer using a crimp with the triple pass technique. Not as expensive as titanium. Only this year i am really giving this material a go. I first purchased it to make leaders for the Guyana trip , so i went on the heavy side (88lbs). But i liked the way it felt so i got the 44lbs version to try for my pike fishing.

• Lets have a look how i attach the fly to my leaders: 

 With inexpensive materials ( 1x7 stainless steel) i like to knot straight to the fly with a non slip loop knot or better known as the Rapala knot
I don't like using snaps as they either open or get weak after being open/closed too many times.
The fastach from Mustad is probably one of my favorite, but saying that i had four size 3s that opened on my over the last two years . 3 in Alaska and 1 here in Ireland.

As i like always experimenting and trying new things, this year i am going with the most trusted set up, used widely in saltwater lures, split rings are basically unbreakable. A incorporate a welded ring on all my traces for changing flies fast and hassle free. This has only one drawback...You need to place a split ring on every single fly you intend to use. It's easier to put a solid ring onto a split ring, than putting a split ring onto your fly.
When i'm on the water i really like using the Smith pincette for split rings. A small nipper like tool that opens split rings easily without the need to have a big pair of split ring pliers.
As i said , i am giving a good go on split rings/solid rings this year and i will update you on how the Cahira Nitinol wire holds up and if  the split ring set up  for pike is a good idea (safety & practicality)

• How to make the solid ring trace: 

It's pretty straight forward, i crimp using the triple pass technique, the loop are cushioned and protected with a neoprene sleeve and i cover the crimp with some heat shrink tubing.
For ALL my leaders i use Amnesia , inexpensive ( 5€ a spool)  and super solid, this memory free monofilament is the bomb.Comes in many sizes and colours. And i used it in both saltwater in Costa Rica and the Seychelles and in freshwater for many species. 

From left to right: Solid ring, neoprene sleeve, crimp, shrink tube.

The triple pass technique so you can be sure it won't slip

Crimp

Pros of the solid ring : 100% solid, will not open or break, lighter that a clip or a swivel.
Cons: having to equip your flies with split rings, can take a while at the start to get used to changing your flies.
At the end if its solid and discreet i'm all for it!

Top of the trace, perfection loop on Amnesia, loop to loop connection.

Finished product.

A fly ready armed with a split ring that will stay in place.

The Smith pincette, a great little tool

Connected!

Big size on the left for the Amazon(88lbs) and the pike ones on the right (44lbs)

Nice and neat.

 This is where i get the Nitinol wire: https://www.cahiranitinol.co.uk/

The tying sessions EP:33 RAMSEY'S CYCLOP

An other top water pattern, this one was originally designed for taimen if i'm not mistaken. It represents a dying baitfish flapping on the surface. The action is a mix between a skid and a popper. Normally used in rivers this fly will feel at home on stillwater too. I have fished this fly for pike in the margins and over weedbeds with good success and i'm sure if tied in different sizes it will tempt many other predators from bass to GT and peacock bass.This fresh batch if coming with me for the Guyane trip!

As usual feel free to change colors and hook size. For pike i like to use the Sakuma Mantas and for more exotic  species i always trust a good Gamakatsu SL12S.

The Tying Sessions, EP:32 The Drowning rodent 2.0

I always liked fishing mice/rat flies. I remember when i was much younger, i was fishing with my father, we were on a river and his float fished roach disappeared in a flash. The fight was poor and short as the water temperatures were very low. Sadly after many efforts that fish decided to stay belly up. We decided not to waste it and  took it home. But when we cleaned it at the river, he had in his stomach three full grown rats, and that pike was not big pushing maybe just 3 kgs!
Since that day i cannot have a fly box without at least a couple of rats!

Tried and tested...Many times over

I like to fish them on a floating line, early spring (end February , March, April ) When most anglers wouldn't dream in using a topwater fly at this time of the year, i usually score some good fish on this pattern early in the year. Rats and mice are in full activity at this time, ready to start breeding after their long winter they often cross rivers and loughs simply because its the shorter route. Later in spring you will have the young ones, a little inexperienced and without any fear of what might lie beneath them when they fall in the water.
Later in the year, summer time , i like using these rats for late evening if it's a bright hot day, and if you have a summer like us here in Ireland (rain and not so hot...) you can be deadly fished over big weed beds. Not just margins and lillypads.
I started using deer hair for the top of the tie to give it buoyancy and Congo hair on the belly to make it sink. I caught many good fish with this tie, but i knew i could improve it's action a lot more.
This is the results, the drowning rodent 2.0! I use two types of fibers now, WATER SILK and CONGO HAIR from FLY TYERS DUNGEON .
The water silk is finer it olds and absorbs more water, the Congo hair is a little stiffer and doesn't hold water much. But water still sheds fast with a couple of false cast making this fly a lot easier to cast then it's original deer version.

 I use the water silk for the bottom of the tie(tail and first section) and introduce the Congo hair on the third shank but only on the top of the shank, belly stays in water silk. Finish the head with the foam, give it a good brush and trim.
You could make this fly with a brush instead of stacking like i do, bit stacking gives you advantages that you can't match with a brush...Using two type of fibers is one and the choice in colours that you have at your disposition.

I hope you enjoy the video, and thanks again for your continued support!

 

Jungle flies , the Disco Biscuit !

The jungle box is growing by the day!This time we stay with some top water madness, the Disco Biscuit!
A head that skim the surface with a little dive action, but its the engine at the back that makes all the commotion! Most of them are tied with strong metal propellers, as the crushing power of the Aimara is immense and i try to tie flies that will be used for more that one fish....
On the fire tiger model i put small quad props, they are made of plastic but feel very strong....We will see if they hold... The tails are tied on 30lbs single strand titanium, a prop , a bead and some northern lights flash.
It's a pretty simple tie but it requires time. The making of the heads has to be home made as they need to match your chosen hook.In this case i am using one of my favorite hook, the Gamakatsu SL12S in 8/0.
A weedguard is essential to be able to cast into deep wooden cover without the fear of snagging.You can be more adventurous with your casting when you have a quality weedguard.
I use a double 80lbs fluorocarbon, as i said before the power of the jaws of the wolf fish is so important that a stiff weed guard won't get in the way of a good hook up.
I finished the tie with a good coating of epoxy. I rarely use UV resin for my heads as i find none of them have the solidity of the epoxy.

• Hook selection: this is where i buy my bulk Gamakatsu: www.millersflyshop.com

 

• Head building:

Cut your block into rectangles close to the size that you need.

Cut the sides to start to get a rounded shape

Place in a drill and shape using sand paper.

Cut the bottom part.

• Head decorating: Airbrush/Sharpey, stick some eyes.

• Tail preparation:

30lbs titanium and a clevisse crimp.

Secure the tread with superglue+ uv resin

• Secure tail onto the hook: 

Place the bead +prop

• Tie the weed guard:

• Place the head, secure with super glue and tie the weed guard at the front:

Secure with figure 8 tying

Measure and burn the tips to create a mushroom head.

•  Finishing the tie, epoxy the head.

I like to add a little glitter for some heads to get that extra bling.

 

Red or dead

Nebula!!! one of my favorite finish!

Fire tiger