Featured Fly - GS Steelie PT

Keeping with my tying motto lately, "Guide Simple", the Steelie PT is a perfect fly. It is nothing ground breaking, or super flashy, but it has just enough to get a steelhead's attention. The color combinations are endless, and it is a fun fly to tie. I found that size 8 is a great size for this guy, 10s will also work. It doesn't have to be just a steelhead fly either, use it as a point fly while nymphing, or trailer it behind a streamer, trout will eat it too!

Materials:

Hook: TMC 2457 sz. 12-8

Thread: Uni Thread 6/0 - Fl. Fire Orange 

Rib:  Holo Tinsel - Gold 

Tail: Pheasant Tail -  Purple 

Abdomen: Pheasant Tail - Purple 

Thorax:  Petite Estaz - Brown 

Wing Case: Pheasant Tail - Purple

Step 1: Slide bead on.

Step 2: Make a thread base, tying in the Holo Tinsel as you go back.

Step 3: Tie in the Pheasant Tail, then take your thread back to the top.

 Step 4: Wrap the Pheasant Tail forward. Leaving enough space for 3 wraps of Estaz.

Step 5: Wrap the Tinsel forward making a rib.

Step 6: Tie in about 10 tail fibers, to make the wing case.

Step 7: Tie in the Estaz.

Step 8: Wrap the Estaz 3 times making the thorax.

Step 9: Fold the PT Fibers forward and tie off.

 

Step 10: Make a small "hot" collar with thread, Whip Finish, and cut off.

Featured Fly - Egg Carrying Sculpin

Here is a sweet streamer I designed for steelhead, smallmouth, and trout. It is a simple pattern to tie, and holds its profile nicely in the water. I haven't had a chance to test it out of steelhead yet, but the bass and trout around here seem to enjoy it, or maybe hate it, but they eat it!

Materials:

Hook: Daiichi 2553 - 4

Shank: Fish Skull 35mm

Eyes:  Tungsten Predator Eyes - Small

Tail: Rabbit Strip -  Olive 

Body: Estaz - Olive 

Collar 1: UV Polar Chenille

Collar 2: Guinea - Olive

Fins: Hen Neck Feathers - Olive 

Head: Laser Dub - Olive  

Step 1: Tie on the stinger hook and bead.

Step 2: Tie on the eyes, right behind the hook eye.

Step 3: Tie in the rabbit strip. Measure the length of buddy to the tip of the stinger hook. 

 Step 4: Tie in the estaz, at the same point as the bunny.

Step 5: Wrap estaz, tying it off eight behind the eyes.

 Step 6: Tie in the polar chenille.

 

 Step 7:  Make 2 wraps of the polar chenille, then tie off.

Step 8: Tie in the Guinea.

Step 9: Wrap the guinea, then tie off.

Step 10: Tie in the hen saddle feathers for the fins.

Step 11: Bring rabbit forward, tie off in front of the eyes.

Step 12:  Center tie on the Laser Dub.

Step 13: Tie in laser dub, one clump in the center, and one on each side.

Step 14: Tie one more clump of laser dub in the center of the head.

Step 14:  Trim the head making it flat and wide.

Step 15: Whip finish.

Finished Fly:

Oak Orchard - Year 4

Tuesday night after work, I met up with Steve "The Mailman" Nelson, for our annual midnight drive up to Oak Orchard for the tournament. We arrived just after midnight; we didn't waste much time setting the tone for the trip. Drinking until about two am, we hit the hay for a brief nap, until the four am alarm went off. It was five days of awesome fishing, not too many brown in the system, but the steelhead, and kings were there and ready to eat. One of the reasons I do this tournament, is the food, it is so good and there is no shortage of it. Each day we get breakfast, lunch, and dinner, everything is home cooked right there on the river, so I guess "riverside" cooked is more like it. Stoneflies were, again, my fly of choice for the whole tournament, hot bead head prince nymphs, and small eggs were also working well. One fly that I would have never thought to fish, the San Juan Worn, was cleaning up for one of the guys in our group. Anyway I could type for hours about the trip, but I'm going to let the pictures tell the story.