Featured Fly - Soft Hackle Grannom Caddis

Soft Hackles have never been my expertise, and I do not claim to know much about them. However with the up and coming Grannom hatch, I decided it was time to put one up. I came up with this simple guy two years ago to fish on the little J. It worked well, so per request from a couple readers, here you go. Again I am no expert, but this simple pattern has worked for me. Enjoy

Materials:

Hook: TMC 200R 14-18

Thread: UNI Thread - 6/0 - Olive 

Rib: Ultra Wire - Small - Copper

Body: Peacock Herl - 4 or 5 

Hot Spot: Lazer Dub - Chart.

Hackle: Partridge - Natural 

Step 1: Make a thread base, tying your wire in as you go back. 

Step 2: Tie in 4 strands on peacock herl. I like to break the tips off, this helps to make them all even.

Step 3: Wrap the peacock forward. Leaving about plenty of room for dubbing and collar.

Step 4: Wrap the wire forward. This will help making the fly more durable.

Step 5: Make a small dubbing ball. This will help keep the hackle up.

Step 6: Pick out a hackle feather, separating it to make a tie in point.

Step 7: Tie in the hackle, cutting the tip off.

Step 8: Make 3 wraps of the hackle, making sure it is distributed equally around the fly.

Step 9: Whip finish and cut off.

Finished Fly: 

Don't Forget - Spring Ice Breaker April 5th

Dont forget, Mike Shultz will be in the shop from 9:30am until 3:30, Saturday April 5th! Come listen and watch him tie flies and talk smallmouth. Lance and I will be talking about smallmouth in PA in the am, and Andy will be tying flies in the afternoon. Coffee, Beer, Donuts, and Pizza will all be present at the event!!!

Photos From the Stream

There could be a long story about friendship and unforgettable fish fights, but instead I'm just going to put pictures up. These are from the last few outing I've been on, all with close friends from around the east coast. East Philly to Vermont, its always awesome fishing with friends! 

Spring Ice Breaker - April 5th & 6th

Mike Schultz (known as “Schultzy” to most) is the Owner of Schultz Outfitters Fly Shop & Guide Service specializing in Southeastern Michigan angling, instruction, and destination travel.

Born and raised in the Great State of Michigan, Schultzy has enjoyed the outdoors his entire life. During his early teenage years he developed an interest in fly-fishing.  The majority of his free time quickly became consumed with fishing and tying.  After graduating from Eastern Michigan University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Business Administration, he started guiding and working in the fly-fishing industry full-time.  

Logging 200+ days a year on the water, Schultzy has developed a vast knowledge of Midwestern waters and beyond.  The bulk of his guiding and angling takes place on his home waters of Southeastern Michigan; The Huron, Flint, Shiawassee, Raisin & Kalamazoo Rivers offer world class warm-water fishing.  Over the years, Schultzy has spent his fall and winter seasons guiding Steelhead on the world famous Pere Marquette River as well as the Ohio tributaries that make up Steelhead Alley.  His angling travels have taken him from Alaska to Patagonia and many places in between.

Schultzy has been a member of the Simms Fishing Products Ambassador Program since its inception, and is a member of the Scientific Anglers and Hatch Reels National Pro Staff.  His signature fly patterns are available through the ORVIS Company.

He currently resides in Dexter, Michigan on the banks of The Huron River with his wife, Allie and son, Tanner.

Join us April 5th at TCO Reading and April 6th in TCO State College for our Spring Ice Breaker Event

TCO Reading Schedule:

9:30 -10:15 - PowerPoint Presentation “ Warmwater Opportunities “by Jake Villwock & Andy Wagner

10:30-12:00 - Mike Schultz demonstrates to how to tie his signature patterns. 

12:30-1:30 - PowerPoint Presentation “Smallmouth Solutions: Tips and Tactics for Adverse Conditions” by Mike Schultz

2:00-3:00 -  Tying Demonstration by Andy Wagner - His Favorite Smallmouth Patterns 

3:00-??? - Fishing stories and questions over a cold Beer!

TCO State College Schedule:

9:30 -10:15 - PowerPoint Presentation “ Warmwater Opportunities “by Jake Villwock & Andy Wagner

10:30-12:00 - Mike Schultz demonstrates to how to tie his signature patterns. 

12:30-1:30 - PowerPoint Presentation “Smallmouth Solutions: Tips and Tactics for Adverse Conditions” by Mike Schultz

2:00-3:00 - Tying Demonstration by Ron McGraw-“Favorite Bugs for the Juniata”

3:00-3:30 - Casting Clinic by Doug Bear “Casting and Presenting Big Flies on Sinking Lines”

Tulpehocken Creek Trout Unlimited Banquet

Stop in the Shop and Register or go online to: http://www.tullytu.org/

We have some awesome silent auction prizes this year, rods, reels, hand Painted Artwork, and plenty of jewelry and handbags for your loved ones. We will also have two big ticket items for chance raffles, a Winston Biiix 864-4 and a $750.00 gift card to TCO Fly Shop!!!!

Featured Fly - Furry Czech

The Furry Czech is a simple combination of a couple different flies. I was sitting at my vise the other morning tying up some Cat Nips, Furry Foam Green Weenies, and Caddis Larva, when I decided to put thin skin on top of a green weenie. I thought it looked pretty cool, but it needed something else, so the next one got a hot collar. An hour later I had a pile of these guys tied up. I tied them in Olive, Fl. Chart, and Tan. We will see how they work tomorrow.

Materials:

Hook: 2499 SPBL, 10-14

Thread: UNI Thread 6/0 - color to best match bead 

Bead: Size to match hook

Rib: 6lb mono

Body: Furry Foam - Fl. Chart, Olive or Tan

Hot Collar: Sow Scud - Big Horn Orange 

Shellback: Thin Skin - Czech Spec 

Step 1: Make a thread base, tying in the mono as you go back.

Step 2: Tie in the furry foam. Bring thread forward stopping behind the bead.

Step 3: Wrap the furry foam forward.

Step 4: Dub a hot collar behind the bead.

Step 5: Tie on the thin skin.

Step 6: Take the mono and secure the thin skin, making a nice even rib up the fly.

Step 7: Cut off the thin skin and mono rib, then whip finish.

Finished Fly:

Sticks and Leaves

Sticks and Leaves, thats how Lenny got out of a ditch on Penns Creek yesterday, we can talk about that later. This post is about an inspiration, that was much needed. Looking back at last months post, it is easy to see I couldn't find much to write about. I spent a lot of time at the vise and very little time on the stream, single digit temps may have had something to do with that. It wasn't until today that I really got excited about being on the water, and the up and coming season. However this story really isn't about me, its about my buddy Corey "the other guy" Siple, a fellow musky addict from Western PA. Corey and I met last year, when I was invited to our State College store to tie musky flies, and listen to Corey and his buddy Todd give a presentation about fishing for musky with a fly rod. We met up once last summer and did a float for toothy critters, that landed me my first Pike. Since then we have kept in touch, trying to get together so I could repay the favor, by rowing him down a river on the East side of the state. Today was it, we hit the water.

Corey and I had a rough year last year, him hooking nine fish and loosing them all, and I hooking three and loosing every one as well. Today the dry spell lasting over a year and a half was finally broken! Corey hooked into a hot musky, and held onto it long enough for a photo shoot! Hell Yeah man, you called it! Today was in fact "A Good Day!!"

I have to give a big thanks to Lenny for also pounding the banks with us, and rowing so I could chuck a chicken at the bank for a bit! This was the exact trip I needed to get jazzed up and inspired to start writing again!