Jake's Brood X Cicada

Jake’s Brood X Cicada:

The Brood X Cicada is a 17-year fly angler’s dream. Every 17 years these noisy protein packed meals crawl out of the ground and make a mess for the real world, but for a trout, smallmouth, or carp, it is an endless buffet. Fish all sizes lose their minds for about 2 months, eating every one that hits the water until they can’t fit any more in their bellies. I’m convinced that they have the same internal conversation humans do when we are reaching that moment of total discomfort from eating but can’t stop. “Should I eat this last bite and feel like crap for a while, or do I just stop while I’m ahead?” I don’t know about you, but I always fall for that and take the last bite. These Cicadas pop up around the country in different locations yearly, but without tracking them and doing a little traveling, they only come around locally every 17 years and this year the Cumberland Valley is in the bullseye. 

When I found out it was our year, I sat down and trolled the internet looking for cool patterns to tie, even purchased a few from other tiers, but I still wanted to tie a couple of my own design. After about 6 semi decent attempts I landed on this design as my favorite and I wanted to share it with everyone. I don’t have a fancy name for it yet so we I just kept it basic and to the point. 

Enjoy the video and get tying they will be here before we know it. 

Featured Fly or Should I say Flies

With the recent snow fall and tomorrows temp drop, I have already found myself thinking about summer time smallmouth. I had finished two videos just as the season wrapped up, one of my Over Easy Sculpin and the other of Brian Shumaker's Shimmering Minnow. Both are great smallmouth flies, that will carry over into many other freshwater situations as well. I am going to try the Shimmering Minnow in Erie this weekend. However, I will always associate both of these flies with warm water and smallmouth bass. Check these videos out and get them tied up and ready for warmer weather.

Featured Fly - El Crawcito Variation

I can not take credit for any of this fly. It was designed buy the guys over at Fly Fish Food. It has become a staple in my fly box this year. I would say it is the best crayfish pattern out there today. I did a couple very minor variations of materials to make it better fish our water, but if it isn't broke, don't fix it. I just love this pattern. Hope you all enjoy!

Materials:Hook: Partridge Universal Predator sz. 1
Eyes: Presentation Eyes - Med - Black
Thread: 6/0 UNI Thread - Olive
Antena: Barred Sili Legs - Nymph - Pumpkin
Flash: Senyos Predator Wrap
Hot Spot: EP Tarantula Brush - Orange
Claws: Barred Rabbit Zonkers - Olive
Eyes:  Mono Eyes - Black
Collar: Palmer Chenille - Med - Brown
Body: Arizona Semi Seal - Olive or Brown
Legs: Barred Sili Legs - Olive or Brown

Step 1: Tie in your lead eyes, leaving a small gap between the hook eye and lead eyes.

Step 2: Angle the hook downward in the vice and make a thread base.

Step 3: Tie in nymph size rubber legs.

Step 4: Tie in a small clump of Senyos Predator wrap.

Step 5: Tie in EP Tarantula Brush, wrap it 3 times. 

Step 6: Tie in a small piece of rabbit zonker on each side of the hook.

Step 7: Bend the mono Eyes and tie in right in front of the rabbit.

Step 8: Make 3 wraps of palmer chenille. 

Step 9: Make a dubbing loop with the semi seal and wrap it forward leaving a small space behind the eyes. 

Step 10: Tie in 8 rubber legs they should be just barely touching the hook point.

Step 11: Make another dubbing loop and finish off the fly.

Step 12: Brush out the dubbing and whip finish. 

Finished Fly

The El Crawcito Variation - a great smallmouth bass fly!

Jam Packed into One

It has been very hard to keep up with the blog this year. With the new shop, an hour and twenty minute commute, and being newly married, it is hard to find time to sit and type to give everyone some updates on the fishing around the area. I have however, managed to find time to do some tying and fishing over the past few weeks. It seems as if we are under way with all fishing on the east, the bass are starting to migrate to spawn, the muskies are adding a few pounds after the winter, the mayflies are coming off, and the stripers are moving up to the flats. I will be doing a write up of a very skilled guide down on the Susquehanna flats, He's one of my good friends and a fellow Maryland native that has spent countless days searching the Chesapeake Bay for stripers of all sizes.

On the trout side, Hendricksons are still coming off in the south east, grannoms are done but just firing up in central pa. We have plenty of tan caddis on just about every stream, so get out your pupa and cdc caddis. Its go time! Over the past week or so, any caddis pupa pattern has been working as well as some larger caddis larva. Of course when the fish start rising, we put all that stuff away and pull out the High Fly and dust up those dry flies.

Client fish from a spring creek

Client fish from the Yellow Breeches 

Rob with a nice fish, me with a bad picture.

On the bass and musky front, well they don't like me this year it seems. Every time I head out for them it is blowing, raining, and freezing cold. Some of my friends however are doing very well and have been finding some nice fish in the big rivers along with some of the tribs. Here are all the flies I have been tying for this coming smallmouth season.

Smallmouth Bass Fly Patterns

The Roamer in many different colors 

Feathered Game Changer flies 

Flies I tied at the PA Fly Fishing Museum Open House. 

Stripers, well I will get into that on the next post.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Featured Fly - Taramite 3.0

I know that its not bass season anymore, or at least its not prime bass season, and everyone is thinking about steelhead and big lake run brown trout. So I'm sure you are wondering why I'm posting a video on another variation of my hellgrammite pattern. Well I recorded this video in the heat of smallmouth season but, just got a computer that could handle the editing process. So here you go. Keep this one in your favorites menu and pull it back up in the summer. Hope to have any more to come.

Smallmouth Food - Top Water

I know Top Water is not a category of smallmouth food, however it is a great way to catch them. Below are some of the best top water bugs I have used for bass over the years. Some of the imitations include: Frogs, Dragonflies, and general Baitfish.

Boogle Bugs have been the ticket this season. All colors and sizes have been working.

Troop's Square Head, a super light weight fly that makes a nasty pop.

Pat Cohen's Divers, another favorite this season. They work great early season or when the water is a bit high and off color.

Mice! everything eats them, so why should it be different with bass?

General Baitfish, early spring and fall the bass really seem to love chasing bait into the shallows

River Photos - Two Days on the Schuylkill

From here on out, I will not be boring you will all the details of my fishing trips. Most of my posts from here on out will just be photos from my trips and adventures, mixed with fly tutorials. If anyone has questions about the details please feel free to stop in the shop or shoot me an email.

Enjoy the photos from my last couple days on the Schuylkill River.

Featured Fly - Ghost Minnow

This is a variation of one of my favorite smallmouth flies, the zuddler minnow. It i the completely white version with a few twists.

Materials:

Hook: TMC 5263 - 4

Conehead: Conehead - Lrg. - Pearl White 

Body: Pearl Braid - Pearl

Rib: Schlappen Feather - White 

Tail: Rabbit Zonker - White 

Legs: Sili Legs - Pearl with Orange Tips

Collar: Schlappen Feathers - White 

1. Add about 15 wraps of .025 lead

2. Tie in the rabbit zonker just before the hook bend

3. Tie in the Pearl Braid

4. Tie in the Schlappen Feather tip first

5. Wrap the Pearl Braid forward, leaving a small space behind the Cone

6. Palmer the Schalppen Forward

7. Pull the Zonker forward an tie off right behind the Cone

8. Tie in 4 legs on each side, making them half the length of the body

9. Wrap a collar of schlappen in front of the rabbit

Finished Fly - Ghost Minnow - Smallmouth Bass Fly