Attaching Fly Tying Thread and Materials

How to properly attach the thread and materials.

To ensure that materials will not slip and come apart, it’s important to tie them in neatly and tightly to the hook shank. Hold materials between your thumb and forefinger and place the material on top of the hook. Then, pinch the thread and material and make numerous neat, firm wraps over the material to secure it. Loose wraps will cause the material to slip and pull out. Too many wraps will bulk up the shank making it difficult to attach other materials. 

Bulky materials such as large tinsels, lead wire, stems of feather quills and raffia will usually require a heavier thread like D thread, 2/0 Monocord, Kelvar and Nymo. Also, the ends of the heavier materials may have to be tapered so they can be smoothly attached.  For most materials, lighter threads are easily attached and tapering is not needed. 

Illustrations of attaching thread and materials.

 

Fly Fishing and Tying Pale Morning and Pale Evening Duns

PMD and PED tied by Doug Stewart 

Pale Morning Dun 

The Pale Morning Dun is a dry fly in the order Ephemerella. It is found only in North America from the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean. It has three tails and is available during daylight hours, which makes it much easier to see. It is slightly larger than its counterpart the Pale Evening Dun and is more commonly used. Its hatch cycle is from June to August. 

Pale Evening Dun 

The Pale Evening Dun is a dry fly in the order Heptagenia and inhabits the same region as the Pale Morning Dun. It has only two tails. It usually emerges in the late afternoon to evening, and mating and laying eggs on the water (ovipositing) occurs sometime later. It hatches out from April to October. 

How to Fish the PMDs and PEDs

When it is too dark to follow the Dun, let it become awash as it glides across the surface. This will allow it to simulate a wet fly being fished down and across the current. This method is commonly called the wet fly swing and can create strong and aggressive takes, especially late in the evening. When fish are not surface feeding, you can also use a watery dun flymph pattern to interest trout. 

Bowing to the Fish

One caution is offered to ensure solid hookups. You must keep your rod pointed at a low angle to the water as the fly swings and when a fish strikes lean slightly forward as you set the hook. This is called "bowing to the fish."

Fly Fishing in Hot Weather with a Leadwing Coachman.

My Fat 16-Inch Trout

The Leadwing Coachman fly was originated in the early 1800s. It was tied by an Englishman who was a hired coachman, and to please his lord he tied this fly. I have used it for years and have always had consistent success with it by swinging it across the surface or dead drifting it. One of the better times to use it is during caddisfly hatches, especially when dry flies are nonproductive. 

I had the opportunity to fish the Deschutes River in early July when the caddisflies were particularly active. The only problem was that an extended heat wave was going on and the temperatures had been in the mid to high nineties for nearly a month. This can cause water temperatures to rise to 70 degrees or more. This condition can play havoc with trout fishing because warm water contains less oxygen than cold water. As temperatures rise the oxygen levels decrease and trout will begin to undergo extreme stress and become lethargic. The fact is that extended high temperatures can also cause death. Optimum temperatures for rainbow trout is around 40 to 61 degrees depending on the stream and location, so a stream thermometer can be a helpful tool. 

Eye-Catching Sunset on the Deschutes River

One evening I headed downriver to one of my favorite evening haunts, but I had serious concerns about my success.  As I approached, the air temperature was 99 degrees and the water temperature was almost 68 degrees. There was a decent hatch of caddisflies and a few Pale Evening Duns, but there was little evidence of rising fish. At any rate, I decided to make a few casts using my Leadwing Coachman. After a hour of periodic casting, I managed to hook and release a tired-looking 7-inch trout. Regretfully, the only thing that was really biting were the mosquitoes, so I took a few photos of a sunset and left. 

The second evening wasn’t quite as hot and the water temperature had dropped to 63 degrees. The changes were minimal, but it made a substantial difference. I hooked three fish and landed two:  a 10 incher and a fat 16 incher. I also watched a fish close to 20 inches jump and spit out my Leadwing Coachman. I had a warm feeling of satisfaction. 

The Thunder and Lightning Fly is more than a Great Storm Fly

Doug's Version of the Thunder and Lightning Fly

The Thunder and Lightning fly was supposedly named after a sudden storm caused a river to rise quickly and which in turn caused salmon to go into a feeding frenzy. However, as years passed, fly fishers discovered that it was a much better fly in low water. Because of this, I tend to believe that the Thunder and Lightening fly is an all-around pattern that can be used in many conditions. There are numerous variations that are effective as well. 

My only experience with this fly occurred at Davis Lake, Oregon where rainbows of ten pounds or more could be caught. My friend Bill and I had been fishing this lake for several hours with only a few smaller fish to our credit. We were still enjoying the day, when the weather suddenly began to turn for the worse. Dark, ominous clouds began to build up in the northeast which quickly grabbed my attention. When thunder began to rumble, I told Bill that we should head back, but he just scoffed and said with a cocky sneer, “What, are you afraid of a little lightening? 

I glared directly at him and said, “Bill, we are sitting in an aluminum boat and our graphite fly rods are lightning rods! Let’s go before it gets worse.” 

He was very indignant and said sarcastically, “Maybe we’ll have better luck if we use the Thunder and Lightning fly!” 

When he laughed, I glared at him and yelled, “Bill, that’s taunting nature! I’m rowing back and taking cover.” 

The minute we got to camp, thunder, strong winds and lightening began to threaten us. Besides the lightening, the rain began to pelt the camp, the wind collapsed our tent and our sleeping bags got sopping wet.  After we weathered the storm, the subject of lightening never entered our conversation again.

Dr. T. E. Pryce-Tannant refers to the Thunder and Lightning fly in this book, How to Dress Salmon Flies. The original recipe for this fly took 16 applications, but here is a simplified version that should also work.

Tag:  Oval gold tinsel
Tail:  Golden pheasant crest
Butt:  Black ostrich herl
Body:  Black floss, gold tinsel and palmered orange hackle
Throat:  Blue jay feathers
Wing:  Bronze mallard feather over teal
Topping: Golden pheasant crest
Shoulder:  Jungle Cock
Head:  Black ostrich herl

How to Unsnag a Snagged Fly

Snagged Up!

Following are some techniques I've used over the years to unsnag a snagged fly. But a note of caution: Don’t take any unnecessary chances when trying to retrieve your favorite pattern. Losing a fly is always better than risking the possibility drowning, breaking a bone or hooking yourself. 

WATER SNAGS

1. First, use 5 or 6 roll casts over the suspected snag area to try and unhook the fly.

2. Put a few feet of slack line out and twitch or jiggle it several times in different directions.

3. If possible, wade as close to the snag as you safely can, point your rod tip slightly under the water and reel the line in until it is taut. Then, slightly tug on the line a few times to try and free it.

4. When all else fails, reel in all of the slack line so that it is taut, point the rod in the direction of the snag and give the line several straight pulls to free it. If it doesn't, break it off and tie on another fly.

TREE SNAGS

1. To begin, locate the snagged area and slightly jiggle the line to see if it will come free.

2. If possible, reel in the line so that the rod tip can reach the fly and jiggle the rod several times to try and free it.

3. If the snag is close enough to reach with a long stick or wading staff, use either one to try and jostle the fly free.

4. Like a snag in the water, reel in all of the slack line to the tip top guide, point the rod and steadily pull it until the line breaks or the fly comes loose.

A Nostalgic return to the Nestucca River

Doug with his Sea-Run Cutthroat Trout

When my friend Marty Sherman asked if I wanted to float the Nestucca River, I jumped at the opportunity. I had fished this Oregon coastal stream many years ago with good success and had nostalgic memories of its great runs of Steelhead. This popular river has a prime run of large native Steelhead in the winter and good runs of Summer Steelhead in the spring. It is also popular for Spring and Fall Chinook fishing. 

Marty fly fishing the Nestucca for Steelhead

The Nestucca was in good shape as we launched Marty’s 18-foot Clackamax at First Bridge, near the town of Hebo. It was flowing at a depth of 5 to 61/2 feet, so success was foremost on our minds. We decided to fish at the boat launch, known as the Bridge Hole, because in the past Marty had hooked several Steelhead there. We both rigged up similar outfits with a float indicator near the butt extension and several small split shots about 1 to 1 1/2 feet from the flies. I was using an orange Glo Bug, and Marty tied on a colorful streamer fly.
Surprisingly, in less than fifteen minutes, I got a good tug that felt like a Steelhead. It turned out to be a colorful 14 inch Sea-Run Cutthroat trout which was released following a few quick photos. After nearly an hour of casting without any strikes, we pulled anchor and headed down river. 

Sea-Run Cutthroat Trout

As we floated the 5- to 6-mile drift, Marty pointed out four popular fishing landmarks with productive fly fishing water: the Rope Swing Hole, the Rock Hole, the 101 Camp and the Farmer’s Creek take out. We stopped and fished these areas without any success, but the pleasant weather was a fitting reward. It also gave us a chance reminisce about past experiences and plans for future trips. Sometimes fishing is not all about catching fish!