Fly of the Month

Flies of the Month

As Tied by Jeff Janecek and Craig Smothers

Fly No 1: JJ Minnow

by Jeff Janecek

Materials:

Hook: Standard, size 8
Thread: Fine red thread
Tail: Blue Angel Hair topped with White (or other light color) Craft-Fur.
Body: Red Thread
Eyes: Holographic eyes

Instructions:

1. Place a #8 standard hook in a vice. Wrap red thread to the start of the bend of the hook and back to the starting point.

2. Wet a 1/16th inch thick strip of craft fur about 2 ¼ inches long and place 2-4 strands of wet blue angel hair under the fur, holding both between your left hand fingers. Snip ends clean and tie on.

3. Work the thread back and forth 1/4 back from the hook eye. Once built up about 1/8 thick, squeeze the thread with smooth pliers facing up from under the fly. Glue on holographic eyes with Flex Tite.

4. Dip fly in water and snip to preferred length.

5. Fill in gap between eyes with glue or sparkle glue from Michaels.

There are different colors to pick from …chartreuse, yellow, white. etc. of craft fur. I like to use the white, because it becomes almost transparent once wet. The least amount of material gives the fly life-like movement. I
like to fish it in shallow water and watch the V wakes come up behind the fly. This Fly can be easily cast with a 3wt.

Fly No 2: Sand Shrimp

by Craig Smothers

During this time of year the larger shrimp disappear from inshore. Shrimp as well as smaller baitfish make up the primary diet of the local redfish and trout. The sand shrimp represents most of the smaller shrimp. Here is a fly which is quick to tie and easy to fish anywhere.

Materials:

HOOK: Mustad 34007 #4
EYES: XSmall 5/32 lead eyes painted red.
TAIL: Orange Arctic Fox Body Hair wrapped with 4 strands of orange Krystal Flash
BODY: Root Beer Estaz
WING: Brown Arctic Fox Body Hair
THREAD: Burnt Orange Flymaster+
MISC: Dave’s Fleximent

Instructions:

1. Start with the hook in the point down position in the vice. Thread back from the eye to the beginning of the bend in the hook. Tie in a decent sized clump of orange fox hair at the back extending it back about half of the length of the hook. Tie in 4 strands of orange Krystal Flash on either side of the tail.

2. Tie in the end of the root beer Estaz just in front of the tail. Move the thread forward toward the eye. Tie in the lead eye on top leaving yourself room for the wing. Glue down the length of the hook.

3. Wrap the Estaz forward to just behind the eye.

4. Tie it off and trim the tag end.

5. Flip the hook over in the vice.

6. Tie in a decent clump of brown arctic fox hair in front of the eye. It should extend back about half the length of the tail.

7. finish and glue the head.

I taught a new, easy to learn whip finish at this meeting called the “two and through”. It is SO simple!! If you missed it, please stop by my table next time I tie, and sit and actually learn this method. I will have an extra vice in front of me for you. Or ask one of the members who learned the method at the July meeting.