The Ozark Mountains remain one of fly fishing’s best-kept secrets. It is also home to an assortment of can’t-miss flies.

I’ve fished the Ozarks for many years. In my younger days, after my mother and father retired and moved south to Arkansas, I considered this to be my adopted fly fishing home. Over time I fished many of the region’s spring-fed creeks and rivers, tailwater rivers, lakes, warmwater mountain streams, and freestone rivers.

The Ozark Mountains cover three states, comprising Missouri, Arkansas, and Eastern Oklahoma. The Ozarks, which are close to major populations centers such as Memphis, Saint Louis, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa, may be one of the most unique areas to fish in the world. It is possible, within the same day, to fish for tailwater trout, cast to coolwater smallmouth bass, and finish the evening by casting popping bugs to trophy largemouth bass in some of our country’s biggest lakes. Few regions offer this kind of diversity and unique fishing opportunities.

Because of the Ozark’s rich fly fishing heritage, a large number of fly tiers, guides, and fly shops have created effective patterns to catch the local fish. Most other tiers overlook these flies because many of the patterns are regional. And because some of the trophy tailwaters weren’t developed until the 1940s, fly fishing in the Ozarks, except for perhaps the White River, has not gotten the same national exposure that other regions have enjoyed. The Ozarks offer a wealth of fine fly fishing, and these local patterns have worked almost everywhere I have tried them.

Rather than tell you the stories of the flies here, I’ll save that for the pattern descriptions. Tie these flies and try them on your local waters; I am sure you will be pleased with the results. And the next time you travel through the Ozarks, pack your fly rod and a selection of these patterns; I can guarantee you will catch fish!

NearNuff Crayfish

Dave Whitlock developed the NearNuff Crayfish as a sculpin-crawdad pattern. Sculpins and small crawdads are found in the rich tailwaters of Arkansas’s White and Norfork Rivers. This fly accounted for many of the largest smallmouth bass and trout I have caught.

Hook: Tiemco TMC8089 or Mustad 3366, sizes 6 to 2.
Thread: Black 6/0 (140 denier).
Eyes: Medium dumbbell.
Claws: Olive, hot orange, or gold Matuka feathers such as Chickabou.
Body: Wapsi Crawdad Dub or Whitlock SLF dubbing—hot orange, olive, or gold.
Hackle: Strung variant saddle hackle—olive, hot orange, or golden Cree.
Antennae: Hot-dipped Sili Legs mixed with Krystal Flash—peacock, hot orange and pumpkin, or copper.

Mike’s Peacock-Backed Woolly Bugger

I became obsessed with Woolly Buggers and began searching for the perfect pattern. I tried nearly every color I could think of and eventually settled on this combination. I have a photo in my office of a trophy rainbow trout I caught in a hole called Nellie’s Apron near the junction of the White and Buffalo Rivers. The hole is called Nellie’s Apron for a woman who disappeared and was presumed drowned; they found only her apron. Well, I saw a large fish swimming near a drop-off along the edge, and cast this fly down and across the hole. That fish remains one of the largest trout I have ever caught.

Hook: Mustad 9672 or Daiichi 1720, sizes 12 to 6.
Head: Gold bead.
Thread: Black 6/0 (140 denier).
Tail: Bronze Flashabou and olive marabou.
Body: Olive and black variegated chenille.
Rib: Medium oval tinsel.
Hackle: Olive variegated saddle hackle.
Back: Six to 10 pieces of peacock herl.

Mike’s Spuddler

This pattern earned me my first trophy-release pin. This pattern was originally made by Dan Bailey’s, of Montana, but I changed it slightly and use it as a sculpin imitation.

Hook: Mustad 9674 or Daiichi 1750, sizes 8 to 4.
Thread: White or beige 6/0 (140 denier).
Tail: Yellow Antron folded over and combed out.
Body: Tan chenille.
Rib: Medium oval gold tinsel.
Underwing: Red fox squirrel tail.
Wing: Hen pheasant back feather.
Head: Gold antelope.

56er

Tom Nixon developed the 56er. Tom was a native of Louisiana and wrote Tying Flies for Bass and Panfish. Tom lived near Rim Shoals, on the White River, for many years. He once said the reason he called this fly the 56er was because all Eastern fly fishers are 99.99 percent–pure fly fishers, but his pattern is only 56 percent–pure fly fishing. I’ve also heard it said that this fly worked only 56 percent of the time. In any case, this is a highly effective local favorite and is used as a small crawdad pattern.

Hook: Mustad 9671 or Daiichi 1710, sizes 10 to 6.
Thread: Black or gray 6/0 (140 denier).
Tail: Mallard flank fibers dyed wood duck yellow.
Belly: Yellow floss.
Body: Gray wool yarn.
Hackle: Grizzly.

Red Fox Squirrel Nymph Bead-Head/Soft-Hackle

This may be the most famous fly from the region. Dave Whitlock created this pattern using only one material—red fox squirrel fur. I add a bead and soft hen hackle, which improves its performance. Dave ties this pattern in many sizes and on several styles of hooks, and over time he added beads and soft-hackles. This single fly may have caught more fish for me than any other pattern.

Hook: Mustad 3906B or Daiichi 1710, sizes 16 to 12.
Thread: Black 6/0 (140 denier).
Bead: Gold bead.
Tail: Woodchuck or red fox squirrel guard hairs.
Body: Red fox squirrel belly fur or burnt orange Antron dubbing.
Collar: Red fox squirrel body fur spun as a collar.
Hackle: Mottled hen back or red grouse.

Zebra Midge

Ted Welling, of Lees Ferry, Arizona, is credited with developing the Zebra Midge, but it has since become one of the Ozark’s most popular tailwater patterns. In fact, it has become so popular that Wapsi Fly, of Mountain Home, Arkansas, now sells thousands of glass beads and numerous kits used for making this fly. It is usually tied on a size 18 hook with a clear bead, black body, and silver rib, but you can use other color combinations.

Hooks: Mustad C49S or Daiichi 1130, sizes 22 to 16.
Bead: Small or midge Killer Caddis Glass Bead—red, orange, clear, or rainbow.
Thread: Size 6/0 (140 denier) or 8/0 (70 denier)—red, black, olive, orange, or purple.
Body: Tying thread.
Rib: Fine Wapsi Ultra Wire—blue, red, orange, silver, or gold.

Mike Hogue, who lives in Upstate New York, is a regular contributor to this magazine. Mike is also the proprietor of Badger Creek Fly Tying. For more information about materials, patterns, and much more, go to his website, www.eflytyer.com.

The post The Ozarks: Good Fishing, Good Flies appeared first on Fly Tyer.

The Llano Bug, from what I was told, was designed and developed for a river called the Llano River. It was, at one time, one of the most popular rivers to fish in Texas and still holds some good sport fishing opportunities. It was designed by Kevin Hutchinson, and he made a great pattern!

Many flies were developed for fishing that river specifically, and a few of them became popular for fishing other waters around the United States, and the rest of Texas especially. The Llano Bug is probably one of the more popular fly creations that came from that river. It’s a very versatile terrestrial pattern that is relatively easy and quick to tie. It floats like a cork, and is durable. Add a little floatant and it will hold up some heavy weighted nymphs.

This fly is great for targeting bass and sunfish on rivers and lakes. I was able to catch quite a few sunfish on my last trip to the Guadalupe River that runs between Austin and San Antonio with this fly. I definitely recommend giving this fly a try. It can mimic grasshoppers, crickets and even spiders. It floats high and sits very nicely in the water to attract even the most wary trout and bass. Bluegill and other sunfish love this thing also, but it’s durable enough to be able to withstand many nibbles from these little sharp tooth bait stealers. Use this fly as an indicator, or as is just to dry fly fish.

The post The Llano Bug appeared first on Fly Tyer.

Are you having trouble catching early-summer striped bass? Expert angler and tier Aaron Jasper tells us how to locate the fish and gives us the flies to catch them.

Fishing for early-season striped bass is a mystery for the majority of shore-bound anglers up and down the East Coast. With a little knowledge about geography, currents, the predominant bait-fish, and water temperature, enjoying catches of these wonderful game fish is easier than you might think.

In the late spring and early summer, striped bass migrate from their winter sanctuaries. Some fish spend the winter in tidal estuaries, but others go beyond the three-mile ocean line. In the late spring, they begin migrating as water temperatures warm and the photoperiod—the amount of daylight—increases.

During this early-season migration, the fish do not move as they do in the fall; there are no epic blitzes and fast fishing. The late-spring and early-summer migration builds slowly, but being in the right place at the right time can lead to some of the best fishing of your life.

The Importance of Geography and Water Temperature

Talking about the correct geography and fishing might sound overly simplistic. But so often, even in our everyday lives, we overlook the simplest things that can make the biggest differences.

Look at Google Earth maps of the eastern United States from North Carolina to Maine, and you’ll discover rivers and shallow water everywhere. Striped bass move into these places first. The bottoms of these shallow areas are generally a mixture of mud and sand. This allows the water to heat up quickly, which attracts both striped bass and baitfish.

I often hear fly fishermen say that late spring and early summer are a bait fisherman’s game, and I laugh. As soon as striped bass and baitfish are present, it’s everyone’s game. The real problem is that too many fly fishermen attempt to catch stripers in water that is much too deep, and they fail not because they lack the skill or don’t have the right tackle. They’re simply fishing in the wrong spots.

In late spring and early summer, look for striped bass in water that is about waist deep. That is where the water cracks the magical 50-degree Fahrenheit mark and the bass come in large schools to feed.

Once you find the right water at the correct temperature, you must have confidence that the fish will be there. Dump the “autumn blitz” mind-set; early-season fishing is much different. Don’t expect to see birds diving and schools of fish exploding in feeding frenzies at the surface. In the early season, it’s simply not that easy to find the fish. But, when you do locate the stripers, it can be as easy as fishing in the fall, and the best part is that there won’t be hordes of people on either side of you.

Look for Flowing Water

Just like trout living in a stream, striped bass love currents. Currents bring food to them. In late spring and early summer, look for stripers at nearly every inlet, estuary, river, and tidal outflow from North Carolina to Maine. The only difference is timing when you’ll find the fish.

In North Carolina, this takes place much earlier than it does in Maine. Keep in mind the “lay of the land” when fishing during the early season. The water in the shallows will move at some point, and that is where tides come into play.

During the late spring and early summer, an outgoing tide is usually the most productive. Since the water being warmed is generally farther inshore, look for spots where the tide flows out to meet the colder ocean or bay water. The ideal positions are where a shallow bay empties into a colder body of water. In New York, Jamaica Bay is a prime example of such a location. All along New Jersey’s Raritan Bay, the shoreline contains more tidal inflows than you could count and is an early-season hot spot. Both these excellent fisheries are located within sight of New York City.

The Connecticut, northern Long Island, and Rhode Island coastlines are filled with numerous saltwater ponds, as well as rivers and large bays. All these smaller bodies of water flow into Long Island Sound. Look for the first bass of the season where the warmer flowing water meets the colder water in the sound. When these scenarios set up correctly, striped bass will be closer to shore and easier for fly fishermen to access than at any other time of year.

More on Water Temperature

As we have discussed, look for early-season stripers where the water in large tidal flats warms in the sun. Water temperature is more important when angling for striped bass than when trout fishing.

The post The Early Bird Catches the Fish appeared first on Fly Tyer.

Article originally published in the Autumn 2011 Fly Tyer magazine.

ln the early 1970s, Russell Blessing, of Harrisburg, Pennsyl­vania, created one of the most effective flies ever developed. His famous pattern, the Woolly Bugger, was intended to imitate the dobsonfly larvae found in Pennsylvania’s smallmouth bass streams. For more than 30 years, the Woolly Bugger and its many variations have continued to catch smallmouth bass and dozens of other species of gamefish.

Several years later, another innova­tive fly tier attempted to design a way to weight rabbit-snip flies to give them more movement in the water. Tom Schmuecker, the owner of Wapsi Fly, Inc., initially wrapped the hook shank with lead wire, but the resulting fly did not exhibit the desired jigging movement he wanted.

Tom next tried bead-chain eyes, but he found that they weren’t heavy enough to give the pattern undulating motion. After more experimentation, he designed what we now know as Wapsi Lead Dumbbell Eyes. Today, dumbbell eyes are used on many freshwater and saltwater patterns, in­cluding variations of the Woolly Bugger.

Over the years, I have developed several subsurface flies with lots of wiggle provided by a combination of lead eyes and soft materials. For the last few seasons, I have been fishing a little Woolly Bugger-style streamer with burgundy­ colored lead eyes that I call the Bronze Goddess. It has been extremely success­ful, especially on smallmouth bass. Even though the Bronze Goddess looks a little scruffy in the vise, it lights up and comes alive in the water. Smallmouth bass just can’t leave it alone.

The Importance of Bronze Mallard

The original components of the Bronze Goddess included a Tiemco TMC200R hook, small lead eyes, a tail of brown grizzly marabou highlighted with cop­per Flashabou, a root beer-pearl chenille body, and a brown grizzly rooster body feather palmer-wrapped up the hook. The final component, which I added much later, is a collar made using a bronze mallard body feather. I discovered that a bronze mallard collar greatly improves the catch rate of the little streamer.

You’ll find bronze mallard feathers on a mallard drake; the largest of these feath­ers, when matched in pairs, are prized for making the wings on some classic salmon flies. I have paired many prime bronze mallard feathers for customers who tie salmon flies, and in the process was left with smaller feathers that were too short for their purposes. I always thought that these beautifully marked feathers were too nice to throw away; but I was hard-pressed to figure out how to use them until I added one as a collar on the Bronze Goddess.

A couple of seasons ago, I was busy tying some flies for a float trip for small­ mouth bass. My first Bronze Goddess was almost finished when I noticed a pile of small bronze mallard feathers lying on my tying bench, and I decided to wrap one of the feathers on the pattern as a collar. The finished fly looked really good, so I tied half a dozen more. I put the completed flies in a prominent place in my fly box to ensure I would remember them.

I began the float trip fishing my Black Leech, a fly that has earned my trust over the years. I caught several bass on the Leech, but when the fishing slowed a bit, I thought it was a good time to try a Bronze Goddess with the new collar.

I knotted the fly to the leader, glanced downstream in search of the next stretch of good water. A sandbar on my side of the stream looked like an ideal spot to beach my kick boat. There was a beau­tiful bluff-lined and boulder-strewn run downstream from the sandbar; it looked like perfect habitat for bronzebacks. I cast slightly across-and-upstream, and then worked the fly back to my side of the river. The line suddenly stopped and I set the hook. A smallmouth bass immediately went airborne, and I could see that it was a nice fish. After a brief but spirited fight, I brought the 15-inch fish to hand. Several more bass fell for the Goddess that day; including a plump 16-inch fish that seemed about as round as it was long.

The Goddess performed well that day, so I gave some flies to several of my friends and asked them to try it. Since then we have all fished the Bronze Goddess many times on smallmouth bass waters and trout streams. The Bronze Goddess works well on these diverse waters and under varied conditions, and it has earned a prominent place in our fly boxes.

Secret of Success

The secret to the success of the Bronze Goddess is its coloration, the enticing movement, and the bronze mallard col­lar. When it’s wet, the Bronze Goddess is a reddish brown that closely resembles the baitfish food found in a wide variety of waters. In addition to being a great smallmouth bass fly, this pattern is ex­cellent for catching largemouth bass and even catfish.

I prefer fishing the Bronze Goddess using an 8½-foot-long 6-weight rod, a weight-forward floating line, and a 7½-foot tapered leader. Sometimes, es­pecially early in the season when the wa­ter is higher and faster, a sinking-tip line comes in handy. Tie the Goddess to your tippet with a Duncan loop (Uni-Knot) to help increase the fly’s action. Fish the fly slightly up-and-across or directly across the stream. Draw the fly across the cur­rent to give the fish a broadside view. Re­trieve the fly with short strips of line and small twitches of the rod tip.

Check out the video below as Tim Flagler shows his version of how to tie the Bronze Goddess.

Bronze Goddess
          Hook: 4X-long streamer hook (here, a Mustad 9672), size 4.
          Eye base: Any dubbing.
          Thread: Orange, 8/0 or 70-denier.
          Eyes: Yellow-and-black Presentation Lead Eyes, small.
          Adhesive #1: Superglue (here, Fly Tyers Z-Ment).
          Tail: Golden-brown marabou.
          Flash: Copper Flashabou.
          Body: Copper Estaz Metallique.
          Hackle: Brown saddle hackle.
          Collar: Wood-duck dyed mallard-flank feather.
          Hackle: Brown saddle hackle.
          Legs: Barred chestnut silicone legs.
          Head: Copper Estaz Metallique.
          Adhesive: Head cement (here, Sally Hansen Hard-as-Nails).

The post The Bronze Goddess appeared first on Fly Tyer.

This fly pops and has fluttering rubber legs that largemouth and smallmouth bass absolutely devour.

Thread: Black 140 Denier Ultra Thread
Hook: #1 Gamakatsu B10S
Tail: Peacock Krystal Flash, Black Marabou, 6 Strands Peacock Herl
Hackle: Chartreuse Grizzly
Body: Black Zudbubbler Foam Body
Legs: Black and Chartreuse Medium Round Rubber Legs
Eyes: Doll Eyes
Weed Guard: #25 Hard Mono (Optional)

The post Zudbubbler Bass Popper appeared first on Fly Tyer.

[by Fredrick Hannie]

Frog flies have been tied and sold commercially for more than 100 years. Some of the earliest references for these patterns date from the 1890s, and the most recognized frog poppers were produced in the 1920s. Although they were crude by today’s standards, they were a mainstay for many early warmwater fly fishermen.

A lot has changed in the world of fly fishing in the last century. Materials are now manufactured specifically for tying flies, and synthetic ingredients have opened up the color palette. However, you still can’t find preformed frog bodies. I also don’t believe there is a molded eye that looks correct on a frog pattern; most eyes have round or oval pupils to match baitfish eyes. I might not be able to mass-produce foam frog bodies and eyes, but I thought I might be able to make enough for myself.

The first stop involved a trip to my local fly shop. I combed through the aisles of cork, balsa, and foam, and returned home with an ample amount of samples. I quickly realized that foam is the most forgiving material to use. The foam cylinders were about 1 inch long and 1 inch in diameter, and resemble large marshmallows. They are easy to shape with a grinding stone and high-speed hand-held drill such as a Dremel Moto-Tool, and they are easy to color using permanent markers.

My first frog sliders were ugly but effective. The heads looked kind of reptilian or froglike, and they had saddle-hackle feather hind legs and rubber front arms; maybe the legs enticed the bass and the foam body was only the vessel that carried them. In any case, the fish vindicated my efforts, and I continued tying and fishing this pattern. The fly continued evolving, and over time the rubber legs and hackle feathers gave way to Spanflex and monofilament. The shape of the body is now more aerodynamic, and the eyes look as if they might really belong to a frog.

I pattern the fly after a bullfrog because they are abundant where I fish. When shaping the foam, it is helpful to keep an image of the finished fly or a bullfrog in your mind. Shape the foam slowly; remember, you can’t replace the material after it is removed from the body.

Starting Hannie’s Bully

Make the legs using an adjustable bobbin. Tying on monofilament requires the lightest thread tension. If you have a simple, old-fashioned type of bobbin, simply spread the arms that grasp the spool to reduce the tension. Also, don’t leave an excessive length of thread out of the bobbin. Keep your thread short and make small wraps.

Coloring the frog is my favorite part. You can use natural frog colors, color combinations that work on other flies, or colors you see on bass lures. I color some frogs fire tiger, and they work great. Use your imagination and have fun. Use any brand of marker to test its reaction to the epoxy coating; some markers are alcohol based and will run with the epoxy. I used Copic Sketch markers in this article; they come in a wide assortment of colors, and each marker has both a fine and broad tip.

Coloring the Body

Creating Legs & Finishing the Fly

After assembling the fly, coat the body with a layer of epoxy. I prefer using 30-minute epoxy because it doesn’t yellow as much as the instant and five-minute epoxies, and I have ample working time to coat a few flies with each batch. A drying wheel prevents the epoxy from sagging and is a good investment if you intend to make more than just an occasional popper.

Maybe one day we will be able to buy preformed frog bodies. Until then, I’ll keep making my own.

Fred Hannie is a talented fly tier and bass-bug maker who lives in Texas.

The post THROWBACK: Hannie’s Bully appeared first on Fly Tyer.

Learn how to tie the emerging pupa caddis nymph that is used mainly in summer. This pattern also has very good outcomes in green/olive schemes with a black tungsten head.

Materials:
– wide gap jig hook size 14
– Catgut biothread
– Partridge feather
– Pheasant tail ice dub
– Olive Hare’s Ear Dubbing
– Cinnamon ice dub
– Two fibers of duck feather

The post Fly Tying Caddis Pupa Jig Nymph appeared first on Fly Tyer.

The post Pheasant Rump Crawfish appeared first on Fly Tyer.

by Barry Ord Clarke

The post The Midsummer Caddis appeared first on Fly Tyer.

[Pete Elkins]

Fly fishing for carp is a personal obsession. Given the explosive wave of gear, flies, lines, and publicity surrounding carp on the fly, it’s obvious that many other anglers share my passion. And it’s easy to understand why.

Carp are distributed throughout the United States and beyond. A carp can attain proportions that will overwhelm an 8-weight rod and make you wish you were using a 10-weight outfit. Even a carp in the three- to six-pound category will make a comparably sized trout seem anemic. Best of all, a carp will eat a well-presented fly.

If you have never seen the backing on your trout or bass reel, you will if you hook a good carp. Simply stated, carp are the stuff of a fly angler’s dreams. Converting those dreams into reality, however, can be a challenge.

A muscular carp like this will expose your reel’s backing almost every time.

“Hard to Be Caught”

Izaak Walton aptly described carp as “a very subtle fish and hard to be caught.” Carp might well be the spookiest fish you will encounter.

Carp are in the Cyprinidae family of fish. The species in this family possesses Weberian ossicles, which is a linkage of small bones connecting their inner ears to their swim bladders. Consequently, carp can hear you sneeze yards away. Drop pliers or a tippet spool, bump the gunwale with a paddle, splash while wading, or slap a cast on the water, and the game will end before it starts.

In addition to having perhaps the best high-frequency hearing of any freshwater game fish, a carp’s senses of smell and taste are extraordinary; sunscreen, sweat, fly floatant, motor oil, or similar substances on your fly may spell goodbye. If that isn’t enough, carp see better than a wary brown trout. A carp’s eyes have four types of cone cells—humans have three—so it can see everything that we see, plus colors in the ultraviolet spectrum. Fortunately for us, the fish’s keen vision is sometimes diminished by water turbidity.

As if things aren’t tough enough, a carp has a sharpened sense of “touch” using sensitive lateral lines and barbules on the sides of the mouth. It can also distinguish between good and bad food using acutely sensitive nerve fibers inside the mouth. Anglers targeting carp on the fly must always remember this spooky litany and take steps to counter the fish’s sensory advantage.

Stealth is the ticket to success. Most of the waters I fish are accessible only by boat. From a carp’s sensory viewpoint, any boat or wading angler is a source of sound. To catch carp on the fly, you must minimize all sound. Some boats are better at this than others. Aluminum boats are the worst offenders. Electric motors on any boat are equally bad. A stealthily paddled kayak is relatively quiet, and a canoe comes in a close second. Small improvements in a boat can make a difference. Use carpet or foam padding to minimize internal boat noise. Avoid dropping, banging, or scraping noises when approaching a feeding carp. It’s hard to be stealthy with oars; paddles and poles are much quieter when used properly. Despite a kayak’s inherent stealth, the low seat makes sight-fishing very difficult. All too often, a kayak angler spooks carp before he sees the fish.

Friends and I have solved the stealth and vision issues by modifying a wide, ultra-stable fiberglass boat with poling and casting platforms to create a quiet micro-skiff that would be equally happy on a bonefish fl at. Carp are so sensitive to sound that we tend to pole the boat in search of feeding fish, then stow the pole in favor of a paddle to approach to within casting range; carp that would spook at the touch of pole on bottom will tolerate another yard or two of paddle approach. New, longer paddles designed for standup paddle boarding are perfect complements to a 16-foot-long graphite pole.

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