The third fly in the Thomas Harvey series......the Legs For Days. I always say you can NEVER have too many rubber legs, and this pattern could allow an elephant to bungee jump.
Hook: Gamakatsu B10s #2
Tail: Marabou (2 colors palmered)
Tail 2: Rubber Legs
Wing: Magnum Rabbit Strips
Body: EP Tarantula Brush
Front Hook-
Hook: Gamakatsu B10s #1
Eyes: Aluminum Sea Eyes
Stick-on Eyes: Clear Cure Eyes
Tail: Marabou
Tail 2: Rubber Legs
Wing: Magnum Rabbit Strip
Body: EP Tarantula Brush
The second video in the Thomas Harvey Series is the "Trophy Wife". I thought it would be cool to ask MY Trophy Wife to help with the video. She is a great sport and even added her own ideas to the mix.
Recipe:
Hook - Owner
Eyes - Tungsten Eyes (with Clear Cure Eyes glued on for good measure)
Tail - Ice Wing Fiber
Tail Accents - Craft Fur
Underbody - Polar Chenille
Overtail - Magnum Bunny Strip
Head - Laser Dub
Top it all off with Clear Cure Goo Hydro
Find Thomas Harvey's "Carolina Fly" on Facebook HERE
Starting a new series....Thomas Harvey is a fly tyer from North Carolina. His fly designs defenitely have their own look and flare, and you have seen them featured in Southern Culture on the Fly and on Thomas's Facebook page Carolina Fly HERE.
First up in the Thomas Harvey Series....the Wedding Veil.
Recipe: Hook - Gamakatsu B10s #1
Tail - Saddle Hackle
Body - EP Sparkle Brush
Eyes - Clear Cure Dumbell Eyes
Head - Laser Dub
Finished off with some Clear Cure Goo Hydro and Prismacolor Pens (optional)
I kind of feel like 2012 was the year of making do with what you have. Early in
the year (winter) was great, we caught big fish on big streamers pretty much
every-other trip. Spring was when things started to change, we never got a real
big push of water and the old timers talked about how dry the Spring
was.....then Summer hit and we were in a complete drought before we knew it. On
a chance warm-water fishing trip with my brother-in-law he hooked a really,
really large gar (over 6') just when I was thinking the Summer was a total loss.
Turns out this probably made my entire year, I had the most fun chasing
those crazy prehistoric fish than any other time last year. Some late
Summer/Early Fall rain brought a really nice Fall to us just in time for the
Fall guiding season, and I ended the year on the whirlwind trip to 20 of
Missouri's Trout Streams (Missouri Trout Odyssey III).
Continuing the Rich Strolis Series of flies, I give you "The Headbanger". I feel I must warn you though, this fly is not for the faint of heart or for those who do not wear a helmet in a driftboat. It is heavy, mean, and meant to do one thing....get to the bottom and hang big fish (I guess that is 2 things, but who is counting).
To buy this or any of Rich's other flies (MANY, MANY, awesome patterns) jump to his site at Catching-Shadows
The Headbanger Sculpin
Recipe:
Recipe: Hook - Gamakatsu SL11 #2
Flash - Holographic Flashabou
Tail - Marabou (2 colors, palmered)
Hackle - Schlappen
Body - Cactus Chenille
Wing - Craft Fur (Strolis calls for Arctic Fox)
Front Hook: Hook - Gamakatsu B10s #1
Flash
Tail - Marabou
Hackle - Schlappen
Body - Cactus Chenille
Rubber Legs
Wing - Craft Fur
Collar - Laser Dub
Head - Sculpin Helmet
Top it off with Clear Cure Goo Hydro
We are almost a week into the Winter season, had a little snow on Christmas night......so that means it is time for the Fall, 2012 video. Going in to the Fall guiding season, I wasn't exactly excited about the fishing. We were still battling low water and fishing was hit or miss at best. But I have the best clients in the world, and they make even the most tough days on the water a lot of fun.
Without furthur ado.....the Fall, 2012 video.
The second video in the Rich Strolis Series is his Bloodied Baitfish. This fly has approximately 90% of everything I look for in a streamer. A recently, Rich changed the pattern a little to include the new Clear Cure Dumbell Eyes which makes it even better. I am leaning more and more toward large, yet super light flies simply for all of the crazy movement you get out of them.
The Bloodied Baitfish
Recipe:
Hook - 4x long streamer
Tail - Marabou over Ice Dub
Wing - Rabbit Strip
Body - Flat Diamond Braid
Rib - Red Wire
Throat - Ice Dub
Eyes - Clear Cure Dumbell Eyes
After finishing Mike Schmidt series of streamers (for now at least) I decided to move on to another of my favorite tyers...Rich Strolis. Rich is an East Coast guy hailing from Conneticut and ties some very, VERY cool streamer patterns. One of the first tying videos I ever made featured his Ice Pick. Rich makes his own tying videos and they are done very nicely. Be sure to check out his Vimeo Channel
Enough backgroung, now to the juice. Kicking off the Rich Strolis Series is the Hog Snare. I have been fishing this fly for a while now and am completely addicted to it. You can see it in the mouth of a nice bow in the Spring 2012 Video at the 5:35 mark. It is a big hunk of meat and....wait for it.....is double articulated. Again, admittedly, I have a couple of different "tweaks" (just like any cover-band tweaks the original songs at least a little) I use a Craft Fur wing whereas Rich uses Arctic Fox as the wing on the original, and I stack the Laser Dub on the head all the way to the eye whereas Rich ends the head with a dubbing loop. (See Rich's original video below too)
The Hog Snare
.
Recipe: Rear Hook
Hook - Gamakatsu B10s #2
Tail - Marabou
Hackle - Schlappen
Body - Ice Dub
Wing - Craft Fur (or Artic Fox)
Middle Hook:
Hook - Fish Skull Articulated Shank 35mm
Tail - Marabou
Hackle - Schlappen
Body - Ice Dub
Rubber Legs
Wing - Craft Fur (or Arctic Fox)
Front Hook:
Hook - Gamakatsu B10s
Tail - Marabou
Hackle - Schlappen
Body - Ice Dub
Rubber Legs
Wing - Craft Fur (or Arctic Fox)
Eyes - Painted Lead Eyes
Head - Laser Dub
Here is Rich's video for the Hog Snare:
