Fly Fishing the Ozarks » fly of the month http://flyfishingtheozarks.com Schlappen the Larva out of Ozark Trout with Brian Wise Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:19:38 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 May Fly of the Month….Chain Gang Stone. http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2011/05/02/may-fly-of-the-month-chain-gang-stone/ http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2011/05/02/may-fly-of-the-month-chain-gang-stone/#comments Mon, 02 May 2011 09:10:12 +0000 Brian Wise http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/?p=1656 Continue reading →]]> I am a freestone stream fisherman through and through...I like stoneflies, period.  Over the last year I have had the privlege of "hosting" the Feather-Craft Fly Tying Contest which has turned out to be some crazy success that we are still trying to wrap our heads around and keep rolling.  But with this hosting gig I have had the chance to see some incredible stonefly patterns come through (along with EVERY other kind of fly.)  This stonefly, however, took the cake...literally, it won the 2010 Feather-Craft Fly Tying Contest.

May Fly of the Month....Chain Gang Stone!

]]> http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2011/05/02/may-fly-of-the-month-chain-gang-stone/feed/ 0 February Fly of the Month…Generation X Bunny http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2011/02/14/february-fly-of-the-month-generation-x-bunny/ http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2011/02/14/february-fly-of-the-month-generation-x-bunny/#comments Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:40:23 +0000 Brian Wise http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/?p=1574 Continue reading →]]> I am totally out of my element.  Sure, I am a major fly fisherman for warm and coldwater species but really nothing over 35"...so when Kyle Kosovich, Aaron Scott and I won the Recycled Fish 24 Hour Fish-A-Thon and a trip to lake Vermillion, MN Musky fishing it opened up a whole new world for me.  We are set to go in August but of course we are doing our homework and all of us being pretty competent fly tyers (them moreso than myself) are itching to try tying these HUGE musky flies. 

Now, before the real musky guys call me out about this NOT being one of those "Huge Musky Flies" let me explain......baby steps.  The Generation X Bunny is meant to be a Pike fly (which we will obviously target in August as well) but I see any true predator chewing on this thing including but not limited to bass, pike, musky, nasty huge brown trout, geez, I would even chase it in the water.  So it is a gateway fly to the big nasty Musky flies we will be tying in preperation for 50" of toothy critter.  So give this seriously cool fly a shot....and just wait until you see it in the water.

February Fly of the Month....Generation X Bunny.

]]> http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2011/02/14/february-fly-of-the-month-generation-x-bunny/feed/ 2 December Fly of the Month…. http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2010/12/07/december-fly-of-the-month/ http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2010/12/07/december-fly-of-the-month/#comments Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:32:11 +0000 Brian Wise http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/?p=1493 Continue reading →]]> On my home waters, the North Fork of the White River, Missouri caddis are a huge staple.  I pretty much have a full side of one of the new Feather-Craft Waterproof Fly Boxes FULL of caddis pupa in different sizes and colors.  I am personally not one of those guys that give trout WAY more credit than they deserve...but I have seen tons of caddis pupa bites that were very, very particular in size, color, and profile--the Nitro Caddis covers all of those and does a bang-up job doing it.

]]> http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2010/12/07/december-fly-of-the-month/feed/ 0 November Fly of the Month…. http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2010/11/10/november-fly-of-the-month/ http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2010/11/10/november-fly-of-the-month/#comments Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:10:40 +0000 Brian Wise http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/?p=1469 Continue reading →]]> When I think of Fall I think of monster brown trout chasing streamers...period.  Typically, on low, clear water I will back off a little from the big articulated streamers and go to something a little more sublte--but all bets are off when the browns start to eat so low, clear water or not we are chucking MEAT.  Over the last month or so we have hooked more big fish on this months fly of the month than any other streamer on guide trips.

This month's fly of the month....Galloup's Peanut Envy

To buy the Peanut Envy Click Here or visit www.feather-craft.com

]]> http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2010/11/10/november-fly-of-the-month/feed/ 0 August Fly of the Month — Hogan’s Bass Cracker http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2010/08/04/august-fly-of-the-month-hogans-bass-cracker/ http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2010/08/04/august-fly-of-the-month-hogans-bass-cracker/#comments Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:56:59 +0000 Brian Wise http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/?p=1359 Continue reading →]]> I recently had the chance to fish a PILE of Idylwilde bass flies....you see, it is Smallmouth time in Southern Missouri and it is pretty hard for me to peel away from those scrappy fish to guide trout--but you do what you have to do.  These Idylwilde flies are super cool, just look 'fishy', and they CATCH FISH. 

To be honest I was more excited about some of the cool top-water flies like the Warm Water Whammy and a baitfish imitation called the BellyDancer....but I had this super heavy, very driftable fly called "Hogan's Bass Cracker" in the mix as well.  First cast with a Bass Cracker --- Fish On!  This thing is not for the faint of heart as it has one purpose, to get deep, QUICK but it is insanely effective.  It drifts very, very well on a tight line through your favorite smallmouth runs and bottom bounces in the slow deep pools just as well.  Give it a shot!

]]> http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2010/08/04/august-fly-of-the-month-hogans-bass-cracker/feed/ 1 Fly of the Month–June, 2010 http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2010/06/08/fly-of-the-month-june-2010/ http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2010/06/08/fly-of-the-month-june-2010/#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 09:46:47 +0000 Brian Wise http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/?p=1306 Continue reading →]]> After a year long hiatus (we hear he left to hike the AT and was side-tracked by a hippie girl along the way) the Fly of the Month is back....with a vengeance.

Officially summer starts this month.....and, to me, that means 2 things--Smallmouth and Night Fishing (along with cold beer so make that 3 things.)  I have a huge passion for smallmouth and to be honest, if trout didn't get to be so BIG I would hardly fish for them compared to smallmouth.  I was never much of a lake fisherman but all fisherman have heard of the deadly "Jig and Pig" combo...and that is exactly what the June fly of the month represents--in fly form.

The June, 2010 fly of the month.....The Grim Reaper

When I fish for smallmouth I am throwing one of 2 things 90% of the time, a topwater popper of some kind or a craw-type imitation.  The Grim Reaper has everything I look for in a bottom-crawling-creature.....flared rubber skirt, plump body, heavy head.

Fish on!

]]> http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2010/06/08/fly-of-the-month-june-2010/feed/ 0 Fly of the Month…Red Fox Squirrel Nymph–with video http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2009/09/05/fly-of-the-monthred-fox-squirrel-nymph-with-video/ http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2009/09/05/fly-of-the-monthred-fox-squirrel-nymph-with-video/#comments Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:24:18 +0000 Brian Wise http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/blog/?p=677 Continue reading →]]> Again, a throw-back fly of the month brought back from the ages with a video.

Dave Whitlock's crazy-awesome pattern that is supposed to be equally good for smallmouth as it is for trout...or so we hear.  ;)

Click here to view the embedded video.

It is HIGHLY recommended that you watch the above video in "HQ" so you can see how poor my skills are that much clearer.

]]> http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2009/09/05/fly-of-the-monthred-fox-squirrel-nymph-with-video/feed/ 3 Fly of the month…throwback, with video http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2009/06/29/fly-of-the-monththrowback-with-video/ http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2009/06/29/fly-of-the-monththrowback-with-video/#comments Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:49:15 +0000 Brian Wise http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/blog/?p=648 Continue reading →]]> We completely suck here at Fly Fishing the Ozarks....and we know it.  The "Fly of the month" has taken an unpaid leave of absence after a drunken brawl and cross-dressing incident (all at the same time=not pretty)but when we decided to let it come back-----it came back with a vengence, and a sense of nostalgia. 

The Psycho Prince that I tie that has been dubbed the "Slacker Psycho" has had a lot of pattern request so I thought we would bring back the fly of the month with a video of it.  Again, this is not meant to be a super instructional video which I'm sure you would have noticed as soon as a song titled "Half a Man, The One Testical Song" from Stephen Lynch started playing in the back ground.

Enjoy....

Click here to view the embedded video.

]]> http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2009/06/29/fly-of-the-monththrowback-with-video/feed/ 0 Fly of the month….Wooly Bugger http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2009/04/14/fly-of-the-monthwooly-bugger/ http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2009/04/14/fly-of-the-monthwooly-bugger/#comments Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:28:23 +0000 Brian Wise http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/blog/?p=553 Continue reading →]]> Continuing with the Old School crazy fish catching series of flies I just had to include the Wooly Bugger....as much as I hate to.  You see I simply hate this fly-period.  I don't know exactly what it is or if it comes from tying dozens and dozens of these when I first starting tying flies and then tying dozens and dozens commercially later but I hate them.  As much as I hate them, there is no denying that this fly has probably caught more fish and more species of fish than any other fly that we know of, and it has probably out-sold any other fly on top of that.  It is a great fly...but I hate it.  :)

In the below video this was probably the first Wooly I had tied in 4 years, stay tuned for the end to see how I really feel about this fly. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

]]> http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2009/04/14/fly-of-the-monthwooly-bugger/feed/ 4 February Fly of the Month…. http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2009/02/07/february-fly-of-the-month/ http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2009/02/07/february-fly-of-the-month/#comments Sat, 07 Feb 2009 11:00:24 +0000 Brian Wise http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/blog/?p=376 Continue reading →]]> February means changes to Fly Fishing the Ozarks Blog so I thought we would start a new Fly of the Month series.  Our last series was of course the super cool big fish catching Galloup Series of Streamers and it went over very well. 

This series is going to blend the new with the old (new blog, old flies) BUT we are going to be doing a fully photographed, step-by-step (and probably video as well) How-to of every fly of the month in this series.  Truth be told it may look like we are copping out of finding the new pattern for every month...but it is exactly the opposite.  Those patterns that you have in your box, those old tried and true patterns----will still catch fish.  To be honest, they are probably going to be more consistent than most of these new patterns as well.  So for the next few months don't expect crazy cool looking patterns but you can expect to see full on step-by-step, how-to instructions, with some videos thrown in as well. 

What nymphs have caught more fish than any other nymphs??

February's fly of the month should be at least one of the top 2 flies that popped into your head with the above question being randomly thrown at you without cause or reason.

The Bead-Head Hares Ear

Here is a not-so-instructional video of me tying a horrible Hares Ear.  I tie mine a little different than the original pattern.  For instance the photo above shows a very thick tail that, to me, makes the flys profile look like the body extends way back beyond the taper of the body.  I tie my tails with Squirrel tail so it looks like there is a tail of some kind an not an extended body.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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