Written by Jason
Happy 4th of July!
Here’s a simple pattern I’ve been using lately that I’ve been having a lot of success with. I normally fish thread-bodied flies but am starting to use more and more flies with dubbing for the body. The dubbing absorbs water and helps the fly sink. But I also think it creates a slightly bulkier body that makes a more tempting meal to trout. Watch the video all the way to the end to see footage of what it looks like underwater.
Recipe
Hook: Gamakatsu Amago #7.5, blue
Thread: Olive, 8/0
Loop Eye: #2 silk bead cord, white
Hackle: Brahma Hen, creme badger
Body: Olive dubbing
I use olive colored thread for bodies all the time, but have yet to the a dubed body. I will have to give this a try. The eyeless hooks look very cool Jason, very traditional. Your fly tying never ceases to inspire my own fishing. Keep up the good work at TUSA.
Thanks Troy! I’m experimenting more and more with dubbed bodies and will post about them if I come up with anything interesting.
Nicely done, Jason! I have some peacock ice dubbing that needs to be used on somethign similar.
Nice looking fly!!!
Thann you for this video! Now I think I finally get how to use dubbing. Also the portion showing the flys action was fanastic.
I do love the look of the hackle underwater (I hope a trout does as well!)
That hook gives off a rather surprising piercing blue/bluish-white glint in what I assume to be is sunlight. Do you believe the hook acts then as an attractant as well? Or does a fly on such a hook only work on cloudy days and when the sun is lower on the horizon?
Do you use white silk to form all your loops or would you consider matching the loop to the color of the fly? It seems to me the loop is as much a part of the fly as the body dubbing or thread.
And I have one last question, Jason (yeah, I’m full of it!). What line were you using for tippet? I notice it shows up quite a bit in the underwater scene also reflecting the sun. It would be interesting to know just to understand what a fish may see.
Thanks!
Lynn,
All good questions!
I think the blue hook does act as an attractor. Many people use blue or red hooks and say they have attractor qualities. But I think I catch just as many fish on bronze hooks so I’m not sure how much it really matters. Plus, I’m not an expert on trout vision so maybe Dr. Ishigaki could give a better answer on what a blue hook actually looks like to trout. But I also tie flies that I find aesthetically pleasing and they look good to me. Plus, they actually catch fish.
I don’t always use white silk for the loop. Depending on the fly, I also use red, brown, orange, etc. On this one, I just happened to like the way the white looks. You can also buy just white and color it with a Sharpie marker.
For tippet, I was using Rio Powerflex. I’ve used all different types of tippet and they all seem to reflect the sunlight if the water is clear and it’s sunny. Not sure what the fish think it is but as long as they still take the fly, it doesn’t seem to be a problem. One theory is that it looks like bubbles or gasses given off during emergence. But I think they mostly ignore it and are focused on the movement of the fly.
Nice fly Jason. I agree that a “bulkier” body might seem like a better reward to a trout but I would also add that some dubbing material gives a certain translucence to the fly that can also enhance it’s attraction. A Fran Better’s Usual is a good example of this.
Great looking fly, Jason!
Thanks for those answers, Jason. I’ve been using Rio Powerflex myself, now I know what it looks like.