Part 5

SUPERVISOR: WINGS, Blue saddle hackle with polar bear hair, and peacock herl down each side. CHEEKS, green hackle tip and jungle cock. BODY silver. TAG, red wool.

TIGER: (light) WINGS, brownish yellow bucktail or red squirrel tail. BODY yellow chenille. TAG, gold. TAIL, barred wood duck. CHEEKS, jungle cock. THROAT, scarlet.

TIGER: (dark) WINGS, yellow bucketful. BODY peacock herl. TAG, gold. TAIL, barred wood duck. CHEEKS, jungle cock. Short red fin.

GREGG'S DEMON: WINGS, grizzly saddle hackle dyed brown. BODY, silver ribbed with gold. CHEEKS, jungle cock. TAIL, barred wood duck. TOPPING, golden pheasant crest. HACKLE, Orange.

JUNGLE PRINCESS: WINGS grizzly saddle hackle dyed yellow with large jungle cock. CHEEKS, blue chatterer. BODY gold tinsel. HACKLE, white.

GRIZZLY GREY: WINGS, grizzly saddle hackles. CHEEKS, jungle cock. TAIL, orange. BODY, silver tinsel. HACKLE, white bucktail.

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HIGHLAND BELLE: WINGS orange saddle hackles inside, grizzly saddle hackles outside. CHEEKS, jungle cock. BODY, gold tinsel ribbed with silver tinsel. HACKLE, white bucktail.

SPENCER BAY SPECIAL: WINGS blue saddle hackles inside with furnace saddle hackles outside. CHEEKS, jungle cock. TAIL, golden pheasant tippet. BODY, silver tinsel ribbed with oval silver tinsel. HACKLE, yellow and blue mixed.

BLACK GHOST: WINGS, white saddle hackle. BODY, black silk floss ribbed with silver. CHEEKS, jungle cock. HACKLE, yellow.

GREY GHOST: WINGS, grey saddle hackle with peacock herl and white bucktail. BODY, orange floss ribbed with gold. CHEEKS, silver pheasant feather and jungle cock.

BROWN GHOST: WINGS, brown saddle hackle. BODY, brown floss ribbed with gold. CHEEKS, jungle cock. TOPPING, golden pheasant crest. TAIL, golden pheasant crest. HACKLE, yellow.

WARDEN'S WORRY: WINGS one red and one grizzly saddle hackle. HACKLE, yellow, tied very full.

WHITE MARIBOU: WINGS, white caribou. CHEEKS, large jungle cock and small red feather. TOPPING, golden pheasant crest.

YELLOW MARIBOU: WINGS, yellow caribou. CHEEKS, large Jungle cock and small red feather. TOPPING peacock herl. Two complete caribou feathers can be used, or sections of the feathers, depending upon the size of the hook. Size 4 long shank hook is a good size to tie them for salmon.

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FLOATING BUGS AND THEIR CONSTRUCTION

A style of fishing becoming more popular each year is that of Fly Rod fishing with Floating Bugs. These Bugs represents the large moth, butterfly, etc., and are constructed of a large variety of materials. Some have cork bodies. Some have Balsa Wood bodies. Others all hair bodies. Bodies covered with chenille, and other materials. One of the easiest to make and I believe one of the most successful styles, is entirely constructed from the body hair of the deer, reindeer, or caribou. All of these hairs are rather coarse and hollow consequently are very buoyant, and when properly made into a copy of the living insect, they have a soft, lifelike body that appears very natural when taken by a fish. These soft bodied Bugs are not so apt to be ejected before the Angler has time to set the hook, as are those with hard bodies.

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Although the object of this book is to teach the Angler how to tie his own flies a few words in regards to the writer's personal experiences in using these Bugs might not be amiss at this time. Floating Bugs are mostly tied on large size hooks and generally used for {51} bass. However, I have had a great deal of luck and many pleasant experiences with them tied as small as a #14 Model Perfect hook, and used with a 4x Leader. The small sizes will take many large trout, and are readily accepted by all pan fish. When fishing in still waiters with the Floating Bugs, whether it be for bass, pickerel, trout or pan fish I use a light leader, treated so that it will sink. I cast to a likely looking spot, beside an old stump along lily pads, or to an opening in the lily pads themselves. I let the Bug hit the water with quite a splash, as a living moth of the same size would, and there I let it lie, absolutely motionless, as though stunned by the blow. By all means do not be impatient, let the Bug lie perfectly still for two or three minutes, and then simply move the tip of your rod just enough to cause the Bug to quiver on the surface. Again let it lie perfectly still for a minute or two; usually about the second time the Bug is made to quiver you can expect a strike, and when a big bass comes after one of these Bugs, he comes full of action. When fishing fast water, I fish them exactly as I would a dry fly, upstream or up and across the current. My personal choice for color is the natural brownish grey body hair from either the deer, reindeer, or caribou. Wings, tail and body all the same natural color. I tie this pattern from size 2/0 Model perfect hook down to size 14, and us {52} the larger sizes for bass and pickerel, and the smaller sizes for trout and pan fish. I remember one very pleasant experience that happened in northern Maine three years ago. There is a small, deep, spring fed lake of about ten acres in area, completely surrounded by wilderness; this lake had been stocked with, Rainbow Trout and closed to all fishing for five years. I was fortunate in being there about two months after it had been opened to fishing and was invited to try my luck, after first being advised that although some very nice catches were regularly being taken on a Streamer Fly fished deep, also on live bait and worms with a spinner, no one had even been able to take fish on the surface. I arrived at this lake about one hour before dark, and it was one of those evenings when the water was actually boiling with rising trout. In fact never before or since have I seen so many fish breaking water at the same time. I immediately made up my mind to take fish on the surface. I began fishing with a small spider, and changed fly after fly for the next half hour with the same results as had been experienced by other dry fly fishermen. In desperation and with darkness fast approaching I tied on a size 4 Grey Bug and cast about thirty feet from shore. The Bug hit the water with quite a splash and didn't even as much as put down one fish, and several continued to {53} rise from within a few inches to a few feet from where the Bug landed. I waited a couple of minutes and gave the Bug a little twitch, nothing happened, again I twitched and again nothing happened. I began to believe I was stumped when again the Bug was moved ever so slightly for the fifth time, and remember this was at least seven minutes after it first hit the water. A fish struck. In a few minutes I landed a 2 1/4 pound Rainbow. Before darkness had brought the day to a close I had landed three more beautiful Rainbows averaging 2 pounds each. I had never since had the opportunity to fish in this beautiful little lake. Some day I hope to return, and again try, and I believe succeed in taking these beautiful Rainbow Trout on the conventional dry fly. However, this one little experience proved conclusively to me the absolute necessity of patience in fishing Floating Bugs.

FLOATING BUGS: THEIR CONSTRUCTION (SEE DIAGRAM 9)

First let us begin by making the most simple; that is, one that has the Body, Wings, and Tail, all of the same material and color. Follow the illustrations carefully and even your first attempt will be a masterpiece.

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Although I use well waxed 00 tying silk, you will find that regular sewing silk size A will work best on your first attempt. First wax your thread thoroughly and take a few turns around the shank of the hook and tie in a small bunch of hairs for the tail, as in Diagram 9, Fig. 1, page (55). We will assume that we are using regular deer hair cut from the hide. Next clip a small bunch of hairs, about the size of a match, close to the hide. You will notice there is some fuzz mixed with the hair at the base close to the skin, pick out the fuzz and place the butts of the hairs under the hook as in Fig. 2, Take a couple of loose turns with the tying silk, hold the tips of the hair with the thumb and finger of the left hand, and pull the tying silk down tight. You will notice that the hairs spin around the hook and the butt ends will stand out pretty much at right angles to the hook, as in Fig. 3. Cut off the tip end of the hairs on the dotted line, press the hairs back tightly, apply a drop of water-proof lacquer to the base of the hairs and the hook, and repeat the same process of tying on a small bunch of hair, each time pressing it back tightly. Remember this is important, because the hair must be as close together as possible to make a firm, smooth, buoyant body.

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When you have built the body up until it looks something like Fig. 4, remove it from the vise and with a sharp pair of scissors trim and shape it until it looks {56} like Figs. 5 and 6. At this stage you should have 3/16" of the shank of the hook left just behind the eye, where you will tie on the wings. Cover this bare hook with the well waxed tying silk, and lay a bunch of hair on top of the hook for wings as Fig. 7. Crisscross the tying silk around the wings and the hook until they are securely tied together. Place several coats of lacquer over he junction of the wings and hook, to more securely bind them in place. Lacquer the entire wings if you wish and when they have partially dried, press them flat, spread them, trim them as Fig. 8, and your Bug is completed.

Any combination of color may be used, different colored wings and tail, different colored rings in the body. White body with red tail and wings is a good pattern. Yellow body, black wings and tail another. Various feather combinations can be used for wings and tall. Create your own designs, and develop your patterns.

CORK BODIED BASS BUGS (SEE DIAGRAM 10)