Fly Tying Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Drifting On The Fly

WINTER WEATHER

Posted on January 7, 2009 by Drifting-admin

With extremely cold winter weather hanging around it is hard to find any moving water at all. I usually can find windows of opportunity to fish year round on the kenai river and this year it is looking like fishing will be over for a while. We saw -25 today at the house in anchorage. burrrrrrrrrrrrrrr I think it is even to cold to ski and way to cold for Rainbow trout fishing but we will see what happens next week. Tight lines Scott www.driftingonthefly.com

Pre Tied Leaders

Posted on December 21, 2008 by Drifting-admin

Pre tied leaders are a must for the serious fisherman. Having them on hand will keep you in the strike zone longer than if you have to tie them on the river. I recommend a pips box for holding my tippets that I tie in the winter each year. It will make you more efficient and you will catch more fish.

I find for the kenai river bead rig I can get about a hundred pre tied tippets in one pips box. This saves me A lot of time on the water. For my standord Kenai river leaders I will start with 2-3 foot of 25-30 pound for a but sections. Amnesia works well for this. Then work down from there in leader material size. Depending on the water level of the river I will use a 9-11 foot leader.

We wish everyone to have a great holiday season and look forward to the start of 2009 Alaska fishing season. Here at Drifting on the Fly we are settled into our cabin and are enjoying the winter season. Dec. 21st is a day to mention, we start gaining a little sunlight each day now until June. It will not make much of a difference for a month or so but it is nice to think about.

Tight lines, Scott Sager www.driftingonthefly.com

Fly Tying For Alaska

Posted on December 12, 2008 by Drifting-admin

Fly Tying for Alaska fishing trips can be a great way to keep your mind on the fun trip ahead. Tying flies that will produce more Rainbow trout and salmon for your trip will save you money. The first entry will deal with putting together an articulated hook system. Articulated flies work well imitating leaches, minnows, other fish. I enjoy fishing them but tying for example an articulated leach takes some time. No Matter what hooks you use and where you make your articulation the steps are basically the same. On this particular fly I made the head articulated to the shoulder of the fly. This is different way to make an egg sucking leach. 1) put your front hook in the vise (cut at the shank or not) and make a few wraps with you bobbin and thread. 2) take your Dacron or other rope like material and loop it through the eye of the trailer hook. 3) Now you can take the tag ends of the Dacron and tie it to the front hook. 3 or 4 wraps to start and pull straight down to lock it into place.Â then continue forward with wraps up the shank of the front hook. 4) Once you are 3/4’s of the way up the shank fold the material back towards the bend of the hook and wrap back over the tags.Â This will lock in the material and it shouldn’t be able to pull off the front hook.Â I always add super glue between any step in the process. It’s cheep and it also adds strength to your fly. For this fly I prefer the head to be weighted with lead eyes to achieve the action I want.Â To add lead eyes I first add super glue where the eyes will be laying on the hook then with many figure 8 wraps lock the eyes on. Tying flies can be fun, it allows you to be creative and it also passes the time in the cold winter months. I highly recommend it and if you have an idea and would like me to share it on my blog, don’t hesitate to let me know through my website at www.driftingonthefly.com Thanks and tight lines

FLY TYING FOR ALASKA SILVER SALMON

Posted on December 8, 2008 by Drifting-admin

Fly tying for Alaska silver salmon fishing is a great way to pass the cold winter months. Filling your fly boxes in the winter can save you lots of time when the bite is on. There is nothing that can slow a great day of fishing down more than running out of your favorite pattern. I start with silver salmon flies first. After I get my bead boxes back in good shape, tying bright, flashy, big patterns keeps me interested and motivated. Articulated flies are always good to have in your box. Purple, Dark brown, chartreuse, pink and black are all good colors to start with when you are filling your box. There are many new materials available to us for fly tying and coming up with your own variations of fly’s is always fun. It is also more rewarding to me when I catch a fish on a fly that I have put together. Give it a try if you haven’t already and I would be happy to give any advice that I can. Give us a call and we can talk about patterns that you might need for your next fishing trip to Alaska. Stay tuned and check in on the website at www.driftingonthefly.com for more information.

Cabin Fever

Posted on January 19, 2008 by Drifting-admin

I enjoy many of natures experiences year round, but mid Jan. is when I try to get most of my fly tying done. It is something that can take you to past experiences and also prepare you for the upcoming fishing season. These days the first thing I concentrate on are silver flies. Silver patterns in my selection can vary from a size 8 nymph to a 2/0 streamer. The selection in your box may be different but here are a few flies that are standbys for me. – The muddler minnow tied with natural deer hair is one that stands out. I like to tone it down when the fish have seen a lot of pressure and fish a fly that is not so flashy and the muddler minnow gets it done for me, -also a standby are bunny flies. Rabbit hair has natural movement in the water and can be tied in any color and variation. If you have any questions or would like further information don’t hesitate to contact me for further information. Good luck and I hope that you can get out and enjoy some of winters outdoor recreation.