Smallie Lineup

[milligan trout degree]

I've been tying for an upcoming all day float trip. Thought I'd post my progress on here for tips and new ideas. If anyone has any go to smallie flies not pictured, let me know. I'm always interested in new flies. I'll be adding some pugsli minnows to the box tomorrow night after tying some more stealth bombers tonight.

[milligan trout degree]

[Troutman]

Some very nice flies you've tied up! You have the baitfish patterns covered very well with minnow and sculpin patterns as well as some bottom bouncing crayfish patterns. really like the mohair crayfish. tie some of those in olive/orange also for molting crayfish. Fish em under an indicator! I would add some more topwater flies in firetiger wiggle minnows, some black and yellow or chart green poppers.
3 different sounds for topwater are covered then with a popper, a wiggle minnow, and a slider/ gurgling stealth bomber sound. sometimes just a slight different sound makes all the difference.
Add in some mid depth free drifting flies like a tequeeley or autumn splendor. got to have some yellow rubber legs! A beadhead fly like those will hover a foot or two down as you drift with those legs pulsating without getting hung up on grass or in the rocks. Ask Randy Ratliff how well these patterns work up on his home smallie rivers in the grass beds.
Hope these suggestions will add to your arsenal of smallie catchers.
maybe Darrin, Mike (appalachian angler) and Lynn (No Hackle) will add some more suggestions.

[milligan trout degree]

Thanks for the input Gary, I've got a few fire tiger wiggle minnows, but I made the mistake of trying to color them with sharpies rather than prisma color markers. They've faded fast so I have to restock those.I was actually planning to post a question about dead drifting or popper/dropper rigs today. This is a technique I've never tried before. I switched to mostly warmwater fishing last summer. Almost exclusively now. I'm still working on new techniques and patterns. As a coincidence, I was also told by someone else just today to try the tequeely fly. I'll be tying some tonight for sure as well as more standard poppers. I added four more stealth bombers to my box last night. I also bought some burnt orange bucktail today to work on some more crawdad variants until I find one I really like.

[No Hackle]

I really like the mohair deal too. Will definately add that to my box. I would add a crease fly or two. Add a rattle to the inner body. They can't stand it. Heck man you've got it covered. Go fishin'. If you tie up some tequillies use some none-lead wire and double wrap those things. It's a really good fly.
Lynn

[milligan trout degree]

Thanks Lynn, I've never tied a crease fly before but I suppose its time I give it a go.I tied some tequeelies. Some are weighted only with a bread so I can fish them under a popper dead drifted. Others are tied with more weight to be fished alone.

Question for both of you, which fly are you guys referring to as the fly with mohair? I've never used mohair before actually. The fourth fly down had a bodies of teased out dubbing. The other bodies are either hackle, rabbit, craft fur, or palmer chenille.

[Troutman]

The fourth fly down from the top looks like a mohair yarn body. you can buy it in the chenille aisle at fly shops. You can also buy it on large spools at a spinnery supply store. it makes some great buggy bodies on wooley buggers and nymphs. My friend Rusty ties a killer crayfish pattern in an olive brown mohair. I've used the same yarn for a size 6 rubber legged stonefly similiar to Timmy Doyle's rubber legged tellico.

[waterwolf]

Flies look great, but IMO you are over complicating a very simple game. If you enjoy throwing and fishing lots of different stuff than more power to you, and have at it. But if you like to keep things simple, you can go to any smallmouth water in this state with 2 flies and catch as many fish as you wish.

Some folks like to experiment, and that is their PR, for me I want simplicity and ease.

Good luck and post some pics when you get back.

[milligan trout degree]

Originally Posted by waterwolf

Flies look great, but IMO you are over complicating a very simple game. If you enjoy throwing and fishing lots of different stuff than more power to you, and have at it. But if you like to keep things simple, you can go to any smallmouth water in this state with 2 flies and catch as many fish as you wish.

Some folks like to experiment, and that is their PR, for me I want simplicity and ease.

Good luck and post some pics when you get back.

I couldn't agree more. I know a bunch of patterns is unnecessary, but I have two hobbies. Fly fishing and fly tying. When I fished for trout mostly, I tied mostly out of necessity. Now that I primarily tie for bass, I tie just because I enjoy tying. I'm always looking for new patterns to tie. Some I may never fish, others I'll give away on the stream somewhere. I also believe someone could take an olive wooly bugger and catch trout, bass, crappie, carp, bluegill, etc anywhere in the country. Sometimes, it's fun to catch them on something new though. I've got plenty of flies to last me this season and probably the next few seasons, but I'll continue to tie a dozen or two a week.

[milligan trout degree]

Originally Posted by Troutman

The fourth fly down from the top looks like a mohair yarn body. you can buy it in the chenille aisle at fly shops. You can also buy it on large spools at a spinnery supply store. it makes some great buggy bodies on wooley buggers and nymphs. My friend Rusty ties a killer crayfish pattern in an olive brown mohair. I've used the same yarn for a size 6 rubber legged stonefly similiar to Timmy Doyle's rubber legged tellico.

That fly started as "base" so to speak of a crawdad idea I've had. I'd like to experiment with segmentation on the fly, maybe shellback, maybe some dark flash, rabbit for claws. I need to tie some with weedguards for sure though so I can bounce it along the bottom without worrying. I'll pick up some mohair next time I see it.