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Goblin

Posted by Jeanne Kraimer - March 15, 2012

The Goblin – A Sculpin and Goby Streamer Pattern

The Goblin is a pattern that does a good job of imitating two important food sources to fish in the Great Lakes region: the Goby and Sculpin. This large profile fly provides a great silhouette as well as action and with its inverted hook, it’s ideal when fishing either on the lake or river bottom and when fished around structure. The two-tone color perspective makes is very realistic and the barring of the rabbit helps create that illusion of food.

When fishing in Grand Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan, I find the Goblin works very well on smallmouth bass since there is a dense population of goby; carp have been known to eat it too. With it’s weighted eyes and saturated rabbit strip it sinks fairly well and is paired with a floating line and long leader. Once it sinks, strip it fast, but with very short pops with the rod tip and watch for the fish to take. Strip sets common with saltwater fishing is a great way to make sure the fish is hooked. Sculpins make up a key component of a trout’s diet. The Goblin can be fished “trophy-style” – that is, with a large sink-tip, typically from a boat and striped through the deep holes near and around structure before recasting.

Smallmouth Bass

Another way to fish this pattern effectively is by wading with a smaller sink-tip line and fished slowly near all the structure that is likely to hold fish – primarily, the secondary structure that many of the “trophy” anglers skip. These slots, tail-outs and inside bends often provide that fish who is not hiding, but rather feeding. Rather than taking the approach of getting a territorial response from the fish, this softer approach is more like matching the natural food source and presents a pattern that wanders near a fish looking to eat. This pattern has also caught steelhead when fished with both a floating line or swung on a two-handed rod.

The fly isn’t easy to tie, but it’s not difficult either. The stacking of two colors of sculpin wool can be tricky, and if you don’t get it right the first time, cut off the wool and try again. Reminiscent of the Mad Pup, this pattern’s head is different by being trimmed short and broad to not only give the better profile, but create a more realistic swimming motion.

Goblin Recipe

Hook:           Daiichi 2451 #4
Thread:         Uni-6/0 Camel and Flymaster+ Tan
Tail:              Black Barred Rabbit Strip Gold Variant
Collar:           Rooster Saddle – Natural Brown
Fins:             Hen Saddle – Speckled Brown
Head:           Sculpin Wool – Cream and Sculpin Olive
Eyes:            Dumbbell – Red, Extra Small or Small

Tying Instructions

Step 1. Insert hook into vise, wrap base layer and dub a small body from some rabbit strip.

Step 2. Take a piece of rabbit strip and trim off the end to a tapered point.

Step 3. Poke the rabbit strip with the hook so the end of the other end of the rabbit
strip is at the end of the dubbed under body which is the tie down point.

Step 4. Tie in the collar feather and wrap a few times and tie off. Trim the fibers on the
top of the fly. This feather helps support the pectoral fins that will be tied later.

Step 5. Tie a small patch of rabbit hair on top to cover up the collar.

Step 6. Tie in hen saddles to represent the pectoral fins on each side
of the body as shown. Tie one at a time and then whip finish.

Step 7. Change your thread to the heavier and stronger Fly Master+ and tie the thread in just
behind the hook eye and tie in the dumbbell eyes with figure-8 wraps.

Step 8. Position the thread between the fly body and the lead eyes. Tie in a small clump of sculpin
wool by cinching down in middle of the hair like you would stacking deer hair.

Step 9. Rotate the vise or re position the hook in the jaws and repeat the previous step with the cream wool.

Step 10. Advance the thread to between the hook eye and dumbbell
eyes and tie in the second clump of dark wool.

Step 11. Tie in the second clump of light colored wool on the underside . Tie off and whip finish.

Step 12. It’s time to trim the wool. Work in a two-dimension approach by trimming
the top and the bottom of the head first. Once you get the profile you are looking
for, rotate the vise and trim from the top view to get the desired profile.

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Beaded Alevin

Posted by Jeanne Kraimer - March 15, 2012

Beaded Alevin

Wherever natural reproduction takes place, juvenile fish call home. After months lying in oxygenated gravel, the fertilized eggs start to evolve into a fish which become a food source to larger fish. This stage, referred to as an “Alevin,” retains its egg as the length and shape of the fish develops.

With its big eyes and bright egg sack, larger fish take advantage of the alevin’s unwary disposition and protein value – we as anglers take note and also take advantage.

Anglers fishing waters that host spawning salmon in the fall and steelhead in the spring should consider this fly a staple from mid-February and into April. Not only does the alevin work well for steelhead, but trout too find them easy prey.

Natural Alevin

Other species naturally reproducing go through a similar process, and by tweaking coloration you should find this pattern is effective long after the steelhead, walleye and suckers are done spawning. Some fish eat their own, and mixed species don’t pass up a chance to eat others making this an effective pattern that goes beyond just the early months of the year.

Presentation can vary with the alevin pattern.I often fish as a dropper on a nymphing rig for steelhead. As the pattern comes off the bottom and sweeps up and downstream, I strip some line in before recasting. By doing so, the pattern looks like a natural alevin darting along and the takes –with no slack in the line- can’t be mistaken.

Immature Salmon

When targeting trout, I like to fish these slightly down and across with twitches created by popping my rod tip on either a slow sink-tip line, sinking leader or floating line if the water is shallow enough. At the end of the drift, let the fly hang down like you would a wet-fly before stripping it back and recasting. Smallmouth bass also like this pattern so be sure to tie one below a larger streamer or even a popper for a top and bottom presentation.

The alevin pattern itself is easy to tie and doesn’t require exotic or expensive materials. The translucent nature of the bead not only adds realism, but also weight and a little wobble when facing directly against the current. Put a bunch of these in your fly box and match a different kind of hatch for a number of species.

Beaded Alevin Recipe

Hook:          Daiichi 2450 #8
Thread:       Uni 6/0 – Gray
Bead:          Plastic 4mm – orange/pink
Wire:          Silver Ultrawire – SM or BR
Body:         Senyo’s Laser Yarn Silver Minnow Belly
Wing: Light Olive Ice Dub
Topping:      Peacock Ice Dub
Eyes:           3-D Molded – Silver 5/32

Tying Instructions:

Step 1. Slide plastic bead over hook and then place in vise

Step 2. Wrap thread from behind eye to form a base layer.

Step 3. Slide a piece of wire through bead and tie down between the hook eye and bead.
Bring the wire over-top of the bead and tie down – this holds it in place.

Step 4. Dub some of the body just in front of the bead.

Step 5. Take the same dubbing and align the fibers by hand so that you have
a long dubbing/body material. Tie in ahead of the dubbed body.

Step 6. Align some wing material similar to step 5. Tie in on
top so that it is about the same length as the body material.

Step 7. Repeat a third time with the Peacock Ice Dub and tie off. Apply water-based
head cement (regular head cement typically melts the Ice Dub).

Step 8. Install the eyes by placing a drop of Platinum Bond Super Fabric Textile adhesive using
your bodkin. Once applied,use a cleaned off bodkin to pick an eye off its backing sheet and set.
The placement of this eye as demonstrated in the photo is between the bead and hook eye and
slightly elevated and helps sandwich the body/wing material and create the desired profile.

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Borcher’s Drake – Parachute

Posted by Jeanne Kraimer - March 15, 2012

Borcher's Drake - Parachute

The Borcher’s Drake represents a number of different flies that hatch in the region, not just one particular mayfly making it not only versitle, but also effective. You will want to tie this pattern in various sizes to imitate many of our early mayfly patterns which include but are not limited to: Hendricksons, Mahoganies, March Browns, Black Quills, Sulphurs & Isonychias. This list of mayflies vary in color however this pattern does a good job of imitating the spinner stage of the aforementioned mayflies which all tend to be dark in color, often a mahogany/rusty color.

The original drake pattern was tied with condor feather and was more of a traditional Cat-Skill style hackle with up-right wings. The recipe and directions for the drake pattern below uses easy to find materials and is tied in a parachute style.

Parachutes are my favorite style of dry flies because they sit low in the water, have an excellent silhouette and provide an easy to see post. I also like how parachutes tend to land properly on the water and are – in my opinion – much easier to tie than the original.

Originally tied by Ernie Borcher of the Grayling area in the mid 1900’s, the drake pattern has been recognized as one of a few that should be in every angler’s fly box when fishing Michigan rivers in May and June. It’s easy to tie, effective to fish and a staple in my fly box. Not into fly tying? The Northern Angler in Traverse City stocks this custom-tied drake pattern in a variety of sizes.

Borcher’s Drake Recipe

Hook:              TMC 100 12 – 16
Thread:           Uni-8/0  Camel
Tail:                Moose Body
Body:              Cinnamon Tip Turkey Tail
Rib:                 x-small copper wire
Post:               Hi-Vis or Para-Post
Hackle:           Grizzly
Abdomen:       Brown Dry Fly Dubbing

Tying Instructions

Step 1. Wrap thread base from behind eye to above barb.

Step 2. Stack/even 4-5 moose body hairs and tie in so the
pointed ends extend 1 ½ times the length of the hook shank.

Step 3. Tie in rib/copper wire extending backward.

Step 4. Take a clump of turkey tail and remove/pull it from the stem. Tie in by the tips at the rear
of the hook where the rib is tied in. (Approximately ¼ -inch of fibers for a size 12)

Step 5. Tightly wrap the turkey forward slightly building a tapered body that gets thicker as
you approach the eye. Stop wrapping and tie off 1/3rd of the way back from the eye.

Step 6. Wrap the ribbing through the body in the opposite direction that you did the body material for
reinforcement. Then tie in your post material where the body ends. I like to make
a small loop out of the synthetic post material to keep a wing like profile.

Step 7. Tie in a hackle feather along the base and up the post.

Step 8. Dub a thorax that is slightly larger than the body. Most mayfly spinners
have a thin abdomen and a large thorax – keep that in mind when dubbing .

Step 9. Wrap a generous parachute wing with the hackle feather and tie off.

Step 10. Whip finish being careful not to trap any of the hackle in the process.

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Upper Manistee River (above Tippy Dam)

Posted by Ted Kraimer - March 15, 2012

Upper Manistee River – Scenic Spring Creek

The upper Manistee River is where we do the majority of our trout fishing. Like a big spring creek, the waters of the “Mana” tend to run clear due to the sandy soil around it. With sections of gravel and riffles, sand bottoms and some silt beds the Hex nymphs call home; there are simply lots of different bugs that hatch on this river.

Majority of the fish in this section of water are Brown Trout and Brook Trout with the occasional Rainbow Trout. Ever seen a Tiger Trout? This is a natural occurring hybrid of a brook trout and brown as both spawn in the fall. These fish are rare but they do exist in the Upper-Manistee.

The flows of the Upper Manistee river are moderate and depth changes – common sense will tell you what side of the river to be on, possible places to cross and also what side will most likely to hold the fish.

Structure includes submerged logs, overhanging trees, deeper holes and combinations of them all. Just when you think there aren’t any fish in the river, you will either move a significant fish out of a holding lie or witness a hatch that suddenly turns the river into a jacuzzi with rising fish. Don’t ever give up, just try something different.

Where

The CCC bridge and the CCC Bridge campground are focal points of the fly fisherman who fishes the Manistee. The bridge is the lower boundary of the “Flies-Only” section of water with M-72 being the upper boundary. This water is open year round and has special regulations.

Much of my guiding and fishing takes place from M-72 downstream to the Rainbow Jim’s and I have been known to fish other sections when conditions are right.

Come float sections of water on the upper Manistee and experience the fishing the water around Yellow Trees, the Miracle-Mile, The Settlement, King Trout Ranch, Burnt Cabin (BKZ), CCC Bridge, Dutch John, and Smithville. The Upper Manistee offers anglers a variety of water and fishing conditions for all experience levels.

Brook Trout

Experience not only great fishing, but a river that is not over-developed or over-used. Because of it’s remoteness, canoe and kayak traffic is not a problem on these sections of river like they are on other areas or rivers in the region.

Located about 40 miles east of Traverse City and 25 west from Grayling.

See the map at the bottom of this page for directions.

Manistee River Hatches

The Hex

The best hatches on the river and the ones to fish are many. Starting in April, the early black stones get going, and beyond that it only gets better. From the end of April through mid-May Hendricksons are the first prolific mayflies to emerge and often are mixed in with Black Caddis (Mothers day Caddis). Next come the Sulphurs, Tan Caddis, March Browns, Black Quills / Borchers Drakes, Little Yellow Sallies, and Mahogany Duns – all in the month of May and into June.

Read about some of the great insects that hatch prior to the Hex Hatch »

The big bugs of June are what dry fishermen get excited about: Brown Drakes, Isonycias, and The Hex. Into July and August the Manistee experiences Tricos, Olive Caddis, Light Cahills, and more Isonycias.

Beyond these emerging aquatic insects anglers will want to pay close attention to the terrestrials: ants, flying ants, grasshoppers, beetles and more. Size does matter on these bugs – try to match what you see on the streamside vegetation or on the water and try larger and smaller if you aren’t having success. Throughout the year anglers can expect to see lots of Blue Winged Olives (BWOs) in sizes ranging from 16 to 22; these are a staple for just about any trout fisherman — and trout!

Obviously there are more types of bugs that come off on this river, but the above mentioned are the ones any fly angler and fly tier should be most concerned with.

For more information regarding our hatches, check out the Hatch Chart.

Streamer Fishing on the Manistee

Modern day streamer fishing for trophy sized trout was developed on this river by its pioneer Kelly Galloup, former owner and guide of the Troutsman fly shop once located in Traverse City. As a way to catch big fish on those bright days without a hatch or when trying to target big brown trout, streamer fishing gives anglers a great technique which has become not only popular here on the Manistee and other local rivers, but has caught on in popularity throughout the other regions of the country and trout rivers.

Beyond effective, this method also is exciting to watch a fish over twenty inches pounce on the fly before your eyes. Not to give the illusion that catching a fish is easy using streamer techniques, but any angler fishing this river will want to be prepared to cast some big flies (up to six inches long) to pull that lazy fish out of his lair when surface activity is null. Try fly patterns that imitate: sculpins, chestnut lampreys, smaller trout, chubs, and of course that generic fly that not only will move some water, but simply looks too good not to eat. Look to streamer fish all-year with the best times being April-June and September-November.

To learn more about streamer fishing, read Tips For Better Streamer Fishing »

Directions and Map

The CCC Bridge is located about 40 miles East of Traverse City, 20 miles South East of Kalkaska and 25 miles West of Grayling, Michigan. Anglers fishing the Au Sable River in Grayling often spend time also fishing the Manistee.

Map of the Upper Manistee River (above Tippy Dam)

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Rag Egg – Clown

Posted by Jeanne Kraimer - March 14, 2012

Rag Egg – Clown Color

The Rag style egg is a pattern tied loosely which is quite a departure from the very solid Glo Bug. It is translucent and shows multiple colors in a very organic way which is in part why it is so effective at representing eggs in various stages. This rag style also tends to sink when wet as opposed to floating or staying suspended like some of the solid egg patterns tied tightly with egg yarn.

The following directions are for a clown style rag egg, but colors and combinations are endless. Play around and see what works best for you.

Some of my personal favorite combinations are: Oregon Cheese and Steelhead Orange, Egg and Sockeye, Oregon Cheese, Chartreuse, Pink Lady, Steelhead Orange and Egg, Flame and Steelhead Orange (Light Clown).

Note: When using this rag pattern suspended off of the bottom under floats, I prefer to tie with Daiichi 1640 #6 hooks as they are a little lighter wire but still strong enough for bringing fish to the net.

Dark Clown Rag Egg Recipe

Hook:            TMC 105 # 6-10 or Gamakatsu C14S
Thread:         Uni 6/0 – Color of Choice
Egg Yarn:      Chartreuse, Steelhead Orange, Cerise, Flame, Shrimp Pink

Tying Instructions

Step 1. Cut 1 ¼” pieces of yarn in the various colors and remove parts of the yarn as a full
piece of egg yarn is too much. The amount of yarn varies and depends on hook size and the
amount of translucency desired. A starting point for size 8 hooks is to use just a little less than
the diameter of a pencil. If you want one color to be more prominent, use more of it and less of another.

Step 2. Once hook is in the vise, wrap a thread base from behind the eye to above the hook point.

Step 3. Separate 2 colors (typically the bolder ones) of yarn and lay them perpendicular
to the hook shank and tie in a crisscross manner similar to tying lead dumbbell eyes.

Step 4. Advance the thread in front of the yarn and tie in the remainder of the yarn in the same fashion.

Step 5. Pull all of the thread up and put a small ball of thread just in front of the yarn.

Step 6. Whip finish.

Step 7. Pull (not shown) the yarn upward and trim. The length depends on how dense
you want the pattern. A good rule of thumb is the size of the hook gape or a little less.

Step 8. Fluff the yarn with your fingers and you should have the finished fly in your hands.

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