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Posts tagged "iso"

Summer is Here and so are the Hex

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 27, 2013

It took a while but some big hex flies can be found on local rivers. The hatches have been sporadic and very isolated – each bend in the river is different so if you don’t have success in one place, go around the next bend and see if there are bugs and fish. Then again, it is the time of the year where the “Annual Angler” makes his pilgrimage to the river so you might not have the ability to cover water. Duns and Spinners have been the mix and most nights the duration – at least on the Manistee, has been relatively short. Fish fast.

While waiting for the hex bugs, the Isonychia fishing has been pretty solid sometimes providing the best shot at fish as there is still some light out and good fish eating them. Fishing a hex emerger is a good way to spend an afternoon as is swinging an oversized hex nymph near the muddy banks to kill some time before the hatch. In addition to hex and Isos, have some Brown Drakes, Little Yellow Sallies, Sulphurs and Bat Fly patterns in your fly box.

Please practice catch and release and with the water being so warm (70 degrees) – get the fish to net quickly and revive them a long time before letting go. The Upper Manistee, Boardman and parts of the AuSable are not stocked with trout so the fish’s survival is paramount to future fishing.

Carp fishing on Grand Traverse Bay continues with a lot of fish in post-spawn mode and in shallow eating the hex and drakes in the silt beds. Spawning fish are still around, but each day is different which makes this fishing so fascination and frustrating at the same time. The heat and sunshine of the week has really warmed things up and is pushing this season closer to the end.  The smallmouth bass can be found from time to time in the shallows but they have mostly moved out into deeper water. Fish that are still around have gotten pretty wise to the fly angler but a well presented fly (crayfish and hex) for cruising fish and around rocks should find you a fish or two.

The lakes are still fishing good for bluegill and largemouth bass are becoming more active especially on sliders and poppers – a fun way to spend some time on the water. Work the lilly pads, weed beds and drop offs for your best chances.

Good luck,

Ted

The Summer Newsletter just went out – Click here to read and/or sign up for future delivery


Trout Fishing – Evening hatches should transition to morning trico s and terrestrial fishing as July sets in.
Bluegill & Bass – Lake fishing for both species is a great way to spend some time on the water over summer.
Fall Steelhead – Its not too early to start thinking about fall’s best fishing fish. Late Sept. – Nov.

bass, boardman, grand traverse bay carp fishing, hex, hex hatch, iso, isonychia, manistee, river

Tilt-Shoot Iso – Isonychia Fly Pattern

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 14, 2013
Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia Fly Pattern

Ted’s Tilt Shoot Iso

While the “hex” mayfly gets the bulk of praise and attention from Michigan anglers, there is another mayfly that gets my praise. The Isonychia emerges over a longer period of time, is easier to cast, and doesn’t wait until dark to show – what’s not to like? Having a number of names Iso, Slate Drake, White Gloved Howdy, Maroon Dun among others, it should be thought of as important and should be found in any Michigan trout angler’s fly box from June through September.

There are two genus of the Isonychia (Salderi and Bicolor) which inhabit many of our local rivers. Each have different characteristics. Rather than give you a taxonomical description or bore you with entomology, let me provide you with the brass tacks:

Tilt-Shoot-Iso-Isonychia-Natural-Iso-Spinner.jpg

Natural Isonychia Spinner

The nymphs love swift water in gravel sections, adults/duns range in size with the most common being 10-14, adults/duns bodies vary in color between the two genus and the particular river (from a light creamy olive, to tan, to a brown-mahogany color), Adults/duns have deep dun colored wings where spinners have dark maroon bodies with clear wings, and both duns and spinner have distinct white front legs making them easy to identify. The largest concentration and emergence is in June extending through mid-September with the first insects large in size and tend to get smaller through that time period.

The duns typically emerge in the evening, but they can be found on the water at almost all times of the day, especially in the later months and when cloud cover is present.  Spinners, too, typically congregate in swarms in the evening before they fall to the water’s edge to drop eggs in riffle sections of rivers. For years it was thought that Iso nymphs only climb onto shore before emerging, but it is now accepted that they emerge in mid-stream as well – trout have known that for years.

Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia Brown Trout

Brown Trout caught on a Tilt-Shoot Iso

The Tilt-Shoot Iso is a pattern I created and have been using the past 10 years with great success.  While it isn’t the easiest fly to tie for those unfamiliar with hair body patterns, you will find vast improvements after a number of attempts.

This version of a parachute provides a realistic silhouette of the wing while the pattern sits low in the water for fish to easily see — important when fishing broken water. You can change the body color by changing the thread color to tan or olive, and its worth tying some with a more natural gray color wing/post. Tie this pattern in smaller sizes and you will find it will work as an imitation for a number of mayfly spinners.

Ted’s Tilt-Shoot Iso is available from Rainy’s Flies and can be bought in stocking fly shops. Below are tying instructions for you fly tiers.

Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 0

Tilt-Shoot Iso Recipe

Hook:             TMC 5212 10 – 14
Thread:          Uni-6/0  Wine
Tail:                Moose Body
Body:              Moose Body
Post:               Deer Belly Hair – White
Hackle:           Grizzly Dyed Dun
Thorax:          Fine & Dry Dubbing – Isonychia

Tying Instructions

Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 1
Step 1.
Place hook (size 10) in vise and wrap a thread base from behind the eye to above the barb.

Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 2
Step 2. Cut 6 – 8 moose body hairs, clean and stack/even them and tie in on top of the hook about
one hook gape’s distance behind the eye.  Tie down along the shank to above the hook barb and back again.

Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 3
Step 3. Cut a large clump of moose body hair (approx. the thickness of two wooden match sticks), clean and stack/even. Measure the hair by laying the clump along the hook where the tips extend just beyond the hook shank. Trim the butt ends so the body will extend from the where we tied the tail in to just beyond the shank.

Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 4
Step 4. Lay the clump of moose along the hook making sure it completely surrounds the hook
shank for complete coverage. After a few wraps to secure it in place, hold the moose taught with your
left hand as you wrap the thread towards the hook bend with the bobbin in your right hand.

Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 5
Step 5.
Take the thread wraps to above the barb and make two tight wraps to secure
and then wrap the thread back toward the hook eye crisscrossing the thread
wraps making an X pattern. Once secured, trim off any excess butt material.

Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 6.5Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 6

Step 6. Select a clump of deer belly hair for the post/wing (approximately the thickness of three match sticks). Clean and stack/even it.  Lay the hair on top of the hook so the natural points extend to the end of the body.
Tie in the post/wing where the moose body ends and do not trim the butt ends of the hair.
Because the hair is hollow it can easily be cut by too much thread pressure.

Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 7
Step 7. Pull both the tips and the butts up and wrap along the shank to encourage the hair to move upward. Tie in a hackle feather at the base of the post/wing with the dull side of the feather facing you. The feather, after being wrapped, should extend to the end of the X-wraps on the body.

Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 8
Step 8. Dub a tight thorax on both sides of the post/wing that is slightly
thicker than the body/abdomen also encouraging the post/wing upward.

Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 9Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 9.5

Step 9.
Wrap the hackle parachute style under both the tips and butts of the post/wing.
Wrap the hackle firmly and it will compress and seat nicely against the post
creating a durable hackling. Tie off between the hook eye and dubbing.

Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 10Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 10.5

Step 10.
Pull the butt ends of the wing/post forward and trim only the
butts close to the base, just above the hackle.

Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 11Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia - Step 11.5

Step 11. Apply a drop of thin head cement at the base of the post and the thread head.

Tilt Shoot Iso Isonychia Fly Pattern

Finished Tilt-Shoot Iso Isonychia fly pattern

dry fly, how to tie, iso, isonychia, isonychia bicolor, isonychia fly pattern, isonychia salderi, michigan, rainys, slate drake, tilt-shoot Iso, white gloved howdy

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