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Posts tagged "sink-tip"

Autumn Offender Streamer Pattern

Posted by Ted Kraimer - December 16, 2013
Autumn Offender Streamer Pattern

Autumn Offender Streamer – Fish it year round

While the name of this trout streamer pattern suggests it’s only effective in the fall, it catches fish all year -round and not just here in northern Michigan. While imitating nothing in particular, it suggests a number of common food sources including sculpins, creek chubs, and juvenile trout  – staples to most trout’s diet.

This easy to tie fly incorporates colors and materials which often work when proven patterns in the fly box aren’t — making it a go-to pattern when fishing is tough. The long rabbit strip combined with the marabou and cone-head provides nice movement on the pause after a strip. With a bit of flash and a number of natural colors also incorporated, this pattern has just enough attention-getting characteristics and “bling” when the water is stained. But since the colors are relatively muted, it fishes well in clear water, too – which is often the water’s condition come fall.

Autumn Offender - Brown TroutFish the Autumn Offender on a sink-tip or floating line depending on the water and time of year,  and strip it back with a rod twitch and a pause. This streamer pattern has also caught steelhead when swung with a two handed rod and heavy sink-tip.  To learn more about streamer fishing techniques read my article, “Tips for better streamer fishing“.

Not into tying streamers? This pattern is available from Rainy’s Flies and can be bought in stocking fly shops.

Recipe:

Hook:
Thread:
Tail:
Weight:
Body:
Wing:
Over Wing:
Collar:
Head:

Gamakatsu S11-4L2H #4
Uni 6/0 – Camel
Rabbit Strip – Black Barred Sand Variant or Brown Barred Tan
Large Cone – Copper
Krystal Hackle – Olive Brown, Large & UV Polar Chenille Rusty Copper
Marabou Blood Quill – Golden Brown & Yellow
Flashabou – Kelly Green and Holographic Copper
Mallard Dyed Wood Duck Flank feather
Ice Dub – Golden Brown


Tying Instructions

Autumn Offender - Step 1Step 1. Slide cone onto hook by inserting small end through point first. Put hook in vise.

Autumn Offender - Step 2Step 2. Wrap a base layer of thread to above barb.

Autumn Offender - Step 3Step 3. Tie in a section of rabbit that is a little longer than hook’s length.

Autumn Offender - Step 4Autumn Offender - Step 4.5

Step 4. Tie in Krystal Hackle and Polar Chenille and at the same time, palmer towards cone
while stroking fibers backwards and stopping 3/8” behind eye.

Autumn Offender - Step 5Autumn Offender - Step 5.5

 

Step 5. Tie in a yellow marabou feather by its tip and wrap two to three times.
Too much feather results in bulk which has less motion so fewer can be better.

Autumn Offender - Step 6Autumn Offender - Step 6.5

 

Step 6. Repeat Step 5 but with a golden brown marabou feather.
Tip : A little saliva on your fingers stroked through the marabou
helps manage the materials, making the following steps easier.

Autumn Offender - Step 7Step 7. Tie in two strands of each color flashabou and tie on top as a wing, not extending
beyond the rabbit strip. Also, keep the ends staggered rather than trimmed to one length.

 

Autumn Offender - Step 8Autumn Offender - Step 8.5

Step 8. Take the Mallard flank and tie in by the tip. “Fold” the half of the feather on the other side of the
step from you by using your scissor’s edge to crease the fibers. Holding the feather taught, run your
scissors in your other along the feather to “break” the fibers allowing them to flow backwards.

Autumn Offender - Step 9
Step 9.
Wrap the flank collar two or three times depending on coverage, tie down and trim.

Autumn Offender - Step 10

Step 10. Dub a loose “trigger” ball of ice dub between flank and cone and the whip finish.

Autumn Offender Streamer Pattern - FinalFinished Fly – The Autumn Offender

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Beaded Alevin

Posted by Jeanne Kraimer - March 15, 2012
Beaded Alevin Fly Pattern

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.

Beaded Alevin - Natural

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.

Beaded Alevin - Natural Fry

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

Beaded Alevin 0Hook:          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:

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

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

Beaded Alevin - Step 3Beaded Alevin - Step 3.5

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.

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

Beaded Alevin - Step 5Step 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.

Beaded Alevin - Step 6Step 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.

Beaded Alevin - Step 7Step 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).

Beaded Alevin - Step 8Beaded Alevin - Step 8.5

 

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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