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Posts tagged "trout fishing streamer"

Back Half Baitfish

Posted by Ted Kraimer - December 21, 2022

The Back Half Baitfish is a relatively simple pattern to tie with a great profile that can be used to represent a number of different baitfish species in both rivers and lakes to target various fish, just by changing up colors.

After years of increasing the size of our streamer patterns and bombarding the fish, these larger patterns are becoming less effective as angling pressure has increased. While these large patterns still work on some days, more attention has been placed on smaller streamer patterns. If we have learned anything over the years, we need to adapt to fish wants, and sometimes that means downsizing the pattern and modifying our presentation.

 

Back Half Baitfish - Log PerchAlso receiving additional attention is how prolific various baitfish species are in our waters thanks to Kevin Feenstra’s book, Matching Baitfish. This broad, in-depth and eye-opening project has highlighted the importance of the baitfish throughout our rivers and their nuances in behavior and color schemes.

As trout anglers, the concept of matching the hatch is a familiar one. Fishing baitfish is no different in concept – we are simply trying to imitate the natural species, which is the natural forage for predator species like trout and smallmouth bass.

 

 

Back Half Baitfish - Yellow with triggerThe design of this pattern came about serendipitously. I was developing a larger, articulated streamer pattern, and after some sketches I started tying. Once I completed tying the back half of the pattern, I set it aside and began the forward section/hook. As I glanced at the back half laying on my desk, the different profile intrigued me.  With various adjustments to the design and development, and time on the water, I came up with the “Back Half Baitfish.” The name came about from a lack of creativity.  And, no, I never did complete the front half of the original tandem pattern.

Fishing the Back Half Baitfish

I like to fish this pattern on a number of different fly lines depending on the targeted species, depth and flow of the water, water temps, and weather conditions. Some days it’s on a slow sink-tip line, floating line, intermediate sink tip or even tied as a dropper on a big, heavy sinking line as a secondary pattern.

Back Half Baitfish - Olive with triggerWhen retrieving, think of it being twitch-striped – a combination of the “twitch” retrieve and stripping a streamer. Cast down and across the current and add some short twitches, a pause, then a steady pull/strip. Because it doesn’t sink fast, we can slowly bring the fly back, making it not only behave more like the baitfish it’s imitating, but more attractive to fish that might not be aggressively interested in hammering a hard striped fly. Like always with streamer fishing, if the fish aren’t showing you the love, change up the retrieve a little to see if that makes a difference.

Tie these up in various colors and densities. Have some tied with a tungsten bead for additional weight and/or use lead wire under the body, add a trigger of UV material like Ice Dub.  And for sure, tie in a variety of colors to match different baitfish and conditions.

The red thread identifies which patterns are tied with lead wire for additional weight.

Recipe:

Hook: Gamakatsu B10s #6
Thread: Flymaster Plus – Tan
Bead: 3/16” – Brass
Tail: Extra Select Craft Fur – Tan and Golden Olive
Flash: Lateral Scale – 1/69″ Opal Mirage
Wing ‘N Flash or Angel Hair – Gold
Body: Dubbing made from Craft Fur
Head: Deer Body Hair – Tan

This pattern was developed for trout and bass, but should you be interested in using it for larger fish, consider a using a heavier hook like the Daiichi 2451 #6 or heavier Gamakatsu L11S-3H #6

Tying Instructions

Step 1. Slide bead onto the hook and place in vise.

Back Half Baitfish - Step 2Step 2. After wrapping a layer of thread from behind the bead to above
the barb, select a clump of craft fur, a little less than the diameter of a pencil.

Back Half Baitfish - Step 3Step 3. Pinch the longer fibers of the craft fur and separate the shorter fibers
that add to the bulk of the fur. Do not discard the shorter fibers, save them for step 7.

Back Half Baitfish - Step 4Step 4. Tie in the craft fur with the tips extending back
approximately 2 ½ times the length of the hook.

Back Half Baitfish - Step 5Step 5. Tie in the second color of craft fur on top of the lighter, matching the length, then tie
in one strand of lateral scale on each side the craft fur, and trim so it’s the same length as the craft fur.

Back Half Baitfish - Step 6Step 6. Tie in a sparse amount of Wing ‘N Flash or Angel Hair on each side
of the darker craft fur and trim so it doesn’t extend beyond the length of the craft fur.

Back Half Baitfish - Step 7bBack Half Baitfish - Step 7a

 

Step 7. Using the shorter craft fur saved from step 3, make dubbing by mixing the orientation of the fibers.


Back Half Baitfish - Step 8
Step 8. Dub a body forward stopping about a bead’s distance behind the bead.
Pick out the dubbing with a bodkin, brush, or tip of scissors to get a nice, buggy appearance.

Back Half Baitfish - Step 9Step 9. Select a thinner chunk of the darker craft fur, separate the shorter fibers and tie these in to
help taper the profile of the fly. If tying with a “Trigger” or “Hot Spot”, replace this portion of craft fur with Ice Dub.

Back Half Baitfish - Step 10Step 10. Comb out and stack about a pencil’s diameter of deer hair.

Back Half Baitfish - Step 11Step 11. Between the bead and craft fur, tie the deer hair in around the hook
so the tips extend just beyond the hook bend. Any shorter than this
and the craft fur is likely to get fouled around the hook bend.

Back Half Baitfish - Step 12Step 12. After winding the thread carefully through the butt
ends of the deer hair, whip finish behind the bead.

Back Half Baitfish - Step 13Step 13. Trim the butt ends of the deer hair around the hook slightly tapering
from the diameter of the bead to transition the profile to the deer hair tips.

Back Half Baitfish - Step 14Step 14. Using a black Sharpie marker, color the top of the craft but by pulling the craft fur with one hand
and lightly running the marker along it. You just want to add a little dimension, not completely blacken it.

Back Half Baitfish - Step 15Step 15. By pulling the craft fur with one hand, apply some vertical stripes on each side with a marker.
Here, a metallic gold Sharpie is used. I also mark some with black or brown when I want a pattern with less flash.

 

Back Half Baitfish - Tan OliveFinished Back Half Baitfish

Back Half Baitfish UndersideUnderside profile of the Back Half Baitfish

Tied with optional 3-D Eyes

baitfish streamer, fly pattern for log perch, gamakatsu streamer hook, kevin feenstra, log perch, matching baitfish, smallmouth bass, trout fishing streamer

Skam Man Streamer

Posted by Ted Kraimer - December 15, 2016

Skam Man Streamer PatternThe Skam-Man streamer pattern represents a number of bait and juvenile sport-fish found in a number of  different waters, serving as biomass/food for larger fish.

While it was named after and originally designed to imitate the natural reproduction progeny of the Skamania strain of steelhead on the Manistee River, this fly does a good job of suggesting more, including: shiners, juvenile rainbow trout and even shad (where they are present).

This fly is quick to tie, offers a great jig-like action and fishes well for trout and bass – both in rivers and lakes.

In Michigan Rivers, the Skam-Man has fished well in the spring, summer and fall – but like most patterns, some days it’s not what the fish are looking for. Coho salmon and steelhead have also eaten the Skam Man, so consider it a versatile pattern worthy of a place in your fly box and to be fished on Michigan waters as well as in other regions.

Skam Man Trout StreamerAnglers can fish this streamer pattern either on a sink-tip or floating line depending on the water depth, temperature and flow rate. Be sure to cast to the center of the river as well as the inside bends as often that is where feed fish often lie.  Don’t forget to mix up the retrieve to find out what the fish want that day but start with a quick strip and pause retrieve with some rod tip-flick to speed it up but also provide a pause as it drops.

Recipe

Skam Man - WetHook:                    Gamakatsu B10S – #4
Thread:                Uni 6/0 Olive Dun
Eyes:                     Lead Dumbbell – Pearl X-Small
Tail:                       Marabou – Pearl Gray
Body I:                 UV Polar Chenille UV Pearl
Body II:                Schlappen – Gray
Collar:                   Mallard Flank Feather
Legs:                      Sili Legs – Clear Barred
Wing:                    Craft Fur – Golden Olive
Dubbing:              Ice Dub – Minnow Belly

Tying Instructions:

Skam Man - Step 1Step 1. Wrap a thread base from behind hook eye to above hook point and back towards the eye.

Skam Man - Step 2Step 2.  Using figure-8 wraps, tie the lead eyes on top of the hook. Using the photo as reference, they should
be tied so there is a space between the hook eye and the dumbbell eyes the size of the eyes themselves.

Skam Man - Step 3Step 3. Tie in a sparse amount of marabou for the tail that extends beyond the hook
the length of the hook itself. Sometimes you need to cut off the very tip and/or base of the feather.

Skam Man - Step 4Step 4. Tie in a strand of Polar Chenille.

Skam Man - Step 5Step 5.  Tie in a schlappen feather by the tip.

Skam Man - Step 6Step 6.  At the same time wind both the Polar Chenille and schlappen stopping just short of the lead eyes.

Skam Man - Step 7 Skam Man - Step 7.5
Step 7.
Take a flank feather and tie it in by the tip. Hold stem of the feather up and run the edge
of your scissors along the stem to “break” the fibers which can now be folded backwards.
Fold and wind the feather once to get full coverage and trim excess.

Skam Man - Step 8Step 8. Tie in a rubber leg on each side of the fly so it extends the length of the fly.


Skam Man - Step 9Step 9.
Dub the space between the body and around eyes to form a smooth body profile.

Skam Man - Step 10Step 10. Rotate vise or put the fly in vise upside down.  Tie in wing so that it extends just
short of the tail material. Tie off with a whip finish and coat with a water-based head cement.

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