FlyFisher23
Active member
Does anyone have custom patterns to share?
Anyone have custom patterns
- Thread starter FlyFisher23
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There is a certain amount of bravado with someone that names their own flies. I have over 300 I’ve shared on here that work. A handful are mine, none of which have a name I penned. You either are ultra creative with a lot of free time, a die hard angler or guide, working as a fly designer, discovered a “eureka” fly, or just plain lucky. To me unless a fly is proven to catch fish.... it shouldn’t be named. But who am I?
To dip my toe in the discussion though.....I have the Mitchell Special... a Catskill style brown bodied variant of the Adams. Caught more trout on that pattern than any I will equal in the next 40 years.
Don’t tell anyone though. It’s a secret.
To dip my toe in the discussion though.....I have the Mitchell Special... a Catskill style brown bodied variant of the Adams. Caught more trout on that pattern than any I will equal in the next 40 years.
Don’t tell anyone though. It’s a secret.
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Ard
Administrator
The best I could do; The Evolution of The Answer I made those for fishing in wild brown trout streams, first made one in 1990 and caught many nice fish until I left brown trout water in 2004. Chose the materials because I had them and they worked. Called it the Answer because it seemed to solve some tough situations when used with a good technique.
alfaromeo
Well-known member
ontheflymn
Well-known member
I think every person who is a serious tyer probably has their own "original" pattern, especially considering the myriad of choices when it comes to substituting materials, whether they be original recipe or a replacement. The bastardization of patterns is all over the place (here, Insta, Youtube). I don't see a lot of patterns I'd classify as original, more along the lines of utilization of ingredients.
Rob Snowhite
Member
The Bass Siren - it calls bass to it.
I came up with this one falling asleep at night. My idea was to combine an intruder for steelhead with a bass fly for warm water. This is the first of two patterns that I came up with. The back end is articulated with a curly ultra suede tail. The front is an bell/umbrella shape that is intended to pulse in the water when stripped. The fly has no additional weight other than a cone. When stripped it has a streamlined profile with a moving tail. When paused it drops.
The gentlemen holding the bass is over 7 feet tall.
Video tutorial on my Youtube.
I came up with this one falling asleep at night. My idea was to combine an intruder for steelhead with a bass fly for warm water. This is the first of two patterns that I came up with. The back end is articulated with a curly ultra suede tail. The front is an bell/umbrella shape that is intended to pulse in the water when stripped. The fly has no additional weight other than a cone. When stripped it has a streamlined profile with a moving tail. When paused it drops.
The gentlemen holding the bass is over 7 feet tall.
Video tutorial on my Youtube.
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mtboiler
Well-known member
My opinion is that there are very few 'original' patterns today. I have 'created' a couple of flies, but they are not original patterns. They might have original materials, but they are a play on another fly created by someone else. So, original in today's world should really be created using something new from a previous design.
For instance, my version of a copper john....I didn't create wrapping wire on a hook, or using dubbing or rubber legs. I am probably not eh first person to tie a copper john on a scud hook either. But I put them together and experimented enough to where it works great, catches fish and easy to tie.That is a size 14 with the equivelent of a size 12 bead head. This is version 8 or 9, but each version gets simpler with less materials and the color had morphed to three versions that work great, most of the time. I have not changed this fly in almost a year!! The original had 7 or 8 materials, a wing, and a beard, plus a flash back. It took a long time to tie but caught a bunch of fish. As I went bushier on the dubbing I discovered I did not need the wing or the flash back or the flash underbody. Matter of fact, I have a couple with no tail and they work just a swell! Starting to get the shakes from not playing with it!!
Here is my version of a gurgler....I didn't create a gurgler. I am probably not the first person to put rubber legs on a gurgler or use bucktail as a tail on a gurgler I used a bigger hook to make is sit a bit lower to 'pop' more. but that is not original either....
I got one more....I have been experimenting with this fly (top an bottom fly) for almost a year now. I didn't create the tying techniques, I am sure I am not the first to use the color patterns. I am probably not the first to use bucktail as a hook guard to keep the tail from fouling, bottom fly yellow is bucktail. I am sure I am not the first one to bend a hook. The hook in the picture is the hook I am using. I started off with it straight. I didn't have enough room to put stuff on it so I bent it a bit, top fly. Concept was to use hook upside down as a weed guard. I even tried it on a clouser and it works just fine there too. I have added some wire to the bend of the hook in a newer version, not picutured to see if it swings correctly, but have not tested that one since it is below zero here!!! I have it to where it swings well. It is still a work in progress but I am getting there and I am sure I will make a few more modifications before I am done with it. The bottom fly is a terrible trim job. My trimming has gotten much better. But I wanted a bigger head.
The top fly was the first one I tied after bending the hook. Not enough head room. I kept it to see how it evolves. I have tried to keep the original of each version I have played with. Ironically the nymph has been misplaced.
For instance, my version of a copper john....I didn't create wrapping wire on a hook, or using dubbing or rubber legs. I am probably not eh first person to tie a copper john on a scud hook either. But I put them together and experimented enough to where it works great, catches fish and easy to tie.That is a size 14 with the equivelent of a size 12 bead head. This is version 8 or 9, but each version gets simpler with less materials and the color had morphed to three versions that work great, most of the time. I have not changed this fly in almost a year!! The original had 7 or 8 materials, a wing, and a beard, plus a flash back. It took a long time to tie but caught a bunch of fish. As I went bushier on the dubbing I discovered I did not need the wing or the flash back or the flash underbody. Matter of fact, I have a couple with no tail and they work just a swell! Starting to get the shakes from not playing with it!!
Here is my version of a gurgler....I didn't create a gurgler. I am probably not the first person to put rubber legs on a gurgler or use bucktail as a tail on a gurgler I used a bigger hook to make is sit a bit lower to 'pop' more. but that is not original either....
I got one more....I have been experimenting with this fly (top an bottom fly) for almost a year now. I didn't create the tying techniques, I am sure I am not the first to use the color patterns. I am probably not the first to use bucktail as a hook guard to keep the tail from fouling, bottom fly yellow is bucktail. I am sure I am not the first one to bend a hook. The hook in the picture is the hook I am using. I started off with it straight. I didn't have enough room to put stuff on it so I bent it a bit, top fly. Concept was to use hook upside down as a weed guard. I even tried it on a clouser and it works just fine there too. I have added some wire to the bend of the hook in a newer version, not picutured to see if it swings correctly, but have not tested that one since it is below zero here!!! I have it to where it swings well. It is still a work in progress but I am getting there and I am sure I will make a few more modifications before I am done with it. The bottom fly is a terrible trim job. My trimming has gotten much better. But I wanted a bigger head.
The top fly was the first one I tied after bending the hook. Not enough head room. I kept it to see how it evolves. I have tried to keep the original of each version I have played with. Ironically the nymph has been misplaced.
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bigjim5589
Well-known member
My thought too! There's not much that hasn't been done in one form or another, and as new materials come along, they're adopted to old patterns.
A "pattern" is the description of the fly and it's various components, but there are also "styles" too. Just as an example, the GR Hare's Ear is a pattern, but the "Hares Ear" is now a style too, tied in various versions. I've tied many no name nymphs to fish with using various furs & other materials, that at first glance look like a Hare's Ear. That form is hard to beat. The Lefty's Deceiver is another example, and may be the most copied streamer fly of all time. Catalogs are filled with large streamers, and upon close inspection, many are just embellished Deceiver variations.
Two flies that I tie, that as far as I can tell, are not listed in some catalog or popularized in articles, are a Stonefly Nymph, and a Leech pattern and I have posted them on these forums in the past. They're both very easy to tie. The Leech is a "Clouser Minnow" style fly.
The Leech is tied with ostrich herl, very full, a few strands of Flashabou ( copper, bronze, black, or electric blue whatever you like ) and the barbell eyes. That's it.
The Stonefly is tied with or without a bead, rabbit fur dubbing, a vinyl rib, rubber or silicone legs & tail, and wrap or two of cactus chenille or Estaz. Use whatever hook style you like, and pick the dubbing out between the rib wraps. That's it.
As you can see, black is a color I use often, and with the Stonefly I vary the colors between blends of black & olive. Use whatever dubbing type you like too, but any dubbing with primarily a rabbit fur base is a good choice.
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Glad to see you on here Rob. A perfect concoction aptly named.
planettrout
Well-known member
This:
PT/TB
PT/TB
clsmith131
Well-known member
Every time I come up with something different, I realize that someone else has already done it. Usually theirs is better. These days, the flashtail clouser accounts for most of my fly tying, just because they are so successful. Mine is basically a copy of Dan Blanton's (who obviously built on Bob Clouser's original) but with my preferred materials. I like to tie a little spot behind the eyes with black or red thread. I usually give boxes of these to my friends when the local waters start to cool off. I use brass, lead or tungsten barbells to change sink rates, and have a few different color schemes I use. I vary the density and length of my flies depending on whether I want to imitate gizzard, herring, threadfin or trout.
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FlyFisher23
Active member
alfaromeo, that one crayfish fly is sweet!
FlyFisher23
Active member
WWKimba
Well-known member
I have tied about 230 variations based on the James Wood Bucktail base pattern for most warm and cold water species as well as James Wood 'boutails to match each. Most recently I came up with a hopper pattern using kapok and utilizing the hair from the lower 1/3rd of the bucktail.
Kim
Kim
WWKimba
Well-known member
Check out J. Stockard Fly Fishing. Kapok was used a lot in patterns before WW II (then it was all used by the military for Mae West life preservers). A pound of kapok supports ~ 30 pounds of weight in the water. The old patterns almost always used this natural material in its natural yellowish tan color because kapok was very difficult to dye. J Stockard's supply DOES come in a variety of colors because the manufacturer has found a way to dye the material evenly. BTW, kapok comes from the seed heads of a tree species (think a cottonwood on steroids!). It's nice to see this material back on the market.
Kim
BTW, I have ten of their colors and they all look nice. They're manufactured by Semperfli.
WWKimba
Well-known member
Here's a quick description of my Kim's Kapok SH (spent hopper)
Kim's Kapok SH (spent hopper)
Hook - 3 XL dry fly
Thread - Hopper Yellow and Brown Olive (or olive or brown) - you can change to match the hoppers in your area
Tail - red yarn tied from barb point to just even with/just beyond the bend of the hook
Underbody/Hopper legs - bucktail - brown dyed olive, taken from the bottom third of tail, tips stacked and ~ 2 shank lengths long (or color to match hoppers in your area), the butt ends tied in as the under abdomen and the tips as the "legs".
Body - kapok, color for the hoppers in your area (I used a mixture of 16 parts sulphurea (yellow), 2 parts light olive, and 1 part olive dun), dubbed as a noodle on the Hopper Yellow thread
Underwing - Golden Pheasant crest feather, tied in facing down (like Jack Gartside's hopper pattern)
Top Wing - speckled brown Hen saddle feather, tip clipped straight across (cut is optional)
Head - brown dry fly hackle, 6-8 tight winds
Sorry I couldn't get my camera to focus so no pictures. One special tying note though - tie in the bucktail underbody with tight winds on both ends and open spirals in the middle - first back to front (the 4 eye lengths point) and return to back to tie in the kapok dubbing. After the dubbing is tied in whip finish the hopper yellow and open spiral the darker thread (for the abdomen segmentation) and use as the tying thread for the rest of the fly. Split the bucktail and tie in at the midpoint of each side of the the thorax area to represent the legs. Use a couple snug turns to tie down the bucktail at the back of the thorax then tight turns to the front of the thorax - this keeps the legs from spaying too much.
Kim's Kapok SH (spent hopper)
Hook - 3 XL dry fly
Thread - Hopper Yellow and Brown Olive (or olive or brown) - you can change to match the hoppers in your area
Tail - red yarn tied from barb point to just even with/just beyond the bend of the hook
Underbody/Hopper legs - bucktail - brown dyed olive, taken from the bottom third of tail, tips stacked and ~ 2 shank lengths long (or color to match hoppers in your area), the butt ends tied in as the under abdomen and the tips as the "legs".
Body - kapok, color for the hoppers in your area (I used a mixture of 16 parts sulphurea (yellow), 2 parts light olive, and 1 part olive dun), dubbed as a noodle on the Hopper Yellow thread
Underwing - Golden Pheasant crest feather, tied in facing down (like Jack Gartside's hopper pattern)
Top Wing - speckled brown Hen saddle feather, tip clipped straight across (cut is optional)
Head - brown dry fly hackle, 6-8 tight winds
Sorry I couldn't get my camera to focus so no pictures. One special tying note though - tie in the bucktail underbody with tight winds on both ends and open spirals in the middle - first back to front (the 4 eye lengths point) and return to back to tie in the kapok dubbing. After the dubbing is tied in whip finish the hopper yellow and open spiral the darker thread (for the abdomen segmentation) and use as the tying thread for the rest of the fly. Split the bucktail and tie in at the midpoint of each side of the the thorax area to represent the legs. Use a couple snug turns to tie down the bucktail at the back of the thorax then tight turns to the front of the thorax - this keeps the legs from spaying too much.
WWKimba
Well-known member
philly
Well-known member
I guess I have a couple of original patterns. I even named one of them. The first is a midge pattern. I've been tying it since the late 90's. I named it after my home stream that's where I got the idea for. Surprisingly I caught fish with it, not just locally but in the Catskills, Upper Delaware, Vermont and on the Grand River in Ontario.
The Wissahickon Midge
When I started to fish warm water I used the large soft foam spider bodies you can buy on line or in fly shops for a fly. Problem was they weren't very durable. I'd just starting using craft foam for crease flies, so I laid the spider body on a 2mm piece of foam and cut around it with a scissor. It came out looking like an arrowhead. It turned out to be effective and durable. Yellow foam caught the most fish. Over the years I've modified it by tying it with 3 mm and 6 mm foam. I participated in a warm water swap and the submitted the fly with no name. The host decided to call it the Yellow Fly or Bug. Can't remember which.
I use silicone legs these days and I've run out of the orange dots.
I've certainly modified a number of flies. I do a Calcasieu Pig Boat using spinner bait skirts and use a wrapped CDC feather for the body of my Usuals to name a few.
The Wissahickon Midge
When I started to fish warm water I used the large soft foam spider bodies you can buy on line or in fly shops for a fly. Problem was they weren't very durable. I'd just starting using craft foam for crease flies, so I laid the spider body on a 2mm piece of foam and cut around it with a scissor. It came out looking like an arrowhead. It turned out to be effective and durable. Yellow foam caught the most fish. Over the years I've modified it by tying it with 3 mm and 6 mm foam. I participated in a warm water swap and the submitted the fly with no name. The host decided to call it the Yellow Fly or Bug. Can't remember which.
I use silicone legs these days and I've run out of the orange dots.
I've certainly modified a number of flies. I do a Calcasieu Pig Boat using spinner bait skirts and use a wrapped CDC feather for the body of my Usuals to name a few.