Fly Tying Tutorial: Girdle Bug (killer overlooked fly!!!)

Here you are fly fisherman and woman! The girdle bug and how its made! Check my previous article titled "A Quick Look, The Girdle Bug" to know more about this fly and how to fish it! Please, feel free to email me with questions or give me feedback! Thanks, I'll see you in the water!!

My First Fly Tying Tutorial!!!---The Wooly Bugger

 Hey guys and gals! I hope you enjoy my very first fly tying tutorial! Maybe you don't tie flies but are an avid trout fisherman? Watch this and I'll show you how easy it is to tie your own flies! Stay tuned and Ill be adding more videos of not only tutorials but also TROUT FISHING, the thing we ALL have in common here at MontanaTroutFishing!

I Started Tying My Own Flies

                        I started tying my own flies about one year after I learned to fly fish. The thought of catching a fish with a lure that I created was very appealing to me. It is a craft and a very special craft considered by most who tie. Some flies are very intricate and require many minutes of tediously squinting at the smallest hooks and bit of materials. Whether you fish ten days a year or are in the water every other day, tying flies is a fun opportunity to take fly fishing to the next level.

                      Many believe that by tying your own flies you will save money. This statement is untrue. Many flies are mass produced in countries far from the United States for dirt cheap. My original start up cost was around eighty dollars. Hooks are probably the most expensive aspect of the hobby and materials are relatively cheap. If you can buy your hooks in mass quantities, this will vastly keep costs lower than if you were to buy twenty to fifty hooks at a time. Some flies however such as the San Juan worm can be very cost effective. Besides the loss of time if takes to tie, I believe I come out even when tying San Juan worms. Most flies in the big retailers are around one dollar and flies at fly shops run from one fifty to two dollars a piece. Keep this in mind while tying and you may find ways to cut your own costs. One tip I'm happy to share with my readers; buy some materials from hobby stores instead of fly shops! Copper colored beads from a fishing retailer can cost five dollars for twenty five and at a hobby store you can purchase over one thousand for two dollars and fifty cents! Not to mention hobby stores sell beads in all colors and sizes and also sell many other materials for the half the cost. Money aside, the art of fly-tying is about creating an imitation of an insect that catches fish for you. The feeling of hauling in a hungry trout that fell for your very own hand-tied fly is a worthy experience. After dozens of happy trout and hundreds of flies, one may experience catching a trophy with their very own concoction of materials; this will catapult the tier into a new level!

                      I started out with a fifty dollar fly tying kit that included all the necessary tools to begin pumping out basic flies. I quickly purchased one hundred and fifty more hooks, plenty more material, and burned through all of it quickly. My fly box was filling overnight! Granted many of my first flies looked like frankenstein versions of how they were supposed to look but a month later I'm producing premium quality flies. Before I knew it I had several fly boxes full of my very own hand tied flies. Dozens of fish later I started to rely heavily on my flies and my flies only. As of now I only buy dry flies from the store and all other I make myself. I haven't yet mastered the skills of tying dries well, but also I have not focused on them entirely. Hackle, which is used for dries, can cost a bit more than most materials. Some full hackles can cost upwards of fifty dollars or more, YIKES!

                    Getting started: Like I mentioned before I used the fifty dollar kit I purchased to get me started. I highly recommend this route because it included all the tools one would need. The kits include a vice, bobbin, bobkin, scissors, hackle pliers, a hair stacker, along with the basic starter materials. These materials consist of black and white thread, peacock hurl, maribou, hackle, biots, bucktail, deer hair, assorted hooks,  assorted feathers, and chenille. The kit should also include a booklet for simple flies and a guide to different fly hooks. Start by tying some easy flies and learn to master the tie-in wrap and practice the "whip finish". Both of these techniques secure the thread at the start and end of the tying. The tie-in wrap tightly secures the thread for the initial first wraps and a whip finish gives a secured knot at the end without having to do over hand knots. Both of these techniques are required for any fly and its important to get the skills under your belt. When tying flies its important, in my opinion, to always tie from the eye of the hook back towards the bend of the hook. Depending on how much material you use, its ok to re-wrap over and back over and back again until you get the desired "profile" you're looking for. Some flies require just one layer of thread, while others require much more. Typically you'll want to whip finish near the eye of the hook but sometimes I find it necessary to finish near the back of my materials. Usually the case where this would be ok is if the eye of the hook is over-crowded with materials to whip finish at the eye.

                    Now that you have the basics to work with, its time to talk easy flies to tie. I personally started with some common pupae-stage flies such as the zebra midge or black midge. These flies only require a build up of thread, usually black, to make the body profile. The zebra midge has an added spiral of white thread over the body and its done. The black midge can have a copper bead behind the eye for flashy appearance. Not only are these two patterns difficult to tie poorly but they both incorporate the tie-in and whip finish methods. Not to mention these patterns are very popular for western trout and work year around. Once a dozen or so of these are tied, its easy to move onto the next stage of flies. Another popular fly that is easy to tie is the San Juan worm. The San Juan worms that I tie are with either a 16 or 18 hook, red chanille, and pink or red thread. Some people add a bead to give it some flash and make it easier for the fish to spot. Once you've mastered these flies, moving on to the easy to moderate flies are much easier. These flies include the brassie, copper john, wooly bugger, and the black leech.

                  Since I've become a fly tier, I'll be adding some easy tutorials for tying flies with step by step photos and tips for anyone interested. Like I mentioned before, this is not a way to save money but instead its a great way to spend time during the off months. Flies also make great gifts for your friends. I've bought several cheap fly boxes that I will fill and hand out to people interested in starting the sport. Since fly fishing is somewhat difficult to learn, I believe its important to keep those interested busy and on track. Maybe those who receive one of my boxes will be more willing and motivated to keep pursuing trout. Please stay tuned to my blog for more fly tying articles. Thanks for reading and may your lines always be tight!

Beginner Tip of the Day

            A quick tip I learned half way through my experiences was using knots to my advantage. I use to hate knots! One knot in your 6lb test line can weaken the strength by 50%. So, with that one little stinker of a knot, that you may or may not be aware of, your line is only capable of 3 lb strength. So when you do manage a hog of a trout and he gives a few good tugs, that line will snap in a second where the knot was hiding. While learning to fly fish, and to this day still, I often have a bad run in with a couple of knots. Some so bad you just completely cut the leader and restart everything! And only God knows, but there are probably twenty trout you're going to miss because its going to take forever to re-tie everything.

            Wind knots are just plains stupid knots. They occur while fishing into the wind., or against the wind, or any direction the wind is in. They can make the ever so smooth cast of a dry fly turn into what looks like a string of Christmas lights. Knot after knot after knot. Sometimes they sneak up on you all at once. You think your doing fine because the 5x or 6x tippet is so thin and hard to see. When you go to get junk off of your fly you realize youve been stricken with eight pesky knots!

            Other knots occur for beginners in general. Learning the ability to feel the weight and force of the rod, and how to make subtle changes that result in smooth knot-free casts is something that comes with 1,000 casts. Others may pick up sooner, but with a weighted Girdle Bug, bead head nymph, split shot, and an indicator all on a line together, it can take some getting use to. I've noticed through my adventure that I sure don't get as many knots as I use to. They do exist here and there, but are so sutble, it hardly bothers me anymore. When it does happen bad, which isnt all that often, I do get upset and look like a would be golf champion throwing his irons into the pond and kicking at his golf bag and cussing up a storm. But I do get settled down, look at what I've got around me, and patiently re-tie.

          Sometimes its too much weight. Sometimes its the way you bring your loaded line back but not letting it go back all the way thus causing your inter-passing lines to sometimes form a perfect knot. Its absolutely insane how it happens, but it does happen. So enough talking about why knots are bad, Id like to talk about why they are, oh so wonderful!

           I learned this trick from a fishing magazine. I'm sure every fly fisherman knows about the use of knots and how to harness their power for good. My friend and, long-time experienced, ex-guide, fly fisher admits he doesn't use the knots for good. To my surprise the benefits out weigh the hassles of tying an extra knot. They do require an extra tie but sometimes this comes natural when one builds a leader with tippet. If you're rebuilding a short leader and have 3 or 4 sections of knots, place them in positions in which they will benefit you.  Say near the end of your tippet, you may want to use a knot to secure your weight, wherever your prefer it.

         
          Using the knot from one tippet to the other can securely hold split shot. Don't you hate when your split shot slides down your line all the way to the fly? Constantly re-clamping and destroying the weight each time until its nothing but a crushed can that could fall off at any minute. Ive put many hours in the water without knots for my weights, and I have gone through two times as many split shot because they kept getting destroyed by me squeezing them tight. Once again the lead is soft and finds its way on top of your fly. Well with a weight secured against the bulge that is the knot on the line, all you have to do is never think about it sliding down again. In the picture to the right, shows where to tie your blood knot or whichever knot you use. Its pretty much the distance you want the split shot to be from your first fly. This can also be used if you like to put your split shot between your lead and dropper fly. Its the same idea, this time adding two tippets, creating a knot between the two flies.

        Knots are also great for holding indicators up if they are sliding down. If you have a thick leader and your indicator is up there, you may not have a problem. But the thinner your leader gets, it will start to move after every cast. Just like the split shot knot, the same will work for any indicator. There are a few more advanced ways to use knots but I will get back to you all with that later.


                                                                              Fish On!

The East Gallatin Proves Again! 6/12/13

       The East Gallatin has once again proven to me that it remains a top-notch fishery within the city limits of Bozeman. Having such a place so great, and under-fished, ten minutes away, I often forget its even there. With the big rivers also within a reasonable driving distance, many people don't pay much attention to the East. The day was June 12, 2013. Thunderstorms were threatening my day in the water and time was against me. The temp was seventy-five degrees and the barometric pressure was falling. Water level was a bit high but visibility remained well enough for an excellent day of fishing.
     
         I started off at the Cherry River fishing access right off of Frontage Road. I had rigged a nymph-style, red san juan with a pheasant tail flashback on the bottom. The first hole I fished was at the end of the meandering foot trail that branches off from the main walking path. There is a nice little informative display about the fish that are found in the East Gallatin. It often poses as a good place for visitors to watch a fisherman catch a trout. Today I was on display, performing a handful of catch and releases for an audience of three people. It was enjoyable for me and them alike and I eventually had to move on. Around the next bend there are a couple of good runs but nothing produced fish. I crossed the river which was knee high and reasonably easy to pass. I made hast to find another similar hole such as the previous before the weather turned.

         By now, Im fairly secluded from yards and trails. Way back deep in the oasis that is the East Gallatin, I was hearing trout left and right. Big fish slurring in the shallows under trees. Little trout were flinging themselves out of the water about every eight to ten seconds. I was getting a feeling that these fish haven't been disturbed since last fall. The incoming weather was also for my advantage. I managed a few more twelve inch rainbows and a few more snags, resulting in using up my leader. I figured since I had a short leader, why not tie on a streamer? I chose a fairly heavy, large black streamer. I'm pretty good at pitching them right into the strike-zone, sometimes its within the same area as a basketball hoop. The risk at hand is losing a good fly and the time lost re-tying. The rain had started lightly falling and the wind had picked up. I was inside of this miniature wilderness which was coming alive as the thunderous anvil remained ominously in the background. Deer were on the move, birds and waterfowl were flying with a mission it seemed. The trout were hitting bugs off the water left and right still, and I now had a streamer in hand.

          I was quickly targeting the banks of either side, where there was slower moving or still water. Often with a backdrop of rip rap or gnarled up driftwood, bushes, and sometimes a car, I cast within an inch of the bank. The sound of the heavy streamer hitting the water will turn the head of any predatory trout. Brown trout are the beast within these slow pools of water. I noticed a small piece of water that was much slower, the current blocked by underwater debris. I knew there should be a fish lying there. The first cast hit the water with a hefty splash and I could see a bronze flash, a turn of the head and my streamer inhaled. I set the hook hard knowing what I had. The water then exploded and the fight was on. I was using a four foot leader with some 3X tippet tied on. I wasn't all that concerned about the tippet breaking until he ran into some deep, fast flowing water. It took me about three minutes to get him in calmer water. He then got tangled up in some sticks and I had twenty feet between me and him. I ended up getting him freed and to the shore. I snapped a few pictures, revived, and released him. I didn't get a length, but to me that was not important. It was a heck of a fish for such a small river and a very beautiful one at that. I managed two more nice browns on my way back and missed another nice one, perhaps the biggest of the day.

            Overall, it was an absolutely epic day in my book. I'm still avidly learning this sport and its great when you can catch a lot of fish. This greatly speeds up the learning process when you have so many opportunities to hook a trout. Its better yet having wild trout at the end of a line. That adds another layer on the cake. I managed a dozen or so rainbows and small browns with my nymphing set-up and three very nice fish on the streamer. I enjoy fishing both styles, but the process and reward of effectively using a streamer is incredible. Sure the East G. is a smaller river and has plenty of small fish, but it holds some very big trout, perhaps more so than the Gallatin River. I will always appreciate the East Gallatin River, it proves to be a quality river with little pressure right at home. Maybe I will see you out there in the water!

The Madison River at Bear Trap Canyon

The Madison River at BTC and US 84 meet briefly

           The Madison River at Bear Trap Canyon has quickly become one of my favorite fishing destinations in Montana. The canyon is a quick retreat  to solitude only thirty-five minutes from Bozeman. It holds within its high canyon walls the lower Madison River, which begins its journey from Ennis lake at the Ennis powerhouse dam. The river then runs nine miles, rushing through steep, rocky terrain that produces class IV and V rapids, ending near highway 84 around Black's Ford. Winding its way out of the canyon, the boulders disappear and the river turns into a gently flowing riffle.  The water remains warmer than the freestone rivers, which are made up of cold mountain run-off and spring fed tributaries. The lower Madison, since it is the tail waters from the dam, produces generally warmer water. It draws from the top of  a large shallow lake, the water quickly warmed up by the sun. Fishing at Bear Trap year around is possible due to this reason alone. However, during the hot summer months, fish can easily be fought to death because it's simply not cold enough. Gentleman's hours and hoot-owl restrictions are common throughout summer. The numbers of trout is incredible. Fish counts per mile are around 2,500 which makes for excellent angling. Bear Trap Canyon is located within the northern and western most part of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness Area. A single trail takes fisherman and hikers all the way up to the dam through the very scenic and beautiful canyon. Its easy to get lost in the serenity of the wilderness out here. Bear Trap Canyon is grizzly and wolf territory which bestows an isolated feeling in the relatively small area of wilderness.

          Bear Trap Canyon was the first place I managed to wet a line here in Montana. I remember taking the easy drive west on US 84. Soon after we left the big town, I suddenly felt like I had entered a whole new region. The land turns into a high desert-like landscape with very few green trees. The country out here is vast with capacious spaces between high rolling hills and ragged canyon walls. The Madison River valley is absolutely massive. Red Mountain ominously gleams over the roadway only to be made miniature by the giant Tobacco Root Mountains that line the western horizon. Houses out here are few and far between. The river gleams with trout and the sun reflects off the water on a nice day, contrasting against the deep, dark shadows of the canyon. It really is a rather stunning river, and in the mid summer heat, looks very welcoming to floaters and fisherman alike. The entrance to Lee Metcalf Wilderness is down a dirt road not too far from the main highway. The further you drive in, the more spectacular this river gets. House sized rocks and tall spires stand over any vehicles that wind their way through. At the end of the road there is a small gravel parking lot and a nice outhouse. Its easy to judge how many people are on the trail by the number of cars at the trail head. For such a big space its common to be the only person around. The further back you go, more and more green trees appear. Three miles back you step into wilderness. This is the entrance to a one of a kind place and some days it will be all yours to enjoy in solitude.

An average sized Madison River rainbow trout

          What to bring to Bear Trap Canyon for a day of fishing? I personally began fishing the canyon with spinners, spoons, and crank baits. 1/8-1/4 ounce spinners and spoons, Rapala F-7 and F-11 crankbaits, all do very well here. The heavier the weight, the further you can lob it across the water to targeted pools and eddies. I had a lot of fun fishing with my ultra-light spinning gear set up with four to six lb test. I would catch some very hefty fish and could present my lure well. While using a heavier spinner or spoon, I cast straight out, or up to almost ninety degrees down river. This allows for the action of the lure to present itself in a proper manner. The blade on a spinner will spin against the resistance of the water and spoons will wobble, slowing either lure down enough for a trout to make a decision to eat it. If you cast upstream the lure will hit the bottom faster resulting in a snag. With crankbaits I use the same approach, this time allowing the force of the water to hit the lip of the bait to let it "hang" in the water column. A technique I love to use is sort of like trolling but not going anywhere and not in a boat. Find yourself a rock large enough to stand on with substantial current flowing around it. Simply make a cast, reel the line into a preferred distance so the bait is in the strike zone, hold the rod tip up or down to control the depth, and then just wait for a strike. The feeling of a powerful fish hitting hard out of nowhere  is enough to make you want to jump up and down. The further up the canyon you go the deeper and more turbulent the water flows. It's difficult to fish the heavily turbid waters with fly gear so I always head to the upper sections with my spinning gear.

Fall colors in BTC

            If you're a fly guy then you don't need to walk far from the car to hook up with trout and whitefish. I've had mixed results while fly fishing the canyon. I know the upper and lower Madison River have superior hatches, more so than many local rivers. The prime trout habitat that the lower Madison offers is everywhere. The majority of the water can be waded. Small boulders offer plenty of buckets and eddies. There is plenty of underwater vegetation for cover, along with sand, mud, and all sizes of gravel beds. The water is typically clear unless the lake has turned over or they are releasing more water than normal. Access along the bank is wonderful, and makes targeting just about anything possible. I've had success on the lower Madison river using #10 girdle bugs, #18-22 black pupae, eggys, san juan worms, and especially crayfish. Crayfish are a must for me when I fish in the canyon. Streamers are also a hot ticket and this river is a good one to reinforce ones confident in that type of fly. Typically for many fly fishers is learning the entomology, or the study of insects, and matching the hatch accordingly to what the trout are feeding on at the time. This is a subject that I will learn more on as it has a heavy relationship with successful trout fishing. Not only the type of insect but the stage at which they are in while the trout are targeting them. This will prove to be an endless amount of learning and research for me, enough to keep one busy for a lifetime.

          The Madison River at Bear Trap Canyon is right up there with Hyalite Canyon for me personally. Both provide remarkable fishing with peacefulness and solitude. A guaranteed unforgettable experience no matter how the day turns out. The beauty alone is enough to bring a fulfilling feeling of success and a trip well had. Whether you live close to or are from out of town, the canyon will make an impression on the soul. Its hard to explain the overall effect one might encounter while out here at a place like this. This is something I will never take for granted and will return to year after year, hoping to one day catch the big one.

Streamers 101

               I was going to call this section "newbie corner" or something like that, but I myself was just a newbie fly guy a couple of months ago. I learned every time I fished, much like everyone else out there who is not a master angler, I learned lessons, took note and got better. For a guy like me stepping into the fly fishing world, I come up with weekly awakenings or revelations where things come into sight all of the sudden. I will be fishing and then out of nowhere I will yell with excitement, "WOO HOO I got it!", after I've mastered or succeeded with something like mending line, or tying properly tapered leaders with tippet, etc. It happens every so often where Ill take a good firm step forward and can throw a little bit more confidence in my bag. This has recently happened to me with fishing streamers.

        This 101 Id like to go over my recent trout fishing revelation. I've had such a hard time with streamers that is was driving me nutty. I had a background in swim baits and have had much success with spinning swim baits but not fly fishing streamers. The first problem I faced was getting that nine foot leader and fly line down to where it needed to be. If you are a newbie you may slap the appropriate weight on and toss into a pretty turbid, good looking hole hoping for a fat trout if the newbie knows they're in there. Alright, so the newbie hopes he's not getting snagged because he's just letting that  streamer swirl around in the deep hole. He cant feel a strike because he has barely any sensitivity in his rod while the line is swirling around without tension. If he strips or has a taught line, he can feel the lure but knows that the streamer isn't getting down deep enough. This may discourage someone just starting out. He makes another cast, right next to the bank where a tout awaits in a nice slow eddie behind a pool. Right when his streamer hits the water, he watches as his fly line, caught by current drag, sucks the streamer quickly away from the fish. Lets try this again. Another cast, this time right into the deeper pocket pool itself. So while he believes since the streamer has made it down to the bottom he might get lucky and maybe the fish will take it. He's trying to mend the line here and there to keep that streamer right in the hot zone. He still doesn't know what the lure is doing down there and this can be discouraging. Meanwhile while two trout have already nibbled and spit out his streamer in 1/10th of a second because there was no connection/sensitivity, too much slack line. This could go on and on until eventually, a trout big enough eats the streamer and hooks itself. The smaller fish are harder to feel on the heavy fly line, and so blindly bouncing it off the bottom is difficult.

            That was me for many days. Always frustrated at why I was unproductive with streamers when I heard how great they are. I was under the impression that streamers were a lot like the rapalas and spinners, this is true because both represent fish prey, but they have to be fished completely different. I felt there was a barrier between the fish and I when I used streamers. I've learned a few things the last few days that can help one beyond the hurdle of figuring out the initial first steps to becoming very productive with streamers.

           First, good casting is needed to succeed with streamers. Think bass fishing. In most of the river around here there are sections of river with slow moving water around bends and under banks. The slowest water is along the outside of either bank on straight runs or on the inner side of a bend. Because the water force is less here, the trout stack up right along the banks, these are the fish we are after. The number one predator of streamers are brown trout. Big browns especially, sit under brush and low hanging foliage which provides a resting area and a safe place from predators. These resting areas will often be in tight pockets between trees, near the bank, between log jams, and on the edges of slow moving bends where there will often be a deep bank. These are the areas to focus on. There are just as many of these pockets as there are runs, pools, and riffles. I've spent a lot of time fishing runs and pools with streamers but its hard to manage the line and to guess where your bait is unless there is slack water you can access.

            Now, you really need to adjust your rig away from a typical nymphing rig and more of a bass rig. Choose whichever streamers you like. I prefer the ones with a bit of weight in them. I use a 5 weight rod, so I will usually use a small weighted streamer with an additional split shot three inches above. This helps with action and control, that's right, there's actually some control and sensitivity now. Experiment with weight. You don't want something too heavy but it also needs to be heavy enough to get down to the fish and act realistically. I find myself pitching into very tight places where a big brown could be waiting and I would need to put that streamer right on his nose. The weight its a contributor to casting. The leader is the next important subject. You can take a 9 foot 5x tippet and cut it in half or less depending on how much weight you're throwing. The shorter leader allows for much more control and sensitivity to strikes. The control factor of having a 4 foot leader makes all the difference. If you cut off too much or are getting to the thick part of your leader, It's ok to add some 1x or 2x tippet. A sturdier/heavier line will act better with something like a big streamer.

Streamers with weight provide better control in my opinion

          Ok, you've got a better setup for streamer fishing an now you need to know how to fish them. I find it most productive to target the areas I mentioned before such as slack water next to moving water, the slower water next to banks, and between jams and brush piles. Wade in to the water depending on how clear the water is. If its real muddy I get as close as I can to pitch a white streamer next to the bank. Often the water will explode as the trout that you knew was there pounded your streamer. This is probably the funnest part of this kind of fishing. Its amazing how many trout sit next to the bank. The secret is casting the streamer within inches of the bank, and give it all you can to let that thing sit there until it starts drifting on its on. If you haven't had a strike by then, just strip and twitch your rod until you're out of the strike zone. The strike zone is literally a foot or less sometimes and controlling the fly line is something to practice. The current will want to pull your streamer back into the middle and not allow the streamer to stay in that spot long enough. If you can get your bait to stay in that zone for, oh, three seconds or more, you'll be getting fish. Cast and move cast and move. The day can yield a high number of fish by doing this when the barometer is falling especially.

          Streamer fishing takes some getting used to. The least a beginner can do is set themselves up for success. It took me a little over a year to build up the confidence I have for them now. I cannot wait to get back out there and put on a streamer. Thanks for reading today and check back for updates or reports!