Bass Flies You Didn't Imagine

Simple Bass Flies
Dec 17 2020

A favorite avocation of mine is reading old fishing books.
Not new ones, (although I read those, too) but old ones, in particular.
I see much of their information as something people used to know - but today it's forgotten.
Some will call me a bookworm, I suppose...

                     

The Bookworm
 Carl Spitzweg. ca 1850

...and, after reading these books for a while, I start talking like they did a hundred years ago, which is kinda weird.

But, I think about it like this...
"People have been fishing for thousands of years, and each age had practices that worked in its time.
Maybe there is something to be learned from them...and maybe an edge that no one else knows."

With this in mind, let's take a look at some fly patterns for bass, possibly the most popular sport fish in America... and maybe the world.

Now, the bass is not much thought of as a fly fishing quarry except by a dedicated cadre of anglers. 
But, it has been considered one of the gamiest fish on this continent for a couple centuries... back when all they had were flies of some sort. 

So, here I got to thinking again, "Just what did they use to catch bass, before we had modern soft plastics, zippy crankbaits and a million different baits and lures.
More specifically, what flies did they use?" 

I've previously written a few articles that answer that question, and you can check those out, starting here: Bass Flies of A. J. McClane, pt 1

But, fishing books have been popular with publishers for centuries, and I recently found another vintage book that covers the topic of bass flies in a way that we can use.

Its called, "A Boys Own Guide to Fishing, Tackle Making, and Fish Breeding," by John Harrington Keene.
  
Published in 1894, it was meant for a youthful audience and was intentionally simple, easy to follow, and full of practical tips that wouldn't break a boys savings...at a time when that might only be a dollar or two!

I find this uncomplicated approach appealing, but I want to warn you: if you picked up fly fishing for bass anytime within the last 4 decades, what you find here won't be what you expect.

We join our narrator, Mr Keene, as he  leaves trout fishing behind, and moves to a discussion of bass on the fly...

=========================

"...If you have carefully followed the directions for fly-making for trout, you do not need them repeated here, for bass fly-making is identical in principle and practice, except that a larger hook and stouter gut are used. (1)

A few of the best bass flies I know of may be described, and with these you will probably catch as many fish as someone with a $500 collection.
These have the merit, also, of simplicity.

The Flies

1. Brown Hackle, — body, peacock herl; legs, webby saddle hackle of brown, reddish-brown.
No. 3 or 4 hook.

2. Brown Moth, —body, brown worsted wool yarn (cinnamon brown); tail, a few hairs from tail of brown squirrel; legs, brown hackle; wings, turkey tail. 
No. 3 hook.

3. Coachman - a Brown Hackle Fly with white goose or duck slip wings, laid on reverse style and tied backwards toward tail. Small white feathers may be substituted. 

No. 4 hook.

4. Royal Coachman, — made same as ordinary Coachman, but the body is divided in centre by a band of scarlet silk.
No. 3 or 4 hook

5. Gray Hackle, — made same as the Brown Hackle, but the body is of grey wool; legs, webby dun or barred rock rooster saddle hackle  
No. 3 hook.

6. Professor, — body, yellow silk ribbed with gold tinsel, and a tuft of red ibis feathers as a tail; legs, brown hackle ; wings, two breast feathers of the mallard. 
No. 3 hook.

7. Black June, — Body, peacock herl; legs, black hackle ; wings, crow. No. 3 hook.

8. Cowdung,— body, yellowish green wool yarn; legs, brown hackle; wings, from the brown hen. 

9. White Miller, — body, white wool and ribbed with yellow silk, or gold tinsel, or, orange silk; hackle, white; wings, white.

10. Seth Green, — body, green silk ribbed with yellow silk; wings, brown (buff turkey tail); hackle, brown. No. 3 hook.

These are sufficient to begin with.

In using the fly for bass, somewhat similar tactics to those in vogue for trout are employed. 

Of course, the thing to do first, is to ascertain beyond peradventure that bass are present. (2)

The fly is cast in precisely the same style as for trout; but it is allowed to sink several inches, at least, under water before it is drawn back by little jerks towards the caster.
In deep water, it is advisable to close a small split shot about 12-18" above the hook, so that the line is sunk a foot, or even two, beneath the water. (3)

The small-mouth black bass is usually found over a rocky bottom, near old submerged trunks of trees, and in deeper water generally than its confrere of the "large-mouth" species. 

But both take the fly greedily when its in their mood to do so; and when either is hooked, there is quite a "circus" on hand to deal with.
Especially is this so with the smallmouth.

He is the very bull-dog of the water. As soon as the hook pricks him, the line runs out with startling rapidity; then he leaps from the water, following this up with other leaps, sometimes to the number of six, or even more; and it is necessary to be patient and wary if you would secure the fish in the end.

I do not think any fish that swims is superior to the black basses in fighting-power on the hook.”

- J. Harrington Keene, Greenwich, Washington County, N.Y., 1894

NOTES
(1) * "gut" as used here, means tippet and leader... and
BOOM! ...He tells you right upfront that the flies you'll be using for bass won't differ from trout flies, except in size.

(2) (“beyond peradventure” = without a doubt)

Also, this point about fishing where the bass actually are seems obvious. 

He makes the observation elsewhere in the book that the local boy often out-fishes the well equipped stranger for no more reason than he knows from familiarity where the fish are. 
However, we seem to get the notion that monster bass are behind every log, rock, and bit of weed, just waiting for us to come along. 
Naturally, that is not the case, and this leads to much wasted time and frustration. 

The problem lies with our expectations, not with the flies, or even the fish.
We have to make ourselves remember that 90% of the water before us holds no fish, that the fish we seek have tails, and they use them.
Our main job is to be The Boy of this book, to learn where they have gone, and why. That way we spend our time on the productive 10% of fish-holding water.

 (3) You'll notice that subsurface fishing is the key here, not surface poppers or other floating patterns. 
They say that the difference between a good trout angler, and a successful one, are two split shot. 
So it might seem the same with bass...

You'll also see right off that the flies are not lurid, gaudy things designed to catch your eye, but are intended to catch fish.
They are not complicated, they use commonly found materials, and can be tied by a boy with limited means and experience  ... which is pretty much how I tie all my flies.
So this was right up my alley.
Nonetheless, they all follow the consistent pattern of large, generic hooks to create big trout flies - I tied all on #4 bait hooks.

Imagine yourself a boy in 1894, and you only have available the hooks carried by the local hardware store. Your materials are culled from local farmers, hunters, your moms knitting box, feathers from your own bed pillow, etc.
That is what we are aiming for here. 

Conclusion
Did you catch these terms: "Peradventure?" and "Confrere?" 
See what I mean about talking oddly after reading this stuff. Try 'peradventure' on your fishing buddies and see how that goes...

So there you have it, yet another dip into the pool of arcane lore. This old book has taught us one thing, at least: There are simple, familiar and easy-to-tie patterns that we can craft from common materials... patterns that will maybe catch bass when little else does.

It's kinda like those early GEICO caveman commercials...

"So Easy, Even A Boy Can Do It!"

Thanks so much for reading and,

Tight Lines,
David 

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The Colorado Spinner - It's A Winner!

PFnF Blog
Installment #101

The Colorado Spinner - It's  A Winner!

This is an old, old lure; it goes back into the early 20th century, as far as I know.
Now notice, when I say, "Colorado Spinner," I'm referring to a particular type of metal fishing lure  - and I mean the entire lure itself.

It is NOT to be confused with the wireform "spinnerbaits," like Beetle Spins, which may use a Colorado blade...

NOT THIS

Likewise, it should not be confused with just the blade itself.

Not These, Alone

It is, in fact, a complete lure all its own, known by the name, "Colorado Spinner."
You could use any other type spinner blade, and it would still be a, "Colorado Spinner."
It's a subtle, often confusing distinction, I admit, but it may be lost if not reinforced.

Why Care?

The reason this precise identification matters to me is because I grew up with these things in the early 60's. 

My dad used them on the western rainbows for which we fished.
Today, they are mostly unheard of except by a few old-timers, and those who stumble upon them.
  
I think maybe only Hildebrandt still offers them on a commercial basis; and they are of high quality.
They may also be available in regional trout locales, mostly as a cottage industry product.
However, I've never seen one for sale on the shelf at my South Carolina WalMart, so they don't have what I would call a wide audience.
But, they are a reminder of my dad, Sidney Hutton (RIP), and what I look back on as happy, childhood times.
So, I care about the nostalgia they evoke.

Details
As a kid, I remember we festooned the hooks with bright red salmon eggs, or strips of red flannel cut from dads shirt.
Red seems to be an attractive color to the fish...or maybe its just something we did as habit.
Fishermen are like that; much of what we do comes because it may have worked once.
Or, maybe, it worked for some other guy and we heard about it.

It may be that red mattered very little, in fact.
Polka dots might have done as well. Movement and flash was likely the key element, in the end.
But WE used red because that's just what you did.
We, as anglers, well, we need little more prompting than that.

Ours had treble hooks, and I still make them that way, today.
I usually add a small section of red coffee stirrer to the shank of the treble hook, and maybe I'll add a few latex strips cut from a balloon... this being another old trick not much practiced today.

On some I add a Duo Snap clip to the rear swivel eye, which allows me to hang a hackled fly back there. 

Using a ringed, large eye hook, I can also add a natural bait or small twisty tail grub on the rear.

They were originally created back when fly rods were pretty much the only game in town for delivering lightweight lures.
There were many "lures" specifically created for casting with fly rods in those days, and you can make these any size you want, from size 0, right on up to the big, 2" #8's.
Damon Toney, at YouTube's, "Black Warrior Lures," he makes big ones and calls them, "Thump Rigs."
Same lure - different name for marketing. See the link at the end.

But the Colorado Spinner is, in my opinion, best suited for light spinning gear, and the trusty old fly rod.

I use them with my U/L fly-spinning outfits*, and do well enough on the panfish when they are taking shiny little doo-dads. 

I tend to keep them around size 3, for panfish.

* fly rod with a spinning reel attached.

Fishing Colorado Spinners

In still water, cranking them in on a steady retrieve is about all it takes. The blade spins with very little movement, so they don't have to be zoomed along. You can stop them and let them flutter, too, or vary the retrieve any way you like.

I find it is best to give them a small, sharp jerk to get them turning, but after that, it's just swim them past where fish might be holding.

When fished in moving water, the current does most of the work for you.

In The Stream
I'm working off memory, next, as I don't fish running water these days, but I remember fish seemed to take them most of the time on the downward swing.

Where they crossed the stream on the down swing, and while transitioning from swing to upstream retrieve, that's where I remember most of the hits coming from.
Originally, I think they were intended to hang in the current, with the occasional pop-and-flutter bringing strikes.

DIY Spinner
The Colorado Spinner is something you should at least try.
You can buy the Hildebrandt versions - if you can find them.

But you'll probably be better off making them yourself, which isn't a bad thing. The lead photo should show you just how easy it is to make them.

They cost only pennies to create, and they are as effective as ever.

All you need is a blade, a hook, two swivels, and two split rings.

You can buy swivels and treble hooks anywhere.

The only "specialty" items involved are split rings and blades, and they're both cheap and available at any tackle making supplier.

The Colorado Spinner just might even be a secret weapon in the battle for the, "The Best Fishing Lure Ever....."
Certainly it's in the running for the simplest.
 
* Damon Toney gets a little irritated when I call them, 'Colorado Spinners,' because I'm messing with his vibe; he's trying to sell his as "Thump Rigs."
I like him though, so it's only fair that I share a link to his version, here:

Black Warrior Lures

********

Writers should always strive for a job well done... even half-baked ones like me. So if you found value in this article, please like, comment, and share it. 

Do you have questions, compliments, or suggestions?
If so, email me at...dahutist@gmail.com

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Thanks so much for reading, and...

Tight Lines,

Dave Hutton

© All rights reserved, David Hutton/Palmetto Fly N Fish 2018/2023 

The Ant Fly

The Basic Ant
Installment #101
Jan 3, 2020

One of the simplest wet flies to tie, yet one of the top producers from the beginning to the end of trout season is the hard bodied ant.

Ingredients to tie this fly are about as basic as you can ask:

1. A hook,
2. One hackle feather
Length of barbules that of the hook gap, or slightly longer, and color should match the body of the fly.
3. Silk or nylon thread
6/0 or 8/0, from which the body is constructed.
4. Cement

The Pattern Steps
First, mount your hook in the vise and then put down your thread.
Just sit there and picture a natural ant if you will, with the bulgy body segments, and the slender waist....

1. Now, start the tying thread at the bend of the hook and wind it toward the eye of the hook – but stop a little more than half way between the eye and the bend of the hook.

2. Make repeated turns of the thread, back and forth over this rear portion of the hook, until the thread has built up a bulbous knob... this represents the back segment, the “gaster,” or abdomen of the ant.

3. Next, wrap three turns of thread forward as a foundation, just where the abdomen ended, and attach the hackle feather there in the middle of the hook.

4. Wind three or four turns of this hackle – no more - as you would in tying a dry fly. 
This hackle will represent the legs and the thorax, or middle segment, of the ant body. 

5. Tie off the hackle, remove the waste, and continue forward with the thread to the eye of the hook.

6. Again, make repeated winds of the thread, this time back and forth in front of the hackle, on the forward half of the hook.
Like at the rear, you are using the thread to build up a bulbous knob... this represents the forward segment, or head of the ant.

That's it!
You now have a fly which will be broken up into a bulbous rear section, some hackle, then another bulbous front section.

7. Give the two bulbous sections about three coats of cement, being careful to keep the cement off of the hackle. Head cement is traditional, modern UV epoxy resins will also do just fine.

NOTES

- While the ant can be cast across stream, or across and downstream with excellent results, it is generally cast upstream and allowed to drift back naturally as one would fish a nymph.

- Color can be either black or cinnamon, hook sizes relatively small: sizes 10-20.

- Size 14 can be considered the workhorse of the assortment, and ants generally tend to favor the smaller side of things.

- Use a small diameter tippet, a 7x or 8X, and make it long and limber.

- In study surveys taken from trout stomachs, ants were found to be a dominant forage source, and at times the primary one. During the times of year when ants are active, you can count on them.

What more can you ask of a fly? It's simple to tie and the trout love it.

— Ed Shenk, 1962 Excerpted and updated from an original article

PS Ants don't sink immediately when they hit the water. They float a good while, legs going wildly, buoyed up by the surface film. I don't know that I've ever seen an ant sink, now that you mention it. 
But Mr. Shenk isn't talking about floating ants here.
Eventually, some ants must sink, as all things do, and it may be just an imprinted genetic receptor for fish to see the ant shape, and know to grab it. I don't really know.
But I won't argue with Ed, or the fish.

That leads to the mention that trout aren't the only fish that will eat an ant, or take a slow sinking ant fly. Panfish eat what Nature provides, too, just as trout do.
And they know an ant when they see one.

Since this sort of ant fly mimics what we might call the, "wandering, unlucky ant" - the one that falls in the water by accident - it stands to reason that it must fall or get knocked in, from SOMEWHERE.
That "somewhere" would be overhanging shrub and tree branches, vertical grassy banks, attached docks, etc.
So cast these flies within 4 feet of these likely spots and see what happens. You'll find that panfish, as well as trout, will also take this free lunch.

Thanks for reading and Tight Lines

David
Palmetto Fly n Fish

Use Those Old Lures

Use Those Old Lures
David Hutton
PFnF, installment #100
2 Jan, 2021

I've got a couple of refurbished lures here – “Oreno” style darters.

             

This type of lure was first made by the South Bend Tackle company in 1915, as the “Bass O-Reno.”

No kidding, that's what they called them.

Over the years, they made them in sizes from the microscopic, to broom-handle big, and they were in production for decades.
These, however, are not South Bend branded, and I don't know what kind of copies they are.
They are wood, and they appear to be cedar, like the originals.
Their finish and furniture suggests a modern interpretation; not rare, not valuable.
But this is my other favorite style of vintage lure, next to the Helin Flatfish.
And I do fish them...these O-reno style darters have caught bass pretty handily.

They have a very interesting dual action you have to experience.
On the surface they float, and you can "pop-pop-pause" their cupped head, much like any popper. It's quite appealing, really.
This is then followed up with a unique swimming action under water.
If you've never fished one, the action under the water is kinda hard to describe. It's a wide darting wobble, sort of a side-to-side lurching motion. It floats until you start the retrieve. Then that big scoop-nose makes it plunge beneath the surface and sort of swing and lumber back and forth as you reel... like it's drunk (or maybe wounded).

It's very much UNLIKE modern crankbaits, with their tight, high-frequency wiggling. Taken together, its a one-two punch that should be very popular. But they have been long gone from the modern fishing scene. I have never really understood why.
I've commented about these before, here: The Bass Oreno

And here: More Oreno's

So check 'em out!

A Little Effort
These two had some finish blemishes that needed correcting, and the yellow one had several holes drilled in it that had to be filled.
I didn't strip and rebuild the things - nothing like that.
These are just fixer uppers, intended for the tackle box.
I just filled the paint chips, plugged the holes and sanded a little. A splash of paint here and there, and that part was done.
Basically, I got them back looking better, according to my tastes.
The last thing to do is spray them with a gloss enamel to complete.

Value? Nil

They could have been used as they were, really, but I like to tinker with these, when I can get 'em for a price that doesn't border on the ridiculous.
The originals are going for some astronomical prices, these days, even the common models.
The lure collecting market has grown over the last decade or so, and the wagon jumpers don't mind paying some hefty sums for lures they don't actually use.
But the culls, commons and damaged lures can still be occasionally found for a fair sum, and these are perfect for buffing up into fishing lures.

And in case anyone wondered, I do preserve the original label insofar as possible.
I have a few older collectible ones that I don't molest in this way, but they're few and far between.
However, if I can keep the original South Bend name showing as part of the clean-up, I do that.
That's not an issue with these, though, as they had no name to start with!

Somewhere in the back of my fevered brain, I imagine that today's bass haven't seen one of these lures. No one but a few die-hards use them, anymore... and I'd like to think we have a secret others have yet to figure out.
And I may not be far from the truth on that.

Enjoy and thanks so much for reading.

David
Palmetto Fly n Fish

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