Zonkers and A Nymph

AUG 28 2022

David Hutton
Installment 152

"I don't know jack about zonkers!"

There I said it.
One of the more fashionable tying materials to come along in recent years, and I've never used it for much of anything.
Being a "hair and feather" man myself, I guess I've always been kinda suspicious of the stuff, what with the skin still on it and all.

But, that changed recently, when I received some rabbit zonker as a birthday gift from my grandkids.
They picked it out - nice bright colors - and I'm gonna use that stuff!

For more on the story of The Zonker Strip Gift, go here:  The Jerannah Fly

Now What?
So here I sit with some zonker material, and no real experience with the stuff.
I know it came from a rabbit, and it is basically just a long strip of rabbit hide, with the hair still attached. 
Oh... and I know it is used for many different fly styles. 
Which is about all I know,,, but that's a start

What to do, what to do?




Well, we live in the digital age, don't we? When in doubt - go for the internet!

I didn't want to make this into a lifetime project, however, so I was looking for something entry level here.
Some people make a presentation out of the zonker flies they tie.
Carolina Zapata (Moscas Yungay), from Chile, she comes to mind in this regard.*

* Isn't the internet cool, that we can even KNOW of someone like Carolina?

To check out her Moscas Yungay, here is the QR code:



Simply Zonkers
Then, there is yours truly. I want to keep this down to a simple operation. Fortunately, as with all fly patterns, there are simple versions to get started with. These are what Martin Joergensen, of the excellent, "GlobalFlyfisher.com" calls, "mundane zonkers." 
Just as I didn't want to make these things into a career, I also didn't intend to spend hours searching the internet for zonker inspiration.

A few minutes with the web browser, however, and I had enough ideas to get me going.

I settled on the sort of thing seen below....

Foto credit: David Humphries, and "Guide Recommended"

What's In It?
This is the most basic sort of zonker fly - a streamer of no great purport.
I suppose Martin would call it, "mundane," and I like that.

It is comprised of these things:

• A hook 
• A body
• A zonker strip 
• A head

It cannot be much simpler than that.

Hook - I have hooks galore in my stash. But for trying out something new like this, I went with Ol' Reliable... a basic Aberdeen.
Its about a 3x or 4x long, and I chose a size #4.
In fact, I should admit that I use Aberdeens a lot.
I have a fly shop about 30 miles away, where I could get hooks. And I could get any sort of hook I want, online.
But I get these at my local Walmart, and they catch fish as well as I need.

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

On a side note, I once tested these Aberdeens, to see if they could cut it - and found they are surprisingly robust. 
Here's the link to that test, including some surprises about cats...

The Great Aberdeen Hook Test

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

Body - this part of the fly can be anything, from dubbing to tinsel, and pretty much whatever else you might want to use.
I wanted a bright sparkly body, to simulate the lower portion of a bait fish.
Rooting around in my bin labeled (what else), "tubing and ribbon," I found some corsair tubing, and some fancy trim ribbon from the sewing section of the craft store.
These form the bodies you see in the videos and pics 

The zonker strip - this is the stuff my grandkids picked out.
It is from Hairline and is labeled as,... drumroll please...
"Tiger Barred Rabbit Strips Blacked Barred Purple Fuschia”

Not only is it a mouthful, but this is unlike any fish found in Nature, at least not in South Carolina.
Maybe some poisonous Brazilian tree frog might sport such colors.
But no Dixie bass has ever seen anything like THAT. 
Keep in mind that color is actually pretty far down the list of what triggers fish to strike. If they only took natural colored baits and flies, then Firetiger and all the Fluorescent colors would be done for. Ditto the classic white and red head lures.
So the color is probably the least important part of this,... and it has kinda of grown on me.

Head - At the front end is the head. It is made from black thread wrapped on in the usual way. This finishes the fly, and gives it that "complete look."
The head is well coated with cement, and then eyes are added using the paint dot method.
No head is complete without eyes, after all. 

Tying Notes
Don't be afraid to use a little super glue when tying these. The zonker strip wants to slip around a little under the kind of thread tension needed for this job. 

Use 6/0, or 210 denier thread for tying these. The zonker strip can take it, and you'll need it.

The Nymph
I had a little piece of the zonker left over, so I cut the fur off of it, and tied up a Polly Rosborough, "fuzzy nymph," following the general method for the  "Casual Dress " pattern. 

Its not a hard tie, and it has a neat little dubbing loop trick for making the hackle collar from the rabbit fur. This is a technique you need to learn. It allows any soft dubbing or fur to become a hackle collar!

The silky rabbit fur works nicely for this style of nymph, too.
In fact, this is one of the best nymph-type patterns I use - great for panfish and bass. It is durable and has good inherent movement in the water.

This nymph is tied on a #6 hook, so its not some teensy little mayfly thing.
But don't be put off....I've learned that these larger nymphs work quite well in my warm water fisheries. Larger panfish go for them, as do bass, both of which are okay by me!
I highly recommend it for those that want a rugged pattern for panfish that uses common materials, and is also easy to tie. 

I've done THREE articles that include the 'Casual Dress', in fact, so that will tell you how much I value the pattern.
For one of them that leads you into tying techniques for the fly, you'll find that here: 

Casual Dress - Variation On A Theme

Zonker Strip Casual Dress

So that's that. I hope you liked this article that you learned something, and will share it with your friends.

Tight Lines

David

Palmetto Fly N Fish
© 2022 david hutton, Palmetto Fly N Fish. All rights reserved.

....By the way...come visit our group on Facebook, "Palmetto Fly n Fish." We wont bombard you with merchandise hustles, or the internet craziness you find on so many other pages.

Palmetto Fly n Fish


References

https://globalflyfisher.com/patterns-tie-better/zonker-patterns

https://guiderecommended.com/zonker-flies-fishing/

http://flyandlure.org/articles/fly_tying/9_zonker_fly_patterns_to_tie

 

THE JERANNAH FLY - Kid Inspired Zonker Pattern

AUGUST 14, 2022
Installment 151

If you're a regular visitor to Palmetto Fly n Fish, you might remember my grandkids recently got me some goodies for my birthday.
They took a family vacation to Myrtle Beach, and while there, they went to the Orvis store in town.

Yes, believe it or not, there is an Orvis store in Myrtle Beach, SC.

You see, the kids know my fly tying, and they have tried it enough to understand the process. So, they wanted to get some "fly stuff" as a gift.

Here's the booty they scored:

Hareline Zonker strip, Tiger Barred, Fuschia and Purple
Danville thread , 210 denier Flymaster Fluorescent Pink 
UTC Ultra Wire, Gold
Orvis, Hot Tipped Sili-legs, Black/Red 

What Next?
Of course, at this point, the pressure is on - I must now tie a fly using these materials.

Tying Requirements 

1. The fly must use all the material they chose, and it has to be obvious.

2. The fly can use other things, but not in such excess as to detract from #1.

To say these material colors are not exactly in my usual palette, is an understatement. I tend to go for more somber, natural tones.
But they are kids, and one of them is a young girl... bright colors were bound to be selected.
Hey, I love them and it's a challenge, and I can work with that.

The Game Plan
I'm not really a zonker guy, and have little practical experience with the stuff, so I felt no need to rush into it. I let it percolate in my mind for a while, as I knew an idea would eventually present itself.
The decision for what to tie was made thanks to a video from one of my favorite anglers and fly tyers, Dietrich Bohnhorst in Donegal, Ireland. 

There it was - a pattern he calls, "The Rainbow Slayer."

Dietrich is humble, and he allows, in his usual German accent, that it is... "relatively easy to tie, and is more or less, just another zonker pattern, or variant thereof.."
But it has proven to be a reliable catcher for the big predatory rainbow trout in his region. (Link provided at the end)

If the Rainbow Slayer is good enough for Dietrich B., it is good enough for me. 

I adapted it for the materials the kids selected, and the game was afoot.

Materials
Hook: Aberdeen #6
Tying thread: black
Tail: Hareline zonker strip
Body:  Long section of Danville fluorescent pink thread, doubled in a loop. 
Ribbing: UTC ultra wire, gold
Head: Black ostrich herl

Tying
There is not a lot to the pattern. It follows the usual build progression from back to front.

1. Run a base of thread from front to rear - stop at the hook bend.
2. Tie in the wire.
3. Tie in a doubled loop of the thread for the body.
4. Tie in the zonker strip, so the tail end hangs over the hook bend about a hook shank in length
5. Move thread to front.
6. Wrap the fluorescent thread back and forth along the hook shank, to achieve a smooth body; end at front and tie off behind the head.
7. Wrap the rear end of the zonker strip with the wire to bind it down - then spiral wrap the body with the wire ribbing and tie that off at the front, behind the head.
8. Tie in the legs just behind the head, evenly spaced to either side.
9. Pull the zonker strip over the top, and pull it down tight to the hook, just behind the head. Secure it with several wraps of thread and a tiny dot of super glue.
Alternatively you could use the tag end of the wire to secure the zonker.
10, Tie in a couple of ostrich herls, and wrap them to form a rounded head. This covers up all the materials tied in at that point, and gives a finished appearance.
Tie off the herls behind the eye.
11. Clean up any errant hairs, fibers, and thread, and add a drop of varnish to he thread head to end the job.

Notes
- This will also work on a #4 hook, and I'll probably tie a couple in that size.

- I suppose you could also go down in size, to say, a 10?
You could... but I probably won't.

- Obviously, this can be tied using any combination of colors and similar materials as you may have available.

- The zonker strip was tapered to a point at the very end of the tail.

- Use as much thread as you like to make the body; I wrapped on two layers to make a smooth, low profile body.
You could also put in an underbody of yarn to bulk it up, if you like.

- The legs were all pulled up evenly, and cut off at about a full hooks length measure.

The Naming
Every fly deserves a name. It may not be an original, but it still needs that special something, its own, "j'e ne sais qua,*" ... by which it can be recognized.
So what about the name, "The Jerannah Fly?"
Simple; it's an anagram that combines the names of my grand kids.
That just seemed the way to go. 

* "Je ne sais qua" is French. It means, "an intangible quality that makes something distinctive or attractive" ...and is my small attempt to class up this blog.

Here is how the Jerannah Fly ended up:

The Jerannah Fly

...and, for the video from Dietrich Bohnhorst that provided the basic pattern, go here:
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Thanks  for following along. I hope you learned something, and that you'll share it with your friends.
If you didn't like it, forget you ever saw it. LOL

Tight Lines,

David
Palmetto Fly N Fish

Dont forget to subscribe and visit us at: Palmetto Fly n Fish

© David Hutton, Palmetto Fly n Fish, et al, Aug 2022.
Do not copy or use any, or all, of this information for gain, without permission.
Share it in its entirety, if you like, with credit given.  

 

“Bass-Bug Humbug”
by William G. Tapply
Adapted for Palmetto Fly N Fish members

August 6, 2018
Fly Fishing

WHEN it comes to bass bugs, I reckon there is a lot of hokum going around. That is to say, a lot of crap is out there. 

Fly-fishing catalogs, fly shops, podcasts, Facebook fly-fishing groups, they are all filled with an endless variety of surface bass bugs.

- Poppers, sliders, divers, moths, mice, and more are everywhere. 
- Materials abound... deer hair, balsa, cork, and foam of every kind.
- There are bugs in every shape, size, design, and color imaginable.

Often, they may represent living creatures, or, they may be like nothing that EVER lived.
They might  have legs, wings, arms, tails, antennae, beards, maybe a few mustaches, and probably eyes. You'll see lips , propellers, spinners, rattles and certainly weedguards.

However, I am not at all afraid to say that, by and large, they catch the fisherman long before they catch bass.

Along comes some poor newcomer, or gullible fly-fishing veteran, and he's gonna want to have every single one of them, in every variation possible.
His logic is that you NEED all that because you never know what bass will want.
Why? Because every book, group, written piece, testimonial, anecdote, tradition and lore... they all assure him that he must have just the right bass bug... or he's doomed to failure. 

And that, dear friends, is plain old hokum.

The truth is, we don't really need most of it - and maybe none of it. 
This is because Mr. Bass resolves the problem for us, in this manner:

If bass have moved into an area, and are there to feed, they will come up to the surface and take most any old bass bug as may come along.

If they won't, it's most likely that you are in the wrong place, i.e., where they AINT, ... or they are there for something else.

Why The Bass Bug?
The First Bass Bug was nothing more than a bottle cork with some turkey feathers stuck in its butt. There was once a popular bass bug that was just spun deer hair on a hook... left untrimmed and as ragged as you might imagine such a thing to be.
Another was made up of nothing more than all the long hackles you could wrap on a hook.
And these crude things caught bass as readily as any of today's Sooper Whopper Popper Slappin' Bass Grabbers.

See, bass are mobile, run-and-gun feeders.
The popular idea that they sit by a log all season waiting for you to show up is mostly bogus.
They may take up a feeding station when it is opportune to do so, but it's usually brief.
Normally, they "live" somewhere removed from the shallow feeding areas suited to fly fishing, and move to them when they are hungry.
As such, when most fly casters encounter them, they are there to feed.

This means they are actively seeking prey that gives the impression of life, food value, vulnerability... an easy meal in other words.
THAT is what a bass bug must represent, and that's all it has to do. All the embellishment we add is window dressing.

Given that, the logical question then becomes,...

“So, what matters in a bass bug?”

I'm glad you asked, because I'm gonna tell you.
Keep in mind, as you read along, this is MY outpouring on the subject.
You may differ with some, or all of it - and I hope you tell me if you do.
But this is how I perceive this business after a lot of casting bugs for bass.

1. Dynamics
A large part of bass-bug fun is casting your bugs to all those "fishy" target zones that we hope bass have moved to. I'm talking about weed pockets, half-submerged wood, overhanging bushes, the areas around boulders, docks, boats ramps, etc..

BUT, a bulky air-resistant bug, with wings, tails, appendages and so on quickly works you overtime, defeats your best efforts at casting accuracy, and drains much of the the fun from the game.
Soon, you're being told on Facebook forums that the solution is to buy a $500 “bass fly rod.”

It's not. 

Instead, you need light, streamlined bugs that you can cast comfortably with a medium-weight (5 – 7 weight) rod.
If all you have are the wrong kind of bug, you can improve the aerodynamics with scissors.

2. Noise 
Here is what convinces bass to strike: 

- The sound of prey at the ceiling of its world
- Maybe shape
- Almost never color (more on that later) 

Foremost is sound, so you should be able to create a variety of lifelike noises with a bug.
First comes the sound of the bug splatting when it hits the surface.
Crashing down too loudly, and it scares the fish away.
Too quiet, and they may not recognize it as prey.
So a fat 'splat' is a good thing thing.

Once down and settled, tug it so it goes 'kaploop.'
Give it a twitch so it chugs, and gurgles. If its a deer hair bug it can be made to 'swish.'
Or, when called for, almost no sound is made.
The sudden absence of sound can be just as deafening as a noisome clatter.

3. Movement
Something should always be moving on a bass bug, even when it is sitting still.
A moderate tail of marabou or pliable hairs like squirrel or bucktail is ideal for this.
And of course, don't forget rubber legs. These all add appealing movement to the bug. 

4. Floatation
You want a good bass bug to float half in the water, and not on top of it.
And you also want it to float reliably, and for a long time, whenever possible.
Leaves float on the surface, but bass prey doesn't - it's in the water.

Thus, bugs that ride too high don't have lifelike motion and sound.
And you don't want your bug sinking when your plan is for it to ride in the surface film.  
This part is tricky; most bugs from balsa and foam float too high.
Cork works best in this regard.

5. Hookability
The gape of the hook should be wide relative to the size of the bug, or you’ll miss a lot of strikes.
Ideally, you should be able to trace an unimpeded line directly from the hook point to the hook eye.
Keep your hook points needle sharp.
Mash down the barbs.

6. Size
Under normal conditions, the size of the bug is not the final factor...

I’ve caught five-pounders on bluegill-sized bugs, and twelve-inchers on bugs the size of sparrows.
But, to give a number to all you tackle junkies out there, something on a 1 to 2/O hook for largemouths, and a little smaller (size 1, say) for smallmouths, is about right.

Nick Lyons writes evocatively about how big, bulky bugs attract big bulky bass at twilight, and they surely do.
Meanwhile, Art Scheck argues that those same bass would probably gobble panfish bugs that you can cast comfortably on a 4-weight trout rod.
I think they’re both right, and I take the middle ground from about 6 through 2/0... and not many in that latter size.
On flat, shallow water, oversize bugs might scare bass.
On choppy water, though, the commotion of a big bug helps to attract them.

8. Shape
Bass guru, Will Ryan, chooses stubby bugs for shoreline fishing, and sleek, tapered bugs for offshore reefs and shoals.

His theory is that bass expect to find wounded and disoriented baitfish offshore, and terrestrial creatures near the banks.*
For this reason, he picks bugs whose shape suggests the predominant bass prey in an area, without duplicating anything in particular.

This is a good theory, and it works for Will, if for no other reason than it gives him confidence in whatever bug he ties on.

When it comes to shape, though, the important criterion is still how well the bug casts.
* One exception to this that comes to mind is when bass are pushing, and feeding on, schools of baitfish against a shallow shore.

9. Appendages
Keep them sparse and soft, both for good castability and quivery motion on the water.
Most commercial bugs are severely over-dressed.
How about eyes and ears? Sorry, they serve no function except to attract the fisherman. Bass can’t see the top of a bug from beneath it.
*I'll have a minor disagreement with this, so long as the eyes are mounted low on the side of the head.

10. Color
OK, here we go, the ol' color game.
Everyone has their pet colors, and the belief that only this color, or that one, will work.
But lets look at this as the bass does.
Frogs, for example, are greenish-brownish.
Baitfish are silvery-whitish.
Moths are greyish.
Mice are brownish-grayish. All of these colors make good bass bugs.

Meanwhile, so do purple and chartreuse and pink and blue.... colors that resemble nothing in Nature.

Why is that?
This alone should tell you that color is more personal, than critical.
But the reason is really kind of simple, and it is this...

From from a bass’s viewpoint, surface bugs are seen while coming up from below. Bass don't live in the surface film – they come up to it.
So what they see when they approach is a blurry silhouette.
Their eyesight isn't great in this realm, as it is designed to focus somewhere well ahead of them, and while BELOW the surface... and even then, its not oriented to microscopic examination.

So, a spot of red on the bug’s “throat” might suggest flared gills and trigger a bass’s predatory impulse... or probably won't.

A pale underside mostly resembles the bottom of most bass prey, generally.
That's probably the one meaningful constant in this whole color game we play.
Otherwise, since it doesn’t matter to the fish, the best bass-bug color is whatever YOU like, and what can be seen on the water.
I like yellow and white.

11. Durability
Bass are generally toothless creatures, in the sense we mean when speaking of, “teeth.”
A good bug, therefore, should be able to survive multiple chomps from the fish. This could be as few as three, or more than a dozen.
I'm happy with three – more is icing on the cake.
I tie my own, after all, and I can make a lot of them.

Other guys insist the bug must withstand the bite-down of a hundred fish, and then go to the grave with them.

Either way, its not just the material the bug is made of, but also how well-made it is.
The cork, foam or balsa bodies of poorly-made bugs can come loose and slide up and down the hook shank or even break off.
Badly-spun deerhair bodies will fray, twist, become waterlogged, and fall out.
If you make your bugs yourself, you can attend to the details that make the difference.
If you buy them, you can’t be sure.

12. Weedless
Bass, especially largemouths, often lurk in and among lily pads, reeds and plenty of other aquatic vegetation.
A bug that slithers around, through, and over weeds and half-submerged tree branches and snags allows you to cast to the places where the big ones might be. This means a weedguard is a serious consideration.
Weed guards are generally made from monofilament or wire.
Bugs tied on keel hooks theoretically ride hook-point up, with the fly's material usually covering the point.
That sounds good in theory, I know. But I’ve never seen a completely weed-proof bass bug, no matter what you may hear. The annoying rule of thumb seems to be:

The better they prevent snagging on weeds, the worse they hook bass.

The expression goes,...“Weed guards are often fish guards.”

I usually avoid weed guards entirely, and take my chances unless casting among dense weeds is my only choice. Then, I use bugs that have monofilament loops tied along the bend of the hook and just behind the eye.
The monofilament is just strong enough to push the fly away from the snag; the loop isn't there to push the weeds away from the fly.
This design style is mostly weed free, and hooks bass pretty well.
It’s the best compromise I’ve found so far.

13. Materials
Spun deer hair, closed-cell foam, or hard stuff (cork, balsa, plastic) - each has its advantages.
I prefer deer hair. It makes delicious ploops and burbles.
I imagine it feels like something alive in the mouth of a bass, it floats low in the water, and, when well made, it endures a day’s worth of chewing and chomping.
I happen to enjoy spinning and trimming deer hair, which is not an inconsiderable factor.
Closed-cell foam is hands-down the easiest material to work with, and tough as nails. I can make a dozen fine foam bass bugs in the time it takes me to make one good deer-hair bug.
If you like cabinet making—carving, sanding, gluing and painting—rather than fly tying, by all means make your bugs from cork or balsa.

Each material has its small advantages and disadvantages, but all are minor compared to what the angler does with his bug—casting it close to shadowy shoreline targets on a soft summer’s evening, imparting enticing sounds and movements to it, and strip-striking hard when the water implodes and a big bass sucks it in.

* * *

Check out these great e-books by William G. Tapply (available on all formats including iPad, Kindle, Mobi, etc.):

• Sportsman’s Legacy: A Rich Memoir of a Man’s Life with His Great Sportsman Father, His Beloved Family, and His Adored Brittany,

• Bitch Creek: A Novel, and

• Death at Charity’s Point (The Brady Coyne Mysteries Book 1).

FEATHER QUILL FLOAT

...Because Man does not live by fly fishing alone
Palmetto Fly N Fish, Jul 2 2022

    If you go by the name of this blog, you might think this is just another fly-fishing article. This blog is part of the Facebook group, "Palmetto Fly N Fish," and we do love our fly fishing. 

BUT, we know there are other ways to catch fish and we embrace that.  

    So if you don't fly fish, don't worry - this will sit easy with you. If you DO fly fish, this may be something you want to add to your repertoire. 

    With that in mind, let me describe an old method of float fishing - the quill float. 

------------<~~>-----------

    Most of you are probably familiar with fishing floats, or "bobbers," and some of you may know about quill floats.
But did you know you can make an excellent float from a goose?



Yes, a goose.

    Quill floats have been around a long time, and became a unique piece of Americana with the first colonists. 

In this country, the quills for these floats came from wild porcupines.

But nowadays, they are mostly sourced from porcupines in Africa. And by all accounts, those prickly critters of the African bush are not something to fool around with... even if you could.

    But, there is an alternative that achieves the same results.
It can normally be obtained locally with little effort, often for FREE, and it has the primary benefit of keeping you away from cranky porcupines.




Why You Want A Quill Float
    So what's the big deal with a quill float?
In short, a quill float is probably the most sensitive type you can use.
    They register the tiniest of bites, the fish normally feel no resistance when taking the bait and they don't detect the float's presence as it slips beneath the water. Few other floats can compete in this regard.

    Even better than that, they are simple to make from common materials. And since African porcupine quill is not exactly an everyday item for most people, an alternative that gives us these qualities is desirable.

    And that is a float made from a feather quill.

Where Do They Come From?
    This is where Mr. Goose gets into the act.
Instead of the hollow, spiky quill of a porcupine, the feather quill float uses the hollow stem of a large bird feather. 

This is normally a primary wing feather from birds like swans, turkeys, and geese…. All of these have the right feathers.

    You can get the quills by picking up shed feathers wherever these large birds congregate. Or, maybe you have hunting friends that can give you some. If all else fails, these primary wing feathers can be purchased in bulk lots of cheap, craft feathers. All that really matters is they have enough size and girth to actually float.

    Here's what you are looking for...



    The quill float I show further down was crafted from a feather very much like this one, a goose plume I literally picked up off the ground.

    I was working with my friend and co-worker, John G., at a site where numerous tame geese were hanging around. 

You've probably seen something similar where you live. 

    Of course, wherever geese congregate, talk eventually turns to their terrible toilet habits. Lets just say that most birds are prodigious poopers, and geese are no exception.  

Plus they are LARGE, and not the least bit concerned about WHERE they leave their droppings.
I'm sure you get the idea.

    While discussing with John the pooping talents of your average goose, I mentioned that I had seen England's fishing great, Graeme Pullen, making floats from their large wing feathers….just like the one I was holding at the time.

    John is what we might call an old-school kind of angler, so this feather quill business was new territory for him.

"England? And what do you mean, making a float from a feather?"

    I described the technique for making, and fishing such a float, and said,...
    "See this feather, here, the one I just picked up? I will show you what I mean. I will make this very feather into a useful fishing float."

    The feather was free, no geese were harmed in the effort,... and I didn't have to go anywhere near irritable porcupines to do the job.

How It's Made
    Nothing could be simpler than making one of these floats. What we are working towards is turning the feathers' quill, or center stem, into a hollow, tapered cylinder that will float in water.

    In short the procedure goes like this:

1. The feather fibers are stripped from the stem with your fingers
2. An eyelet is affixed through which you may run the line
3. The bare quill is sanded, sealed, and painted to your liking

- and you are left with an ultra sensitive, upright fishing float.

    The end result looks like this...





    With proper weighting, these quill floats register the tiniest of bites, and fish aren't even aware they are there.
They are also a fun DIY job, which gives much satisfaction to the angler.

More Details
    The quill used for this float started by having its fibers stripped off - this required nothing more than pulling them from the stem.

    Then the bare quill is sanded smooth, to remove any lumps left behind after stripping the fibers away. This sanding doesn't have to be extensive - I used medium grit emery paper to smooth it up. You can do more, but its not needed.

    Next, I trimmed the float to the desired length. This one is around 8".
    At this point, a small, twisted wire eyelet was fit directly into the lower tip, and glued in with super glue. There are other ways to affix the line, but I will use this mostly as a slip float, and wanted the absolute minimum of weight at the bottom end.
    So I went with the trusty eyelet..... there it is, below.




    Then, the whole thing was sealed along its entire length with super glue.
There is a small hole at the very tip of the quill, where it separates from the bird, and there is the chance that small pinholes may exist elsewhere on the thing.
    Also, when you trim to length, the interior is exposed.
For these reasons, you want to seal it well.
    
    For color, I used a very dark purple for the bottom portion; it might be called dark grape and is almost black.
To complete the markings, I added a bright, fluorescent pink tip with black ledger lines....




All of the painting and coloring was done with nail polish bought at dollar stores. 

This further helps seal the float, and is both inexpensive and tough.

HOW THEY ARE USED, And Other Matters
    By now you understand that these floats are cheap, made from common materials, and are very sensitive. They also tend to defeat the effects of wind, because very little of the float is above the waters surface.
    If these floats have any drawbacks, they are these:

- They are not suitable for heavy tackle

- They are ungainly to cast long-.

- They can be hard to see

    Over the years, I have come to use these floats for their strong points. This means in-close finesse fishing - finesse, with a capital "F."
    I like them on longish, lightweight spinning gear, light lines in the 4-6 lb. test range, and fished no more than 30 or 40 feet away. Closer is better, and dropping them in just out from the rod tip, best of all.
    For finesse float fishing, I generally use a 9’ fly rod, fit up with a small spinning reel, for this work.
I call it a, "Palmetto Ultralight Rig."

    That's right; I said a fly rod with a spinning reel. Hey, I'm a rule breaker.



    The quill floats are lightly weighted, as you might expect, since they can't support much mass on their own. 

Split shot is normally selected for this, the aim being to, "cock" the float upright once weighted.
In this way, it suspends vertically in the water, and is normally used to present the bait just off the bottom.

    You can shot them in one of two ways, as seen in my crude drawings, below:

Option 1
    Place a small locking shot to either side of the eyelet to cock the float and fix the depth. Then, a small amount of weight is spread along the length of the hook link, and keeps the bait down near bottom.




Option 2
    Add a sliding float stop, or stop knot, on the main line, and attach a drop weight below the float on the hook link. In this manner, the weight pulls the float upright when it gets down to depth. This is the slip float option.



    Either way you go, the weight should cock the float upright.
And with some effort expended on precise shotting, you can center the ledger lines at the waters surface and use them to detect even the lightest of LIFT bites!

    Lead split shot is traditional for this job, and it can be had in some tiny sizes specifically for this use. Lead-free shot could be used, and tungsten putty, or wrap on lead weights are other possibilities.

    In the UK, these floats are often used to fish in the margins, that is, close to the shore. A similar float is what the English call a, "waggler" - really just a refinement of these simple quill floats. 

    Along with fishing in the margins, the quill float is also excellent fished in close to cover, from a boat or float tube, and they render a stealthy presentation to wary, tackle shy fish.

    So get yourself some large feather quills, a bit of paint and wire, and have a go at this little project.

------------<~~>-----------

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

If you appreciate a no-drama, no-hype Facebook group, follow this link and come join us at: 

Palmetto Fly n Fish

Thanks so much for reading, and...

Tight Lines,

Dave Hutton

© All rights reserved, David Hutton/Palmetto Fly N Fish 2022/2023 

I

LURE AND BUG DRYING FIXTURE

"You can't have DRIPS on your bugs! No way! They need a smooth, even finish!!"
That's the mantra among those who make their own fishing poppers, bugs, and other hard baits.
To make sure you don't commit the sin of drips and sags, it's a big thing in the world of luremaking to have a rotating device on which one’s creations can dry/cure.

You see, to get a smooth finish on these fishing lures, a number of materials are used to complete them. These can be anything from sealers, cements, or paints, to the King of Lure Finishes - EPOXY.

But unless the lures are kept rotating as the finish dries, you end up with runs, drips and sags. So, what is needed is an automatic way to keep 
the lure turning as it dries. 

The Usual Way

The most popular thing for this job is usually some kind of rotating wheel.
Think of the rotating wheel onto which circus knife throwers strap their female assistants.
That kind of idea, but without the knives and girls.

Actually, it's something like this....

or this..

Many people make their own, and traditionally, these were made using a rotisserie, or disco ball, motor... minus the barbeque grill, or disco ball. 
But the free market prevails, and I’ve shown some of the commercially available wheels you might find, these days.

Well, we here at the Palmetto Fly n Fish Operations Center needed a curing fixture, too. 

But, we are not sponsored, and our coffee mugs and T-shirt sales aren't breaking any records.

This means spending $50-$100 for something like a wheel is out of the question.
Instead, we went the route of an easy, DIY project.

The Inspiration
Several types of lure drying fixtures have been made, and most of the alternatives utilize a rotating shaft design, instead of the wheel.
Basically, they are an axle, and the lures are mounted to that.
As it happens, the PFnF resource library contains the book, “Bug Making,” by C. Boyd Pfeiffer.
In that book was found just such an axial device, in the form of a picture - just what the doctor ordered.

You can see it below, and it inspired us to go that route.
And so, another project was born...

The Inspirational Picture

The Book
ISBN 1-55821-414-3

The Components

MOTOR
The heart of the fixture is a 3 rpm, geared motor. These are available from eBay, or one of the Asia-direct sellers, for reasonable cost.
However, we ran into a hiccup, right out of the gate:

Powering a motor from a wall receptacle makes good sense, BUT, 110 vac motors are more expensive, and there are fewer of them available.
 

During the search, however, our design staff (yours truly), found that 12vdc, geared, stepper motors were both plentiful, and inexpensive. They are also somewhat safer than fooling around with 110 VAC power.
These were obviously the choice for our construction budget.
Even so, to use these motors, we had to make a power conversion from regular 110VAC to 12VDC.

Luckily, 12vdc is one of the most common conversions made in the world of electrical power, and there are a zillion plug-in power adapters around.
In fact, the ubiquitous wall-wart receptacle types are easily obtained, and most thrift stores will have a box with such things. 

You might even have one hanging around your junk drawers at home.

Scrounging around the PFnF workshop, in fact, three or four were turned up.
It seems our engineering design staff (yours truly) has been collecting them over the years, so it was a cinch to get going. 

The final addition to the  motor was an inline toggle switch for control, like you see in the pictures.
This was something else our engineering team (me, again) keeps on hand for such projects.
What could be simpler?

FRAME

Next, a frame was needed, and we followed the Pfeiffer picture.
In that example, you can see that metal bookends are used to mount the components, so our chief designer (yes, me) used that idea. 

The thrift store came to the rescue here, and a couple bookends were obtained.

On one of the bookends, the motor/gearbox was mounted with some small screws. That was super easy and took our engineering tech (guess who?) about 15 minutes to complete. 

CARRIER ROD
The “axle,” or carrier rod, was next.
This item came from a toy golf set.
The PFnF Grandkids broke the golf toys about 10 minutes after getting them, and while our groundskeeper (yours truly) was picking 'em up from the yard, he had a flash of inspiration.

The golf club shafts are a firm plastic tube about 1/2" in diameter, and he figured they would be just right for this project.
He was right; a small plastic bushing was all that was needed to mate the carrier rod to the motor shaft.
We listen to everyone's ideas here at Palmetto Fly N Fish.

Moving to the other end, a carrier rod support was developed.
The second bookend provided the structure, and an, "axial support bushing" was fitted to accept the carrier rod.
Once again, our engineering group (me, of course) stepped up to the plate, with a brilliantly simple set up:

A piece of wood, with a hole bored through, takes the end of the carrier rod.

This was attached to the bookend with some screws, and voila! We have a carrier rod support.
Yes, it is wood with a hole in it - but, we're still calling it an 'axial support block,’ because that sounds pretty cool.

What Comes Next?
At this point we have a well-supported motor, and shaft, turning at 3 rpm.

But the flies, or lure bodies, well, they have to be held by something so they can turn with the carrier shaft, and not fall off.
For that, a plain pool noodle was used.
This was in the Pfeiffer book, too, and they are so common that it was a no-brainer to stick with that.
Some adhesive backed, soft foam strips were glued to the carrier shaft, and the pool noodle pushed over them.
A firm fit was the result, but, should the pool noodle need to be replaced, it can be slid back off.

Storing the Fixture

A much desired feature for this item is that it can be disassembled for storage.
The Palmetto Fly n Fish Operations Center is not large, and it doesn't have a lot of space for storing bulky gadgets. Thus, we wanted this curing fixture to break down into a smaller package that can be stowed.
But, it also must go together quickly, without tools or hardware. 

That was achieved - it easily disassembles and goes back together by hand.
It can be kept in a cabinet until needed. 

I tell ya, our design team (you know who….), they're on the ball.

The Future
While this fixture will surely do the job intended for it, an improvement or two is being examined.
For example, it may need to be adapted to handle really large lures, so some ideas to address this are on the table. 

But like all designs, the current model will first be field tested, to see what happens.
You'll note in our inspiration picture, nothing more was done for fly poppers like we expect to be churning out. 

So odds are good it wont need much else.

The Pictures - Job Done

Finished Fixture
Paper towel "flag" to enhance rotating effect (see end video)

Carrier Rod Bushing Block

Motor Install

Broken down for storage

The Video
Its not nearly as noisy as in this video - camera mics are sensitive

In summary, this is a pretty simple project, and I hope it gives YOU some ideas.
Give it a whirl and let me know how you get on with it.

If you liked this post, please share it with all your friends and acquaintances.

Thanks and Tight Lines,

David
Come visit us at: Palmetto Fly N Fish

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, David Hutton and Palmetto Fly N Fish, 2022 

THE STEALH BOMBER - A GO-TO PATTERN

 A Fleet of Stealth Bombers

I recently made a post on Palmetto Fly n Fish, talking about Stealth Bombers, again…. Yeah, once again. This is noteworthy, because until a couple years ago, I didn't give this pattern much notice. More like, I didn't give it ANY notice. Nevertheless, fast forward to now and, while I'm no expert Stealth Bomber pilot, I think of them as a must have pattern. Reasons to Have Stealth Bombers So what happened? Why do I like them now? According to Georgia's Kent Edmonds*, the creator of the pattern, the Stealth Bomber is a foam-based derivative of the "Turck’s Tarantula." 

Being a foam diver/slider, it duplicates the Tarantula’s diving motion and the resulting bubble trail made when the fly is stripped hard. * I once met Kent Edmunds, and had no clue who he was. I feel kinda bad about that, now. Sorry, Kent. Okay, fine. But what is special about the Stealth Bomber? Well, the Stealth Bomber..... ... features foam, hair, legs, and flashy stuff. The only thing missing is hackle, I guess, and there's probably some way to work that in, too. Otherwise, the Stealth Bomber has it all.

... floats in the surface film, not above it. This mimics what most real critters do; they float and swim half submerged. Many experts claim this increases hook-ups, and I'll take their word for that. .... marries a slider with a popper....but mostly a slider, since there's no popping face.

.... makes that desirable, but elusive, “quiet noise.” It doesn't 'pop' and 'kersploosh,' so it's less likely to scare away pressured fish. But it dips and dives seductively, which is likely to entice them.

.... leaves a good bubble trail in it's wake. This is a visual thing the result of that big, open foam loop at the rear. Your garden-variety popper doesn't manage this feature all that well.

With all this going for it, how can you go wrong? Looking back... I don't think I’ve ever cast one out, that failed to get attention from the fish. At The Vise The Stealth Bomber is also just enough of a challenge at the vise to be interesting. First off, it requires a precise shape for the foam. To make this shape consistent, you want either a purpose-made cutter, or a template. Either will do the job and allow you to knock out the correct shape, time after time. But, since I'm too cheap to spend $20 apiece for each different size foam cutter, I made a tracing template out of some old countertop micarta. Fortunately, Kent Edmonds makes the template available in .pdf, on his webpage. So that’s a good thing. You download the .pdf, print, and make a tracing template like the one seen below....

Tracing Template, size 6

You can find a link to the templates in the end notes.

What else? Well, the pattern is a bit of busy work, but not overly fiddly. It is a bit complex, too, but only enough to keep you honest and make you pay attention.

The Stealth Bomber is not a fast tie, but not painfully long, either.

And if you screw something up, it’s not a big deal to step backwards and correct it.

Take my word for that.

So, I like to keep in practice tying them. I’ve got them down to size 8, and probably wont go smaller. 

Between 8 and 6, you're right in the zone for bass and panfish.

Variations Unlimited Here's the another good thing about the Stealth Bomber - its flexible. The theme for this session was red…. because the foam I used was red. And people, they like red.

Fish, on the other hand,...well, I don’t think they care much about color.

But people, they like red. However any color will do, as long as you like it. Blue has some appeal to it, in my experience. I believe chartreuse is the most popular color. And certainly the old standards of black, green, white, yellow, orange, all these are bound to have some fans. And why not pink? Or Fire Tiger? Why not indeed?

I included lotsa legs, too, because I’m a leg man. I don't suppose it hurts to make it look "buggy" this way.

As you can see, the variations are probably only limited to what you have available. The construction is standardized, which lends itself to infinite subtle - and not so subtle - variations.

That also suits my FTADD*….. I’ve tied no two Stealth Bombers the same way, twice. Those shown here are no different. They are all within the theme, but each is a variation on the one before. * Fly Tyers Attention Deficit Disorder Fishing Notes This is what Kent says about the fishing the Stealth Bomber The originals were basic, and tied in black. But for bass and big bream, I often tie some in bright color combinations and add flash wings and rubber legs. The "stealth" name hardly applies to their appearance..., but its action can still be quite stealthy. With soft little strips it will wiggle and maybe "bloop" slightly. Strip with a just a little bit more vigor and it will dive and bubble, but still stay in the target zone (the strip here should be very quick, but very short). Give it a longer, harder strip and it will dive hard and create a major commotion. To learn more, go to the links at the end and get the template. It's all there.

So, yeah…. Stealth Bombers. Get you some.

Materials - recommended Hook - sizes 4-10, straight shank Thread - strong, because were working with foam Foam - 2 mm craft foam Tail - bucktail, synthetic poly "hair," Krystal Flash Underbody - dubbing, peacock herl, yarn, etc

Wing - bucktail, synthetic hair, Krystal Flash

Legs - rubber, silicone, stretchy legs - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it, and will share it with your friends. David
Visit Palmetto Fly n Fish, here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/flyfishingsouthcarolina © All rights reserved, 2022 End Notes 1. Kents page about the Stealth Bomber: http://www.flyfishga.com/stealth.htm 2. Downloadable template: http://www.flyfishga.com/The%20Stealth%20Bomber%20Fly.pdf