Some Recent Ties

Blue Picasse (sz. 7) and Tiger Ghost var. (sz. 3)

     Here are some recent ties. I finished tying wet flies for summer fishing. I still have to tie a few tube flies and a some dry flies. I'm glad I started early and worked fairly quickly. There is no historic information or stories in this post, just pictures.

     Dressings for any of the flies pictured here are available upon requests. I will probably take a little break from my usual weekly blog posts. Once the spring runs of fish start up, I will (hopefully) post some reports. As always, if you any questions, don't hesitate to contact me or leave a comment. Thanks for reading!

Green Spey (sz. 1.5)

John Olin Longwing (sz. 12)

Black and Red Frances (sz. 10)

Silver Rat (sz. 2)

Rusty Rat (sz. 1)

Green Butt Blue Charm (sz. 4)

Ghost Stonefly (sz. 2)

Green Butt (sz. 4)

Summer 2016 fly box (singles)

Summer 2016 fly box (doubles)

Small doubles

Bugs & Butterflies (and Mesmerizers)

Naugatuck Report - October 9, 2015 - A Very Small Window of Opportunity

A "slippery hook" Ally's Shrimp

About a week ago, I played a concert at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, Connecticut. Both coming and going, I said to myself, "You're going to be stuck traveling the backroads this entire fishing season." Anyone who drives through the area knows how bad I-84 is. Since the latest Waterbury construction project started, traffic has been much worse than normal. I took Rt. 68 all the way to Naugatuck for my first fishing day of this season. The I-84 traffic must be pushing people out onto the side roads, because Rt. 68 was busier than I'm used to seeing it. Oh well, it's the cost of doing business, as they say.

I got on the water around 4:00pm. It began to rain lightly around 4:30pm. Around 5:00pm, I was fishing in a bonafide deluge. I couldn't even make out the run I was fishing. The water looked like it was boiling. When water began to seep beneath my wading jacket, I figured I would head towards the car. Lightning helped me move more quickly. I drove to an overpass to pack up my gear before heading home with my tail between my legs, but something told me not take my waders off just yet.

Though I had broken down my rod, I headed to another spot. The rain was beginning to taper off a bit. There were muddy streams of water flowing into the river all over the place, but I thought a short window of opportunity might come from this mess.

The best time to be on the water is when it is falling and clearing, though a good (but brief) taking time occurs just as the river begins to rise. I managed to hit that brief period around 6:00pm. I had been fishing with small flies, but switched to an Ally's Shrimp (sz. 6), which is my favorite fly for off-color water.

A salmon grabbed my shrimp within five minutes of my arrival. Judging by all the head shaking, I guessed I had a male on the line. The salmon took off in a slow, but unstoppable run downstream. He didn't turn around until he was about 20 yards into my backing. Prior to hooking this fish, I've had only two other broodstock salmon take me into my backing. Once the fish turned around, I began to gain positive yardage. I didn't get very far before the hook pulled out.

That was the only action I had all night. It's only four hours later and the river has already doubled in flow from where it was when I hooked that fish. The taking window was very short indeed. I don't really like starting my season with a lost fish but, considering all the headaches, I'm happy with how today went.

Yellow Ally's Shrimp

If Hawaii had good atlantic salmon fishing,
I'd work even less than I do already.

If not for my career as a jazz musician, I would have moved to Hawaii years ago. Though I'm a native New Englander, I've never had much of a tolerance for snow, freezing temperatures, and everything else winter brings. My hometown, Narragansett, Rhode Island, is a beach community. Most of Hawaii is a big beach community. We're a good match. Especially Kauai.

My last trip to Hawaii was a few months prior to my first Atlantic salmon fishing trip (that was a good year!). As it turned out, salmon fishing was another reason for me to stay close to the Atlantic Ocean. That and marrying my wife, of course. 

I brought back plumeria cuttings after a trip to Oahu in 2001. The only time they ever bloomed was a couple years later. I had an apartment with a large, sunny window. When we moved into our current home almost two years ago, I claimed a room with big windows and lots of light for my fly tying space. Ample sunlight and a little fertilizer was all it took to get one of the plumerias to flower again. My tying room smells like a lei. It's certainly not paradise, but life could be a lot worse. 

I don't know what any of this has to do with the Yellow Ally's Shrimp other than the fly shares a similar color scheme with this particular plumeria flower. I tied a few Yellow Ally's Shrimps in 2011. I put a couple in my fly box and a couple in my father's fly box. I have no idea what happened to mine. I know I didn't catch anything on one. I'm not sure I ever used them. For all I know, I probably dropped them in the river. Maybe the plumeria triggered a latent desire to give this fly another shot?  

I know some folks who claim a small Yellow Ally's is a good fly for summer salmon. I took last summer off, so I'm eager to try it out this summer. This time, I tied enough so that I can afford to accidentally drop a couple in the river and still have a couple to drop in later.

I digress...

Below is the dressing, with the usual liberties taken:

Tied on a Loop double (sz. 12)

Yellow Ally's Shrimp

Hook: Any small single or double salmon iron

Tail: Yellow bucktail and pearl Midge Flash

Rib: Gold oval tinsel

Body: Rear half: silver Lagartun Mini Flat Braid; Front half: black floss

Underwing: Grey squirrel tail

Wing: Grey squirrel tail topped with golden pheasant tippets

Collar Hackle: Yellow rooster

Head: Black

The Atlantic Salmon Flies of Dave Goulet

Clockwise from upper left: Catch-A-Me Lodge, Bette Jane,
Chipper Lodge, Cockburn, Golden Girl, Mezmerizer

      If we were to play a word association game with Southern New England fly fishers, what words would the name Dave Goulet conjure up? Most would probably say, “Classic & Custom,” the name of Dave’s fly shop. Others would mention the Farmington River. After moving Classic & Custom from Holyoke, Massachusetts to New Hartford, Connecticut, the shop sat near the banks of the Farmington until Dave’s retirement in 2009. Some might mention the wary Farmington brown trout, on which Dave was an expert. And you might hear mention of some of Dave’s most well known trout flies, such as Moby Dick, Unicorn, Dirt Diver, or a host of others. Regardless of the words associated with Dave’s name, most would agree that Dave left an inedible mark the local trout fishing community. 

A much smaller percentage of us tapped into Dave’s other area of expertise. Dave is a hardcore atlantic salmon fisherman. Though he has fished all over maritime Canada, Dave knows the Miramichi River inside and out. In terms of atlantic salmon fishermen, Dave Goulet is my favorite kind. He has never been afraid of public water. In a world seemingly full of pricey lodges, pristine Bogdan reels and an overt sense of exclusivity, Dave is the real deal…a salmon fisherman’s fisherman. 

Though Dave is mostly known as an innovative trout fly tyer, he has created some fine atlantic salmon flies. I am aware of six original patterns. Four of which can be found in Flies for Atlantic Salmon (Stewart & Allen; 2001) and The Complete Directory of Salmon & Steelhead Flies (Mann; 2008), among other publications. As far as I know, the two remaining flies have never been published.

      Below are the dressings for all six of Dave’s original patterns. I didn’t try to copy Dave’s tying style, but I did try to respect his choice of materials whenever possible. There are a few unavoidable material substitutions, however. For a more personal account of my experiences with Dave, please see my piece in the Spring 2014 issue of the Atlantic Salmon Journal (Fit To Be Tied, p. 62). 

--------------------------------------------

The Atlantic Salmon Flies of Dave Goulet

(tied and photographed by Ben Bilello)

Bette Jane

Bette Jane

Tag: Oval gold tinsel

Butt: Fluorescent green wool

Tail: Red hackle barbs

Rib: Oval gold tinsel

Body: Rear half: medium green floss; Front half: peacock herl

Throat: Yellow hackle over light green hackle

Wing: Badger hair

Head: Black

Catch-A-Me Lodge

Catch-A-Me Lodge

Tag: Oval silver tinsel

Butt: Fluorescent green wool

Rib: Oval silver tinsel

Body: Black seal fur (or substitute)

Hackle: Golden pheasant breast feather dyed black (or other spey-type hackle)

Throat: Speckled guinea fowl

Wing: Two strips of white goose shoulder, tied short and splayed (Dee style)

Cheeks: Jungle cock (optional)

Head: Black

*The original was tied with a black silver pheasant body hackle.

Chipper Lodge

Chipper Lodge

Tag: Flat gold tinsel

Butt: Fluorescent orange floss

Tail: Golden Pheasant tippets, tied in at the second black bar

Rib: Oval gold tinsel

Body: Black wool

Throat: Purple hackle

Wing: Woodchuck guard hairs, topped with soft orange hackle fibers 1/3 of wing length

Cheeks: Jungle cock (optional)

Head: Black

Cockburn

Cockburn (unpublished)

Tag: Flat silver tinsel

Tail: Chartreuse bucktail with a few strands of peacock green Krystal Flash

Body: Fluorescent green floss

Underwing: Chartreuse arctic fox or bucktail with black tips

Wing: Chartreuse arctic fox or bucktail with black tips

Hackle: Black-Laced-White hen saddle dyed fluorescent yellow; tied collar style

Head: Black

*The underwing and wing were originally tied with dyed mongoose fur.

Golden Girl

Golden Girl

Tag: Flat gold tinsel

Butt: Fluorescent green floss

Tail: Golden pheasant tippet strands

Rib: Oval gold tinsel

Body: Black floss

Throat: Black hackle

Wing: Black squirrel tail

Head: Black

Mezmerizer (top view)

Mezmerizer (side view)

Mezmerizer (unpublished)

Tail: Pearl Krystal Flash (or substitute flash material)

Shellback: Pearl Krystal Flash (or substitute flash material)

Hackle: Black, palmered up length of body

Body: Fluorescent green floss

Wing: Pearl Krystal Flash (or substitute flash material), doubled back and evenly distributed on both sides of the hook shank (same flash as used to make the shellback)

Head: Butt ends of the Krystal Flash wing and black thread

*The original was tied with a generic Krystal Flash substitute with which I am unfamiliar. It is less kinky than the original Krystal Flash. I substituted Crystal Mirror Flash in the fly pictured. 

CT Salmon Fishing News - Late November

Yet another victim of the infamous HM Sunray Variant 

Warm, cold, warm, cold...I think we've about seen the last of the warm weather until April or so. Fishing, however, has been red hot. My last day out saw four hooked and all four landed, the smallest being around 7# and the largest a hefty male in the 16-18# class. Three of the fights were nothing to write home about, but the big boy fought well, jumping over 10 times. I saw four other fish hooked that day, three of them landed.

Fly wise, it was a day of stark contrast. My first fish was caught on a small #10 wet fly called the M1 Killer. I was fishing a very shallow riffle, so I decided to go small and subtle. The next three fish came from a deeper run with a much heavier current. The two middle fish (including the big guy) were taken on a Gold Bodied Willy Gunn tied on a brass tube. The total length of the fly was about 3.5"-4". The fourth fish took the orange HM Sunray Variant, a tube pattern which has been one of my top two salmon flies this fall (as well as being one of my top trout flies this past spring).

The other fly which has produced quite well for me is the venerable Ally's Shrimp. Still nothing on the Sugerman Shrimp since Russia, but I haven't been fishing it much this season for some reason. When I've needed a dark fly, I've been fishing the Same Thing Murray. Flies with orange in them have been producing so well, it's hard for me to fish with anything else.

Between playing gigs, teaching and fishing, I've been burning the candle at both ends lately. In between the insanity, I've been busy at the vise, tying flies for custom orders. As it gets colder, the less I fish with conventional flies and the more I fish with various tube flies. As far as single hooks go, I've been really happy with the Owner SSW straight eye hooks and I have been including them on all my tube fly orders lately.

Get out there and make sure you try some orange flies/tubes!

Expanded Naugatuck River Fly Assortment

Fly Box-Doubles for the Kola River

A big box o' doubles

Though I mainly plan on fishing various tube flies while in Russia, I couldn't help but tie a box of doubles for myself. I guess I just love the way a fly looks on a double hook. These are large flies, in sizes 2/0 and #1-#4. I think some of the 2/0 flies might weigh at least as much as some of my flies tied on copper tubes.

Most of these doubles I tied are established Canadian fly patterns, though there are some European patterns represented as well. The flies can be divided into three categories:

1. Large to jumbo-sized versions of flies I have found to be particularly successful, such as: Sugerman Shrimp, Ally's Shrimp, Same Thing Murray, Red/Green Butt Butterfly, Black Bear Green Butt and the Green Machine.

2. Proven flies I have fished, but have not yet had success with, such as: General Practitioner, Rusty Rat and Silver Rat.

3. Flies which are totally new to me, such as: Ghost Stone Fly, Picasse, Sunburst Flamethrower, Green Highlander Longtail, Blue Charm w/Green Butt and the Pompier.

I tied the large Green Machine with chenille, but I think I'm going to tie a couple with deer hair (as well as a couple of large Shady Ladies). I don't think the buoyancy of the deer hair will offset the weight of the double hook very much, especially considering I tend to pack the deer hair on my bugs rather loosely. This was my first chenille Buck Bug-style fly. The deer hair versions look more durable to me.

Anyhow, we'll see what happens!

General Practitioner

General Practitioner on a 1/0 low water double

The General Practitioner, known nowadays as the G.P., was created by Col. Esmund Drury in the early 1950s. A shrimp imitation, Drury created the G.P. when live prawns were banned on the River Test. There have been many variations on Drury's original pattern, though the above were tied true to his instructions, which can be found in Col. Joseph Bates's classic "Atlantic Salmon Flies and Fishing" (except for the addition of a little Krystal Flash on my part).

These two G.P.s, both the original orange and the black variation, were tied on a vintage Partridge low water double. I'm not sure what size it is, but I would estimate it's about 1/0. The hook runs about 4" in total length and will fished with a sunk line in high, cold water.

Favorite Flies for the Naugatuck River

Clockwise from top left: Same Thing Murray,
Sugerman Shrimp, Mickey Finn, Claret Shrimp

That's right, it's almost time to fish for those dirty water brutes again. These are my four favorite flies for Naugatuck River broodstock Atlantic salmon fishing. The Mickey Finn (#4-#6) works well for me while there are still leaves on the trees. Once the leaves fall, I see more action on the Same Thing Murray(#4-#8) or the Sugerman Shrimp (#1/0-#6). I find the Claret Shrimp (#2-#6) works well in the last hour of daylight. Maybe it's the high contrast between the front hackle and the dark body?

Honorable mention goes to Ally's Shrimp. The trout like them, too. I didn't hook a Naugy salmon on one last season, but I caught a good sized holdover brown with a big kype.

Honorable, honorable mention goes to the Sunray Shadow, which seems to be a good fish locator, and the Butterfly with a red butt (which I caught a Naugy salmon on my first day of fishing with a two-handed rod).

UPDATE - 9/4/2013: Since originally posting this, my tastes have changed a bit. The Mickey Finn and the Same Thing Murray are still at the top of the heap, no doubt. For some reason, I do less and less with the Sugerman Shrimp every season (for CT broodstock fish...it's still my favorite fly for wild salmon). The Claret Shrimp has moved down to honorable mention. Moving up the list are the Sunray Shadow and the L.T.Special. Ally's Shrimp is a solid fly and I always have some with me. Some fles are hotter than others certain years, but the Mickey, Murray and Sunray have become my mainstays.

Sugerman Shrimp

Sugerman Shrimp #2 Double

     To open this blog, I'd like to post my all-time favorite salmon fly, the Sugerman Shrimp. This fly was created by Stan Sugerman for fishing in New Brunswick, Canada. My buddy Doug showed me how to tie it before my first salmon fishing trip. It's a deadly fly in all sizes. My favorite is a #10, tied on a double hook. My first salmon hooked took this fly, my first salmon landed took this fly, my largest salmon took this fly and the last salmon I hooked took this fly, as well as some others in between!

Sugerman on a #8 Daiichi single

Sugerman Shrimp

Tip: Oval silver tinsel or wire
Tail: Golden pheasant breast feather
Rear Body: Fluorescent green floss, ribbed with oval silver tinsel or wire
Mid-Body Hackle: Fluorescent green hen
Front Body: Black floss, ribbed with oval silver tinsel or wire
Front Hackle: Black hen
Head: Black