Friday, May 10, 2013

Fly Tying Bonanza For GSMNP

Bucktail Rainbow in size #8
So it is finally going to happen.  A buddy and I have wanted to hit Hazel Creek in the Smoky National Park for over two years and as of yesterday we have our site booked and are preparing for a killer of a fishing trip.  Unfortunately as I began to pack up the gear I found that my fly box was lacking in almost every fly I go to in times of need.  It is disgraceful how lax I have been on my fly tying lately but with all the other project I have had going on it is not a surprise.

  So first on the list is to tie up some of the most prominent flies I will expect to fish in the smokies and of course that is going to include a bucket full of caddis, mayflies, and the little green weenie.  Thanks to my boy I have a great photo example of what my Green Weenies needed to look like so to the bench I went and whipped up a few followed up with a few red and brown San Juan Worms because lets face it - they are almost identical except for the color and black head.


GREEN WEENIE
Hook     - #14 Nymph
Thread   - Olive
Body     - Green
Head     - Peacock Herl

I chose not to include any weight for this fly because I figure most inchworms do not last long in the water long enough to sink very deep.  At least that is my hope.

  Another creation I came up is borderline as far as streamers go but I am one who like to push the boundaries.  What I call it is the Flash Blacknosed Dace.  Essentially I took the spoon head spinner off a lure and slid it on the front of the shank of my fly.  I then put a black bead on the head for the spinner to rotate around.  The rest of the Blacknose Dace is tied pretty much the same as the original. I don't know if it will work but I thought I would give it a shot.  For you purists out their that have cringed at the thought of making a fly look and act like those cursed spinning rigs I will give you my not so sincere apologies.  If it makes you feel any better I am not expecting to have much success with it.

  For those of you that would like to try it for yourself you can buy a hand full of these spinner spoon like this in the crappie section of the local store.  I simply took off the spoon and used it on the shank of my hook.  If any of you have success with it let me know.  When I get back from my trip I will also tie up a few bass bugs using this method to see how that works.  I suspect the bass with love it.

4 comments:

Feather Chucker said...

Those look great except for the fly with the spinner. Cheating!

I just wanted to say that so now you can have 50 posts that debate why that is not cheating. Let the games begin!!!

Unknown said...

I'll agree with you but rules are meant to be broken right?.... unless your my kids then the rules are set in stone. Of course if the cheating doesn't work then it will be back to old way with just a standard Blacknose Dace.

Mark Kautz said...

I love the Green Weenie. I've added it to my fly tying spreadsheet to tied at a future time.

cofisher said...

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Is there anything that you don't do well? Love the Green Weenie.There will be an envelope in the mail to you soon Joel.