Weekend Flies & Much More

Orange Brookie Killer

 Its been far to long since my last fishy post but it is not because I have nothing to share.  Quite the opposite - I have had a deluge of stuff to share but due to life I have not had the time to sit down and put it all down.  So I am glad to finally have a moment to sit down and catch up with this hobby thing.  But first I wanted to talk flies.
  For some of you out there you might actually recognize the simple ( and poorly tied) fly that leads this post.  I don't know if it has an actual name but for me I call it the "Brookie Killer".  Tied with a #16 - #20 Dry fly hook, Orange dubbing, orange thread, and a little grizzly hackle wrapped around its length, this easy fly is deadly for small stream brookies.  The most interesting thing about this fly is just how species specific this fly actually is.  All other fish seem to ignore it completely but the Brook Trout will hunt it down with reckless abandon.  It is a definite go-to fly on any brook tout stream.

  Next up is yet another three ingredient fly.  The Peacock Herl Dry may not be the most glamorous gal at the ball (or in the box) but it will lure a few trout to take her out. More of an all around killer in the winter months, this Peacock Hurl dry will never fail when trout are rising on those warmer winter afternoons.  Best if tied small, I choose a #16 or smaller hook, then wrap three Herls forward followed by a little grizzly hackle.  Tied with black thread this simple fly is simple and deadly.
  Quite often the three ingredient flies are overlooked by anglers and it is for that reason I feel the need to promote them as much as possible.  I am also a pathetic fly tyer but you can probably tell that.

    Next up is a little creation that probable wont catch a darn thing but I got this new fur substitute and thought I would play around with it.  With a #12 nymph hook, black thread, red wire, a tuff of synthetic bear fur, and some Magic Stretch to cover the body this fly will probably look better in a salty environment than my rivers and ponds.  Next time I'm at the pond though I will be sure to give it a whirl.  Until it hooks a fish I am holding off naming it. There are far to many flies out there with fancy names that never catch a fish and I refuse to contribute to that list until it produces.

As for the other stuff, you might remember the odd looking $8 lounge chair I whipped up a few weeks ago.  Well one can not just have one fireside chair so with a little more homemade engineering I decided to improve the design and whip up another.  It is a little beefier and architecturally pleasing to the eye but still remains under the $15 goal.  They are bound to get a lot of use year round because unless it is raining we are a family that loves the outdoors.

And since this is an art and fishing blog I thought I'd share a little painting I did quite a while ago.  I ran across this little bird while cleaning out my studio and had completely forgotten about it.  It was just one of those little paintings I did back in 2008 while on the road prior to launching this web thing.  Relatively small in size, the watercolor is only 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches.
Unfortunately if any of you had a mind to buy it from me I will now refer you to my grandmother-inlaw.  You are going to have to go through her to get it.  I suspect she would sell it for the right price (everything has a price) but you better bring your big boy wallet because it might be steep :-).