Action Angler and the river are both fully stocked

The fishing is really going good on the Guadalupe right now. The state has been doing regular stockings, and there are some good fish in the water.
Float trip dates are filling up. Go to Actionangler.net to book online.

You can also order online, and remember to sign up for the newsletter, and then you will be the first to know of the next class offerings, and any tournaments.

Action Angler & Outdoor Center- Guadalupe River, New Braunfels, TX
Fully stocked with rod/reel kits, waders, boots, and reels. #flyshopstrong #shoplocal #shopsmallbusiness #playinnewbraunfels #guadaluperiver #flyfishtexas

Smithermans Fry Candy

Smitherman’s Fry Candy

When I asked Josh to describe the Fry Candy, his response was simply,
“It’s very good.” 

He’s not wrong. Many, if not most, bass streamers are designed with added weight for deep, fast moving water. The Fry Candy on the other hand was specifically designed to imitate the schooling juvenile baitfish found in the upper portion of water columns.
It’s a perfect choice for small or shallow water, like we have here on Brushy Creek and ideal for late-summer bassin’, when the water levels drop.
The short-shank hook creates an articulated-tail effect without the effort and
it’s friendly for casting on lighter weight rods.
Fish it for just about anything with short, quick strips for maximum side-to-side swish.
Simply vary the color scheme to match the baitfish you find wherever you’re angling!

Smitherman’s Fry Candy
Hook: Gamakatsu SL12S Short, #4/0-06
Thread: Veevus 8/0, Black
Tail: Craft Fur, White/Gray
Head: Craft Fur, White/Gray/Black
Flash: Ice Dub, Holographic Silver
Eyes: Plastic Eyes, Pearl (match to hook)
Barring: Sharpie, Black

Copyright © 2020 Living Waters Fly Fishing, All rights reserved.

Makeshift Muddler

Makeshift Muddler

This week, fly shop manager, Melody Herron, challenged Josh Smitherman to put his creativity to the test by building a fly recipe using primarily materials from our sale bins – currently we have a ton of awesome materials on sale!
Unsurprisingly, Josh rose to the occasion and whipped up this Makeshift Muddler.

The original Muddler Fly was created by Don Gapen in the 1930’s and is still produced today. His sculpin imitation features a loosely stacked head designed to push water and create erratic movement in the fly. In the 1950’s Dan Bailey’s Fly Shop began producing a more densely packed version for their mail-order fly subscribers, eventually swapping the turkey quill for marabou, resulting in the Marabou Muddler,
the version on which tonight’s tutorial is loosely based.
Other modern iterations include the Kiwi Muddler and Kelly Galloup’s Zoo Cougar.
Charlie Craven includes a recipe in his new book, Tying Streamers, which pays homage to the original with mottled turkey quill but with a spun deer head and collar.

Part of what makes the Muddler so versatile is that it can imitate terrestrials or streamers and target trout and bass alike. Stack it tight to fish dry or tie it loose and pair with a sinking line for some killer stillwater action. However you stack it, a muddler is worthy of your attention and deserving of a spot in your fly box!

Makeshift Muddler

Hook: Ahrex NS122, #02
Thread: UTC 140D, Brown and GSP 100D, White
Tail: Strung Marabou, Lemon Yellow and Sculpin Tan
Wing: Strung Marabou, Sculpin Tan
Flash/Dubbing: Ripple Ice Fiber, Orange
Body: EP Foxy Brush, Yellow, 1.5″
Head: Spinning Deer Hair, Brown

Smitherman’s Mountain Lobster

Smitherman’s Mountain Lobster

Creative designer Josh Smitherman went through several rounds of testing and many variations of his Mountain Lobster before settling on the final signature design in today’s tutorial. This fly won’t be commercially available until 2022, so in the meantime, be sure to spin up a few for yourself and a friend,
if you’re feeling generous!

The sizing and jig style make this pattern ideal for our Hill Country creeks, where springtime crayfish run, or rather crawl, in droves across stream beds.  In his design process Josh was able to solve a common problem he encountered with other similar patterns – the claws sticking together once they were wet. The tie on this one however, ensures the claws stay split under water. Additionally, the dubbing body props the fly into a fighting position, which draws more attention to it’s profile and better engages stubborn fish. Incredibly versatile, the Mountain Lobster can be scaled up or down to target everything from trout, to bass, to cichlids and sunnies!

Smitherman’s Mountain Lobster

Hook: TMC 403BLJ, Size 8
Thread: 8/0, Fl. Orange
Bead: Tungsten Jig Bead, Orange, 5/32″
Antennae: Daddy Long Legs, Brown
Claws: Whiting Chickabou, Brown/Orange
Legs: Sili Legs Nymph, Pumpkin Barred
Shell Back: Squirrel Zonker, Crawfish Orange
Body: Cohen’s Carp Dub, Crazy-Zee Orange

Thunder Creek Minnow

New post on J. Stockard Blog Thoughts On The Fly
Fly of the Month – Thunder Creek Minnow

by admin

Guest Blogger + FOM Tyer: Mike Klein, Bozeman, Montana

In the 1970s, Keith Fulsher, a commercial fly tier from New York, popularized the Thunder Creek Minnow style of baitfish streamer.  The reverse bucktail style head enabled larger heads and eyes on otherwise slender baitfish patterns.  The style has been widely adapted to both fresh and saltwater species.  Although a relatively simple pattern to tie, creating a clean, secure head and eyes using the original methods takes a bit of practice.  This is where Deer Creek comes in (metaphorically).  Deer Creek is just one of many brands of UV cured cement.  Brand is not important here, but UV cured cement, Fish Masks and Living Eyes has made tying the Thunder Creek style a whole lot easier.

As I occasionally participate in fly swaps on Flytyingforum.com, I recently took the opportunity to participate in a “Classic Bucktail” swap.  The rules were simple: “Anyone up for some quick, easy classic bucktails? Don’t get hung up on “classic” patterns…get creative if you’d like.”  Swaps are great opportunities to get a bit creative so I needed a pattern I could play with.  I had all the materials I needed to create a variation of the Thunder Creek style for the swap.  The result has proven to be a pretty effective fly on my local trout streams.

Pattern:

Tying Steps:

  1. After forming a thread base on the rear 2/3rds of the hook, tie in a short clump of Finn Raccoon with guard hairs removed. The tail should be no longer than 2/3rds the hook length.
  2. Select 5-8 strands of Polar Flash and tie in at the hook bend at the middle point of the strands. Wind forward creating a smooth body to a point 1/3 behind the hook eye and secure ensuring the tag ends are on top of the hook shank.
  3. Fold the tag ends back toward the tail and secure with a few wraps. Make a smooth transition of thread toward the hook eye.  Trim the flash even with the tail.  Apply a bit of cement to the wraps.
  4. Select two grizzly or Cree hackles. Tie one hackle on each side of the hook shank with smooth wraps.  The hackle should extend no longer than the tail.  Apply a bit of cement to the wraps.
  5. Select a small clump of dark bucktail or moose body hair for the top wing. Remove and the fuzz and short fibers and ensure the butts are flush.  With bucktail you usually have to trim the butts to get the desired length.  Moose body hair is already an ideal length for size 4-8 hooks.
  6. Take the hair clump and hold it tight on top of the hook with approximately ¼ inch of butts back from the hook eye. Begin securing with loose wraps and follow with tighter wraps as you proceed.  There are two critical aspects of the step.  Don’t allow the hair to spin on the hook shank.  When finished, all the hair fibers should be on top of the hook shank.  Two, make sure there are a few tight wraps close to the hook eye.  Moose is going to flair more than bucktail but provides a slightly bulkier profile in the water.
  7. Repeat steps 5-6 with a lighter colored hair. Finish the thread wraps at least 3/16 inches behind the hook eye.  Trim any wayward hair butts and apply a liberal coat of cement.  This helps keep the whole head area of the fly from twisting loose.
  8. Carefully grab the dark top hair and fold back along the hook shank. Pulling the hair tight, take several tight thread wraps at the tie in point.
  9. Turn the hook over (rotary vise works well here) and repeat step 8 with the lower hair. Make sufficient wraps to create a smooth, even gill line.  Secure with several half-hitches and cut the thread.
  10. Slide the Fish Mask over the head to ensure it fits.  Remove the mask and apply an even coat of thick UV cured cement on the entire head.  Slide the head on and allow the cement to settle a bit before curing.  When curing, hold the hair wings tight along the hook shank so they lay as flat as possible.
  11. Apply Living Eyes, seal with a flexible UV cement. Apply a finishing coat of normal cement over the whole head.
  12. The UV cured cement and Fish Mask take away the tedious method of finishing the original Thunder Creek Minnow style making this fly simple and quick to tie.  Using Moose also makes using the Fish Mask easier as there’s no need to build up a bulky thread head.  It is a versatile style that can be tied on any number of color combinations and sizes to simulate whatever baitfish is needed.My originals have been on the water several times with great success.
admin | August 31, 2020 at 9:48 am | URL: https://wp.me/p4Cafp-1BC

 

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