Flies and Flights
If you know the history of this site and our group, you’d know we are not the MFFA. While many re participants in both, we get mistaken for them regularly and our existence is due to some hard times they experienced in the early part of this new century.
So in that spirit, we are pretty connected, I have set many folks to them to join, members participate on our message board, their members are our members and I attend their non-weeknight non Saturday events whenever I can.
The Flies and Flights is an under promoted event as well as quite informal. A bunch of guys meet up at Trans Canada Brewery on Kenaston Road here in Winnipeg and tie flies while drinking flights of craft beer.
I mean when we tie flies we drink at home so it is a natural fit.
Fun time with men and women tying side by side with pizza and beer. The food looked great and the Blue Berry Ale I had was better than any I have had anywhere (and I have been to the east coast where it was invented).
Whiteshell River Tour September 2nd 2018
I had been fishing since I got back from my trip to Newfoundland (where I fished a lot!). One because I was quite busy with gigs (playing music) two, we had some brutally hot weather and three, I was giving my music school a bit of a make-over.
But this date was booked way back and I was kinda needing to get back out there.
Because it was the Sunday of the last long weekend of the summer I could not take him to all my spots. Luckily I have a few spots that are less known.
We caught trout, pike and perch and missed out on bass which are pretty likely and walleye that are almost impossible this time of year for wading fishers.
The client was from Italy and marveled at all our wild spaces and so much open areas. Italy has almost twice the population of Canada but could fit comfortably inside our province.
Ironically, we happen to be planning a family vacation to Italy next year and my client this day has offered not only tourist advice, but to set up some fishing opportunities!
Funny how things work out.
Trying to Up My Photo Game
I have been trying to get my flies documented and have tried a few options. As of late I have become lazy and just used my iPhone. As great a convergence device as it is, it comes up short. So, using others as a water mark I brought all my tools together:
- light box
- Nikon D200
- sigma DG 70-300mm on Macro
- low f stop and slow shutter speeds
- tripod
Not quite there but way better,
A flymph with eyes. Passes as nymph or fry Marabou tail Peacock Dubbing Silver DD Olive soft hacl Brass Dumbell Eyes
Gomphus Eyes are glass beads stung on old classical guitar strings marabou over body DD copper body Brown soft hackle palmered
Bead Body Stone Fly I am ‘almost’ know for this pattern Marabou tail Bglass bead body Black Rubber legs Midge Flex over thorax Olive DD thorax
Same pattern in coffee and brown hackle tail
Flash-a-bou Nymph/fry Body Flash-a-bou, Peacock herl hear and dumbbell brass eyes I tie the eyes underneath the shank on down eye hook to reduce flipping during presntaions
Generic black nymph pattern
Chenille hellgramite patterns in decidedly non hellgramite colours (don’t worry I have them in black and dark brown
A generic nymph pattern done with a ‘rough’ copper dubbing
We call them GRHE out of habit but really we never use hare’s ear anymore. Mostly because it is hard to find. So like colour rabbit dubbing has to suffice
You’ll be seeing a lot of these from me this winter. The 3-4 material fly that is highly effective, for a variety of fish in still and moving water. Peacock herl body wire rib reinforcement soft hackle collar in many shades dubbing to cover/colour the head thread
the same ‘rough’ copper dubbing with a elastic over body and soft hackle collar
Despite looking similar in their adult form, Dragon and damels flies look quite different in their aquatic form. Damsels are slender and dragon (aka Gomphus) can be down right rotund Marabou tail Olive V-Rib Marabou thorax Midge flex over Glass eyes
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