Post by Nick Pionessa on Oct 21, 2010 20:06:02 GMT -5
Coon Dog- black over chartreuse
Coon Dog SBS
all right i finally got around to getting the SBS done on this fly. now it's not a true traditional Temple Dog but it does have most of what makes them great flies. i have adapted the original dog hair over wing to a material called Finn Raccoon, hence the name. this fur has some great length and is very soft so the motion is great. it also has one interesting characteristic in that the guard hairs have thicker tips that butts. there are only a few furs that have this and it does make for some great motion. you will see in the pattern that the guard hairs in the over wing extend past the rest of the materials. this allows them to wiggle nicely under tension and i believe makes this fly particularly effective. the under wing is arctic fox tail. this material is stiffer and helps to support the over wing giving the fly a nicely humped back when swum.
i also use a slightly longer and somewhat softer hackle on these than the original. it fills in the "belly" of the fly as it gets wet and to my eye appears to make the fly more minnowy. i am just using one hackle on the fly and using a longer feather like schlappen makes it easy to get a full collar with one hackle. being American i have to change stuff! all this makes the fly sparser and slimmer allowing it to sink well compared to the original with it's much bulkier body.
the use of a cone head allows for the fly to balance well in the water as opposed to tying it on a longer heavy tube. with a bigger copper tube you will get some hang down from the rear of the tube which looks a bit un natural. though i must say i have caught several fish on those versions and the fish really don't seem to mind. this SBS will go over the technique for tying them on a plastic tube with a cone head.
for hooks i like the Daiichi octopus hook pictured here or the Daiich 1650 if you like the hook in line with the tube. the lower weight point of the upturned octopus hook keels the fly nicely. the 1650 can be rode point up as well to cut down on snagging on the bottom and prevent the wing from fouling in the hook bend.
i have had success with many color combos with the main idea being contrast between the top and bottom of the fly. my fav recently is the purple over pink but i have probably caught more fish on the white over purple version. any color you like is just fine and this black over chartreuse is great in darker water or on dull days. i like having the bright butt band on them and you can make that any contrasty color but i do like red.
second fish this season with the black over chart
spring fish with a black over blue CD
another spring fish on the white over purple
bright fall fish on the white over purple
the fish of the season so far on the purple over pink version
Coon Dog SBS
all right i finally got around to getting the SBS done on this fly. now it's not a true traditional Temple Dog but it does have most of what makes them great flies. i have adapted the original dog hair over wing to a material called Finn Raccoon, hence the name. this fur has some great length and is very soft so the motion is great. it also has one interesting characteristic in that the guard hairs have thicker tips that butts. there are only a few furs that have this and it does make for some great motion. you will see in the pattern that the guard hairs in the over wing extend past the rest of the materials. this allows them to wiggle nicely under tension and i believe makes this fly particularly effective. the under wing is arctic fox tail. this material is stiffer and helps to support the over wing giving the fly a nicely humped back when swum.
i also use a slightly longer and somewhat softer hackle on these than the original. it fills in the "belly" of the fly as it gets wet and to my eye appears to make the fly more minnowy. i am just using one hackle on the fly and using a longer feather like schlappen makes it easy to get a full collar with one hackle. being American i have to change stuff! all this makes the fly sparser and slimmer allowing it to sink well compared to the original with it's much bulkier body.
the use of a cone head allows for the fly to balance well in the water as opposed to tying it on a longer heavy tube. with a bigger copper tube you will get some hang down from the rear of the tube which looks a bit un natural. though i must say i have caught several fish on those versions and the fish really don't seem to mind. this SBS will go over the technique for tying them on a plastic tube with a cone head.
for hooks i like the Daiichi octopus hook pictured here or the Daiich 1650 if you like the hook in line with the tube. the lower weight point of the upturned octopus hook keels the fly nicely. the 1650 can be rode point up as well to cut down on snagging on the bottom and prevent the wing from fouling in the hook bend.
i have had success with many color combos with the main idea being contrast between the top and bottom of the fly. my fav recently is the purple over pink but i have probably caught more fish on the white over purple version. any color you like is just fine and this black over chartreuse is great in darker water or on dull days. i like having the bright butt band on them and you can make that any contrasty color but i do like red.
second fish this season with the black over chart
spring fish with a black over blue CD
another spring fish on the white over purple
bright fall fish on the white over purple
the fish of the season so far on the purple over pink version