Our Favorite Flies

We all have our own favorite flies, whether we buy 'em or tie 'em. Some flies just work. Here, we're building a list of flies that work in Southwest Louisiana and other places, too. This list isn't exhaustive. These are the tried and true ones, the ones we like best.

Name:        McReynolds

Type:         Wet Fly

Species:     Bream

Recommended By:    Frank Walker

Tying Notes:       You can buy this fly online, but it is easy to tie, with lots of small variations to make it even easier.    I normally tie them on a #14 nymph hook. The body can be yellow yarn or embroidery thread, wrapped with gold wire or tinsel (Cement the tinsel). I substitute a small bit of red yarn for the tail (If you tie the yarn the length of the hook, it fattens up the body well.) You can either palmer the fibers on the neck and throat, or you can just strip some hackle fibers and tie them in. Another simple variation is to use red thread instead of black and leave off the tail. I've also tied lots of color variations that also work well.

Fishing Notes:    If I could only have one fly in my box for bream, this would be it. I have consistently caught fish in every season of the year. In the winter time, fish it slow. Let it sink deeper. In the spring-fall, fish it a little bit faster. It works well especially fished over shallow weed beds.

Name:        The "OFF" (One Feather Fly)

Type:        Wet Fly

Species:    Bream

Recommended By:    Frank Walker

Tying Notes:        I doesn't get any simpler than this. I use either a black or brown hackle feather, preferably from a hen. Pheasant feathers also work very well. Multi-color feathers seem to work best. Match the color of tying thread - 3/0 or smaller - to the color of your feather (black to black, brown to brown, etc.). On a size 14 or 16 hook, wrap to the bend of the hook, completely covering the hook, and then back to about 3/4 the way back toward the eye of the hook. Tie in the tip of the feather wrap your thread up to the eye of the hook. Now, palmer (wrap) the feather a few times up toward the eye of the hook and tie off. Then wet your thumb and forefinger and stroke the fibers back away from the eye and pinch. Wrap back over the base of the fibers just enough to make them lay back a little. Now finish the head.

Fishing Notes:        Fish it very slowly. Give it time to sink. This fly works great in cooler water.

Name:           Olive Wooly Bugger

Type:            Streamer/Wet Fly

Species:        Bass, Bream, Trout

Recommended By:    Jim Gill

Materials:   

Tying Notes:       

1.    Attach thread to hook 1/8 inch behind hook eye.

2.    Wrap hook shank with ten (10) wraps of lead wire.

3.    Cover wire sparsely with thread and apply Zap-A-Gap.

4.    Attach Marabou for tail just above bend of hook.

5.    Attach Chenille and hackle to hook shank just above bend of hook.

6.    Run thread back to approximately 1/8 inch behind hook eye.

7.    Wrap chenille on shank to approximately 1/8 inch behind hook eye.

8.    Tie off chenille and trim excess.

9.    Wrap hackle (sparingly) over chenille to approximately 1/8 inch behind hook eye.

10.  Tie off hackle and trim excess.

11.  Whip finish head end of fly with chartreuse or orange thread.

12.  (As an option, use a bead (brass, copper or glass) to provide additional weight.)

NOTE:     Don’t be afraid to add a little weight to the fly.

Name:            Orange Blossom Special

Type:            Topwater

Species:        Bream, Bass

Designed By:    Ron Foreman

Materials:

Tying Notes:

1. Start thread behind eye, run thread to hook bend.
2. Tie in Marabou. Tail should be half again as long as hook.
3. Tie in 10-12 strands of Krystal Flash. (Flash should extend over Marabou slightly.)
4. Tie in Orange Hackle.
5. Cut a piece of Orange Foam 3/8” side by ¾” long.
6. Bend piece of foam in half. Be sure to leave 1/8” gap between front of foam and eye. (This gap will enable you to get hook out of the fish’s mouth easier.) Glue foam to shank. Trim foam underneath shank if needed (use razor blade to trim).
7. Run thread up behind foam.
8. Run hackle up behind foam and tie off. Trim excess hackle. Whip finish; add touch of glue to thread.
9. Color top and bottom of foam with black Sharpie Marker.
10. Glue Wiggle Eyes on each side of face, close to front.
11. Use Bodkin to punch small hole in foam for Sili Legs. Legs should extend 1” to 1 ¼” on each side. Pull legs through with Bobbin Threader.
12. Barr legs with black marker.

Fishing Notes:

Name:            JIM GILL OLIVE POPPING BUG

Type:            Topwater

Species:        Bream, Bass

Submitted By:    Jim Gill

MATERIALS:

TYING INSTRUCTIONS:

      1.      Epoxy hook in body groove of popper.

2.      Fill body groove with Elmer’s Wood Filler.

3.      Sand all rough spots with fine sand paper until smooth.

4.      Paint base coat using Anita’s All Purpose Acrylic Olive Green paint.

5.      Apply two coats of paint.

6.      Apply eyes by first making red dots (approx. ¼”), followed by black, yellow and black again in that order. Make each color following red approximately 1/16” smaller and centered on previous color.

7.      Apply clear coat using Sally Hansen “Hard As Nails”. Apply minimum of three coats.

8.      Tie Marabou (1 inch long) to hook shank just above hook bend.

9.      Tie Krystal Flash (1 ½ inches long) to hook shank at back of popper body. Use 6 to 8 strands as tail.

10.  Tie 2 short hackle feathers on either side of hook shank (with splayed side facing out).

11.  Tie 2 rubber legs (3 ½”) to each side – this will provide four legs looking forward and four backward for a total of eight.

12.  Wrap hackle onto hook shank immediately behind popper body.

13.  Trim legs to desired length.