Monday February 25th, 2008

Quill Gordon

size 12 1x nymph hook

wood duck tail

stripped peacock hurl body

dark blue dun underwing

wood duck over wing

House and Lot Variant (H and L Variant)

size 10 dry fly hook

calf tail for tail and wing

stripped peacock body 

peacock hurl body near wing

brown hackle

grizzly hackle (not shown in this photo)

Hi Everybody!

Tonight we had a new guest instructor. Greg Sikora taught us two very useful patterns. The H and L Variant and the Quill Gordon. The H and L Variant is an excellent fly to prospect with on those eastern slope waters. Some like to use it as the top fly when fishing with a dropper. I have seen the effectiveness of this fly on many a cutthroat river. If you have read Barry Mitchell's  Alberta's Trout Highway, you would find out that the H and L Variant is an excellent pattern to have all along the Forestry Trunk Road.

I saw first hand how outstanding the Quill Gordon can be one evening on Mitchell Lake. Greg was into fish the entire evening stripping this pattern in quick 12 inch strips just under the surface. I always carry a half dozen in my lake box. 

Thanks Greg for a very enjoyable evening. 

Monday February 11th, 2008

Roy Saunders

Easy Bug

size 14 to size 18 nymph hook

olive dubbing for the body

golden pheasant tips for wing

grey ethafoam for shellback

olive dubbing thorax

Jock MacKenzie

Black Caddis

size 14 or 16 dry fly hook

black thread for body or peacock or black CDC Feathers

wing-black deer hair

Hi Everybody!

Tonight the dynamic duo of Roy Saunders and Jock MacKenzie demonstrated two excellent patterns to our Central Alberta Fly Tyers.

 Roy showed us a very cool emerger called the easy bug. Roy has successfully used this pattern when trout are feeding on emergers. It's a new pattern for me that I am looking forward to trying this season. 

Jock had us tie a black caddis. Jock has noticed black caddis on the Red Deer River several times. It was time to add this excellent pattern to our Red Deer River box. 

Thanks Roy and Jock for your leadership. 

...a very pleasant evening indeed!

Remember there is no fly tying on Family Day. We will continue the following Monday with Greg Sikora showing us the House and Lot Variant and the Quill Gordon. See you on the 25th of February.

Monday February 4th, 2008

Flying Ant

#14 Mustad R50 dry fly hook

red brown dubbing

black hackle

Cheerios cereal box liner

6/0 or 8/0 thread

Catatonic Leech

#79580 Mustad 4 XL hook

olive marabou

lead wire

3/0 dark olive thread

Callibeatius Dry

#14 Mustad R50 dry Fly hook

blue dun hackle

light olive poly dubbing-very fine

teal flank feather

light grey 6/0 or 8/0 thread

Callibeatius Nymph

pheasant tail

thin gold wire

light olive dubbing

peacock hurl

dark brown thread 6/0 or 8/0

#14 Mustad R50 dry fly hook

Hi Everybody!

It was almost a record tonight. Don Andersen was our guest fly tyer tonight and he filled the library with 28 students. Don taught the Central Alberta Fly Tyers 4 patterns. As usual, all four patterns will be worthy additions to all our fly boxes. Many of us just enjoy listening to the anecdotes that Don shares with us. Don, you are a colorful character and we appreciate the effort you made to drive in from Rocky Mountain House. Don almost convinced me that left handed fly tyers have the advantage. Good try Don! 

Do take some time to look at Don's web site:

http://www.telusplanet.net/public/dmanders/

Next week Jock MacKenzie and Roy Saunders are our guest tyers. See you then!