St. Patrick's Day March 17th

Hi Everybody!

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Yes it's March 17th and Dave Jensen was our guest tyer today. Dave brought along some amazing video to demonstrate the value of the fly tying patterns he was teaching us tonight. Big brown trout gorging themselves on sqwala stoneflies is quite cool. The big browns come from our home waters to boot. The Red Deer River can have an amazing sqwala hatch. With a little luck the sqwalas will be out just after the Red Deer River opens to fishing on the May long weekend. Dave also showed us an a very easy pattern to tie. Yellow Sallies are a very simple pattern to tie. These little flies can get you into some amazing fishing. Thanks, Dave, for coming. We loved the patterns, the video and the stories. 

Take a look at Dave's web site for more amazing video and follow his season. Dave and his wife Amelia have been on the water a lot in the last month. Dave keeps updates on water conditions on his blog so take a spin over to:

http://flyfishalberta.blogspot.com

It's amazing but tonight is the final tying session for the season. Several of us have already been on the rivers for several weeks. We have had so many presenters including:

Evan Ritchie

Dr. Bill Young

Doug DeWitt

Les Kolibaba 

Doug Cook

Bob Vanderwater

Phil Rowley

Roy Saunders

Jock MacKenzie

Dave Jensen

Greg Sikora

Doug Pullen

Don Anderson

We tied over 30 patterns this year. That is amazing in itself.

I would like to thank all the presenters. We have a wealth of knowledge here in Central Alberta. Sharing that knowledge is a neat thing to see. 

I hope you have a fabulous fishing season.

As a final note of thanks, I would like to thank Dave Jensen for helping to get this blog/website organized. It has been a great tool to pass on what we do with the Central Alberta Fly Tying Club!

Bob and Karen Vanderwater

Dave Jensen

Bob and Barry

Morris with a Green Teranasty (sqwala stonefly)

Yellow Sally

size 14 mustad 94833

yellow dubbing

poly yarn wing

blue dun hackle

Green Teranasty

size 8 Tiemco 200 hook

green biots tail

Brown hackle

Green dubbing

Poly yarn underbody

pearl crystal flash

Deer hair overwing

Green legs

Monday March 10th, 2008

Doug Pullen was our guest tyer tonight. Doug taught us three very practical patterns that will undoubtedly catch many trout this upcoming fishing season. Doug's detailed explanations made it easy for us to successfully tie each pattern. I certainly appreciate Doug's attention to detail that makes a difference in a successful pattern. I did learn two new things about Doug tonight. He loves peacock herl and dubbing loops. Doug also wastes nothing at the fly tying bench. Nothing hits the garbage can. All those extra pieces of herl, hackle, dubbing, feathers, and chenille makes an incredible cased caddis body. I am sure that Don Anderson is smiling about that ingenuity. Thanks Doug for an excellent evening of tying. I can tell how much thought and planning you put into this evening.

Just a note that next Monday (March 17th), is our final tying session of this winter. Try to make it out. Dave Jensen is going to be our final guest tyer of the year. See you then!

Bob

Doug Pullen

Peeking Caddis

Hook:3XL-Mustad 9672 #10

Thread: black 6/0

Ribbing: small copper wire

Weight: 0.20" dia. lead weight

Case: recycled tying material spun in a coffee grinder

Peeking Abdomen:Bright green yarn

Peeking thorax: Black Hareline Dubbing

Legs: Pheasant Tail Barbs

Klinkhamer Special

Originator: Hans van Klinken

Hook: Partridge GRS15ST, or other fine-wire scud hook, #8-#18

Thread: Tan 8/0

Wing Post:White poly yarn

Abdomen: Light-tan Fly-Rite poly dubbing

Thorax: Peacock herl

Hackle: Dun, one size larger than normally used for hook size

Diawl Bach ("Dee Owl Bach")

Hook: Tiemco 3769 or 3761, sizes 8-14

Thread: Black or Olive

Tail: Red-brown hackle fibers

Rib: Fine gold or copper wire

Body:Peacock herl

Beard: Red-brown hackle fibers

References for tonight's fly tying:

Fly Patterns for Stillwaters by Philip Rowley

Tying Emergers by Jim Schollmeyer and Ted Leeson

Monday March 3rd, 2008

Halfback Nymph

size 8 2x nymph hook

weight the top 2/3 of the hook with 0.20 lead or equivalent

goose biot tail

peacock hurl body

green pheasant tail shellback

green hackle

peacock hurl hurl thorax

size 8 Mustad C53S hook

brown marabou tail

shellback brown mottled turkey quill

brown seal dubbing

legs partridge feathers

weight 0.20 lead for abdomen and 0.35 lead for thorax

Hi Everybody!

Doug Cook was our guest fly tyer tonight. Doug showed us a very cool pattern called the stonefly bugger. The 15 students tonight had to tame seal dubbing and make legs from partridge feathers. Combine an excellent stonefly pattern with a bugger type pattern and you have one excellent fly. Thanks Doug for the outstanding pattern. A very cool streamer pattern that is part stonefly.

...we had time to also tie a halfback nymph from left over materials at the Phil Rowley Workshop. That will be an excellent lake pattern.

Next week, Doug Pullen will be our guest tyer. Doug has three patterns all ready for us. One pattern is some sort of mystery. Sounds like fun!

...we have only two sessions left for the year! See you next Monday, March 10th.

Bob