Those that have fished with me over the last few years have almost certainly seen the Meal Ticket come out for action at some point. It has been a go to fly for me for some time and so was one of the first flies I did a detailed step by step of to be used in tying classes. Some months ago I decided to get my act together and submitted it the editor of Eastern Fly Fishing for consideration in their Eastern, Northwest or Southwest publication. I arrived home from the Grand River Fly Tyers Celebration of Fly Tying on Saturday to see a notification from them that it made it to print in the March/April 2011 edition of Northwest Fly Fishing. I excitedly pulled it up their website and, sure enough, there it is on page 68; pretty cool to see as this is my first article to make it to print in one of the major paper publications. I have not seen it in person yet but hopefully have a copy on the way.
The long version of the Meal Ticket step by step was posted a while back, along with underwater video of the fly, at the Steelhead Alley Fly Tying blog.
I woke up this morning to an email from ACF customer Brock Dixon that I should check out the recent Moldy Chum SOTM additions. Groggily booted up and went to the site, and...WOOF! Staring back in my face was 28" of Bull Shoals brown trout with an ACF tied Senyo Shaggy Minnow still in it's chomper! Powerful thick old shoulders and a bifurcated top lip to accept the kype...solid fish to say the least. Congratulations Brock and thanks for the heads up.
Well, I got more good news a few days ago about some flies I have been kicking around local watersheds. Back on February 3rd I posted the Fuzzy Nibblet and Gorgon Craw here, and now have that official word that Orvis is picking them both up for their 2012 lineup!
These two flies have been successful in warmwater applications this past season, and now, after a clients recent trip, I have been told that the variations that tied on stainless hooks were well received on the Bahamian flats as well.
The 2012 Orvis lineup will be available December 2011, but in the meantime I know a place you can get them to fish this coming season...
Thread: UTC140 denier, tan Hook1: Gamagatsu B10S size 2/0 Hook2: Daiichi 2141 size 1 Tail: Matabou, tan Body1: Marabou, tan and yellow Body2: Bucktail, tan and yellow Flash: Magnum Holographic Flashabou, yellow Head: Senyo Laser Dub, rusty bronze and dark tan Eyes: 3D Epoxy, Super Pearl 1/2" Connection: Beadalon, 19 strand .018"
Alternative color combinations: All black, olive over tan, green over orange, red over white
STEP 1: With your Daiichi 2141 size 1 in the vise get your thread started and wrapped to the back of the hook shank. Once at the rear tie in point, located above the midpoint of the hook spear, tie a single marabou feather hanging approximately one hook length off the back of the hook. Tightly wrap the material forward about two thirds of the hook shank then return your thread to the mid-point of the shank.
STEP 2: Tie in three strands of Holographic Flashabou in the middle of the strands then fold them back over and tie them securely down, resulting in six strands hanging off the back of the hook. Tying the Flashabou in by the middle prevents the material from slipping out. The Holographic flashabou should be trimmed to be approximately the length of the marabou tail.
STEP 3: Advance your thread forward towards the eye. About one eye width back on the shank tie in a single tan marabou feather on top of the hook shank and one yellow below. The feathers should be tied in so that the tips taper down towards the tail. Once tied in go ahead and cut off the butt ends of the marabou and create a smooth thread head.
STEP 4: Place the Gamagatsu B10S size 2/0 in the vise and attach the rear hook using Beadalon. For this fly it will be approximately three inches of 19 strand .018" Beadalon threaded through the eye of the rear hook and use three size E glass beads to keep the loop closed. Tie under maximum pressure from the rear to the front and back, then tie the fly. If done under maximum pressure with good coverage no further action is needed to secure the hooks.
STEP 5: About half way forward on the front hook shank tie in a single tan marabou feather on top of the hook shank and one yellow below. The feathers should be tied in so that the tips taper down about mid way through the marabou on the back hook. Tying the feathers in like this give the fly a nice tapered profile.
STEP 6: Again tie in three strands of Holographic Flashabou in the middle of the strands then fold them back over and tie them securely down, resulting in six strands hanging off the back of the hook. The Holographic flashabou on the front hook should be trimmed to taper out at about the same point as the marabou on the front hook.
STEP 7: This step involves reverse tying bucktail. Tie in a clump of tan bucktail on top of the hook shank and a clump of yellow below the hook shank, both with the tips out past the hook eye. Add a few extra tight binding wraps then reverse the hair backwards, easily done with an empty pen tube slid over the eye, and wrap down with eight to ten tight wraps.
STEP 8: Directly on top of the bucktail wraps tie in a clump of Rusty Bronze by the mid point and reverse it back over itself and brush out. Tying in the clumps here gives a nice gill effect but more importantly it serves to add some structure for the rest of the head. This stepp builds up the 'under head' so that there is a nice transition from the Laser Dub head back in to the body...maintaining a profile without gaps.
STEP 9: The head will consist of two clumps of senter tied Tan Senyo Laser Dub. Pull out a clump and work it with your fingers so that the fibers go generally the same direction. Push the clump directly over the eye of the hook then use a pair of tight wraps in the middle of the material to hold it in place. Then fold the material back over itself and secure with a few more wraps in front of it.
STEP 10: Tie in a second clump of the tan Senyo Laser Dub just behind the eye in the same manner as step9 then whip finish. These clumps should be fairly bulky as they are meant to push around enough water to really get the back of the fly doing a jig!
STEP 11: Use Loctite Gel, or similar gel glue, to apply a 1/2" 3D Epoxy eye to each side of the fly about an eye width back. Make sure to hold the eyes in place until you can feel them heating up, indicating that the chemical reaction that bonds the back of the eye to the material has taken place.
At about five and a half inches this is a fairly meaty fly. I generally fish this fly on a 6WT throwing 200gr SA Streamer Express Long. Hard jerk strips make this fly practically dance through a retrieve.
Maintaining a wet width of three quarters of an inch gives this fly a great profile from any angle.
If you have any questions that were not addressed please leave a comment and I will try to give you a more detailed explanation of the step. To purchase this pattern head over to http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/.
Had enough...made a jailbreak run to the river this morning and the day started off with a spectacular sunrise as I was getting close to the river. I was a bit apprehensive still from my last venture, but decided it was time to get fishy. Once I made it riverside I decided to swing for the fences and tied on a black and blue Voodoo Squatch, go big or go home. I walked WAY in to a bend I know holds fish and started upstream to get the fly wet and ready then worked my way down in to the sweet spot. On about my sixth cast a yellow spotted football with a tail bigger than my hand came raging out of the deep and just hammered the fly, two hard strip sets and it was game on! The fish went full breach like a tarpon and then did it's best salmon imitation and headed downstream. I am not ashamed to say I was slightly paniced at the sight and started sprinting to catch up and try to slow it from taking line. As I lagged farther behind it made it around one bend and kept going...my fly line was now ripping out above about 20 yards of fist size rock and gravel. Still doing my best to slow the lost I got up on that bank and sprinted across but by the time I hit the water on the other side of that bend I was well in to my backing and the fish was not even slowing down. Unable to do anything I watched as my line way downstream headed through a root ball and then went slack. I have to say that I sat shaking with a smile on my face for a few minutes...I had not even lit up my Kristoff Limitada yet. I have not had a trout fight like that on the Mad before, usually they rip off to the nearest cover and try to bulldog in to it...guess I know better for next time!
Shortly after that debacle I heard a pitter-patter starting in the trees and watched as calm turned in to white out hail. Since it stung quite a bit I took refuge under a large tree riverside and enjoyed the cigar for about fifteen minutes until it slowed down then continued on. I never did hook another fish approaching that size but did manage three fish around 16". One came on a tan Red Rocket and two took the yellow Ice Pick I had trailing. If you have not seen the Ice Pick check it out as it is a fantastic fly from Rich Strolis of Catching Shadows: http://www.catching-shadows.com/catching-shadows/Home.html
Not a bad morning to say the least. Headed off to Montgomery Inn now for a full rack!
I've been busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest knocking out flies lately. Here's a bunch of Red Rockets, Voodoo Squatch, Meal Tickets, Conrad Sculpins, and a few other assorted goodies ready to hit the mail tomorrow. Canada, Kentucky, New York, and Arkansas...so quite literally the four corners of the compass!
Mike: Hello? Ron: Hey Mike, it's Ron Lewis. You'll have to talk loud since my phone is in a vacuum bag. Mike: Oh...OK. Sounds like you are on the river ehh...how's it going? Ron: Thought you should be the first to know...I just caught my personal best!
Mike: (internally remembering the last best at 27.5") Dude, that is sweet!
Ron: Yeah, and I caught it on that Red Rocket I got from you.
Mike: HELL YEAH, DUDE THAT IS SICK!!!! Tell me you got pictures?
Ron: Sure did, set the tripod up on the bank and got shots. I will send them when I get home.
Mike: Awesome, can't wait to see it!
Well...here it is! 28 inches of baddest fish in the river; a resident brown, not a lake run. I am confident we have them bigger, but not much and definitely not many of them. This is one hell of a nice fish for anywhere let alone central Ohio. Well done Ron!
28" Mad River brown with a Red Rocket hanging from it's maw...a thing of beauty!
Took me a bit to settle down after hearing about that massive fish and get to business, but it was time to get the Mad River Outfitters Advanced tying class underway. Six guys are signed up this session so it is a very comfortably sized class. We had a great time tonight tying a few streamers and getting the feeling of what the guys want to tie in the coming weeks. Looks like a few articulated streamers, some deerhair work, parachute dries, musky fly, and maybe a tarpon fly are on the docket!
The next few days will be tying a lot of flies as usual, but after seeing Ron and having rising water coming I may have to figure out a way to sneak out for a few hours on the water...
Those that have fished with me over the last few years have almost certainly seen the Meal Ticket come out for action at some point. It has been a go to fly for me for some time and so was one of the first flies I did a detailed step by step of to be used in tying classes. Some months ago I decided to get my act together and submitted it the editor of Eastern Fly Fishing for consideration in their Eastern, Northwest or Southwest publication. I arrived home from the Grand River Fly Tyers Celebration of Fly Tying on Saturday to see a notification from them that it made it to print in the March/April 2011 edition of Northwest Fly Fishing. I excitedly pulled it up their website and, sure enough, there it is on page 68; pretty cool to see as this is my first article to make it to print in one of the major paper publications. I have not seen it in person yet but hopefully have a copy on the way.
