Hi Guys! Thanks for posting this - it's probably the only way many fly-fishers will see their flies under water! I always check my fly patterns "wet" to see how they look and how they respond the various retrieves - I'm surprised that most people just tie the fly on and chuck it out there without knowing how to fish it. For the winter fly-tying season when the lakes are frozen, I made a test tank out of some old window-glass, PVC pipe and a cheap cake-mixer for checking my flies. All the patterns that I am designing/developing are tested in a natural environment and filmed with an underwater camera to check silhouette, action, balance, and buoyancy. Interesting to watch how the flies swim. I (typically) tie for hook-point-up balance and a more subtle jigging/gliding motion as the fish I'm after feed heavily on bottom orientated stuff like crayfish, sculpins, darters, and dragonfly nymphs. I will let the fly settle on the bottom, pause for a bit, then lift/glide the fly forward a foot or so then repeat that. The length of pause depends if the fish are hitting the stationary bait or grabbing it on the lift/glide. Find that sometimes a rapid jigging action works best (bass) and a lot of the time (perch, walleye) a stationary or slow gliding fly is better. I let the fish tell me what they are in the mood for. No heavy strikes in on-the-bottom fishing - the fly is just inhaled and you feel the weight as the fish moves off. I prefer lightly weighted flies (bead-chain instead of lead-eyes fished on sinking lines) and soft, spikey furs instead of marabou as they make the fly easier to inhale. Actually, that is why I use the summer deer hair for pectoral fins on my darters/sculpins patterns - in addition to stabilizing the fly sitting on the bottom it makes them easy to inhale. :) Excellent video Ulla, Michael - great to see the flies the way the fish do rather than dry and fluffy on the vise - wish that more fly tying channels would post underwater shots. Cheers! Hank
Thanks Hank. As usual some great additional thoughts and input deeply rooted in practical fishing. And yes, the only way to really find out how a fly or a jig works is to see it in action underwater. I should try to film those subtle fly movements, that often pays off during winter. Thanks for your insights. Cheers, Michael :0)
Congratulations Michael they are great tied streamer flies featuring rabbit zonkers and stuff. Very well filmed Ulla. I think all of those flies would get eaten by hungry fish. Great presentation great work. Regards B.J.
By the way, Michael.....that fat burger would destroy smallmouth in my waters. I tie one simular, but in my case, I use an arky style head with a weed guard. This thing is killer. Great job. Cheers!
Hi Guys! Thanks for posting this - it's probably the only way many fly-fishers will see their flies under water! I always check my fly patterns "wet" to see how they look and how they respond the various retrieves - I'm surprised that most people just tie the fly on and chuck it out there without knowing how to fish it.
For the winter fly-tying season when the lakes are frozen, I made a test tank out of some old window-glass, PVC pipe and a cheap cake-mixer for checking my flies. All the patterns that I am designing/developing are tested in a natural environment and filmed with an underwater camera to check silhouette, action, balance, and buoyancy.
Interesting to watch how the flies swim. I (typically) tie for hook-point-up balance and a more subtle jigging/gliding motion as the fish I'm after feed heavily on bottom orientated stuff like crayfish, sculpins, darters, and dragonfly nymphs. I will let the fly settle on the bottom, pause for a bit, then lift/glide the fly forward a foot or so then repeat that. The length of pause depends if the fish are hitting the stationary bait or grabbing it on the lift/glide. Find that sometimes a rapid jigging action works best (bass) and a lot of the time (perch, walleye) a stationary or slow gliding fly is better. I let the fish tell me what they are in the mood for.
No heavy strikes in on-the-bottom fishing - the fly is just inhaled and you feel the weight as the fish moves off. I prefer lightly weighted flies (bead-chain instead of lead-eyes fished on sinking lines) and soft, spikey furs instead of marabou as they make the fly easier to inhale. Actually, that is why I use the summer deer hair for pectoral fins on my darters/sculpins patterns - in addition to stabilizing the fly sitting on the bottom it makes them easy to inhale. :)
Excellent video Ulla, Michael - great to see the flies the way the fish do rather than dry and fluffy on the vise - wish that more fly tying channels would post underwater shots.
Cheers!
Hank
Thanks Hank. As usual some great additional thoughts and input deeply rooted in practical fishing. And yes, the only way to really find out how a fly or a jig works is to see it in action underwater. I should try to film those subtle fly movements, that often pays off during winter. Thanks for your insights.
Cheers, Michael :0)
Congratulations Michael they are great tied streamer flies featuring rabbit zonkers and stuff. Very well filmed Ulla. I think all of those flies would get eaten by hungry fish. Great presentation great work.
Regards B.J.
Thanks mate. Cheers, Michael 🙂
By the way, Michael.....that fat burger would destroy smallmouth in my waters. I tie one simular, but in my case, I use an arky style head with a weed guard. This thing is killer. Great job. Cheers!
Thanks Alex. Might try that pattern on a jig hook as well. Cheers, Michael :0)
Another example of excellence in fly tying and design as well as videography! Thanks to both of you!
Thanks Joe. Cheers, Michael 🙂
Thanks Ulla!....oh ya....thanks to you Michael! Cheers!
Thanks Alex. Cheers, Michael :0)
Your underwater footage is great! Thanks for sharing your creations……
Thanks a lot for your feedback. Cheers, Michael 🙂
Michael Jensen, the MASTER
Thanks a lot my friend. Cheers, Michael🙂