Tying Committee announces "Flies of the Month" - updated 2/2/24

As with last year, the KFF Fly Tying Committee met and planned out their monthly patterns for 2024, and that list is below.  While the list is subject to change, the patterns selected represent a variety of tying skills and are appropriate for the types of fishing many club members do at different times of the year.  With a mix of nymphs, topwater, streamer and saltwater patterns, we hope these are both interesting and helpful in developing our tying skills.
 
As mentioned previously, the club now has a 55-inch 4K definition television which, along with the 4K camera we bought last year, gives our participants the ultimate tools to aid in watching and learning. We hope you will join us for tying in 2024!

January 22nd: Robert’s Surprise (Robert Hughes) – Our own Robert Hughes has created two patterns that have proven very successful on the Little Missouri River this winter.   And he has developed a very unique tying technique for building a body that you will definitely want to see.

February 12th:  Hare’s Ear Soft Hackle – Two Ways – The ubiquitous and easy-to tie Hare’s Ear Soft Hackle is one of the most versatile patterns for all trout and panfish and we will tie two versions of it; one a basic version and the second a tricked-out version And we will learn a couple of techniques along the way.  

March 11th:  Jigged Micro-Bugger – A small (#14), jigged version of the venerable Wooly Bugger that has worked well on panfish, trout, and smallmouth bass.  It’s a quick and easy tie, but the small size dictates a few changes from the traditional methods for the pattern.

April 8th:  Chubby Chernobyl – Few top-water flies have achieved the widespread popularity of the Chubby. It works great as a warm water pattern, hopper, and the top fly for hopper-dropper setups.

May 13th:  Flash-Tail Clouser – A heavily flashed version of the Clouser Minnow that is said to be the fly fishing version of slow-rolled spinnerbait for bass. We will tie a version similar to the one in this.

June 10th:  Hot Lips Gurgler/Gurgler – Jack Gartside’s Gurgler has long been a mainstay for topwater bass and saltwater fishing.  John Williams of Pack and Paddle and KFF member Flip Siragusa learned this version from Ron Begnaud.  John also ties a very small version that would be great for panfish and bass.

July 8th:  Circus Peanut Articulated Streamer – The front and rear sections of this pattern created by Russ Madden (while working for Kelly Galloup) are simple to tie, which allows us to focus on the articulation piece. We will tie a more full-bodied version of the pattern, but our primary focus with this tie is to learn a technique for articulated streamers.

August 12th:  Dirty Harry – a small streamer pattern that, though it looks like a cross between a traditional carp fly and a fluff butt crappie jig, is an effective shrimp and crab imitation. Our own Chris Williams ties the version in his linked blog post and has already used it with success this winter in the saltwater. And I’m looking forward to trying it in our late-summer warm water.

September 9th:  Bad Hair Day – Jim Johnson discovered this pattern from musky guide Dave Pinczkowski and adapted it for our warm water.  Bill can vouch for the effectiveness of this pattern, as it's usually the very first pattern he ties on when streamer fishing. Anything that eats baitfish will eat this pattern.

October 21st:  Crease Fly –   This well-known topwater pattern uses some cool techniques for making the body of the fly.  Chris Williams will make the drive up to lead the tie. 

November 4th:  Fools Gold Crab – Fall and winter in Louisiana is prime redfish season, and crab patterns are a go-to for many.  The Fools Gold Crab designed by Johnny Miller can be fished like a crab or shrimp bumping it along the bottom in short strips. Chris Williams is making the long drive for a second time to lead us in tying this pattern.