Happy New Year everyone. I hope you all had a great holidays and have been out there on the water when you can enjoying this mild weather pattern despite some above average flows. The fishing has been good on most days if you pick the right windows for whatever method you favor. Today I am typing this post with a bunch of updates both in videos and additions to the fly store.
Last month I added a video of one of the newer jigs that I have been tinkering with in the last year, and this month I have started out with a spin on a classic trout fly the Wooly Bugger. The Wooly Bugger Jig is just another variation of a classic fly that has been put on a jig platform. In this video I give you a very simple tie with some additions that are of my own personal preference.
In the store you will not only recognize that their are some more jig hook additions, but some new flies in the jig category as well. The Exile Crayfish is a very general impressionistic interpretation of a crayfish on a Ned-Head style jig. This particular fly takes all the attributes of a conventional tackle tube jig and adds them into this very productive fly. If you enjoy fishing for Smallmouth Bass I can tell you firsthand that this particular pattern is nothing short of dynamite. I cannot tell you how many days in 2022 where this was the only fly we tied on as it was simply that good. It is an absolute joy to fish too, as you can drum fish out of heavy cover to eat this guy. Trout love these too so do not be fooled into thinking this is only for bass. These are now available in the store with a tying video coming in the future.
The Headstand Sculpin came to fruition after brainstorming with my good friend Lance Wilt. For the last few seasons we had been putting our heads together in hopes of building a jig pattern with a controlled drop. After numerous attempts, I can finally say that I struck gold with this little guy. I personally like to fish the lightest variations in 3/32 ounce on these as the drop is much slower and it acts like a finesse jig, but the heavier versions have earned their keep as well for those heavier current seams and plunges. Look for more wacky colors to be added throughout the season and a video on how to tie this one as well.
My good friend old Marvin the Martian has gotten a bit of a facelift. After countless hours of tinkering I have finally settled on the Ned-Head jig for this fly with an added behind the jig head eye. This has made for a rather versatile pattern that like many of my creations holds up well to abuse. Some new colors have been added to the store including a smelt color pattern. If you hadn't noticed I have put a great deal of faith in the Ned-Head design, and for good reason as it typically hangs less as the fly will stand on it's head.
Lastly, some new colors have been added into the mix for some of my more regular producers. After spending some time in the shop dialing in colors, I have finally gotten my act together and gotten a solid brown-olive dye lot squared away and have been able to replicate it consistently. That being said I can now offer many of my favorite streamers in that conventional olive drab army color that is just so productive. The Headbanger Sculpin and Alter Ego are the first flies to get that well needed addition and can be found in the store by clicking on their names.
