Cool Flies

Damsel Flies and Beer Ties

The guys from the Triangle Fly Fishers meet every other Monday to do what's called a beer tie. We meet at a bar and grill, tie flies and tell fish stories. Its been said that some like these little get togethers more than the regular TFF meetings. It's the camaraderie of sharing stories and learning from one another that builds friendships. Many fishing trip invites have been discussed and conjured up around a tying vise at a beer tie. The last one I attended introduced me to the prettiest damsel fly imitation I've ever seen. I had been talking to my buddy Dave Maeda about how dragon fly patterns seem close to the real thing but some how are missing the stiff look of a real damsel. This was his answerThe first time he showed it to me I was reluctant to give it back. I had never seen such a good looking damsel pattern. He began to show me how to tie them and finished one up in less than 3 minutes. I didn't have the material on hand and he did what was a common occurrence at beer tie, donated some to me out of generosity. I still need to learn how to tie these things. The body is done with thick mono. At the next tie I'll see if Dave will be ok with doing a tutorial on how to tie one. Damsels have been on his mind for a while and he's studied them enough to notice the slight difference in their wing colors.

The Not So Secret Weapon

Tying flies can be an effort in frustration at times. To be a good tier takes practice and I just don't seem to have the motivation to be a great tier. This year I tried my hand at the vise again and worked on something close to the marauder. It has turned out to be my most productive fly this year. There's really nothing special to it.The pattern is basically a wooly bugger with dumbbell eyes and marabou. The key is to add a little more material to the tail then you would a bugger. The trick there is because the dumbbell eyes give the fish a decent amount of weight. All the marabou makes the fly fall slowly. That is the trigger in my opinion for fish hitting the fly. I like to fish it using 4-6 inch strips. The pause in between strips is usually where the strike occurs. I haven't had many miss strikes on this fly. Almost every hit is a hook up. It's something I have on me at all times.