Easterncaster | Tuesday, 4 May 2021
How much explanation do these photos require? The flies pictured are my winter thoughts while waiting for warmer days to come, when my carp fishing can start up. They represent the beauty of being able to tie one's own flies - to design and create. Something I have done since childhood. Lucky me.
Carp, it appears to me, like a somewhat small fly. Like? ...well more accepting of. So these are 6s and 8s, strong hooks with a useful gape. For the sake of this experiment all are fastened to .010" nylon - nothing fancy. I prefer a fixed loop knot. Lately though I have taken to rigging chunky flies with Partridge EZ-lock clips, 15lb., seen here on the day-glo green mop fly and the foam Smartie Candy thingy. Yesterday the mop fly caught the great percentage of my 12 carp - Craig was happy. Rubber legs oriented up for the most part: squishy soft stuff to keep the carp interested and perhaps help limit weed grab. All have fairly small (1/54 oz.) dumbell eyes, lashed so the hook rides point up and rubs on its head. Nothing new there. The difference, the experiment, for me here is the addition of a hunk of foam, tilting the pattern when set in water. Like the rubber legs, the foam is a soft'ish material. I'm rather humored by the knotted turkey and pheasant tail legs/antennae - traditional trout materials replacing the ubiquitous rubber legs of today.
