FrankenFly

I know I wrote about new tails in last month's issue, but I think this other new product, which just happens to be tails, deserves attention too. Deer hair master, Pat Cohen, has just recently released these new ultra-cool tails as part of his Cohen's Creatures series of products. These tails are made from the material, Ultrasuede, and have the same type of action that plastic gives you in the water. Pat has used Ultrasuede on other Cohen's Creatures products, so the material is well tested in its durability. They are available in the color white, so you can just color them yourself using permanent markers for example. The new shapes include Minnow Tail, Paddle Tail, Split Tail, and Double Flutter Tail. You get 6 in a package and they all come in small, medium, and large sizes.

I was lucky enough to be one of the first fly tiers to test these new tails for Pat before he released them and I really enjoyed it. The material was great to work with and I love the interesting shapes that are available. I wasn't quite sure what type of action these tails would provide, but I was pleasantly surprised, because they move silky smooth in the water. They have great movement! This not only gives you another level of creativeness with your streamers, but it also adds something different the fish probably haven't seen before.

If you want an entire list of recipes and variations on classic flies, check out our fly tying section right here... can you name them all?

Switching gears from big, burly streamers to small, beautiful nymphs, I thought I would introduce you to Shea Gunkel's Shot Glass Baetis, unless you have been acquainted already. Shea is a guide with SPlatte Guides in Colorado and a master fly designer. He designed the Shot Glass Baetis back in 2011 with the original thought being to incorporate a clear glass bead in the thorax to mimic the gas bubble in an emerging nymph. Since then, Shea has continued to work on the fly's design and has finally come to the point of incorporating the best hook for the pattern. A little over a year ago, I chatted with Shea about the pattern and this is the process he described.

"The 'Shot Glass’ is a spin-off of the original Splatte series and is a great pattern to have in the box when you’re looking for something a bit different. As far as making for a great looking fly, this did the trick and put the smack down on fish in the process. Not pictured are the Red, Blue Dunn, and Dark Brown version of this fly. The Dark Brown and Dunn have taken the place of RS-2’s and pheasant tails in my box, with the added durability and fish appeal it’s really a no brainer. With the variety of colors tungsten offered, it was an easy exercise to incorporate tungsten into the pattern by replacing the glass. Almost any fishy colored thread can have a Lucent tungsten bead to match. Two of my favorites include the coffee and burnt orange, but they all have a place in the box.

Hook selection for this fly can range from straight to curved, but the hook gap must be considered before expecting the fly to perform the way it should. I originally tied this on the TMC 2488, like I do everything else, but found that the hook gap could be overrun by the bead in smaller sizes. Field testing proved a ton of hook-ups, but I wasn’t pleased with the amount of fish being unbuttoned during the struggle. The clear choice from there was the TMC 2499SPBL. Despite the fact that this hook is technically barbless, the 'shovel’ like barb has a holding property that allows fish and dropper rigs to remain on the hook. I’ve never had a problem with either coming undone. Other than being super sticky as well, this hook has enough gap to hold super huge fish and has become my first choice when reaching into the hook bins. The two downsides to this hook are the expense and the fact it’s only made down to a size 18, it seems you pay a premium for all those features."

However, when I asked Shea recently about this fly, he said he has went to another hook that he is much happier with. Here is what he said.

"The Tiemco JB01 is the new hook of choice for me, especially with clients. It's got a barb and is seriously an awesome hook. It changes the frame of the fly, it's a great shaped hook for Baetis and midge nymphs and has a gap that's giant and able to hold on to some really big fish. Umpqua is currently putting that into motion with the latest production run, so I'll be expecting samples from them soon. Other than that, I'm just been playing around with color combos. Love them all, but the purple one holds a major presence in my box these days, and olive and chartreuse with a red bead kills it!"

Here is the recipe from Shea Gunkel himself. As he has mentioned, there are many color combos, so the colors in this recipe is just one setup.

Shot Glass Baetis recipe:

Hook: Tiemco JB01 or 2499spbl
Bead: Montana Fly Company Lucent Christmas Red
Thread: UTC 70 Denier Olive
Tail: Whiting coq de leon Hen Saddle
Ribbing: Ultra Wire x-sm Chartreuse
Wingbuds/Legs: Spirit River Flouro Fibre Brown
Flashback: UTC Tinsel Med. Flat or Black Holo