For the Winters

 

Only an hour per tie!

Prom Season a step by step

Nor'Easter Nemo is upon us, 24" of snow in Newburgh, Maine.

Young men all across the globe are thinking of spring time, ice out and prom season. In prep I would like to show you a fly I have been working on called the "Senior" Prom Dress. The prom dress is a new age steelhead fly made popular by Scott Howell and he has hooked some hogs with it.

We all remember prom season, lots of prep for the big night.... the excitement of finding or asking the right date, friends, dancing, the potential of a late night encounter.....a tug even ?

These are the same things a fly fisherman is looking for , I hope this Step By Step helps lead to a tug for you.

The only note I would like to add is that is not a Junior Prom Dress.

Junior prom was a simple time, lots of coverage, long bland colors, a more adolescent time.

The Senoir Prom was a bit more wild, flashy colors, low cut tops and short skirts.... this is what we are looking for .

Junior Prom :

Senior Prom :

Start with a 4/0 Saltwater grade hook, thread wrap and add a short bucktail skirt :

Trim the wild ones and wrap a tight, tanned body, it is prom season you know...

Add your first skirt of flash, keep it sparse and somewhat revealing..... then pull the forward facing flash

back to cover her far side.

Now wrap the body, Rainbow braid is what I like, keep it tight son

Work on adding another layer to the profile by hollow tying bucktail and then folding it back towards the rear of the hook and wrapping your thread in front of NOT on top of the bucktail base

Add two colors of flash, trim and whip finish

You have now completed the lower half of your dress

I have started using a RIO product to attach my rear hooks to the front. I like a 5/0 up front, a little heavy on top you know.....it is prom season

You know the deal ..... wrap the wire up the hook shank, then fold it back towards the rear and re wrap, then add another bucktail "ruffle" to the top of your dress

Add your top layers of flash, a little longer now, covering her midsection

More Rainbow body braid and a sparse, low cut, reversed tied bucktail top

Fold down your collar  and add two more flashy layers, don't worry about the bulk in the front, that's head, it is prom season you know....

7mm Doll eyes, Clear Cure Goo and BAM

Now share your sexy new dress with your sexy friends, then go out and stick a fish





Rum Line: Fully Loaded

I am an incredibly pathetic member of the Bates Fishing Club. I do find myself drunk more than just on occasion, but sadly it almost never comes hand in hand with fishing these days. Until now. Sailing the rum line from Cape Cod to Bermuda had been at the top of the list for some salty friends and myself and we finally made it happen two weeks ago. Leaving Cuttyhunk Island dressed to the nines upon the vessel Yellow Rose, things deteriorated quickly in all facets of our personal upkeep. Liquor and Pop Tarts came out as clothes came off, and hangovers became confused with seasickness on a regular basis. Despite all this, we did manage to put some lines in the water. In 5 days on the high seas we only had one bite, but it was quite the bite for four drunk individuals in an 8' by 8' cockpit. As requested by Mr. Jesse Lance Robbins after hearing the stories, I offer a glimpse of the great (possibly White?) Marlin wrangled from the depths of the Sargasso Sea somewhere between 1200 and 1600 using a hand line, June 20 (something) 2012. Specifics of the endeavor include intense anxiety watching our captain pull the line hand over hand into the boat, a lot of yelling, whiskey wasted on the deck, and someone blindly snapping pictures over the rail. In the end, the Marlin went unharmed and the crew got loaded, again.