STOCK THE BOX w/ Captain Perry McDougald

Well folks, we've gone through an interesting winter so far.  From historic snowfalls to shorts and flip flops in January.  The winter season is a bit more quiet, but still has plenty of time for productive aspects of fly fishing. It's stock the box season.

Whether you tie flies for fun or for work, it's important to have a variety of patterns handy for when you get out on the water.  Patterns vary by season, so it never hurts to have a little bit of everything.  Your three main categories are shrimp, crabs and baitfish.  Now within those, you can go subsurface or topwater, light or heavy or colors can vary. There's no real right or wrong in tying, some patterns may just work better than others at certain times.  It's artistic freedom that can be fine tuned as you discover habits of the fish in your area.  

When the winds are blowing or the rain is dropping, I find myself sitting in front of the vise much more this time of year.  I know that the busier part of my year is coming up so it's time to prepare so I'm not scrambling during the busy times.  It's time to stock the box.  

For finishing out the winter and early Spring seasons, I'm generally sticking with smaller flies.  A white or black clouser minnow is never a wrong choice when the water is clear.  A variety of Crystal Flash colors and a few different colors of Large Northern Bucktail make these flies easy to crank out in larger quantities.  I typically like a more simple fly when I tie them myself, maybe only three materials or so.  Some of my favorites are EP Tarantula Brush, Pseudo Hair, Squishinelle, Wooly Critter Brush, Polychromatic Zonker Strips and UV Polar Chenille. 

When tying up some flies for the box, think about where you'll be fishing.  What is the clarity like?  How deep will you be fishing?  What food source is abundant in that area?  Have the fish been more fired up or are they more lethargic? All of these questions can help determine the recipe for an effective pattern.  If I'm fishing deeper, off color water then I may choose to use some large dumbell eyes to help the fly sink fast.  I may use a darker color so the fish can see my fly profile in stained water.  If you have found a pattern that works well for you, tie some up in different color schemes, different weights and different sizes.  I generally use hooks that range from a 2/0 thru a size 2 for redfish.  I'll have some with large dumbell eyes for deeper water, small eyes for shallower water and even some bead chain for those super skinny water fish that may be a bit spookier.  While a plain lead dumbell works great, I really love the look of the double pupil eyes from Hareline.  Tie in some EP Crab/Shrimp eyes for ease and you've got yourself some great materials to whip up almost anything you can imagine. 

I like to pick a couple colors that compliment each other to form a tail section, body and a collar.  Sometimes I add some rubber legs or flash if I'm feeling a bit frisky.  If you've never heard of the K.I.S.S. principle, let me introduce you: KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID.  Your fly doesn't have to be super realistic, but if that's what you enjoy creating, by all means keep going.  A well placed cast can be much more effective that a hyper realistic fly.  

So if you find yourself sitting around the house wishing you could get out on the water.  Sit down, relax, have a delicious cold snack and whip up some buggy creations.  The vise is about having fun, getting the creative juices flowing and being rightfully prepared for your next outing.  

If you've never tied any flies or if it's something you're interested in getting into, we host a FREE fly tying evening every third Thursday of each month.  Just show up, hang out, tie some flies and have a good time.  Our next Vise Night is March 19 from 6-8pm, hope to see you there! 

Captain Perry McDougald