Fly tying occurs from January through October. Fly tying is held in the conference room at Cabela’s on the 4th Wednesday of the month and in the 2nd Floor Auditorium at Bass Pro Shops the Thursday after the 4th Wednesday. The tying starts at 6:00 pm. See the activities calendar for exact dates.
January 2017
Gerry McDaniel will lead the January session and will be tying a “Crackle Back” and a “Max Ex”.
The “Crackle Back” was a favorite fly of Larry Drake – he favored a pale yellow and a white version. It is an excellent Cumberland River fly and often trailed after a Chicago Fly or a Wooly Bugger :on the swing”.
The “Max Ex” if a floating fly and often used in a “Hopper-Dropper” rig as the Hopper.
February 2017
Wes Krupiczewicz is leading the February Session and will be demonstrating two oldies but goodies, the “Bitch Creek Nymph” and the “Girdle Bug”. Both are heavily weighted nymphs that can be fished in a number of ways.
The “Bitch Creek” is a Western stonefly imitation, traditionally tied in orange and black to imitate the “salmon fly” in those waters. We will be tying a cream and black imitation to more closely resemble the stonefly bugs in the Cumberland River.
The “Girdle Bug” probably dates to the 1930s. It also has many names and variations including the “Michigan Wet Skunk”, the “Turd Fly” and “Pat’s Rubber Legs”. We will be tying an Olive version, but this rubber legged creature can be tied in a variety of body color and leg color combinations. It is an effective pattern for both trout and warm water fish like bass and bluegill.
March 2017
Club president George Tipker will be leading fly tying this month and will demonstrate three flies!
First, George will be tying an excellent bluegill fly the “Black and Bluegill“.
The second fly will be the versatile and dependable “Catalpa Worm“. This mop fly is easy to put on a jig hook and catches all kinds of fish in all kinds of water.
The third fly George will tie is a “midge“. In a number of our streams, midges make up to half of the bug biomass in our streams. Midges are also found in all of our lakes. It makes sense to carry around these little flies, especially when the fish are being picky! I think there are as many midge patterns as there are midges in out lakes and streams. Don’t be surprise if George ties something other than the “Vinyl Rib (Blood) Midge” linked above.
April 2017
It’s spring and all fly fisher’s fancy turns to BLUEGILL! Well at least it does for Jack Miller. This month Jack will be demonstrating two very effective bluegill flies for our home waters here in Kentuckiana.
The first fly is the irresistible “Bumble Bee” and the second is a Jack Miller original the “Spider Popper”.
May 2017
As we get into the middle of spring, bass fishing on our local lakes and streams gets into full gear. Scott DeWees will be leading the fly tying sessions this month and demonstrating the “Murdich Minnow” and the “One Minute Fly”.
June 2017
Jack Miller is back on the bench again for June and will be typing the “Kreelex” and the “Suspending Clouser” Flies.
The “Kreelex” fly was designed by Chuck Kraft and is a very durable “flash fly” for bright days. It is easy to cast and an excellent streamer for trout.
The “Suspending Clouser” is fished under an indicator or float. It is an excellent cold water fly fished to depths to 12 feet. Jack’s innovative design of tying the dumbbell eye on the outside of the jig hook bend ensures that the fly hands horizontally under the float.
July 2017
By popular demand, Gerry McDaniel will be tying two excellent streamers for the Cumberland River. The first is a McDaniel design Gerry calls the “Easy Murdich Minnow”. It is a nice shiny white fly that rainbows on the Cumberland love.
The second fly is the venerable “Chicago Fly”, a very simple bead head mohair leach. This is a very popular fly in the club and is a must add to your fly box. It catches all species of fish and if very effective on the Cumberland. Be sure to ask Gerry if this fly is any good!
August 2017
Brian Calumny will be leading our tying program in August and demonstrating two old fly patterns. Both patterns can be very effective in both streams and lakes.
The first is the very simple but very effective “San Juan Worm”. Some purists might turn up their noses, but aquatic worms are common in both lakes and streams. The pattern habitually wins one fly tournaments across the country. Brain is demonstrating a light version of the fly, but try it weighted (bead, lead eye, or lead wire) and in smaller sizes.
The second fly is the “Elk Hair Caddis”. The pattern was originated by A; Troth in Pennsylvania in 1957. Caddis live in all waters and emerge throughout the year, depending on the variety. Try is on a warm June evening on a lake for bluegill or on a stream most times of the year for trout.
September 2017
Dustin Tabert gets behind the camera in September to demonstrate the “Dubbed Deceiver” a very effective Smallmouth streamer that mimics a shad. The fly is relatively complex and requires a number of fly tying techniques. Don’t miss this chance to crank up your fly tying game!
October 2017
Gerry McDaniel will lead the October fly tying session and will demonstrate “Gerry’s Grande”. This is Gerry’s monster version of a “Fat Albert”. It was very effective on the Cumberland River this past summer, taking a lot of big fish, when the cicadas were active.