Make it
Snappy
Have you sharpened any lure hooks lately? Has a fish pulled a split ring open on you in the last few years? If not, it’s probably because razor-edge hooks and superstrong split rings have become standard on many new lures. You do more harm than good by attempting to improve the new generation of chemically sharpened hooks, but less expensive versions normally need touch-ups. Here’s how to do it right.
STEP 1 Hold the hook you want to sharpen by the shank between your thumb and forefinger so the bend faces inward and the point is away from you. Grasp a metal file in your other hand.
DUOLOCK SNAP Available in a wide variety of sizes, duolock snaps open wide to easily slip through the eye of any lure. Just make sure you use one strong enough for the size fish you’re targeting, because they can pull open if over-stressed.
COASTLOCKSNAP Typically made of heavier gauge wire than duolock snaps, Coastlocks are staples in the saltwater world when tuna, marlin, and other big-game species are involved. Their design makes them very hard for a hard-fighting fish to pull open.
CROSS-LOK SNAP Slightly stronger than duolocks because of their design, cross-loks—even smaller models—can handle a lot of pressure. These snaps are oen found on pre-made wire leaders for bluefish ormuskies.
Snaps that hold lures are as important as the lures themselves.
STEP 2 Brush the left side of the point away from you and down the file in one long stroke. Give it another stroke if you desire, but file any further and you’ll weaken the point.
STEP 3 Repeat the first two steps for the right side and the outside of the point.
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6
Use the Best Trout
Flyfor the Job
No one fly catches all the fish all the time. Fish, ever whimsical, sometimes refuse to eat on Friday the fly they ate on Tuesday. Fishermen, ever inventive, constantly create new paerns. Tested by time, water, and fish, these are the reliable flies you need.
ZONKER A formed lead-foil underbody acts as a keel, which serves to keep this sexy streamer upright when
stripped and twitched.
BEADHEAD PRINCE NYMPH
Fish this generic nymph under an indicator in fast riffles and
eddies. And hang on!
EGG FLY Not a fly so much as a ball of yarn, salmon egg paerns hook everything from stocked trout to native
steelhead.
HARE’S EAR NYMPH
Weighted or unweighted, these match-all bugs fool
trout in any water.
GRIFFITH’S GNAT When trout are eating super-tiny bugs, it’s hard to beat this
classic midge paern.
BLACK GHOST This classic Maine-born streamer is killer
for trout holding in fast water.
BLUE-WING OLIVE These lile mayflies are ubiquitous on rivers nationwide, and they
hatch almost year-round.
DAVE’S HOPPER
Most people are inclined to pick larger sizes to match big grasshoppers, but the smaller sizes may get
you more strikes.
ROYAL WULFF Split parachute wings let this dry fly ride high through fast water.
Use it with a dropper nymph.
BLACK WOOLLY-BUGGER
This universal streamer matches everything from leeches to baitfish and oen
produces when all else fails.
COPPER JOHN This wire-bodied nymph sinks rapidly and stays deep, where many
of the biggest trout lurk.
BREADCRUST This generic wet fly caddis imitation scores big trout solo or when swung in tandem with
a small streamer.
ELK HAIR CADDIS Simply the best caddis imitation you can find. I carry light and dark
styles in sizes 12 to 20.
MUDDLER MINNOW
One of the best generic baitfish imitators, this streamer shines in
slow or fast water.
PARACHUTE ADAMS
Arguably the most versatile dry fly ever tied, the Parachute Adams’ white post also makes it
easy to follow on the dri.
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T
he Woolly Bugger is the perfect paern for a
TIE A
FIVE-MINUTE FLY
learning fly-tier. It’s big, so you can see what you’re doing, and it involves only a few inexpensive materials. Most important, it’s a proven producer for trout, bass, and almost anything in between. The savvy angler always has at least a few Buggers in the ol’ fly box.
STEP 1 Wrap a piece of black 6/ thread along the length of a size elongated hook. Always wrap the thread away from yourself, over the top of the hook.
STEP 2 Secure one large black marabou feather at the front of the hook and wrap all the way back to the bend. Leave enough exposed to create a tail.
STEP 3 Connect a -inch ( cm) piece of fine copper wire by the tail and also a strand of black chenille. Wrap the thread forward, then the chenille, but leave the wire behind. Next, tie off the chenille with a half hitch.
STEP 4 Now tie on a saddle hackle feather (black or grizzly), palmer it back (i.e., wrap with spacing), and secure this with a couple wraps of the wire. Trim the leover hackle. Wrap the wire forward and tie it off with the thread. Trim the excess wire.
STEP 5 Finish the fly with
