Switching it up with Ben See - Part 3

Switching it up with Ben See - Part 3

As I continue to learn something new on a daily basis from either watching casting videos to skimming the web for bits and pieces of information I have started to play around with the art of fly tying.  I have tied some simple patterns in the past. Sucker spawn and wooly buggers were often on the menu.  As I get more interested in the switch rod and swinging flies, I decided to break out the vise again.

Being that I want to swing aggressive looking patterns, the intruder style has been the pattern I have been drawn towards.  Like a moth to a flame, these patterns look quite fantastic!  Some have a lot of flash, while others just a few strands of tinsel to reflect the rays of sun in hopes of a steelhead hammering it.

Greg Senyo at Steelhead Alley Outfitters has a fantastic fly tying blog.  I have referenced it quite a bit the past week or so.  Greg cranks out some pretty impressive patterns.  I am happy to say that my fly box now includes some of his art.  The articulated patterns is what I have focused on.  In essence you are tying 2 flies and joining them together.  The back half of this style really wiggles and can only truly be appreciated when one has this style in their hand.

Being that the only materials I had were related to sucker spawn and wooly buggers, it was time to head back to Chagrin River Outfitters and see the staff.  I told Dan what I wanted to do and he picked out a few materials for me to give a try.  I also took a few pictures of his existing flies for sale for reference.



On the bench, less is more from what I have learned.  Too much of any one material makes the fly look like a bulky mess.  Figuring out how much of this and that takes time and practice.  I have messed up my fair share already.  With practice I hope to become proficient with tying some intruder patterns in various colors. 

We will be out on the water this weekend hunting chrome.  That will be the true test to see if the creations from my fly tying vice will actually catch fish.  Lets hope lady luck is on my side this weekend and I can entice a few strikes and land some hot chrome!

Until Next Time...

Fish Hard...Fish Often...