August 2013 Freshwater Fly of the MOnth: Gold Bead Hare's Ear Nymph

The Hare's Ear nymph is a fly fishing lure that is fished below the surface. It is thus a wet fly or nymph.  It is an older pattern that imitates a variety of aquatic life, including scuds, sow bugs, mayfly nymphs, and caddis larvae.This month's Freshwater Fly of the Month is a  "bling" version of the famous Hare's Ear with lots of flash, gold bead body and head. This nymph fly pattern is great for prospecting in off color water when you need a little something to get their attention.  Add a gold bead to the popular Hare's Ear nymph, and you have an irresistible combination. A favorite of trout anglers, this pattern has hare's mask guard hairs on the tail and natural hare's ear dubbing on the abdomen. The gold bead adds extra weight, allowing the fly to sink faster, and it adds extra flash. 
A favorite among fly anglers in the bead head version. The shaggy hare ear dubbing and squirell tail gives this fly the "buggy" look.

Along with the Prince and Pheasant Tail nymphs the Bead Head Hare's Ear is one of the vital classic nymph patterns for most trout waters. Hares ear dubbing gives this fly a buggy look that is irresistable to fish looking for drifting mayfly nymphs. Use this Hare's Ear pattern where more robust shaped mayflies are present or simply rely on the attractive properties of this proven fish catcher.

Add a gold bead to the popular Hare's Ear nymph, and you have an irresistible combination. A favorite of trout anglers, this pattern has hare's mask guard hairs on the tail and natural hare's ear dubbing on the abdomen. The gold bead adds extra weight, allowing the fly to sink faster, and it adds extra flash. Per 12. Tactics:When this fly is immersed, the stiff fibers in the dubbing stand out and imitate the legs of an insect. Fish this fly below the surface with or without a small strike indicator and split-shot to help it sink. It is an effective pattern throughout the year because it covers a broad spectrum of prey that are active in every season.

How to Tie

August Saltwater Lure of the Month: Rapala X-Rap XR12 Lures

August Saltwater Lure of the Month: Rapala X-Rap XR12 Lures

The Rapala X-Rap is the dream lure of the 21st century. It is where technical innovation meets Rapala fishing smarts to create a lure like nothing that has hit the water before.

Its premium finish includes prominent scales and lateral line on the fuselage to capture and flash light like a beacon. This Rapala slashbait cuts, darts and slashes its way through the water. Intended for trout and panfish, with an internal long-cast system built in, fishing the X-Rap XR12 will get any angler's adrenaline pumping.
These are suspending baits, whose natural buoyancy suspends the lure during pauses in the retrieve. 

Suspending X-Rap® Saltwater lures are designed to be cast or trolled and display the X-Rap Attitude these baits are known for. Built to withstand saltwater fisheries with Perma Steel 3X hooks, these baits can be cast or trolled. Rip ‘em for xtreme, erratic Slashbait® action or troll for classic Rapala ® “wounded-minnow” action. Prominent scales and lateral line, internal holographic foil for optimum flash combine with internal long-cast system and 3D holographic eyes to create the ultimate fishing lure. Hand-tuned and tank-tested for premium performance right out of the box.

Additional features of these baits include the following:

• Flash foil teaser tail simulates the flash and movement of live forage

• Premium Pyramid Point hooks

• Internal long-cast weight system with large tungsten rattle mechanism

• Stainless steel through-wire construction for superior structural support

• Super strong, rust resistant split rings

• 3D holographic eyes

• Internal holographic foil for optimum flash

• Textured translucent body for life-like presentation

• Slashbait action has hard-cutting, aggressive, darting action

August Freshwater Lure of the Month: Bandit 300 Series Crankbait

August 2013 Freshwater Lure of the Month: Bandit 300 Series Crankbait

Whether you're a pro or just a weekend fisherman, Bandit Lures prides themselves on being able to help take your fishing to the next level.  That's because a Bandit is everything you'll need in a quality crankbait - state of the art molding, premium grade plastics, multi-coat gloss paint.  And, with a complete selection of 51 stock colors, 12 body styles, and twelve different depth ranges, there's a lure to match any fishing condition.  Plus, a Bandit always runs true right out of the box.

There's nothing sneaky about the way these cranks catch fish! Bandit lures always run true right out of the box, and have the ability to steal you a tournament win anytime. Bandit's 300 Series Crankbaits scream for attention and are great for casting parallel to steep rocky shorelines. Producing an extra-wide wobble and offering a loud, fish-attracting rattle, these Bandit 300 Series crankbaits really bring the strikes home!

 Bandit Crankbaits are some of the most popular crankbaits with experienced anglers for a reason - and it's not just because they are one of the most affordable crankbaits on the market. Featuring a compact shad-shape, with a wide wobble and loud internal rattles, the Bandit Crankbaits have all of the fish attracting features available in a crankbait. Combined with infinite color schemes to match to your local forage, there is a Bandit Crankbait for your situation. Super durable as well, you can bounce it off of every rock, stump or branch you see and it will still look good and swim like it's supposed to. Match up a Bandit Crankbait Series with the depth you want, a color scheme for where you're fishing - and go catch some fish.

About the Bandit Series 300 Crankbaits
The 300 series crankbaits are 2 inches long and run 8 to 12 feet deep. This crankbait is primarily designed for deep water fish holding on drops or below bait schools. Great for casting parallel to steep rocky shorelines. The 300 series crankbaits can reach deep fish, yet present a small baitfish profile that can trigger strikes from fish not actively feeding. This lure is also very popular to troll for crappie. 

• 
  Depth: 8 - 12 ft
  Weight: 3/8 oz
  Length: 2"

July Saltwater Lure of the Month: Storm Rattlin Chug Bug

May Saltwater Lure of the Month: Storm Rattlin Chug Bug 

Storm Lures rightly touts their sensational Rattlin Chug Bug as a lure for all species of fish when they're feeding on the surface. “From panfish to snook” as they put it.  Founded in Oklahoma, Storm’s been manufacturing innovative lures since the 1960’s. Their first lure was the ThinFin, which began shipping in the 1960’s. About twenty years later, Storm introduced the enclosed topwater sensation. The Chug Bug comes from a long line of successful lures including Storm’s Thunderstick, Wiggle Wart, and Hot ‘N Tot, to name just a few. Normark, makers of the legendary Rapala lures, recently acquired Storm. We believe that Storm is now stronger and more innovative than ever.

The versatile Chug Bug is a favorite of professional and amateur anglers because it can be fished as a popper or as a surface chugger. Bass and walleye anglers find the Chug Bug to be very effective when fished in smaller sizes at night. Oklahoma pro Tom Morton has had success fishing the Chug Bug with a high-speed technique. Morton ties the line at the bottom of the line-tie (without a snap or split ring) and fishes the lure “real, real fast”. This technique makes the Chug Bug spit and skip wildly because the nose is kept unusually high in the water due to the position of the knot. The technique provokes explosive strikes according to Morton, who won the 1992 Oklahoma Invitational with many copies of this lure in his tackle box. Anglers can currently choose from three sizes of Chug Bugs dressed in dozens of colors.

Featured Lure: Chug Bug

Created: C. 1980’s

Manufacturer: Storm Manufacturing

Type: Topwater Plug

Technique:

Experiment with your retrieve. Anything goes with top water lures, i.e. Tom Morton’s high-speed technique. That having been said, the most often mentioned retrieve associated with the Chug Bug is a splash-and-stop technique. Cast the Chug Bug out. Let it settle quietly on the water. Wait some more. With your rod tip down so the wind doesn’t catch your line, give your Chug Bug a solid pull to create its fish attracting splash. Then wait. Let the lure rest a good long time in a motionless position before repeating. The most vicious strikes often occur just after the Chug Bug begins to move again.

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July Freshwater Lure of the Month: The Rebel Firetiger Minnow

July Freshwater Lure of the Month: The Rebel Firetiger Minnow

The difference between a day of fishing and a day of catching!

Storm has produced some fantastic walleye lures, and this month’s selection is no different! The June Freshwater Lure of the Month comes from Rebel's infamous minnow collection, and is a firetiger color.  Firetiger colors are best used around docks and bays, especially when the water is a little dingy. The color represents a bream, which fish love to eat, and the bright colors add a little extra enticing color that attracts fish from further distances.

When the Rebel Minnow was born in the early 1960's, a standard of excellence was created. The same commitment to quality and craftsmanship that was established then is alive today. Rebel minnows are available in a variety of fish catching sizes ranging from panfish fooling ultra-lights to heavy weights designed to handle brutes like muskie, pike, and many saltwater species. Most sizes are also available in a lazy summer jointed model that scores of anglers have relied on to bring most hard to catch trophies to the landing net. Great for walleye, pike, striped bass, trout, muskie and bass fishing.

The birth of the Rebel minnow was prompted to meet the demand of the marketplace for a light, easy-to-cast, durable plastic-bodied lure with an action that simulated a struggling bait fish. Its unique molded-in cross-hatched surface was designed to reflect light with the lure's slightest movement further enhancing its lifelike appearance. It was this 3 inch lure that was the genesis of the proud 40-year-old fishing tradition that is Rebel.

A slow sinking tracdown minnow that will work in most any water conditions. Excellent for bass, trout, walleye and other game species. 

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July Freshwater Fly of the Month: Hair-Wing Royal Coachman

 July Freshwater Fly of the Month: Hair-Wing Royal Coachman

For an amazing reference on flies and their tyers, please check out FlyAngelrsOnline.com !!

The August Freshwater Fly of the Month selection takes us back to an old time - where modern fly tying capabilities didn't exist.   The Hair-wing Royal Coachman was a fly tied in the spirit of early times, with just the materials that existed.  Flies back in the early 20th century often took months or even years to be improved upon - a much slower pace than the improvement seen using todays modern counterparts.  But these flies were tied with tied by passionated fishermen, who endlessly tested and improved upon their own creations, trying to find that perfect look and feel that would make the fish jump out of the water.  The Wulff Royal Coachman (or Royal Wulff as it is popularly called today) was just one of those flies, tied by Q.L. Quackenbush.

Q.L. "Quack" Quackenbush was a member of the Beaverkill Trout Club, located in the Catskills.  In 1930, the group was trying to improve upon the Royal Coachman, because they felt that the fly's wings were very fragile.  So, Quack asked one of his partners in crime in the club to try and find a substitute for the fragile white mandarin (duck) fan wings.  They asked their supplier for any part of an animal that may contain a stiff, white, kinky hair that they could use.  They struck out with that request, but he did provide some impala tails: "Perfect!" They thought.

As a name, the Beaverkill Trout Club settled on "The Quack Coachman", after it's creator. The name as since evolved, with the name changing to Hair-wing Wolff Coachman, to Hairwing Royal Coachman, to it's commonly referred to present day name, the Royall Wolff.

This is a must have for any dry fly box and can be an extremely effective fly on the water.  

Hook: TMC 100, sizes 8, 10,12.Thread: Black, Pearsall's Gossamer Silk.
Wing: White Calf-tail, split and posted.
Tail: Coachman Brown Barbs, or Golden Pheasant Tippet (shown).
Body: Peacock Herl, with center portion using Red Pearsall's Gossamer Silk.
Hackle: Coachman Brown, Rooster Cape.

June Walleye Lure of the Month: Storm Thunderstick

June Walleye Lure of the Month

Storm Thunderstick

The abundantly versatile ThunderStick was introduced to the angling community in the 1980’s by the Storm Manufacturing Company.  It’s just one lure in a comprehensive line of premium lures sold by the world famous luremaker.  Back in 1965, Storm’s charter product was the innovative, if not unusual, ThinFin.  By the late 1990’s, Storm had established seven popular product families: ThinFin, Hot’N Tot, Wart, Chug Bug, Mac, Pygmy, and, of course, ThunderStick.  Many, if not all, of Storm’s products have been “renovated” as a result of the company being acquired by Normark, makers of the legendary Rapala minnow.  Although much of the Storm product line has been updated, we’ve seen many of the new products and can report that we’re excited about fishing them all.

Storm offered the original ThunderStick dressed out in a dizzying 65 different color combinations, and, incredibly, the company continued to introduce new colors regularly.  In the highly automated world of lure making, it’s worth pointing out that each of Storm’s baits were hand painted and clear coated to ensure the highest quality finish.  Storm’s roots are in freshwater fishing, but the company did make a saltwater ThunderStick (enclosed) specifically designed to withstand the unique punishment saltwater deals out day after day.  Although replaced by a freshly updated ThunderStick, the original still lives up to its reputation as an all-around fish taker, and, according to rumor, it’s becoming rather collectible.

Created: Late 1980’s

Manufacturer: Storm Lures (now owned by Rapala)

Technique:

Storm suggests trolling or retrieving the ThunderStick at a steady speed.  A property that makes the ThunderStick so desirable is its ability to be retrieved at very high speeds without taking anything away from its wounded minnow action.  Experiment with different speeds as a practice.

If you notice that the lure does not track properly, tuning might be necessary.  To correct this, firmly grasp the ThunderStick and bend the connecting loop in the opposite direction the lure is swimming.  Needle-nose pliers work great in this situation.  Remember, a little force goes a long way here.