| November Fly of the Month |
| Written by Phillip Fischer | |
| Friday, 26 October 2007 | |
|
It's Steelhead Time!
November's Fly of the Month column features the Freight Train. The Freight Train was originated by Randall Kaufmann and has become a staple steelhead pattern for rivers such as the Deschutes, Klamath and the Trinity. Click Read More to learn about this fly pattern and the recipe for tying it.
Freight Train
It is steelhead time and the November Fly of the Month features one of the better known steelhead patterns from the recent past. The Freight Train was designed by Randall Kaufmann and is used extensively on many steelhead rivers. It is best known as a Deschutes River pattern, but its popularity has quickly spread to the Klamath and Trinity rivers in Northern California. Several of my customers swear by this pattern. It is a fly that is typically fished on the swing. Cast this fly across and slightly downstream, mend, and let it swing through the tail of a pool in the early morning or late evening on one of your favorite steelhead runs, and hold on. Steelhead take this fly on the swing and it is a challenge for many to wait out the grab until the fish has taken the fly and turned. I speak from experience! Way too many times I have reacted to the grab, only to yank the fly out of the fish's mouth. The trick is to "bow to the fish" upon the grab by lowering the rod and essentially letting the fish hook itself on the turn. Sounds much easier said than done for someone tuned to react quickly to strikes! It's Steelhead time! Tie a few Freight Train patterns and head to your favorite river and give them a try!
Freight Train Fly Pattern:
Hook: Tiemco 7999, or 7989 light wire hook Thread:Black 3/0 Monocord Tail: Purple Hackle barbs bunched to form the tail Body: 25% Hot Orange Floss or dubbing, 25% Hot Red Floss or dubbing, 50% Medium Black Chenille Ribbing: Fine Silver Oval Tinsel Hackle: Whiting American Saddle - Purple, tied down and back Wing: White Calf Tail, or White Buck Tail Overwing:4-5 stands of Pearlescent Krystal Flash
Tying Instructions:
1. Attach your thread at the front of the hook. Wind over the extended eye to close the eye gap of this hook. 2. Wind back to the tailset position and attach Purple Hackle barbs. The best tailing material is found on the edges of a rooster neck in the area right along the underside of the bird's neck. The barbs on these hackles are generally longer and straighter than anywhere else on the neck. An alternative is to use the rounded feathers on the upper back on a saddle. While not as stiff as the hackles from the neck, they will suffice in most wet fly applications 3. Tie in oval tinsel on the underside of the hook 4. Loop a six inch piece of hot orange floss over the thread and secure to the underside of the hook. Wind forward approximately 25% of the body and tie off. 5. Take a second piece of floss, Fluorescent Red this time, and repeat through the 50% point of the body. 6. Attach a piece of fine or medium Black Chenille to the underside of the hook and wind forward to slightly over the back of the hook eye. 7. Wind your ribbing underneath the tail to set it slightly up, and wind forward in five evenly spaced wraps through the body. Tie off and trim excess. 8. Tie in a Whiting American Saddle or Neck hackle. Wind 2-3 wraps and tie off. Pull the hackle barbs down and back to create a V in the area where the wing should lay. Tie 2-3 wraps of thread over the butts of the hackle to set the barbs in place. 9. Clean and stack a clump of Calf Tail. Tie in at the head with several wraps of thread. Trim the excess with a 45 degree scissor cut to enable a nice tapered head. 10. Tie in the strands of Krystal Flash at the head laying on top of the Calf Tail wing. Clip the ends to lay very slightly longer than the wing fibers. 11. Wind over the head to cover any remaining material, whip finish and glue the head. I also like to coat the head with clear nail polish to leave a nice glossy finish.
George Shave with a very nice Northern California Wild Freight Train Caught Steelhead! |
|
| Last Updated ( Friday, 02 November 2007 ) |
 |
November Fly of the Month
Oct 30 2007 02:58:17 This thread discusses the Content article: November Fly of the Month
I've just updated the home page to add the November Fly of the Month. This month's pattern was inspired by a customer that swears by this pattern for fishing Northern California Rivers for steelhead. The final picture in the article tells why! Enjoy. |
#3036 |
 |
Nice article, Phil!
Oct 30 2007 06:24:50 Can't wait to try this one out!
And that's some great looking steel! Buzz |
#3050 |
 |
Re:November Fly of the Month
Oct 30 2007 15:45:09 Nice Fly.
About 25 years ago a good friend and I spent a couple of years perfecting a pattern for coastal steelhead estuaries. After many years of trial and error, we began this quest with great hope. It turned out to be time well spent. I now only use that fly, 100% of the time steelhead fishing. Perhaps because I have so much confidence in the fly I catch fish with it. Or maybe the fish just gotta have it. Tides, weather, flows, turbidity just don't seem to matter with this fly. I only tie mine in a size 8. And it is almost identical to the "Fly of the Month" other than if you replaced the purple with brown. Seems we are on to something here. |
#3057 |
 |
Re:November Fly of the Month
Oct 31 2007 02:19:34 R.B. wrote:
I now only use that fly, 100% of the time steelhead fishing. 100%? No exceptions? Even if you're not catching fish? -- T. |
#3077 |
 |
Re:November Fly of the Month
Oct 31 2007 04:32:38 Nice pattern, but I had read this is for summer. Does it work well in winter also?
|
#3082 |
|
Re:November Fly of the Month
Oct 31 2007 04:40:07 That fish was caught in the last two weeks! Is that still Summer?
As we get into the colder weather months, nymphing will take more fish. But swinging still is effective....plus some live for the grab! |
#3084 |
|
Re:November Fly of the Month
Oct 31 2007 16:55:04 TD in ID wrote:
R.B. wrote: I now only use that fly, 100% of the time steelhead fishing. 100%? No exceptions? Even if you're not catching fish? -- T. Good point Tom. When I am not catching fish I just go home 
Seriously though, I have found that "belief" in the fly and the fishing method you are using is one of the keys to success in steelhead fishing. As an engineer, I simply view it as removing a variable. I know it works, so I stick with it. Yes, even avoiding all the dark fly dark day, bright fly... But more important than the science of this, its simply that I TOTALLY believe in this fly and the way I fish it (quarter down drift and hang in the current, or 4in strips as it quarters down). Just sort of a mojo thing. I also believe this would work for any fly and any method, AS LONG AS YOU ABSOLUTELY BELIEVED you were going to catch fish. I have to say there have been times I have been embarassed with my catch rate to others. Of course recently trout fishing has been the inverse - maybe its all these different techniques I keep switching to, or back to, like BOBICATING!!! |
#3097 |
| hightrekker |
Re:November Fly of the Month
Nov 01 2007 00:12:30 My favorite Steelhead Fly---
A great producer in the Skeena system also. |
#3102 |
|
Re:November Fly of the Month
Nov 01 2007 00:33:42 Interesting. That's confidence!
I could never do that -- too much of a "tinker". Part of that is how quickly I can become bored, and part of it is just the tyer in me trying to do something just a little different. Engineering is way beyond this :cowboy ! -- T. |
#3103 |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
