Originally published in the March 2022 issue of Woods-N-Water News

By Drew YoungeDyke

Throughout the winter, I have dutifully tied flies to refill boxes for the species I expect to fish for most in the coming year, like bluegill and bass, but there is only one fish that I obsess over all year, only one fish that I tie more flies for than I could ever hope to use in the coming year, one fish for which I seek out countless YouTube videos and re-read the same articles about online and in past issues of outdoor magazines: northern pike.

Northern pike are a coolwater species that haunt the edges of weed beds and structure to ambush prey that swims by looking like an easy meal – and everything looks like an easy meal to northern pike. Durable flies made of just one or two materials can be effective for catching northern pike, provided that they present the profile of something pike eat and have a head that pushes water to make the tail wiggle.

My two favorite flies to tie for pike follow this simple theory and use just one or two materials, in addition to the hook and thread: Bucktail Deceivers and Pike Bunnies. The bucktail deceiver is an all-bucktail variation by Bob Popovics of Lefty Kreh’s Deceiver, originally a saltwater fly intended to resemble baitfish. Pike Bunnies are simple but effective streamers consisting of a rabbit zonker strip tail and a palmered zonker strip head. A couple strips of flash or glue-on eyes can be added to either. Sometimes I’ll mix them up, too, with a rabbit strip tail and a bucktail head, or add a tungsten conehead to either.

I fish both of these flies with a 9-wt Orvis Clearwater rod and Scientific Anglers floating , sink-tip, or full sinking line, depending on conditions and how deep I want to fish them, connected with a Scientific Anglers Stealth Predator leader, cast over and next to weeds beds and structure, depending on depth, and stripped back at varying speeds, pausing every few strips to let the fly turn like a wounded fish. It’s important to use a strip set with northern pike, rather than raising your rod tip like in trout fishing, and never lip-grip a northern pike like a bluegill or bass if you value your fingers!

Bucktail Deceiver
This past fall, I fished the Huron River on a cold and wet October day. I paddled my canoe up the river and floated back down, casting a 2/0 bucktail deceiver near shoreline cover and stripping it back. As I floated along, one spot just looked…right. I landed the fly right where I wanted, stripped it back, and whomp! The underwater strike was the unmistakable attack of a northern pike.

I strip set the hook and worked the northern back to my canoe, the adrenaline still pulsing through me as I took a couple photos of the 30-incher with my iPhone and reached down to release it boatside, having forgot my net. I had tied the 6-inch, 2/0 white and natural bucktail deceiver last spring with just such a scenario in mind. A couple weeks later, I got a chance to fish again and connected on a 24-inch northern on the same stretch of river with an identical fly.

This is the streamer I’m focused on tying most this winter in a variety of pikey colors. My pike fly box is well stocked with all-black, black/orange, all-white, and white/natural flies, so I’m tying red/white, chartreuse/white, orange/white, and blue/white variations this winter. To tie a bucktail streamer for northern pike, use a streamer hook from sizes 2/0 to 6/0. I use thick 210 thread and the Loon hair scissors for more precise cuts on the bucktail, and either superglue, Loon UV resin, or Wapsi Fly-Tyers Zment on each tie of bucktail for added durability.

Working from the tail to the head, use hair from the tip of the tail, working toward the front; hairs to the front are more hollow, and will flair more when tightened. Gradually tie in thicker clumps of hair as you get to the head, too, allowing enough room to tie it all down before the eye.

After starting your thread, cut a long, thin clump of hair from the end of the tail. Grasp it tightly in the middle and pull out the short hairs. Tie it in just before the bend of the hook. Snip the excess hair in front of the tie and add a drop of superglue or UV resin. Snip a slightly thicker clump of hair from just a little further down the tail, tie in, snip, add glue, and repeat. You can add a couple strips of flash to any of the ties. This is all you do to tie this fly, gradually increasing the thickness of the ties as you move to the front and using hair from progressively closer to the front of the bucktail. The thicker head will push water to move the thinner tail. Most of my deceivers end up in the 5 to 8-inch range, depending on the length of bucktail and size of the hook.

Sometimes I’ll finish the fly with a hollow tie, but mostly this winter I’m working on improving my proportions and the overall silhouette of these simple but effective flies. Glue-on eyes can also be added, buy mine rarely last more than one strike so I don’t often add them anymore to pike flies.

Bucktail deceivers resemble baitfish in the water, and the bucktail undulations move and flow with an enticing reality. Strip them at varying speeds, stopping every few strips to let the fly fall, flow, turn sideways and jackknife; this is often when pike will strike. However, be ready for a strike as soon as they land.

As you progress in your fly-tying, you can apply the same concept of taper to tie a bucktail version of Blane Chocklett’s revolutionary Game Changer fly.

Pike Bunnies
One of the people I reached out to when I first started fly-fishing for northern pike out was fellow outdoor writer Tim Mead. Tim has fly-fished for northern pike out of a float tube on lakes throughout the Upper Peninsula and relies on simple, durable streamers.

“For pike, I've given up on feathers,” Tim recommends. “They don't last more than a couple of fish. For me: zonker strips. They last lots longer. The two 50-plus-inch pike I’ve caught were both on zonker strip streamers.”

Pike bunnies – also called pike snakes – are perhaps the simplest pike fly to tie. I have several in olive, and this winter I’m tying in the classic pike colors of red/white, purple/black, and red/black, and all-black. Like the bucktail streamer, the idea is to use a bulkier head to push water that makes the skinnier tail wiggle and move.

After starting the thread, tie in a strip of bucktail, ensuring the hair flows toward the back. I taper the strip at the tie-in point, as well, and glue down the tie or add UV resin. A couple lengths of flash could be tied in here, as well, the length of the tail. The length of the tail is up to you and determines the length of your fly; I usually cut mine at 4 or 5 inches. Much longer, the tail tends to foul the hook for me. Next, tie in the end of another zonker strip; if you’re making it two-tone, this is where you switch colors. Move the thread up to the head of the fly, allowing room to tie in before the hook eye. Add a drop of superglue, UV resin, or head cement to the back tie-in. Palmer wrap the zonker strip forward, taking time to keep the strip tight to the hook and brushing back the hair so it doesn’t get caught under the strip. Tie it off at the front of the hook, whip finish, and add UV resin or head cement to the head tie-in. Some add glue-on eyes to the head tie-in, as well, though I don’t. And that’s it!

An articulated variation of the pike bunny is John Cleveland’s “Bunny Buster” fly, which also uses a flashy bead head.

I’ve tied some flies this winter that are a combination of the two above, with a zonker strip tail and a bucktail head. As in the bucktail deceiver, I’m mindful of the taper and use the hollow hair from the front of the bucktail to flair the head and push more water to make the tail move. Inspired by Upper Hand Brewery’s Sisu Stout seasonal craft beer, I tied one on a 2/0 streamer hook with a white zonker strip tail, some white/pearl polar flash, and a reverse-tied blue bucktail head (the colors of Finland’s flag) that I call the Sisu Streamer, superglued at every tie to withstand multiple pike strikes.

Sisu is a good concept to keep in mind in tying and fishing flies for northern pike. Sisu is the Finnish concept of enduring tough conditions with grit and simple determination over the long haul. Simple, durable flies will endure the tough conditions of multiple vicious northern pike strikes, and you’ll need lots of sisu to double haul cast after cast of heavy bucktail and zonker strip streamers in sometimes tough conditions to catch them.
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Fly tying doesn’t have to be complicated or intimidating; by starting with simple but effective flies for warm and coolwater fish like panfish, bass, and northern pike, you can tie flies that catch fish with confidence while you develop your fly-tying skillset. As you advance in fly-tying, you can use the skills you develop with these simple flies to tie more complex patterns, but you’ll always keep these staples in your fly box because they catch fish. There is nothing more satisfying in fishing, in my opinion, than catching a fish on a fly that you tied yourself. Tight wraps and tight lines. 

Originally published in the February 2022 issue of Woods-n-Water News

By Drew YoungeDyke

With a snowstorm in the forecast on a cold winter day, it’s natural to think about the opposite: a bright sunny day in June, green leaves reflected on the water, and stripping a popper next to a submerged log. Pop, pop, whoosh! A largemouth smashes the surface and tugs the fly deep into the cabbage, each twist sending vibrations down the tight 8-wt line as it tries to shake it off.
The fight makes you think it’s a fish worthy of sparkle-boat plastered with sponsor logos as you kick or paddle your float tube, canoe or kayak over to it and net the bass, cabbage and all. Even a small bass leaves you smiling as you take a quick picture and release it.

This scene is what bass fishing is to me, and it’s the experience that I’m tying flies for this winter while restocking my bass box. As voracious eaters, there are numerous effective patterns for largemouth and smallmouth bass, but this winter I’m focusing on the simplest patterns using the least materials, especially a variety of poppers and Clouser minnows, which are simple to tie and that I’ve had the most success with on bass.

Before I started tying my own flies, I had the most success with the appropriately-named Orvis Bass Popper. Years before I started tying, I had bought a package of Zudbubbler popper bodies with the intention of learning to tie that I found in my old tackle bag, so I started tying poppers with those. While my skills were still developing, the flies floated well and popped hard and despite the sloppiness of my early ties, actually caught a few fish! One tied with yellow/black grizzly hackles I dubbed the “Killa Bee” in honor of the Wu-Tang Clan, and it even caught a few before I lost it.

This winter I may buy some additional foam popper bodies but, to start, I’m going old-school by using actual wine bottle corks to make my poppers. The recipe is simple.

Use a medium size streamer hooks up to size 1/0 – or even worm hooks with the barb pinched down. I wrap thread along the shank of the hook to provide a base to glue to for the cork body, which I cut into shapes with an open face, sloping back, and a range of widths with a flat bottom. I tie on a tail of either marabou, bucktail, or zonker strip at the beginning of the bend of the hook, followed by a collar of bucktail or hackle.

I take one length of round rubber or sili-leg material, fold itin half, and tie it around the shank at its midpoint, leaving enough room in front of it for the popper body. Snip the resulting loop in the rubber legs to leave two legs extending down from each side. Next, cut a slit on the bottom of the cork body for the hook to slide into, extending about a third into the body. Next, apply superglue to the slot and fit it over the hook – ensuring the eye isn’t covered – and let it dry.

The popper body can be left alone or finished with more detail by using a sharpie to draw eyes, spots and/or stripes, or by gluing on stick-on eyes. I’ve finished a few using Loon UV Hard finish in both clear and black, brushing a coating over the cork popper. Experiment with different colors; I’m focusing on olive, chartreuse, yellow, natural, white, and black this winter.

The point of the popper is to provide a lot of topwater action, angering the bass into striking from its cover, with explosive topwater takes. It’s as fun as fly-fishing gets, in my opinion. If it floats, pops with each little strip, and you’re stripping it over cover in almost any small inland warmwater lake in Michigan, then each pop holds the anticipation of a strike. I usually fish these on an 8-wt floating line, or even my 9-wt floating line for bigger poppers to ensure a smooth turnover. While it’s not a stealth game with poppers, I still want to deliver the fly accurately to the spot I want without spooking the bass that may be in cover underneath. I want it take on the strip-pop, but be ready for a strike as soon as it lands on the water- I’ve had plenty of those, too.

As the summer gets warmer and bass move to deeper cover, I switch to Clouser Minnows. This wispy little bucktail fly was developed for saltwater by the legendary Bob Clouser but has proven effective for multiple freshwater species including bass and northern pike. I’ve caught some nice crappies with Clouser minnows, too. And like all the flies I’m tying this winter, it is simple to tie and made with relatively few materials: a hook, thread, bucktail, nontoxic dumbbell eyes, and flash. These are usually tied two-tone with the darker color on top; chartreuse/white, olive/white, and red/white for pike are usually what I tie. I fish these with a floating 8-wt, a sink-tip, or a full sinking line depending on how deep I want to get.

Again, use medium size streamer hooks up to size 1/0 or 2/0. It’s important to remember that the Clouser will ride hook-up, so if you do not have a rotating vice, you’ll be tying it upside down, so to speak. Wrap the thread from the hook eye to about halfway between the hook eye and the point of the hook. This is where the dumbbell eyes will be tied in. For tying in dumbbell eyes, I recommend watching a few YouTube tutorials to see some different options for holding them secure. With the hook down, tie in the dumbbell eyes on top of the hook shank. I always use nontoxic, nonlead dumbbell eyes because should you lose the fly or a fish breaks it off, nontoxic eyes will not poison eagles or loons as lead will. I use a combination of diagonal cross wraps, wraps in front of and behind the eyes, and wraps under the eyes, above the hook shank, to tighten them. End the wrap in front of the hook eye and make sure they’re level. At this point I add a drop of UV clear, head cement, superglue under the hook shank for extra security.

Select a pencil-width of bucktail from the middle of the bucktail, Remove the short hairs and tie it in at a 45-degree angle in front of the dumbbell eyes, tying down with wraps up to the hook eye and back. Loop the thread under the dumbbell eyes and tie the bucktail down behind the eyes with a couple tight wraps, then a few open spiral wraps down the hook shank and back up to the eye of the hook. Next, tie in a couple strands of flash, folded in half around the tying thread, the length of the bucktail, along the belly of the fly. Finally, add a similar or slightly larger clump of the darker bucktail and tie it in under the fly in front of the dumbbell eyes, and whip finish. I’ll add UV clear fly finish or head cement to the head of the fly, as well. When riding hook up, the darker color should be on top, imitating a minnow.

Cork bass poppers and Clouser minnows are two of the simplest patterns to tie to catch bass on the fly. If you’re a beginner fly-tyer, these are great ones to learn on to develop confidence and catch fish. Woolly buggers can also be effective. Watch YouTube videos to see how the flies are tied, as well as books like The Orvis Fly-Tying Guide by Tom Rosenbauer. Alvin DeDeaux also has a great YouTube series on “guide flies” that he ties for Guadalupe Bass in Texas using very simple materials. If you’re a more advanced fly tyer, I’d recommend checking out the Schultz Outfitters YouTube page for tying some of their patterns, Mad River Outfitters out of Ohio, or Blane Chocklett’s Game Changer.
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Next month, I’ll describe some simple northern pike flies to tie for voracious warmwater action. 

This article was originally published in the January 2022 issue of Woods-n-Waters News.

By Drew YoungeDyke

Cold winter nights make me look forward to warm spring and summer days casting flies to gullible fish, often from behind my fly-tying bench sipping a local Michigan craft beer; there’s little more satisfying in fishing than catching a fish on a fly you tied. Before I started tying two years ago, that seemed like some mystical feat only a Jedi warrior could pull off. I’ve found that it can be simple and achievable, though, especially for the warmwater and coolwater species in most small Michigan lakes.

In the two years since I started tying flies with an Orvis starter kit, I’ve tied the trout dry flies and nymphs included in the kit, attempted complicated multi-shank streamers like the Game Changer through Bar Flies nights hosted by Schultz Outfitters, and tried some creative monstrosities that ended up in my Box of Misfit Flies, later to be stripped down to the hook for another try. This winter, I’m focusing on simple, proven flies for the bluegill, bass, and northern pike that I fish for most often.

These flies are relatively simple to tie with few materials, though tying them well – with proper silhouette and proportions – takes time and practice. Rather than spending the winter trying to tie complicated multi-material flies that are probably beyond my current ability, I’m focusing on improving how I tie these simple flies. They’re also good flies for beginners to tie and catch fish on to build confidence – and have a lot of fun - in both fly tying and fly fishing.

Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Crappie, Perch Flies
Bluegills, pumpkinseeds, crappies, perch, and other panfish are a blast to catch on the fly. Especially in the late spring and early summer when on their beds, bluegills are eager eaters and fight hard on a light line. They’ll also take small, simple flies that are fun to tie. The same flies I tie for bluegills have been successful for me for pumpkinseeds, crappies, and perch (and even largemouth and smallmouth bass). I most often fish for bluegill with my toddler son, with a goal to catch fish to show him and let him touch before releasing them. This summer I’m also tying with the goal of letting him try to catch a few on his own. I also like to target panfish off the dock at my family cottage, or catching a few from shore before launching my canoe or float tube to target bass or pike.

Wooly Worm
The Wooly Worm is a simple, classic fly that was the origin for the Wooly Bugger. Tied on small 3x streamer hooks, it’s an excellent bluegill fly. I tied one in a peacock green chenille with an orange yarn tail and it seemed like I couldn’t let it even drop on the water without a little bluegill taking it. It also caught several pumpkinseeds and a couple perch hanging around the dock at my family’s cottage. In addition to peacock or olive green/orange, I’ll also tie it in yellow/red this winter.

Materials: Chenille, hackle, yarn, nonlead wire, small 3x streamer hook

Tying process: I wrap 6 to 7 wraps of nonlead wire, depending on the hook size, and tie it in with the thread, then wrap the thread back to the bend of the hook. I cut a small tuft of yarn and tie it in at the tail. This can be longer now and trimmed later. Next, I tie in the small dry fly hackle and chenille, and wrap the thread forward to the just behind the hook eye. Wrap the chenille forward to the eye and tie it down with a couple tight wraps, then trim off the excess in front of the wrap. Palmer the hackle forward and tie it off with a couple tight wraps, and trim off the excess. Whip finish and then trim off the yarn tail in proportion to the fly to fan out. This fly can also be tied with a nonlead bead head.

Foam Spider
This classic bluegill fly may be one of the simplest flies to tie and can be tied in a variety of colors; I’ll focus on orange and black this winter, maybe green, too. It pretty consistently catches bluegills and pumpkinseeds for me. Last summer, I even caught a 14” smallmouth on a little orange foam spider while fishing for bluegills.

Materials: Small dry fly hook, foam, round rubber

Tying process: Cut a small piece of foam about the length of the hook, or just a little longer. Taper the head to wedge narrow enough to tie down and round the tail. Start the thread in the middle of the hook and tie down the foam. Tie in two strands of round rubber legs on each side. Move the thread up toward the eye and tie down the narrow strip of foam to form the head. Whip finish.

Bully Bluegill Spider
This is a new fly for me that I intend to solve a very specific situation. Often when fishing with Noah off a dock or a public fishing pier in a little inland lake, the little bluegills are visible all over. I know I’m on the clock before my toddler loses interest, and I just want to get a fish in front of him quickly. Sometimes I’ve dangled every fly I have in front of these little fish who have seen everything and would probably prefer a little worm, with few takers, as most of my flies are designed to move and, well, they’re just right there.

Materials: Small dry fly hook, nonlead wire, chenille, round rubber legs.

Tying process: Wrap the nonlead wire toward the bend of the hook and wrap it back over itself to create a small ball. Tie in the thread toward the hook eye and back over and behind the nonlead wire, building a small thread dam behind and in front to prevent the nonlead wire from sliding on the hook. Tie in the chenille behind the nonlead wire and bring the thread up to the front of the hook, about an eye’s length behind the eye. Wrap the chenille tightly over the nonlead wire and down the hook, secure the chenille with a couple tight thread wraps, and cut off the excess. Take a length of round rubber legs and fold it in half. Tie in at the midpoint, which should form a loop of round rubber at the front. Fold this loop back and wrap over it to create a head. Whip finish. Snip the rubber loop and trip the four rubber legs to even lengths.

Foam Hopper
My friend Dan Macut also ties flies for panfish and is pretty successful at catching them, too. He recommends a simple foam hopper pattern as his first choice.

“I use a size 10 streamer hook for most of my panfish flies,” he recommends. “I like a slightly wider hopper and only use one piece of foam folded over trying to keep it thinner allowing for more and better hook-ups. I add some deer hair for wings and keep the rubber legs on the longer side...I think they act like outriggers and to the bugginess of the fly. Colors don't seem to matter, but bright colors help you see your fly. I sometimes pay attention to the hatch and I might try to match the color of their current meal of choice. Last year there were a bunch of black dragonflies on my favorite lake and a black hopper seemed to work better.”
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Whether you’re just starting out tying flies – or if, like me, you just want to get back to the basics and catch some fish – these simple panfish patterns are easy to tie and effective on bluegills, pumpkinseeds, and black crappie. Pop open a Michigan beverage and tie some up this winter and try them out on some fun and delicious panfish this summer.
 
Next Month: Simple Bass Flies