Fly Tying – Page 3 – Keep Calm and Fly Fish

Salmon alevins are a staple food for trout and many other species when they are available in the winter and early spring. These young fish are poor swimmers that become easy prey when swept out into the current. Alevin patterns are not only fun to tie but also fun to fish. It’s a fish eat fish world out there and getting a grab from a voracious predator can be quite thrill.

EZ Alevin

TMC – 2457 – Size 14
Uni-Thread – 8/0 – Gray
Holo-Eyes – 1/8” – Silver
Krystal Flash – Olive
Senyo Laser Yarn – White
Marabou Plume – Gray
Cascade – Egg Yarn – Orange Roe

Fly Tying Instruction

Step 1: Start the thread onto your hook.

Step 2: Tie one strand of krystal flash to the side of the hook on both sides.

Step 3: Tie on a good amount of laser yarn and secure. You want about a hooks length worth of yarn. Cut off the krystal flash so it is about two-thirds the length of your yarn.

Step 4: Tie on your first couple fibers of marabou. Repeat once more with a few fibers to stack the marabou.

Step 5: With a pinch wrap tie on your egg yarn to the bottom of the hook. Try your best to keep the yarn centered to the bottom of the hook.

Step 6: Pull the yarn forward and push it back a bit to form an egg sac. Once you’ve created the shape you’re satisfied with wrap and secure.

Step 7: Build a small tapered section in front of your egg sac. This is will help the holographic eyes stick to the fly.

Step 8: Stick the eyes to the tapered section and apply the cure goo in-between the eyes on top and below. Be careful not to get any goo on the egg sac and in eye of the hook.

Step 9: Pinch off some marabou so that you are left with about an inch left. Finished!

The EZ Alevin is a pattern I created for primarily swinging however a dead drift presentation it would also be applicable. It takes the great simple features of other alevin patterns I’ve fished in addition to adding some movement. I’ve had great luck swinging this alevin and losing a few to the river and fish isn’t an issue because it’s a quick-and-easy tie.

Surf perch flies come in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. Most patterns are tied to imitate sand crabs and shrimp which are the primary food for surf perch. If you’ve never caught a surf perch on a fly rod before think of them as ocean bluegill on steroids. Just like bluegill, surf perch aren’t too picky about what they eat therefore simple easy-to-tie patterns are all you need.

Matt’s Simple Shrimp

Material List:
Daiichi – 2546 – size 6
Danville 70 Denier Flymaster – Red – 6/0
Brass Dumbell Eyes – Medium
Krystal Chenille – Red
Krystal flash – Red Pearl
Rabbit Fur – Red

Fly Tying Instructions

Step 1 – Clamp the hook into the vice and start your thread.

Step 2 – Tie on the dumbbell eyes and figure eight some thread around it to secure.

Step 3 – Work your thread towards the end of the shank. Cut off some rabbit fur from your rabbit strip and tie it in.

Step 4 – Tie in four to five strands of krystal flash on to each side of the shank and be sure that they extend pass the rabbit fur. Cut the ends so they are even.

Step 5 – Tie in the krystal chenille. Wrap the chenille towards the dumbbell eyes and try to create a tapered body. Once you have a slight taper begin wrapping the chenille around the dumbbell eyes to complete the tapered body.

Step 6 – Cut off the excess chenille and whip finish twice. You can also dap a bit of zap-a-gap to the thread to make sure it stays extra secured. Finished!

The Simple Shrimp is a proven pattern that has out-fished many of the other surf perch patterns that I’ve used. I use the Simple Shrimp as a dropper with my go-to orange sand crab pattern. Eighty percent of the time I will hook up on the Simple Shrimp. The Simple Shrimp is a very productive surf perch pattern that is quick and easy to tie.