Steve Farrar: Reflections on Creative Fly-Tying

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1 MAGAZINE22e.qxd 6/25/ :27 PM Page 178 Steve Farrar: Reflections on Creative Fly-Tying Flies photographs by Paul Schmookler Many of the saltwater flies I tie are based on the same principles and ideas of fleyes that were developed by friend, mentor, and master fly innovator Bob Popovics. Their design is the result of numerous hours of watching, listening, photographing, and exchanging ideas with Popovics before, during, and after meetings of the Atlantic Saltwater Flyrodders in New Jersey. Many of my dressings are the result of awakening from a deep sleep in the middle of the night and tying what had been nothing more than a dream only minutes before. Some of these patterns have been quite effective, while others have not. I enjoy roaming the beachfront for endless hours, fishing my creations. Catching fish is actually secondary. For me, fishing is all about the journey the friends you make along the way, the places you visit and the sights you see. Living in Monmouth County, New Jersey, allows me to frequent two shops that offer a superb selection of both natural and synthetic materials: The Fly Hatch in Shrewsbury and Down-n-Trout in Point Pleasant. I often spend many hours at each of these stores looking at materials and trying to envision new or better tying applications for their use. I met Paul Schmookler, publisher of this journal, at the Fly Fishing Show in Somerset this past winter. Schmookler asked me to share with the readership of this journal some of the salt water flies I have tied and the creative ideas behind their development. Blending. Blending materials became important to me several years ago. I had wrestled with flies created from different types of flashy materials that looked 178

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MAGAZINE22e.qxd 6/25/2003 10:29 PM Page 180 good but did not have the durability I wanted.

3 MAGAZINE22e.qxd 6/25/ :29 PM Page 180 good but did not have the durability I wanted. Soon, I found myself tying patterns with synthetic fibers since they were more durable and then interlacing a layer of flash between the fibers to produce a pattern that had the appearance and durability I wanted. However, quite often the flash, just didn t look right. Subsequently I began blending flash and fiber together at each tying step in order to get the right look. This, however, resulted in spending more time blending than tying. Eventually I started blending entire packs of synthetic fiber and flash simultaneously and storing the resulting blend in a large fly sleeve that would fit perfectly in a Plano 3700 plastic storage container. I settled on a blend of Angel Hair and Kinky Fibre (now sold as Slinky Fibre). While this blend can be used for a variety of patterns, it is most effective for peanut bunker, spearing, and mullet imitations. The appearance of flies tied with such a blend, in it various 180

4 MAGAZINE22e.qxd 6/25/ :29 PM Page 181 colors, has caught the attention of many club members and I have subsequntly demonstrated this blending technique at club meetings and at local fly shows, instructing other fly tiers how to create realistic imitations of local baitfish. Popovics encouraged me to share the technique more formally, which I did through our club web site ( and a popular saltwater fly-fishing magazine. The technique has since become popular over the last couple years and has been applied to a variety of natural and synthetic materials mixed with flash. In short, a thin layer of fiber is dealt onto a flat surface covering an area of 8-by-10-inches. A thin layer of flash is stripped over it. The process is repeated (much like making lasagna) until the material is gone. The resulting pile of fiber/flash is rolled up like a cigar. Then, while holding the roll in one hand, strip the material back onto the flat surface again in thin 181 Volume 2 Issue 2

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MAGAZINE22e.qxd 6/25/2003 10:29 PM Page 183 layers. This is repeated until the flash and fiber look like one material. Use a postcard to fabricate a funnel and slide the blend into a large fly sleeve.

6 MAGAZINE22e.qxd 6/25/ :29 PM Page 183 layers. This is repeated until the flash and fiber look like one material. Use a postcard to fabricate a funnel and slide the blend into a large fly sleeve. Here are some of my favorite patterns tied using the blend. Simpleclone. The simpleclone is a Bob Popovics innovation. It uses a base of sheep fleece covered by material and coated with regular household silicone. I ve adapted the pattern to a variety of bait profiles using the blend over fleece. Spearing Simpleclone. This pattern is tied using a small tuft of sheep fleece tied on top of the shank close to the eye. The blend is attached at it s midpoint close to the eye of the hook. The blend is folded over and secured with a few more wraps. Four ties are done with the blend; bottom, each side, then top. Silicone is applied from the eye to just behind the hook bend. Mylar eyes are applied and covered with a thin layer of silicone. Smoothing is done by finger dipped in Photo Flow. Mullet Simpleclone. The mullet is tied the same as 183 Volume 2 Issue 2

7 MAGAZINE22e.qxd 6/25/ :29 PM Page 184 above using a larger tuft of fleece. The size and shape of the tuft of fleece determines the profile of the finished fly. Mullet are abundant along the Jersey coast in September as they leave the estuaries and migrate south. They provide a feeding magnet for larger bluefish and striped bass and signal the annual start of our fall migration. Chicken Scratch Simpleclone & Tinker Mackerel Simpleclone. These patterns use a rounder tuft of sheep fleece as view from the front. Grizzly hackle is tied in at the eye of the hook covering the top half of the fleece. A hackle on each side with an optional one on top provides a simple way to add an inner pattern that is clearly visible through the blend. The yellow version shown here replicates highly successful plug know as the chicken scratch bomber of school bus bomber used by many spin fishers. The second one is tied to replicate the tinker mackerel often found in our waters. Hi-Tie Wide Profile Patterns. Starting early spring and lasting past January wide profile bait fish inhabit our inshore waters providing a constant food source for game fish. Most common are menhaden and herring of all sizes. For years, I ve been using an extremely simple to tie method to replicate our wide profile baits in lengths from 2 inches to over a foot. The blend of slinky fibre and angel hair I describe earlier was developed specifically for this purpose. On large patterns, I ll use a blend of heavier fiber and flash(like Bozo Hair and Mega Mushy). All material is attached within ¼ inch of the hook eye. Typically 6 lengths of blend are tied alternating between top and bottom of the hook shank. They are all attached in the middle, folded over, and wrapped working towards the hook eye. Ultra fine mono is used and only a minimal number of wraps are necessary. A whip finish completes the tying. Then stick-on epoxy eyes are affixed forward and high (to preserve sufficient hook gap). Plasti Dip is injected between the eyes, covering all thread wraps on the shank and filling the void between the eyes. The eyes and material become locked together from the inside. Finally, the front portion of the epoxy eyes and all externally visible wraps are coated. The eyes will never come off! Plasti Dip is a multi-purpose rubber coating that stays clear and will not chip or crack. Available in virbrant colors, it is typically used to coat tool handle grips. For fly tying, pour a small amount into a clear 184

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MAGAZINE22e.qxd 6/25/2003 10:30 PM Page 186 plastic sandwich bag and seal the bag to ensure there is air in the bag.

9 MAGAZINE22e.qxd 6/25/ :30 PM Page 186 plastic sandwich bag and seal the bag to ensure there is air in the bag. Then, make a small diagonal cut on one of the corners and, like a pastry tube, squeeze it into a one-ounce injector bottle. I don t thin it at all but I do put a small amount of head cement thinner (5-6 drops) into the injector bottle just enough to coat the inside of the bottle. Once the bottle has been filled, it is stored upside down; this way it has a shelf life of one month. The remainder of the Plasti Dip is stored in a glass jar with a rubber seal. I ve stored it for over a year this way. When applied liberally it does not run much at all, setting up in a minute or two and curing in 4 hours. I have never had the eyes fall off, even after being abused by bluefish in front of me or clam shells in back of me! American Eel. Some beaches are well known as productive haunts for large stripers feasting on eels during the dead of night. Some jetties are as well. This fly was designed with that type of fishery in mind. It is tied with the blend. First, a long length of blend is tied to the rear of the hook shank. Then it is pulled through a short length of braided mylar tubing. The tubing is tied to the hook shank minimizing fouling. The rest of the shank is covered with decreasing 186

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MAGAZINE22e.qxd 6/25/2003 10:31 PM Page 192 lengths of the blend from the rear of the hook forward. The pattern is trimmed and the front portion may be optionally coated with silicone. Sand Eel.

15 MAGAZINE22e.qxd 6/25/ :31 PM Page 192 lengths of the blend from the rear of the hook forward. The pattern is trimmed and the front portion may be optionally coated with silicone. Sand Eel. The offshore waters in New Jersey have an abundance of large sand eels at various times of the year while inshore waters host them in large numbers only occasionally. Similarly, other northern waters find an ever-increasing amount of this versatile bait. I ve patterned two types of realistic sand eel imitations; the first, fashioned after Popovics Jiggy, is available on The second imitation is fairly new and is simply the tip of a dowel stick tied onto the inside of a long shank hook with all subsequent material tied up and over the wooden cone. Eyes are affixed and one light coat of epoxy finishes the job. Hollow Fleye Variations. The winter of 2002 found Bob Popovics creating what is now know as the Hollow Fleye. This style of tying allows one to use the space between tie-in points and the flaring of the materials to achieve a large profile with little material compared to other tying styles. Over the past year, I experimented with several variations based on this style. The patterns I like best are the Large Hollow extended on mono, the Hollow Squid, Hollow Banger, Hollow Semper Banger, and Hollow Semper all tied with natural materials. These patterns are easy to cast and don t foul. Most recently, I ve been experimenting with smaller Hollow Fleyes tied with the blend and trimmed. I find these are yet another way to produce dressings in the 2- to 6-inch length that are again easy to tie, durable, and provide lifelike representations of some of our most common baits. I want to thank Bob Popovics for his help and encouragement! 192

Bob Popovics, Surf Candy.

Bob Popovics, Surf Candy. Designed for durability, the "Surf Candy" was a beginning of a revolution in fly tying. The way epoxy was used made the difference. Utilizing epoxy throughout the entire length