Fly of the Month 04.22
Let’s take a look at a fly pattern that is designed for warmwater but can be effective in coldwater as well. One specific stream comes to mind that requires such a fly pattern - the North and South Forks of the New River in Ashe and Allegheny counties. For that matter, any marginal trout stream that also has smallmouth bass comes to mind as well. Almost every delayed harvest trout stream in North Carolina is a marginal trout stream that harbors smallmouth bass making this an interesting fly pattern to carry.
This fly pattern is highly effective in stillwater as well. If you practice your fly casting on a bass pond, this is the perfect fly pattern. If you fly fish a mountain pond that contains trout, this is the perfect fly pattern. If you fish for smallmouth bass in the slow waters in a delayed harvest stream, this is the perfect fly pattern.
Stealth Bomber
The Stealth Bomber is a foam fly pattern designed by Kent Edmonds. The fly pattern acts like both a diver and a slider depending on the aggressiveness of your retrieve. It was ideally designed and tied for freshwater largemouth bass and bluegill sunfish. However, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, rock bass as well as trout will strike this fly pattern aggressively.
The position and shape of the foam allows the fly pattern to be both a slider and a diver. The foam is tied in a loop which creates an air pocket when retrieved, diving down with a captured bubble of air. The generation of air bubbles creates a noisy disturbance on the surface that fish can not resist territorially. Keeping the foam on the top of the hook shank helps this fly pattern sit lower and increases the amount of hook ups as compared to traditional warmwater divers and sliders.
Although the foam is best prepared with a form cutter, the template for the fly pattern may be copied and sized instead. Black, chartreuse, orange, white and yellow are favorite colors that are well proven to be highly effective depending on water clarity. The larger sizes make it difficult to also catch sunfish, thus, use small sizes for a variety catch and large sizes to limit your catch to bass and trout.
Fly of the Month 04.22
Stealth Bomber
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
Let’s take a look at a fly pattern that is designed for warmwater but can be effective in coldwater as well. One specific stream comes to mind that requires such a fly pattern - the North and South Forks of the New River in Ashe and Allegheny counties. For that matter, any marginal trout stream that also has smallmouth bass comes to mind as well. Almost every delayed harvest trout stream in North Carolina is a marginal trout stream that harbors smallmouth bass making this an interesting fly pattern to carry.
This fly pattern is highly effective in stillwater as well. If you practice your fly casting on a bass pond, this is the perfect fly pattern. If you fly fish a mountain pond that contains trout, this is the perfect fly pattern. If you fish for smallmouth bass in the slow waters in a delayed harvest stream, this is the perfect fly pattern.
Stealth Bomber
The Stealth Bomber is a foam fly pattern designed by Kent Edmonds. The fly pattern acts like both a diver and a slider depending on the aggressiveness of your retrieve. It was ideally designed and tied for freshwater largemouth bass and bluegill sunfish. However, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, rock bass as well as trout will strike this fly pattern aggressively.
The position and shape of the foam allows the fly pattern to be both a slider and a diver. The foam is tied in a loop which creates an air pocket when retrieved, diving down with a captured bubble of air. The generation of air bubbles creates a noisy disturbance on the surface that fish can not resist territorially. Keeping the foam on the top of the hook shank helps this fly pattern sit lower and increases the amount of hook ups as compared to traditional warmwater divers and sliders.
Although the foam is best prepared with a form cutter, the template for the fly pattern may be copied and sized instead. Black, chartreuse, orange, white and yellow are favorite colors that are well proven to be highly effective depending on water clarity. The larger sizes make it difficult to also catch sunfish, thus, use small sizes for a variety catch and large sizes to limit your catch to bass and trout.
Fly of the Month 04.22
Stealth Bomber
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
Stealth Bomber
Recipe :
Hook : Stinger style or Daiichi 2200 4x streamer size 4,6,8,10,12
Thread : UTC 140 Chartruese
UnderBody : Diamond Braid, Cactus Chennille or dubbing in Chartruese
Wing : Opal Tinsel
OverBody : 2mm Chartruese Foam
Tail : Opal Tinsel and Chatruese Bucktail
Legs : Round rubber or Silicone barred
Color may vary - yellow, black, blue, white are all options
Recipe :
Hook : Stinger style or Daiichi 2200 4x streamer size 4,6,8,10,12
Thread : UTC 140 Chartruese
UnderBody : Diamond Braid, Cactus Chennille or dubbing in Chartruese
Wing : Opal Tinsel
OverBody : 2mm Chartruese Foam
Tail : Opal Tinsel and Chatruese Bucktail
Legs : Round rubber or Silicone barred
Color may vary - yellow, black, blue, white are all options
- Debarb and mount the hook. Tie in thread behind the eye and advance in tight touching turns to the hook bend.
- Select five or six strands of Opal Tinsel and tie in at the straight shank just before the bend. Tie in by trapping the middle of the tinsel with the thread on top of the hook shank and advance the thread almost to the eye while keeping the thread on top of the shank. Return the thread in the same fashion to the bend keeping the tinsel on top again. This will make a smooth body.
- Select a clump of bucktail and trim from the hide. It is not necessary to stack the bucktail, just clean out the very short fibers with your thumb and index finger. Place the bucktail on top of the hook shank where the tinsel was tied in and advance the thread to near the eye trapping the bucktail like you did the tinsel. Trim the bucktail by holding the scissors in line with the top of the hook shank which will leave a forty five degree slope. Cover that slope with a few thread wraps and advance the thread back to the bend.
- Make up the foam body by trimming a length of about four inches long by ¾ wide. This will vary with the size hook and is based on a size 6 Daiichi 2200. Using the scissors cut a thirty degree section on the length about an inch long and leave about one half or less uncut. This will make the triangle needed for the head. Trim the length starting and that thirty degree cut for the rest of the length of the foam. It will look like an exaggerated “Y”. Tie this in at the bend so that the base of the triangle is at the hook eye. Make several wraps to secure and do not advance the thread,
- Select a three inch length of diamond braid, advance the thread to immediately in front of the foam tied in at the bend. Secure the diamond braid immediately in front of the foam and advance the diamond braid on top of the hook shank to the eye with firm thread wraps. Wrap the diamond braid in tight touching wraps to the thread and secure with two or three wraps and trim the waste.
- Pull the foam slightly and make two or three wraps on the foam where the triangle base touches the hook shank. Do not crowd the eye. Once that is secure, collect the length of foam that is now facing away from the eye to where the triangle base was tied in and secure after making the hump of foam to your liking. Tie this in where the triangle base was tied in. Apply Zap A Gap at both thread ties. Trim the excess foam from this second section immediately in front of the thread wraps.
- Retrieve left over or cut additional opal tinsel and tie these in on top of the foam to form a wing.
- Fold the triangle piece of foam back toward the eye trapping the tinsel and forming the head. The length should be about one half the distance to the bend. Make several wraps to secure.
- Select two lengths of rubber legs. Tie in on the near side first and then the far side making several thread wraps. Whip finish and trim the thread. The legs are whatever length you choose.