Weekly Meeting Schedule

In person meetings resume Tuesday September 21st at 7:00 pm College of DuPage in the TEC Building room 1038B.

What you need to know…

Pursuant to the policies of the College of DuPage, until further notice by DRiFT’s Board of Directors, masks must be properly worn at any such meeting and participants will be asked to provide proof of having had a complete COVID-19 vaccination protocol.

DRiFT will also be streaming, via Zoom, all upcoming in-person meetings for those of you who cannot attend.

The pattern was originally developed for the saltwater Red Drum, but it works equally well for freshwater fish of the sunfish family. It's also effective on the only native subtropical fish to the United States the Rio Grande Perch. It also fools Carp and Catfish. It's versatile and easy to tie, but most of all it catches fish.

Materials:

Tan thread 140 denier

Small hour glass lead eyes

Standard wet/nymph hook sz. 8-12

Barred red legs

Peacock herl or similar synthetic

Speckled tan legs

I’ll be using the following recipe:

Hook:  Umpqua U002 size 14 dry fly hook.

Thread: gray Veevus 14/0

Tail:  brown and grizzly hackle fibers mixed

Body:  Super Fine Dubbing- Adams Gray

Hackle:  brown and grizzly hackle mixed.

The Black Ghost fly pattern comes from Maine and was developed by Herbert Welch in 1927.  The pattern quickly grew in popularity among those  targeting salmon, steelhead and trout.  It can be tied in several styles and sizes and is most often tied on a 2xl or longer streamer hook.  The tyer can use marabou, deer tail hair or strung hackle for the white wing.

Materials: 

Thread:  6/0 Black

Hook:  #6, 2xl streamer

Tail: Yellow strung hackle barbs

Body: Black floss, dubbing or yarn

Rib: Oval tinsel, medium

Beard:  Yellow strung hackle barbs

Wing:  White marabou

The version shown is tied to mimic European Bullheads which are multi-colored.

The US version should be tied in local Bullhead colors, usually solid black or dark grey.

This is a European pattern used for trout and could be substituted for a sculpin.

It is fished on the bottom or the swing and stripped.

Materials:

Hook: 3X or 4X long streamer hook, size 2 or 1/0

Weight: Non-lead wire with partial double wrap  .20 inch wire

Tail and Fins: pheasant hen or grouse body feathers

Body: Medium-stiff synthetic fibers (EP Trigger Point)

The fly we will be tying is well known in the upper regions of New York state on rivers such as the AuSable.  The Usual is a fly designed and tied by Fran Betters at his Adirondack Sports Shop in Wilmington, NY.  This is one of those flies that once treated with floatant is very hard to sink.  It is simple to tie, using only thread and a hare's foot.  Loosely based on Mr. Betters' Haystack pattern, the Usual makes for great attractor pattern in your fly box.

Materials:

Hook: Dry fly size 12 to 22

Thread: Grey (Traditional) or Fluorescent orange

Tail and wing: Cream (Traditional) or other color snowshoe hare foot

Body: Dubbing of the same color snowshoe hare guard hair

The Murdich Minnow is considered by some to be the best Fly for Smallmouth Bass. It works great to cast against the bank and then strip back to simulate a fleeing bait fish.

Materials:

HOOK: TMC8089 size 10

THREAD: White 6/0 thread (GSP can be used )

TAIL: Silver Flashabou over pearl Flashabou over white bucktail

COLLAR: Silver Flashabou over white Ice Fur

BODY/HEAD: Pearl Estaz, top colored with cool gray Pantone pen. 

EYES: 3-D molded, size 5.0

GLUE: Super glue gel, or E6000

An alternative to spinning deer hair. The Gurgler was developed by well renown Jack Gartside for saltwater strippers and blues.  It has emerged as a popular pattern suitable for many different top water variations targeting many fish species.  This is a Gurgler ‘meat eating’ pattern by Paul Noble.

Materials:

Hook:  1/0 heavy stinger wide gap hook.

Thread:  Brown or tan to match foam, 280 UTC Ultra Thread, UNI 6/0 (or similar thread that can be flattened to secure foam without cutting, black can also be used). 

Body: 2 mm brown or tan foam.

Underbody: 4 strung saddle feathers; 2 brown and 2 grizzly brown or tan for contrast.

Tail: rubber band or suede leather strip.