Black Hills Fly Fishing

Tying the Tungsten Psycho Nymph

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:42:00 +0000

This is a great nymph from Solitude flies. We used this pattern many a day this past summer. In the smaller sizes it does a great job imitating a variety of mayfly nymphs. It is also a good attractor when tied in larger sizes.

Happy Tying

Dakota Angler & Outfitter

www.flyfishsd.com

Tying the CDC Beetle

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:13:00 +0000

Beetles and Ants are some of trouts favorite summer foods. This pattern has done me well the past couple of summers. It was my go to fly on the fish in our catch and release area. Fish that had repeatedly refused other offering would often take this fly on the first presentation. The fact that it is easy to tie is a bonus.

Happy Tying

Dakota Angler & Outfitter

www.flyfishsd.com

Tying the Palomino Midge

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:12:00 +0000

An awesome pattern from Tier Bret Smith. Easy to tie and it catches finicky fish. Three versions are shown in this video- Antron Winged, CDC Winged, and Deer Hair Winged.

This fly is one we are starting to fish again, after an unexplained hiatus. Dave Gamet reluctantly showed me the deer hair version a number of years ago and I am glad he did!

This is a versatile pattern worthy enough to be every trout fishers box.

Happy Tying

Dakota Angler & Outfitter

www.flyfishsd.com

Tying the Little Black Stonefly

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:12:00 +0000

The dry fly season starts in earnest with the hatches of little black stoneflies. In the Black Hills these bugs start hatching in March and some years the hatches continue into May. This pattern fools the trickier more selective fish, while a black-fly fly will do the trick on the rest.

Happy Tying

Dakota Angler & Outfitter

www.flyfishsd.com

605-341-2450

Tying the Cranefly Larva

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:10:00 +0000

Craneflies are an often overlooked trout food. A version of this pattern was shown to me in my first summer of fly fishing. I will be forever grateful to that unknown angler for clueing me into craneflies. This pattern has been very effective on Black Hills streams, and has worked well on larger tailwaters such as the Bighorn. In recent insect sampling we have seen an increasing number of Cranefly larvae in Rapid Creek. Stay tuned for the adult cranefly pattern.

Happy Tying

Dakota Angler & Outfitter
605-341-2450
www.flyfishsd.com

Tying Barr's Slumpbuster

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 04:34:00 +0000

Ryan and I have been using this fly quite a bit over the past year. It has worked well on trout in Black Hills streams, bass on the Missouri, and it caught Ryan's biggest brown on the Bighorn. Tie this in Black, Olive, Barred Flesh, Brown, or Barred Ginger. It will do you proud. This is another great pattern from the inventor of the Copper John, John Barr. It is featured in his great book- Barr Flies.

Tying the Rabbit Strip Jig-Fly

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:38:00 +0000

This has been the most productive type of fly for me when fishing for smallmouth bass on the Missouri River near Pierre, South Dakota. This rabbit strip version is more durable than my version that utilizes grizzly marabou. Both are very effective. Tie this pattern onto your tippet with a no slip loop knot.

Happy Tying

Tying Don's Bully Bugger

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:48:00 +0000

A quick but deadly tie from the vise of resident Carp Master Don Polovich. The Bully Bugger is just about all you need to catch smallmouth and carp over on the Missouri River. Well, that and Don's Benson Dry Fly, but as they say "that's another video".

Happy Tying

Dakota Angler & Outfitter
605-341-2450
www.flyfishsd.com

Tying the Wire Bodied Baetis Nymph

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:10:00 +0000

This is a design I have been tinkering with for a while. I like the wire body for weight and segmentation, the wing buds, and the tail leg combo are coming together. Small baetis nymph are a staple of trout diets in our neck of the woods. We are always looking for something else to throw at them. Previous versions of this fly have done well for me and I am looking forward to catching fish on this one. Our baetis nymphs range in size from size 18 down to 22-24's. These small sized nymphs don't allow for overly complicated flies. This fly isn't too difficult to tie and has a few features that are sure to get the fishes attention.

Happy Tying

Dakota Angler & Outfitter
605-341-2450
www.flyfishsd.com

Tying the CDC Bubble Winged Caddis

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 06:54:00 +0000

Here is a great fly from Oliver Edwards outstanding DVD "Essential Patterns Vol. 1". Check out this DVD for several more cracking patterns. I tie this in a few sizes for the caddis hatches found here in the black hills. Sizes 14-16 are particularly well suited for the waters I fish. The color schemes of light brown to tan work best for the hatches I fish. Happy Tying

Tying the Crystal Wooly Bugger

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 06:52:00 +0000

A classic fly for us here at Dakota Angler & Outfitter. We have used this fly for many years for black hills trout, bass, carp, and panfish. Tie it with or without a beadhead. Vary the colors from black to olive to brown. They all work. A great fly for a beginning fly tyer.

Tying the Bunny Dun

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:19:00 +0000

This comparadun style of fly is quicker to tie than its deer hair winged cousin. The snowshoe rabbit hair floats well and has a great texture. Use it to imitate mayflies on your home water. In the hills we tie these to match PMDs, baetis, and tricos.

Tying the CDC Midge Emerger II

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:19:00 +0000

This is a hybrid between a palamino midge and a morgan's midge. A versitle fly to have in a midge hatch, it can imitate an emerger as well as a stuck in the shuck midge. Tie them in this color scheme or come up with your own. Don't overdo the floatant. Just a smear on the wing and hackle will do.

Tying the Tape-Wing Caddis

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:55:00 +0000

Oliver Edwards gave me the idea for the wing. An early version of this fly appeared in his Flytyers Masterclass. I have tied the Edwards version of this fly with deer hair for legs and it works great. I have used this cdc legged version and it works too. Whatever floats your caddis. The technique for the wing is great. I am sure you will put it to good use.

Tying a Soft Hackle

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:39:00 +0000

Soft hackles have been around for a long, long time. In the video I say a hundred years; well, I looked it up, try 500 years! There must be a reason- ah yes, they catch fish. These are simple flies to tie and they work extremely well. Experiment with various color schemes and materials.

Tying the CDC Midge Emerger

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:22:00 +0000

The CDC Midge Emerger is a dynamite small pattern originated by Shane Stalcup. Tied by Hans Stephenson of Dakota Angler & Outfitter in Rapid City, South Dakota. The CDC soft hackle give the fly movement and traps air bubbles that mimic an emerging midge pupa. Fish this pattern deep behind a copper john. It can also be fished below the surface behind a dry fly such as a parachute adams.

Tying the Klinkhammer Special

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:30:00 +0000

Here is a spectacular searching dry fly. This fly will bring fish to the surface when others can't. Fish it along the current seam in riffles and choppy water. This pattern does a great job imitating an emerging caddis, but also is taken for a terrestrial trapped in the film. Grease the post and hackle, but leave the floatant off of the body. The body of the fly should hang down below the surface.

Ryan Gabert put this fly to the test this past summer and found it to be very effective for trout in the Black Hills. It also worked well for cruising carp on the Missouri River.

Tie some in various colors. Two color schemes to focus on are the tan version showed in this video and a black bodied version.

Tying the CDC Mayfly Dun

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 03:08:00 +0000

Here is another fly to put in the quick but effective file. Despite being easy to tie, it doesn't have any problem fooling fussy fish. I tie this fly in various colors to match baetis, PMDs, and PEDs here in the hills. It does require some special attention to keep it dry. I use an amadou drying patch to dry the fly after catching a fish. Follow the amadou with a treatment of desiccant floatant. The example in the video is tied to match a baetis (aka Blue Winged Olive) mayfly dun. Happy tying...

Tying Hans' Carp Nymph

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:02:00 +0000

Stock your boxes with these great flies for the upcoming Carp Season. this easy to tie nymph has been very productive for me the past couple of summers. Fish it in front of tailing carp. Make sure to lead the carp with your cast so the fly has time to sink. As the carp approaches make a short 1-3" strip to attract the carp's attention. Wait for the take. Strip set to set the hook. My favorite color variations use root beer, gold, or pearlescent olive estaz.

Using the Hunchback Scud

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:06:00 +0000

Here is a video of the Hunchback in Action. I don't mean me with my bulky hip pack, but rather the fly. It did very well this past Sunday on Rapid Creek. This was a beautiful brown trout.

Tying the Hunchback Scud

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:02:00 +0000

Here is the Hunchback Scud, it was my best fly from over the weekend. We have used it quite a bit over the last couple of years. We started buying them from Umpqua Feather Merchants, who got it from tyer Michael McLellan. We love the profile and the weight provided from the lead triangle. I usually tie them in olive, tan rainbow, or UV shrimp pink. The video is a bit jumpy at times from some camera bumping and editing. Enjoy

Tying the Bubble Back Midge

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:58:00 +0000

This is a great pattern that we used to keep a guide secret. Now the secret is out. Tie some up and catch a few finicky fish.

New Video- Tying the F-Fly

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:13:00 +0000

Here is a great fly to stock your box with. It is a quick and easy tie. I have been using it for the past year with great results. Two weeks ago it took 5 fish during a midge hatch on Rapid Creek. Check it out!

Tying a Czech Nymph

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:39:00 +0000

Here you go, video numero dos- Tying a Czech Nymph

New- Tying Whitlock's Red Fox Squirrel Nymph

flyfish@rapidnet.com (Hans Stephenson) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:27:00 +0000

Tying Whitlock's Red Fox Squirrel Nymph