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NEED A NEW FLY ROD?
In episode six we will announce rules for entry into a GIVEAWAY for a new St. Croix Connect 8-weight fly rod and a custom Northeast Ohio Angling streamer pack. Pro tip: The rules for entry will include subscribing to our mailing list among a couple of additional items. The full series can be found on our Youtube channel - linked in the footer.
Tie along with us! In collaboration with St. Croix Fly Fishing, we are exploring six of our favorite patterns for a variety of species throughout the Great Lakes region. Each week we will release a new, full-length tying tutorial right here for you to follow along with at home.
Dave Pinczkowski’s Bad Hair Day is an absolute staple pattern for its simplicity, versatility, and function. This thing looks like a hairball when it’s dry, but in the water it swims and darts, triggering strikes as easily as any fly I’ve fished. Smallmouth, largemouth, trout, steelhead, pike, drum, if it eats baitfish it will eat the BHD.
I tie these on Ahrex TP610 hooks in size 1. These are unweighted, so best fished on intermediate and sinking lines.
Tied on the size 1 Ahrex TP650 and fitted with a 5.5mm tungsten bead, the Swim Jig can be fished mid or low in the water column. It quickly penetrates current, making it particularly effective in moderate and fast moving water.
Warmwater or coldwater species, moving or still water, fished fast or slow, the Swim Jig is a versatile fly wherever you deploy it.
The Dub Craw is an ultra simple crayfish imitation that pairs thin rabbit strip claws with a body of laser dub veiled over light chenille. Extra Large bead chain eyes fastened to the underside of an Ahrex TP650 help the fly ride hook point-up and drop the fly in the water column. Available in size 1, they are ideal craw patterns for largemouth and smallmouth bass, but have fooled a variety of warm and cold water species in the Midwest.
The Jackrabbit is a single-hook baitfish imitator originally designed for smallmouth and largemouth bass. It incorporates lead wraps on the hook bend to keel the fly and help it gain depth. It is comprised of rabbit strip, marabou, filler flash, and laser dub, and tied on Ahrex PR330 hooks in sizes 1 and 2.
The Jackrabbit Lite - the same baitfish pattern tied weightless on an Ahrex XO774 hook is also available upon request. This version has a wider hook gap, and fishes better in skinny water.
*Eye color varies
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