„DETLEF“ Step By Step – aka TFFKAPF

The step by step tutorial about the PINK FLUFFY is destroyed. It don’t know why, but it was not shown right on the blog. So I did it again and I gave the fly a new name, because I didn’t like Pink Fluffy anymore.

So I called the fly „DETLEF“ – also known as the fly formerly known as PINK FLUFFY. Why? Don’t know , it just fits.

Pink Fluffy SBS (26)

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/150781439[/vimeo]

 

You can fish for sea trout even in the winter time. It’s a very hard kind of fishing with temperatures sometimes under 0°C, but there is a chance to catch an awesome „Silberbarren“. It’s common knowledge, that sea trouts like the color pink, especially in the cold season. It’s also common knowledge, that sometimes, the sea trouts like a very slow retrieve. For that situations, the DETLEF is a really good choise. The soft materials move very nice in the water, even if you strip the fly in very slowly. On the other hand, it’s not very complicated to tie and when you use other colors like beige, tan and brown, you got a very nice shrimp pattern for the rest of the year.

One very important point: Don’t use too much material! Less is more!

Materials used for this fly:

  • Hook: Gamakatsu F314 # 6
  • Weight: Lead Wire fine
  • Dubbing: Ice Dub Pearl, SLF Saltwater Dubbing Pink and SLF Saltwater Dubbing White/ Pearl
  • Front: Mallard, Pink Hackle Fibres
  • Antennas: Fluoro Fibre Pink
  • Eyes: Selfmade Shrimp Eyes
  • Horn: Polar Dub White Transparent
  • Loop-Hackle: White CDC and Pink Hackle
  • Back: Mallard
  • Thread: Veevus GSP 50D White

Pink Fluffy SBS (1)

Do a little drop of superglue on the shank and wind on some fine lead wire.

Pink Fluffy SBS (2) Pink Fluffy SBS (3) Pink Fluffy SBS (4)

Form a little dubbing ball with the ice dub at the end and tie in some fibres of Mallard.

Pink Fluffy SBS (5) Pink Fluffy SBS (6)

Take a bit of pink SLF and tie it in.

Pink Fluffy SBS (8) Pink Fluffy SBS (9) Pink Fluffy SBS (10)

Take some long soft fibres from a pink hackle and tie them in as shown. Add some strands of pink Fluoro Fibre antennas.

Pink Fluffy SBS (11) Pink Fluffy SBS (12) Pink Fluffy SBS (13)

Dub a little ball with Ice Dub and tie in the shrimp eyes. The dubbing ball will seperate the eyes in a nice way.

Pink Fluffy SBS (14)

Take some Polar Dub in white and tie it in as a horn.

Pink Fluffy SBS (15) Pink Fluffy SBS (16)

Form a thread loop and then dub the body with the SLF.

Pink Fluffy SBS (17) Pink Fluffy SBS (18)

Put a big white CDC feather on the Petitjean Magic Tool and push it in by using a pink hackle.

Pink Fluffy SBS (19) Pink Fluffy SBS (20) Pink Fluffy SBS (21) Pink Fluffy SBS (22)

Grab the fibres with the clamp of the Magic Tool and and cut off the stems. Then put the fibres in the waxed thread loop and twist the loop.

Pink Fluffy SBS (23)

Wind the hackle fibres-CDC-Mix around the body and catch it with your thread.

Pink Fluffy SBS (24) Pink Fluffy SBS (25)

Some fibres from a Mallard feather will be used for the back of the fly. So, the fly swims in the right position and the black/white gives a great extra contrast. Do one or two whip finish and use some varnish to secure the knot. That’s it! Detlef is ready!

„Der Loppo“ Step By Step Tutorial

Der Loppo (1)

I was asked so often in the last time for a step by step tutorial for the Sea Trout fly „Der Loppo“, that I finally made one.

Der Loppo (2)

This fly isn’t something „brand new“, „the next revolution“, „the game changer“ or anything like this. It’s just a mix of some ingredients of good flies mixed together to a fly, which I personally like and in which I put my faith when fishing. I made flies for my fishing in the past, which looked quite similar, but this is the final outcome.

Der Loppo (2-1)

Its got a nice semi translucency, it’s not too bright and not too unimpressive.  You can tie it in different colors. I also like tan/white and orange as a color combination very much.

Der Loppo (3)

This example fly is tied on a hook size 4, but you can also tie it in size 6 with shorter fibres, when you want to fish it slower and the Sea Trouts just nibble on the longer fibres.

Der Loppo (4)

I even got a variation with black hackles and hot orange trigger points for murky water… looks very cool, too!

Der Loppo (5)

 

Ok, let’s start the step by step with a list of the materials:

  • Hook: Gamakatsu F314 #4
  • Weight: Lead Wire or substitute
  • Dubbing: Ice Dub Pearl, SLF Saltwater Dub White/Pearl
  • Mouth Part: Mallard and SLF Dub Pink
  • Hackles: Whiting Spey Hackle and a Grizzly Hackle stripped on one side
  • Horn: Senyos Laser Dub Gray
  • Antennas: Fluoro Fibre Pink
  • Eyes: Mono Eyes selfmade
  • Ribbing: Mono
  • Thread: 50D GSP white and 70D Uni Fluo Pink

Der Loppo SBS (1) Der Loppo SBS (2)

Put the hook into the vise and wind the lead wire arounf the shank. To secure the lead, you could use a little drop of super glue. Attach the thread and form with the Ice Dub a little tight dubbing ball at the end of the shank.

Der Loppo SBS (3)Der Loppo SBS (4)

Tie in the Mallard and the pink SLF as „mouth parts“.

Der Loppo (4-1) Der Loppo SBS (5) Der Loppo SBS (6)

The first spey hackle should be tied in like shown. It’s easier to wind it around this way. Go back with your tying thread to the little bump and secure so the thin fragile stem of the spey hackle. For a little extra color, tie in some Fluoro Fibres in pink.

Der Loppo SBS (7)

I like to tie in some extra long hackle fibres for the extra movement. If you think they are too long, just skip this tying step.

Der Loppo SBS (8) Der Loppo SBS (9) Der Loppo SBS (10)

Split the thread and put some Ice Dub in the gap, then twist the bobbin and wind the dubbing around. After that, give the dubbing a brush with your velcro.

Der Loppo SBS (11)

Now the eyes and the mono for ribbing should be tied in.

Der Loppo SBS (12)

For the horn section, tie in the Laser dub and do a first turn with the white/pearl SLF Saltwater Dub.

Der Loppo SBS (13) Der Loppo SBS (14) Der Loppo SBS (15) Der Loppo SBS (16)

Tie in the grizzly hackle which was stripped on one side and dub the body using the SLF Saltwater Dub. Wind the grizzly hackle to the eye and leave enough space for the final hackle. Secure the hackle by ribbing the body incl. the hackle with the mono and catch it with the tying thread. Don’t forget the ribbing! ;) At the end, give the body and the hackle a strong brush with your velcro. The mix of hackle and SLF looks really cool in the water.

Der Loppo SBS (17)

Der Loppo SBS (18)

Wind around the second spey hackle and again secure the stem with your thread. It doesn’t matter, when in looks a bit bulky.

Der Loppo SBS (19)

Take some extra spey fibres and tie them on top as a back. Looks in the water like the shrimp shell and makes sure the fly will always swim straight.

Der Loppo SBS (20) Der Loppo SBS (21)

Do a whip finish with the GSP thread and cut it of. Then do a nice head using the fluo pink thread as a trigger point. Varnish the head or use Bug Bond uv resin to get a nice, shiny head.

That’s it!

Der Loppo ist fertig! :)  I wish you a lot of fun tying and fishing this fly!

Freestyle Emerger or Thoughts About Errors

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Sometimes, I tie flies without a special purpose. I just think „I want to tie a fly, maybe an emerger would be cool.“ I open some drawers and take a look at my hooks, thinking how the fly (or in this case the ermerger) could look like. Then, I’m thinking about the tail, the ribbing, the abdomen, …., step by step until the fly is finished. I believe when you go this way, you often try something different and that’s the way you improve your skills and knowledge. There are errors, of course, but even errrors improve your knowledge.

A short example: You are sitting in front of your vise and you’ve tied a beautiful mayfly with awesome natural foil wings. Looking really good. You go to the river with the beautiful winged mayfly on the end of your leader. You do the first cast and….. the wings made a propeller out of your fly. Impossible to cast, impossible to fish. The leader is totally twisted after just one cast. Error. You’ve learned something, next time, you will tie your fly different and so you improve your knowledge.

Fancy Emerger Bodies

I just love these sexy bodies. Easy to tie and the result is awesome.

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Loop Wing Emerger #14

I tied this emerger on a D1160 Daiichi Klinkhammer hook and gave it a nice fancy look for the abdomen. Great fly for grayling on cloudy days with not to much light. IMG_6497-1-4

CDC Spinner #16

IMG_6337-1

Some Spinner #16

Materials:

  • Hook: D04BL from Troutline
  • Tail: Coq de Leon
  • Abdomen: Polish Quills secured with Bug Bond UV Resin
  • Thorax: Oliver Edwards Masterclass Dubbing
  • Wings and WIngcase: CDC
  • Thread: GSP 50D

„Flybei Special“

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Alex Keus from FLYBEI Fly Fishing School and Guide Service said to me, that I should tie a „FLYBEI-Nymph“. I asked how it should look like and he just answered „Surprise me!“.

I know that he’s great in modern nymph techniques, so it has to be a Hanak hook and a little 3mm tungsten bead. Then I remembered, that we once talked about the dubbing I recently bought and he said I’d forgetten to buy the best – the blue one! Ok, he likes blue… time to use the blue Polish Quills. I’ve never used this color before. Just a little Coq de Leon tail and some Peacock Dubbing and the fly is finished. He likes simple nymphs, which sinks extremly fast, so no legs or fancy CDC on this nymph, which slows down the sinking speed of the fly. I hope he likes it! ;-)

Slick Jim

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Click to enlarge for a better quality of the picture

  • Tungsten Bead
  • Hanak # 14
  • Coq de Leon
  • Fluo Thread
  • Polish Quills
  • Peacock Dubbing
  • Bug Bond UV Resin