Flymen Blog
This frog imitation fishes super well... and looks like it will hop out of your fly box on its own.
Ken Capsey's Japeto Frog is easily one of the most fun flies I have ever tied!
The target species for the Japeto Frog is bass (smallmouth, largemouth, spotted), but pike, musky, and even snakeheads are targetable with this fly as well.
When fishing the Japeto Frog, cast to lily pads, moss, grass, weeds, or any structure close to the bank. Typically, fishing a frog pattern is noticeably faster than other topwater patterns, but observe and let the fish tell you the speed you should be moving with.
Fly Recipe
- Feet: Sili-Legs
- Body: Craft Foam
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Front Legs: Sili-Legs
You can follow Ken Capsey on Instagram @pike_picker.
What makes fly fishing the Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota area special is this is the wild native range of warm water species.
When most people think about fly fishing Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, they think of trout. When you think of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, you think of warm water species.
We have some of the best smallmouth bass and muskie fishing in the world. It's all right here, as well as arguably the best carp fishing when it comes to pursuing them in the Great Lakes.
The upper Midwest is such a rad area for fly fishing and there's a very small group of outfitters that are providing guided trips at an elite level. We offer single day and multi-day trips, and if you've never done a multi-day guided fly fishing trip, I'd definitely recommend one to the Midwest. It allows you as an angler to get into a groove, especially if you're a busy person that generally doesn't have a lot of time to fish.
Bass like to party, which is what makes them the most chased game fish in the United States.
Aggressive eats, jumps, and willingness to eat on the surface make bass a fun fish to chase, especially on the fly. Personally, I think the topwater takes are where it’s at in bass fly fishing. Part of the fun is getting the fish to eat what you want it to eat.
If you’re set on getting bass to eat on the surface and it’s not working, before you give up and switch over to fishing a streamer, try dialing it back first. That’s where the topwater finesse comes into play.
Everyone Can Use a Few Good Crawfish Patterns in Their Fly Box
The thing with crawfish fly patterns is you tend to lose them in the rocks faster than you can tie some of the intricate flies that imitate these bottom-dwellers. The Fish-Skull CrawBody on the Sparkle Craw makes tying a crawfish imitation foolproof and fast.
But what is a Crawfish pattern if it doesn't get to the bottom? The Fish-Skull Shrimp & Cray Tail gets the Sparkle Craw to the bottom in no time.
Fly Recipe
- Hook: Kona Nymph Streamer 2XL (NS2), size #6
- Tail: Fish-Skull Shrimp & Cray Tail, medium
- Under Body: Ice Dub
- Antennae: Magnum Sili Legs
- Under Antennae: Fish-Skull Faux Bucktail
- Rib: Mono
- Over Body: Fish-Skull CrawBody, large
Learn To Tie Chase Howard’s Extended Body Drake, a Nymph With Movement That Is Out of This World
Dead drifting this fly into a swing works flawlessly as the Nymph-Head Evolution tungsten beadhead will get the fly deep quick, and as the fly swings, the Wiggle-Tail Shank offers tons of extra movement.
The weight of the bead isn't a compromise for realism as the Evolution Mayfly Swimmer & Burrower tungsten beadhead is molded after the common mayfly swimmer and burrower head profile – oval, elongated, and gracefully curved at the front but flattened at the back near the thorax with prominent, egg-shaped eyes.
We hope you enjoy tying and fishing this fly!
Fly Recipe
Rear
- Rear Shank: Nymph-Head Wiggle-Tail Shank
- Tail: Pheasant Tail
- Wing Case: Pheasant Tail
- Body: Rabbit/Synthetic Dubbing Blend
Front
- Hook: Kona Terrestrial Nymph Dry (TND), size #10
- Bead: Nymph-Head Evolution Mayfly Swimmer & Burrower tungsten beadhead, large, brown
- Connection to Tail Shank: Fluorocarbon Tippet, 2X
- Tail: Soft Hackle
- Wing Case 1: Pheasant Tail
- Body: Rabbit/Synthetic Dubbing Blend
- Legs: Soft Hackle Fibers
- Wing Case 2: Pheasant Tail
- Body: Rabbit/Synthetic Dubbing Blend
- Legs: Soft Hackle Fibers
- Collar: Rabbit/Synthetic Dubbing Blend