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.
The Faux Bucktail Flatwing updates an old-school pattern with new-school materials.
Replacing bucktail with Fish-Skull Faux Bucktail, adding a mixture of synthetic flash in different textures and colors, and topping it all off with a Fish-Mask brings the Flatwing into the 21st century.
Learn to tie this next-generation fly pattern today!
Fly Recipe
- Hook: Kona Xtra Strong Stinger (XSS), size 1/0
- Tail: Fish-Skull Faux Bucktail
- Tail: Saddle Hackle
- Body: Flat Braid
- Bottom: Faux Bucktail
- Wing 1: Faux Bucktail
- Wing 2: Ice Wing Fiber
- Wing 3: Ripple Ice Fiber
- Lateral Line: Dry Fly Hackle
- Wing 4: Ice Wing Fiber
- Wing (main): Peacock Herl
- Head: Fish-Skull Fish Mask
- Eyes: Surface Seducer Dragon Eyes
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
Intruder Style Flies Are Designed to Provoke Aggressive Strikes From Steelhead.
As the name suggests, the idea is to "intrude" on the steelhead's territory and trigger the "fight" response of fight or flight.
Meahan's Intruder is an approachable pattern for all fly tyers. So many Intruder fly patterns call for some exotic material, but with everyday materials Meahan's Intruder is a good fly for beginning steelhead tyers, but also a quick, good-looking fly for veterans as well.
The small rear loop on the Fish-Skull Senyo's Articulated Shank makes it easy to attach the rear Kona Big Game Hunter hook and allows the shank to be held straight in any vise, avoiding the need to tie the fly at strange angles. Not to mention, the splash of color added from the Senyo's Articulated Shank and the different variations available give you nearly endless color combination options for this fly.
Fly Tying Recipe
Hook Section
- Hook: Kona Big Game Hunter (BGH) hook, size #1
- Tag: Floss
- Body: Sparkle Braid
- Wing: Schlappen
Shank Section
- Shank: Fish-Skull Senyo's Articulated Shank for Steelhead and Salmon Flies, size 40mm
- Tag: Floss
- Body: Sparkle Braid
- Hackle: Schlappen
- Spreader: Deer Hair
- Wing: Schlappen
- Feelers: Ostrich Herl
- Hot Spot Wing: Schlappen