Phish Your Fish Tuesday

After a twice-delayed flight, we landed around 11:00 p.m. and arrived home around midnight.  Then, it was back to work Monday at 6:00.  I will say, I enjoyed the alarm sounding for fishing, but when it sounds for work, it takes on a completely different, much harsher tone.  Having been rather rudely bitten by Deer Flies on one of our days out, it prompts this week's blog hop.  Enjoy one another's post, let others know about the hop, and go fish.

Fly Convention and Invention



Lake Texoma Largemouth Bass



Colorado Bend SP Longear Sunfish

Some flies are better for certain times of year, for example a small, red & white Clouser for White Bass runs, and others are a great fly regardless the season.  I fish often, not as much as I'd like to do, but often enough.  As a result, I use a lot of flies.  One of my favorites is the CodyBugger.  Cody modeled it in WoollyBugger style, but designed a few characteristics just for this fly and added another.  Cody and I love Orvis hooks due to their easily understandable and convenient packaging and really sharp points.  Cody uses an 8808 size 10 and size 12 for the CodyBugger.  Instead of a bead or bead-chain eyes, Cody ties on a small, brass conehead.  He shortens the tail from the typically WoollyBugger, uses Pearl Chenille for the body, and a contrasting grizzly hackle.  In front of the conehead is the new addition; Cody ties on "lips", either red or pink, and the fly is complete.  I love this fly because it catches many different species of fish and many sizes of fish, and oft times, I can use only this one fly and have a 10 - 20 fish day! 



Of course, for me, the CodyBugger will always be special in a way that no one else can experience.  When Cody asked me out on our first date, we were representing the DFF, along with about 15 other tyers, tying flies at Bass Pro Shops, Grapevine.  He asked me to go eat bar-be-que at the Hard Eight; while Cody was asking, he dumped about four CodyBuggers in my hand.  We went on a second date, because the man gave me a fly that caught fish, so I knew we'd have plenty in common and enjoy one another's company.  When Cody asked me to marry him, he tied the engagement ring on to a CodyBugger.  Cody cleverly hiding the ring held up the fly and the proposal began, "What do you think of this fly?" and dropped it in to my hand.  I must admit that is a one-and-only version of the CodyBugger, not to ever be repeated.

Loy Lake White Crappie

Cody and I volunteer with Casting for Recovery as River Helpers.  The first North Texas Retreat was held in November 2009, and our dear friend Diane Blair was preparing to be its leader and coordinator.  The participants learn fly tying while on the retreat, but it seems their newly created flies are too beautiful to get wet.  So, they need a fly to fish and a fly to keep for posterity.  Cody decided that he would alter the CodyBugger slightly just for the 2009 CfR event, and thus, the GirlieBugger was born.  CfR's colors are pink with purple accent.  Keeping that in mind, Cody crafted the GirlieBugger using a pink conehead and deleted the "lips"; the body design remained the same.  There are days when the GirlieBugger is hot, and days when the GirlieBugger catches some fish, but its the CodyBugger the fish hammer.  Either way, I ensure my box has plenty so I can feed the fish what they want.

Lower Mtn. Fork Rainbow Trout, Zone 2

Jason, Cody, and I attended the Dallas Orvis' Fly Fish the Southwest Day, and we heard many great tips and advice on fishing.  Someone in the audience asked Rob Woodruff, discussing bass fishing, about flies.  Rob said for now, to use something that mimics Bream.  Seeing as I have been catching some really nice-size Sunfishes, I began to think about how to tie a fly that mimicked Bream.  Steve Hollensed's presentation covered fishing Lake Texoma.  Steve made several points about the fly needing to imitate Shad.  I looked at Orvis' fly tying materials and found some items that would help with the ideas raging in my head.  

Bass Brunch Gizzard Shad imitation

Bass Brunch Bluegill imitation

I came home and began tying immediately and finally honed the fly to a decent pattern.  I decided to call it the Bass Brunch. I created one for Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass in the colors of a Bluegill, and I tied one for Stripers and White Bass in the colors of a Shad, both Gizzard and Threadfin.  Unfortunately, a cold front blew in to our area today, so the fishing is off, and I can not test out my flies.  I'll give this early spring weather a day or two to warm a little, and then I'll hit the waters for the real test.  Bass Brunch may be a good-looking fly, but if the fish don't bite, then it's the Cody or Girlie Bugger on the end of my line with fish in my net.