Drawing Fish 52 Aurora Trout. A very close relative of the brook trout, this little-known fish makes for some good painting opportunities. Went with a overly saturated aurora theme like week 49′s Greenland char. The colors and shapes of the fish flash and streak above a sparsely forested tundra foreground that surrounds a small lake.

Notes: Worked this out with charcoal and watercolor on Canson 140lb paper, then did the same Photoshoppery as with the Greenland char.

Jeff’s version will be here (we’re both late from last week).

Next up this week: the last DF52 image for the year, followed by an announcement about the 2012 DF52 project. For those of you who liked the flies of 2010, I think you’ll be pleased. For those of you who liked the fish of 2011, I think you’ll be pleased, too….

An alternate vision of the image, going more for a sense of night and reflection:

The delayed Friday Fish Fry from last week: “Tarpon Before the Storm.” This is a quick snap-shot of me videotaping a tarpon release in the northern Yucatan. Not long after this was taken, we realized that our 45-minute trip back to town had been bisected by the leading edge of a huge thunderstorm complex.

The first boat in our group ran the gauntlet before things got really bad, but the boat my father and I were in had to re-fuel before we could rev up. Within minutes of heading out we plowed right into a white, vertical wall of water, punctuated by lightning close enough to warm the air momentarily.

There have been a number times in my life when I’ve genuinely felt that I was in danger of being hit by lightning while fishing. This episode quickly moved to number one on that list! At one point, our guide had to stop the boat because the GPS went out and we literally couldn’t see more than a few dozen yards in any direction. Just sitting like that, on open water, under a storm of that magnitude, was one of the least enjoyable experiences of my life.

Without going into the rest of the story here, we did manage to get back to town, just in time for the rain and lightning to rev up yet another notch. By the next morning, though, the storm system had moved off and the tarpon were back in the shallows once again (and they were hungry).

A well-worn Christmas greeting, but since I’m a bit laid-up at the moment I had to dig into the archives for something pre-made. And in case you are wondering, yes, the above fish-size ratio still applied in 2011 (and yes, I still hold out hope to alter it in my favor in 2012).

Merry Christmas Eve from FF&W.
“Christmas Spey” from last year’s DF52 project.

In case anyone is wondering, this week’s DF52 fish and the Friday Fish Fry have been postponed a bit. My lap very recently had some laparoscopy so I’ll need another day or two before I am back at FF&W. Nothing too serious, just lifted one too many giant steelhead and paid for it with my inguinal canal. Merry Christmas!

A bit of educational info now that tying season is upon those of us in the northern hemisphere. Well, if you’re anything like me, tying season is whenever and wherever you manage to break out the vise. When I was younger and living in the winter wasteland cross-country skiing paradise of northern Wisconsin, though, November through April was definitely tying season. So, with a nod to old times and the “Gary Borger School of Fly Tying” (a.k.a. learning to do it the hard way first), here’s a little introductory piece on dubbing loops (BTW, I generally prefer to use the term “spinning loops” since I grew up using waaay more than just dubbing with this technique). The vid is a little QuickTime-based slice from a tying-kit DVD I did a few years back. I should also mention that the FoxxFurr shown in the vid also goes by the name of “Extra Select Craft Fur” out there in tying land.

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Dubbing/spinning loops are an integral part of my fly-tying skill base. The real key with getting the most from dubbing/spinning loops is to view them as *design tools,* not skills that are locked into a set of patterns. In other words, use them as you see fit, wherever they’ll give you an advantage. With that in mind, I have a “boilerplate” dubbing/spinning loop definition that I use widely: A dubbing/spinning loop is a loop of material(s) into which fibers are inserted and the loop twisted shut. The twisting creates either a dense “dubbing noodle” and/or a three-dimensional (3-D) hackle, depending upon the type(s) of fibers used. The loop can be made from thread, yarn, or any other material(s) that can be made into a twistable loop. The fibers in the loop can be dubbing, hair, feathers or just about any other fibrous material(s). What follows are instructions for forming a basic, thread-only dubbing loop. I’ve set this up as a “tying exercise,” not a set pattern.

(1) Make the loop and take the thread over the loop; (2) Take the thread around behind the loop; (3) Bring the thread back up to the hook shank and lock the loop down.

Get a hook in the vise and wrap the front half of the hook shank with thread, ending at the middle of the shank. This is an easy position on the hook from which to work on your loop skills. Pull approximately six inches of thread from your bobbin, and place a finger of your materials hand in the center of the length of thread (try using your pointer or middle finger). Now bring the bobbin back up to the hook shank (this makes a loop shape) and take a wrap of thread just forward of the loop. This forms a basic, completed loop of thread—a little too basic, however. We need to “lock” this loop, so, (1) take the bobbin (and the thread) back over the top of the loop (this in on your side of the hook), and then (2) around under the loop, bringing the thread back up at (3) the front of the loop. Take a couple more wraps around the hook shank. This locks the top of the loop shut, which allows for a better end result. The dubbing loop can be kept open and as you prepare materials to insert into it by either using a dubbing loop tool (see the video for an example), or by simply by placing the loop around a knob, lever, etc. on your vise until the materials are ready.

At this point, the loop can filled with a variety of materials, twisted tight, and wrapped forward to create a dubbed body, a hackle, or any of a variety of other useful effects. The fine details of dubbing loops and the variations of materials that can be used could fill a small book, but I’ll keep it basic for this post. So, we’re going to look only at the creation of a thread loop, using a basic dubbing-type of material in that loop. This will allow you to start working with loops and get some confidence, and then begin to go for more complex variations later (there are heaps of articles and books out there that have dubbing-loop-based patterns, and a web search will turn up many more, too).

I suggest practicing forming dubbing loops of various sizes and at various positions on the hook until you are feeling comfortable with the process. Try making larger loops (use seven, eight, or more inches of thread to start), and smaller loops (try four or five inches of thread to start). And try making those various loops loops at the rear of the hook, the front of hook, and other places in-between. Once you can make dubbing loops quickly wherever you want them and however large you want them, you’re on the road toward making this skill really useful.

Note: This illustration is shown with dubbing in the loop, as well as longer fibers, ready to make the thoracic area of a basic mayfly nymph. I’m using this illustration for two reasons 1) It gives you a hint about how to do more advanced techniques (dubbing + 3-D hackle); and 2) I’m lazy! I just scanned some of my old illustrations from GB’s Designing Trout Flies book, published back in 1991. With that disclosure out of the way, here’s what you need to know: (4) Use your thumb and forefinger to hold the fibers that you’ll insert into the loop (or use a clip of some sort if you prefer tools); (5) Insert the fibers into the loop and get some tension on the loop so you can more-easily spread the fibers out; (6) Twist the loop tight to create a dubbing “noodle” or “3-D hackle” (or both, as the case my be).

Before you start stuffing your loops full of various fibers (4), take some time to practice with easier stuff like dubbing (see the video for an example of this). The key to getting fibers to sit properly in the loop—and to allow them to be moved more easily in the loop—before the loop is twisted tight, is tension. That tension can be provided by fingers or a tool, but it needs to be there (5). If the loop is under tension and the two strands of the loop are relatively tight against one another (in other words, a closed loop, but not yet twisted), it makes handling of materials much easier. So, practice not only forming and handling loops, but also keeping them under tension after you insert materials.

Handling fibers in the loop can still be a tough thing if you are not used to doing so or if the fibers have a slick surface. Until you get used to handling various materials, you may wish to insert the fibers and then close the loop and give it a half-twist to provide some extra tension. And, when adjusting the position of fibers in the loop (up or down), just touch them lightly with your fingertips as you slowly move your hand up or down along the length of the loop (5, again). This will allow the fibers to be spread out slowly and easily, versus being pulled out of position or potentially being pulled free of the loop.

Once it is time to twist the loop tight (6), you have two options: clockwise or counterclockwise (when looking at the loop end-on from the bottom). I will use either direction depending on what I’m doing, but for this basic discussion, counterclockwise will be the direction of twisting. This helps to keep the loop nicely closed as it is wrapped forward.

As far as wrapping forward goes, make sure that you brush back (with your fingers) any previously wrapped dubbing or 3-D hackle before taking subsequent wraps. This prevents the forward-oriented parts of the dubbing or 3-D hackle from getting trapped under those wraps. Once you get faster with dubbing/spinning loops, you will likely find that you can do the wrap-and-brush-back sequence very quickly. When you’ve wrapped your dubbing or 3-D hackle forward to the needed point, tie-off the loop and admire your handiwork (see the sequence below). Okay, with that out of the way, let’s move onto the video clip….

Above: (left) An example of a dubbing/spinning loop that has been wrapped forward. (middle) Since this fly incorporates a wing-case, the 3-D hackle is pushed down and out of the way to avoid trapping fibers under the case. (right) The wingcase is pulled forward and the fly finished (in this example, the legs have also been trimmed off the bottom of the fly to make a cleaner profile).

The clip below does double-duty, showing how to create and use a basic, thread-only dubbing loop (with coarse dubbing), while also showing a basic (but effective) pattern that can be created with that dubbing. You’ll see me using certain tools, too. They were part of the kit that I mentioned at the start of the post. You can choose to use the same or similar tools, or whatever you prefer. The instructions already covered above can be seen in action in the video. Keep in mind that you certainly don’t have to use the same materials as shown in the vid; indeed, it pays to experiment and see how various materials react when spun in a loop.

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Just got an email from Pete Tyjas at the new e-zine, “Eat Sleep Fish,” and it seems that all the needed pixels are ready for consumption. I did an interview with Pete some time ago, and that interview, along with 15 other articles is now on-line. I go on (and on) about casting, movies, and the one fishing day that I’d really like to re-live. Check it out if you get the chance.

The Drawing Flies 52 image from last year at this time: Winter’s Hope. This was one of my favorite fly drawings of the 2010 project. The full post is here.

DF52 Payara. Wanted something that felt like a prehistoric or even alien nightmare. A fish that the fossil record might reveal, a fish that has a singular, unwavering purpose, a fish that might have been beamed in from another galaxy. The fact that you can go and catch these on flies makes the image feel even more unreal to me. Consider this a field sketch from an alien planet billions of miles away and millions of years in the past.

Notes: Sketched and painted as if this…”thing” was in front of me, set against the acidic water or fiery sky of an alien world.

Available for purchase? If you want something unnerving for your tying room, yes. Contact me directly.

Jeff’s version is here. Fierce, but beautifully painted, of course!

DF52 Greenland char. Only a week late. No excuses, just feeling a little tired. Went for a look of night and aurora, and the shape of fins and spots. Tough piece to paint due to the charcoal drawing (charcoal is all too easily turned into “watercolor”). I like this approach, but would prefer, I think, to use oil, perhaps coupled with some watercolor, to get the right combo of charcoal and paint. Daft Punk’s TRON soundtrack got me through it with the mood I was after, but I still had to do a bit of Photoshop trickery to get the atmospherically charged color I really wanted.

Painting DF52 – 50_Payara in the next 30 minutes or so. Be back in a bit….

Jeff’s beautiful version is here.

This is an Oregon fish, a big-shouldered ‘bow sight fished on a little piece of water that I enjoy visiting now and again. The ‘bow was cruising slowly just off the bottom and sipped a little weighted Flashback PT that I had pitched into its cruising lane. The fish didn’t go slowly once we connected, however, and the first run saw backing out of the tip-top, which surprised me (in a nice way). Kel managed to get a few photos of the fish itself before it recovered and swam off, and I may use those as a basis for a future painting.

A little bit of Photoshoppery on another of Bill Sherer’s massive musky flies—this time a Figure 8 that also happens to be fly 10.19 in the upcoming Long Flies book. The original is 9.5 inches long (and is not purple, of course). I just felt that the fly looked cool (literally) in inverse colors, a la my “Icethroat Trout.”

http://jazzandflyfishing.com/?p=5011

Fly 10.67 from Long Flies shown as two halves (hey, it’s a *long* long fly). This is one of Bill Sherer’s beastly 4/0 BP muskie patterns. Don’t try to be a “hero” with a seven-weight when it comes time to cast these….