Fly fishing and tying are just in the blood.”
One of the attributes of an accomplished fly tier is that all of his patterns share common characteristics and look pretty much alike. You can usually tell that the same individual made all of them. Flip through the chapters of this book, and youll see what I mean: each collection of flies seems like a separate family. Every tier has his preferences with respect to materials selection and proportions, and how polishedor bedraggled and buggyhis finished flies look.
Vince Wilcox is a talented fly designer, an experienced guide, and a fly-shop owner. He is also a leader in using the latest materials to create better fish-catching flies. At first, some of his flies look a little whacky, but Vince doesnt have time for nonsense; as a guide, he must get his clients into fish, and he creates new patterns that achieve that goal.
Youll quickly recognize Vinces patterns as newyou might even say newfangleddesigns. Let me assure you that there is nothing newfangled about his flies. Each pattern is well thought out and thoroughly tested; many evolved after several years of testing on the water. Vince boldly uses new ingredients in bold ways, and the ability of his flies to catch fish makes them bestsellers in his shop and through the commercial fly-tying outfit, Idelwylde Flies.
Vince is another accomplished angler and tier who has fished his entire life. He learned both to fish and tie flies from his father, who was a guide in New Yorks Adirondack Mountains.
Im originally from Saranac Lake, New York, right in the heart of the Adirondacks,” Vince said. Oh yea; my dad was a fly fisherman, a tier, and even a guide. Fly fishing and tying are just in the blood.”
Vince knocked around the country for a while, and eventually landed in Colorado. That move lead to professional fly fishing.
A friend of mine got married in Colorado, and I went to his wedding,” he said. I wasnt living in the New York at the timesomeplace elseand I didnt like where I was. But I liked Colorado, so I bought a new truck, packed it up, and moved there in 1995. I sold cars at a dealership for a whileit was a pretty good jobbut then I started Wileys Flies and ran a couple of different fly shops. Although Ive fished my whole life, I really didnt get heavy into the commercial side of fly tying until about the year 2000.”
A lot of us experience the same ebbs and flows with our fishing as we mature. We spend a lot time on the water when were young, but then we discover relationships, establish families, and start careers. We have less time to fish, and our tackle spends more time in the closet. Fortunately for Vince, the move to Colorado led to professional fly tying and creating his own patterns.
I started tying the type of flies I sent to you when I moved to Colorado. I was trying some of the flies I was finding in the local shops, and I wasnt getting the results I wanted, so I decided to start developing my own patterns. That what spurred it on: I just wanted to catch a few more fish.”
Vince returned to New York State a few years ago, built a new fly shop Rainbow Lake, and established a guiding business. Living in the heart of the Adirondacks gives him a lot of options for fishing.
I fish the Au Sable, the Sarinac, the St. Regis, and the Salmon Rivers. But I also fish a lot of smaller streams for native brook trout. Only about three percent of the original brook trout range still exists in the Adirondacks, and a lot of that water happens to be within minutes of my shop. I get a lot of clients who really want to fish for wild trout in small streams, so thats where I take them.”
Vinces fly-tying philosophy seems about as varied as his fishing. All materials are fair game, and he quickly discovers what will help him catch more trout
Im not stuck on any one type of material. Ill try just about anything if I can find a good application for it.”
Youve developed your own style of tying, havent you?
Many of my flies are a little bit different. I hope the style comes through. But each and every one catches fish.”
We spent time reviewing Vinces collection of flies. I wanted to hear his thoughts about material selection and learn more about how he develops a new pattern. Throughout the interview, he kept using the word fun.”
The Foam Sally is a fun bug. There are a lot of Sally stonefly dry-fly imitations out there, but a lot of them dont float the way I think they should, and you cant see them on the water very well. You can get away with using a yellow Elk-Hair Caddisthatll serve the purpose to imitate an adult yellow Sallybut I wanted to do something different.”
Whats different about the Foam Sally?
For one thing, my Foam Sally has an egg sac. And theres an underbody of Midge Diamond Braid and the body is Micro Tubing. I use that tubing on a lot of my nymphs and dry flies. Its a great, easy-to-use material. Its also transparenteven the colored varieties are transparentso you can change the color or specific shade of the body by changing the color of tying thread or underbody.
When do you use this pattern?
The Foam Sally is perfect for fishing in June and July to imitate a real Sally stonefly, and it also works as a golden stonefly imitation. I also use it as an attractor pattern throughout the fishing season.”
Vince develops a lot of original ways to apply materials to his flies. The wing on the Foam Sally is a good example of his creativity.
Look at Foam Sally from the bottom. I glue a piece of mottled Thin Skin to a sheet of foam using spray adhesive, then I cut out the wing. When looking up at the fly, the fish sees a natural-looking imitation while the angler easily spots the top of the bright yellow wing on the water.”
Vince is also a master at finding unusual names for his patterns. For example, take the terrestrial imitations he calls Herbie.
Thats named for Herbie the Love Bug. You know: from the movie! I tied that fly for fishing the Green River in Utah. Its a beetle, its a cricket, its a cicadaI use it to match all that stuff. Its a great bug, and it floats like a cork.”
The Glo Ant looks similar to the Herbie.
To be honest, I dont know which fly came first: the Glow Ant or Herbie. The night fishing on the North Park lakes up around Walden, Colorado, was absolutely fantastic. Well, I stared playing with Glo Yarnthe yarn on that fly is the Uni brand of Glo Yarn. I used to make big antslike size eightand charge them up with a UV light. Youd cast the fly and it was easy to see on the watewr. In fact, the first time I used itit was around eleven oclock at nightI couldnt see the ant. I quickly realized I couldnt see it because a fish had taken it! Then the lightbulb went off: set the hook when you no longer see the glowing yarn.”
Do you use terrestrials in the Adirondacks?
I have a tendency to fish terrestrial patterns later in the season, but I use this fly throughout the year as a big indicator dry fly and fish it with a nymph.”
Tell me about some of your other terrestrials.
The VW Hopper is another fun bug.”
It must be unsinkable.
It is, but it sits flush with the surface of the water. You see the wing and indicator, but the lower part of the abdomen sits in the water. The Chernobyl Ant was the inspiration for the VW Hopper. I tried different materials for the wing, but they twisted the leader. It looks nutty, but I designed that fly over several seasons.”
This fly has very prominent eyes. You dont see a lot of terrestrial patterns with eyes. Are they necessary?
I fished versions with and without eyes, and the ones with eyes just caught more fish. The eyes are a prominent feature on a grasshopper, and they must be important to the trout. I certainly have better results with hopper patterns that have eyes.”
Whats origin of the JC Special?
The JC Special is named for John Clark, my fishing partner in Colorado. Hes a really nice guy, and one of the best friends you could have. John is in his seventies, and he was having trouble seeing my AC Caddis and asked me to add the Hi-Vis parachute. Then he said hed like the fly better if I threw some rubber legs on it, so I said Id make a fly just for him. This pattern has become one of my best sellers, and Idlewylde Flies is also having good luck selling it. I think they sell about one-hundred-thousand a year!”
You add egg sacs to a lot of your flies. How do you make them?
I usually use Midge Diamond Braid for the egg sac. I melt the end with a cauterizing tool; if you dont seal the end, the material will fray when fishing.”
Caddisflies are important throughout the United States, and you have several terrific imitations.
The AC Caddis is my Anything Caddis. I sent you the pheasant-tail version, and the antennae are just a couple pieces of elk hair pulled forward. I fish that fly during a caddis hatch, but I use larger versions to match stonefly hatches, and smaller ones work great during blue-winged olive may fly hatches. Just change the sizes and colors to match different insects. I tie it in sizes twelve to eighteen. When I was designing that fly, it was about the only one I was fishing. It just gets it done.”
Vince continued our discussion by describing some of his other dry flies.
The Para Variant was one of the first dry flies on which I used Micro Tubing. The theory is that if you dont squeeze the tubing too tight, it holds a pocket of air that helps the fly to float. It is also more durable than a quill, is easy to work with, and it doesnt absorb water.
I also use Micro Tubing to make extended bodies for mayflies. You can buy packaged extended bodies, but they end up costing about fifty cents apiece. I needed to come up with a simple way to create extended bodies, and Micro Tubing is the perfect ingredient. Jut slip a couple of Microfibbetts into a short piece of tubing, and then tie the tubing to the hook to create the abdomen. Thats how I make the abdomen on the Micro Mayfly.”
Does the Micro Mayfly catch fish?
You bet its effective. Ive used patterns tied that way to catch the most discriminate trout, even spring-creek trout. When theres an olive hatch on, and youve tried half-a-dozen flies and not caught a fish, this pattern will often produce.”
In addition to terrestrials and dry flies, Vince also creates original nymphs and emergers. Once again, he uses the newest materials to develop better patterns. And his flies are always evolving.
The Big Thompson Special is a dummied-down nymph that has changed lot over the years,” he said. Its based on the Copper Bob or Copper Johnwhatever you want to call itand the original Sawyer Pheasant-Tail Nymph. I just dummied it down, and it still worked. Later on, I switched to Diamond Braid for the abdomen and fine pearl chenille for the thorax. In addition to catching trout, the Big Thompson Special is a wicked steelhead fly.”
The Big Thompson Special has a marabou tail. Do you fish it with a dead drift, or do you give it some action.
I do both. I start with a dead-drift presentation, but if I catch nothing in an area where I know there are fish, Ill start using a little action and make it swim. Ill start the action maybe two feet in front of the strike zone just to move the fly a little bit and catch the attention of the trout. But the Big Thompson Special also works well on the swing like a regular wet fly.
The Superman is a really unusual pattern. Are people accepting it?
Oh yes, theyve accepted it. Its been around for a while and people know that it catches fish. Initially people thought it was a little off, but then it was featured in Fly Tyer magazine, guys started tying and fishing it, and it really took off. I also sent free samples to people who ordered on-line from my shop, and they found out that its not a novelty fly. I started getting stories for anglers who tried it, and they all talked about how well it works.
The Ginger Snap is also really catching on. Its a yellow Sally or sulphur nymph. Its a great little subsurface fly tied with a dry-fly hackle. Theres some logic behind making it that way. The folks at Idelwylde asked if I ran out of wet-fly hackle when I submitted this one, and I told them that Id been experimenting with dry-fly feathers. Dry-fly hackle gives off small air bubbles in the water, and the fibers dont collapse around the fly. Also, even though it has a small tungsten-bead head, if I grease the leader, I can fish the fly in the surface foam. I can fish the Ginger Snap deep when I have to, but I can also fish it just under the surface when the trout start to rise; theres no need to change flies.”
We concluded our talk by discussing Vinces emerger imitation called the Low Rider.
The Low Rider is a little emerging mayfly. Its sort of a Klinkhammer with a cul de canard trailing shuck; its pretty dainty. Its available commercially in sizes eighteen and sixteen, but I can tie that down to size twenty. If I need to go larger or even smaller, I have some other flies I prefer, but within that size rangetwenty to sixteenthe Low Rider is perfect for matching an emerging mayfly. Thats another pattern that is very visible on the water; the Low Rider is a good choice if youre having trouble seeing your fly and you need to use a small pattern. Its my go-to small fly for anglers with failing eye sight.”
Did you create these patterns in Colorado or New York?
I designed most of those flies while living in Colorado, but this is what I try to explain to people: fish are fish. I use the same flies from coast to coast. And I see this reflected in my on-line store. I have customers in every state except Hawaii, and also in fourteen countries. Sizes and colors might change to match local conditions, but the same flies apply to most places. There is a lot of Western influence in these flies, but these are the patterns I use in New York.”
Foam Sally
Foam Sally
Hook: Mustad C53S, sizes 16 to 10.
Thread: Light cahill 8/0 (70 denier).
Egg sac: Red Midge Diamond Braid.
Dorsal underbody: Dark brown Midge Diamond Braid.
Abdomen: Orange Micro Tubing.
Under wing: Medium brown cul de canard.
Wing: Yellow Wilcoxs Foam Wing Sheets or a substitute.
Hackle: Grizzly dyed March brown.
Antennae: Brown speckled Centipede legs.
Herbie
Herbie
Hook: Dai Rikki 280, sizes 12 to 8.
Thread: Orange 6/0 (140 denier).
Abdomen 1: Orange Midge Diamond Braid.
Abdomen 2: 2-millimeter-thick black foam.
Wing: 2-millimeter-thick black foam
Hackle: Black.
Thorax: Orange Ice Dub.
Legs: Orange/yellow speckled Centipede legs.
Indicator: Wilcoxs Psychedelic Foamicator.
VW Hopper
VW Hopper
Hook: Dai Rikki 280, sizes 14 to 8.
Thread: Orange 6/0 (140 denier).
Abdomen 1: 2-millimeter-thick brown foam.
Abdomen 2: Chartreuse Midge Diamond Braid.
Hackle: Furnace.
Abdomen 3: 2-millimeter-thick golden stone foam.
Under wing: Pearl Krystal Flash.
Wing: Yearling elk.
Thorax: Chartreuse Ice Dub.
Legs: Yellow speckled Centipede Legs.
Eyes: Yellow dome eyes.
Indicator: Wilcoxs Psychedelic Foamicator
JC Special
JC Special
Hook: Mustad C49S, sizes 16 to 10.
Thread: Black 8/0 (70 denier).
Shuck: Dark brown Midge Diamond Braid.
Abdomen: Midge Tubing.
Under wing: Pearl Krystal Flash.
Wing: Elk hair.
Post: Float Vis.
Hackle: Furnace.
Legs: Speckled brown Centipede Legs.
Thorax: Olive brown Ice Dub.
Para-Variant
Para-Variant
Hook: Mustad 94840, sizes 18 to 10.
Thread: Black 8/0 (70 denier).
Tail: White Kip tail.
Abdomen: Midge Tubing.
Post: Float Vis.
Thorax: Olive brown Ice Dub.
Hackle: Furnace.
AC Caddis
AC Caddis
Hook: Mustad C49S, sizes 18 to 14.
Thread: Black 8/0 (70 denier).
Shuck: Dark brown Midge Diamond Braid.
Abdomen: Micro Tubing.
Under wing: Pearl Krystal Flash.
Wing: Elk hair.
Post: Elk hair butts from the wing.
Thorax: Olive brown Ice Dub.
Hackle: Furnace.
Antennae: Elk hair fibers pulled forward before trimming the post.
Glo-Ant
Glo-Ant
Hook: Mustad C49S, sizes 16 to 12.
Thread: Orange 8/0 (70 denier).
Abdomen 1: 2-millimeter-thick black foam.
Abdomen 2: Red Midge Diamond Braid.
Hackle: Black
Wing: UNI Glo-Yarn.
Indicator: Wilcoxs Psychedelic Foamicator.
B.T Special
Big Thompson Special (B.T. Special)
Hook: Mustad 3906B, sizes 16 to 12.
Bead: Copper, brass, or tungsten.
Thread: Black 8/0 (70 denier).
Tail: Grizzly marabou dyed tan.
Abdomen: Rust Midge Diamond Braid.
Thorax: Fine black pearl chenille.
Collar: Ice dub, rusty brown
Superman
Olive Superman
Hook: Mustad C49S, sizes 18 to 10.
Bead: Gun metal, brass, or tungsten.
Thread: Olive 8/0 (70 denier).
Abdomen: Olive Ultra Wire.
Wing: Fuchsia holographic tinsel.
Thorax: Gray UV Ice Dub.
Legs and arms: Knotted olive Micro Tubing.
Wing case: Fuchsia holographic tinsel.
Collar: Black UV Ice Dub.
Low Rider
Low Rider
Hook: Mustad C49S, size 18 or 16.
Thread: Olive 8/0 (140 denier).
Shuck: Olive Antron.
Abdomen: Olive Micro Tubing.
Under wing: Pearl Krystal Flash.
Wing: Medium dun cul de canard.
Post: Float Vis.
Hackle: Dun.
Thorax: Light olive UV Ice Dub.
Ginger Snap
Ginger Snap
Hook: Mustad C49S, sizes 18 to 12.
Bead: Gun-metal brass.
Thread: Light cahill 8/0 (70 denier).
Abdomen: Light golden stone Micro Tubing.
Underbody: Dark brown Midge Diamond Braid.
Rib: Ginger Ultra Wire.
Hackle: Light ginger.
Thorax: Light yellow UV Ice Dub.
Collar: Olive brown Ice Dub.
Micro Mayfly
Micro Mayfly
Hook: Mustad C49S, 16 to 20
Thread: Olive 8/0 (70 denier).
Eyes: Wilcoxs Nymph Tubing, black.
Abdomen: Olive Midge Tubing with Microfibbets.
Wing: Plastic packing material or raffia.
Hackle: Grizzly.
Thorax: Olive UV Ice Dub.
PT Superman
Pheasant-Tail Superman
Hook: Mustad C49S, sizes 18 to 10.
Bead: Gun metal, brass, or tungsten.
Thread: Black 8/0 (70 denier).
Abdomen: Copper brown Ultra Wire.
Wing: Fuchsia holographic tinsel.
Thorax: Olive brown Ice Dub.
Legs: Knotted Micro Tube.
Wing case: Fuchsia holographic tinsel.
Collar: Black UV Ice Dub.