Fly Bench Experimentation

I began fly fishing and tying flies for trout at age 12.  With the exception of fly fishing the SoCal surf and family trips to Canada chasing walleye and pike with conventional gear, trout have been my primary quarry.  Honestly, that has been more by chance than by choice.  Now I live in a suburb of Memphis: warm-water country.  In addition to bream, largemouth, and crappie, I'm most excited about the opportunity to catch smallmouth.  I've been researching a handful of supposedly quality smallmouth streams in northern Arkansas.  Now I need to learn how to catch smallies.  Step one:  Flies. 

Fly One:  Rootbeer over yellow clouser, with plenty of flash.  Clousers are typically baitfish patterns tied in whites and greens to immitate minnows.  However, I have read that smallies like anything in crawfish colors, even if they are baitfish patterns.  The rusult: a crawfish colored baitfish pattern.

Hook:  Daiichi 1280 #8
Thread: UTC 140 Brown
Eyes:  1/8" Dumbbell
Underwing:  Yellow bucktail and orange krystal flash
Overwing:  Rootbeer bucktail and red krystal flash

Rootbeer over yellow clouser (remember, it rides the other way in the water!)

Fly Two:  At Bass Pro I saw a woolly bugger with a rabbit strip in the tail and dumbbell eyes.  It looked cool.  I altered it by using a dubbing loop of semiseal dubbing instead of chenille and saddle hackle.  It looks better in real life than it does in the photo, but I think that the semiseal is too thick.   I'm looking forward to seeing if it works or not.

Hook:  Gamakatsu B10S #6
Thread:  UTC 140 Brown
Eyes:  5/32" dumbbell
Tail:  Brown rabbit strip under brown maribou
Body:  Dubbing loop of yukon olive semiseal dubbing

Rabbit strip semiseal dubbing thing.  It's an ugly fly - but lots of those work.

Fly Three:  My idea of a crawfish fly.  This one actually does look cool if I don't say so myself.  Again, I have no clue if it will work, but why wouldn't it?  It should have lots of movement, it is about the right size and color, it should ride hook up to avoid snags, and I think the wieght is about right.  I can't wait to try it out.

Hook:  Gamakatsu B10S #6
Thread:  UTC 140 Brown
Eyes:  5/32" dumbbell
Middle tail:  Orange kiptail under 4 silli legs
Claws:  Two brown rabbit strips
Body:  Dubbing loop of yukon olive semiseal dubbing

Looks cool, heh?  It would be even cooler if it actually works.

These will be fun to try out.  Can't wait!  Believe it or not, I have spent quite a bit of time figuring out how to take a decent picture of flies.  So far this is the best that I have come up with.  I will keep working on it.