With Feather Brain, Drew Chicone has succeeded in illustrating not only the mechanics of his advanced tying techniques but more importantly the creative thinking that leads to the design and construction of a successful fly. I highly recommend and endorse Drew Chicone's Feather Brain. --Eric Leiser"Feather Brain is a great roadmap for tying better looking and better performing saltwater flies." --Jonny KingStep-by-step tying instructions and explanations of how the author designed 14 winning saltwater fliesInsights from nine top saltwater fly tiers, including Bob Clouser, Joe Mahler, Jonny King, Jon Cavel, Bob Popovics, Norm Zeigler, and Chris HelmTips on designing your own patterns, tying with saltwater materials, and fixing typical problemsLearn more at Drew Chicone's website, www.saltyflytying.com.
Each year is a little different, but typically around late April or early May the snook start their annual migration from the rivers, creeks and backwater estuaries to the gin clear water and sandy beaches to spawn. The massive funnel of fish disband into small pods or strings of individuals and cruise up and down the shoreline in knee-deep water. These ghost-like shadows drive anglers crazy violently busting up rafts of glass minnows and white bait with reckless abandonment. When the water is clear, seeing 30-40" fish is a frequent occurrence, and over the last 10 seasons of chasing snook, I have honed my techniques and refined my selection of flies down to just the key essentials required for hoodwinking this exceedingly erudite fish. The pattens presented have been rigorously tested and have a confirmed track-record for persuading copious numbers of scholarly snook. This selection of flies will ensure you have the entire water column covered and give you the ability to "Match the Minnows" size and location in the water column, no matter where you are fishing. Thanks to the help of my fly tying friends, I will teach you how to tie the Captiva Cannibal, Strawboss, Petticoat Streamer, Dirty Squibbster, Crystal D, Neon Knight, Lightsaber Pilchard, and Gibby's DT Special. - Detailed step-by-step instructions for tying 8 proven snook flies essential for catching Snook from the beach. Snook Flies is a 165 page paperback, illustrated with ultra-hi resolution images.- Insights from eight saltwater fly tiers, including Drew Chicone, Joe Mahler, Pete Squibb, Drei Stroman, Dave Johnson, Bill Baldus, Steve Gibson, and Nick Davis.
Crustaceans, shrimp, crabs, oysters, worms, pinfish, baitfish... dead or alive, it doesn't really matter, redfish are opportunistic feeders and they eat just about everything. So catching them on fly should be easy right? Not for me... For years redfish were my "White Whale" on fly. Too spooky, near misses, had 'em and lost 'em, terrible tides, you name the excuse I heard it or said it. For the vast majority of us, catching redfish on fly is just not that easy... and tying and designing flies for them, takes a little more than luck and a sharp hook."Redfish Flies" is loaded to the gills with ultra high resolution photography illustrating how to tie and fish some of todays best redfish patters. Guides and guru's from Florida to Louisiana and everywhere in between have contributed their go-to redfish bugs. There's no guess work here, elaborate step-by-step instructions for tying these eight proven redfish flies will walk you through the process of creating flies that work. Insightful interviews with each patterns creator will help you understand what conditions the fly is best suited for, and how the fly should be fished. Stunning photos from renowned photographers Pat Ford, Adrian Gray and David McCleaf will awe and inspire you to dust off your vise and get tying The eight pattens outlined in this book have been fine-tuned and rigorously tested on countless grass flats, oyster bars and mangrove shorelines. Tying and stocking your box with this proven assortment of flies will ensure you have the ammunition need to coax even the most refined redfish, and the insight provided in the interviews of the contributing guides and tying guru's will help you understand what factors need to be consider to create your own productive redfish flies.Step-by-step instructions for tying eight proven redfish flies - 175 page paperback illustrated with ultra-hi resolution images.
Although I am a bonefish super freak and a recovering tarpon junkie, snook are the species that haunt my thoughts and keep me up at night. Especially the big girls that lurk in hard to find place's -way back in the mangrove creeks where there is barely enough room for a skiff, and casting through a tunnel of mangroves is tricky to say the least. The journey through these spider-laden labyrinths to the land of Jurassic Park-sized snook, is almost as exciting as the fishing because you just never know what you might see. It took me over 8 years to finally brake the 40" mark and get it on film. That being said, the bar has been raised and my yearning to catch an even bigger snook becomes stronger every season. Targeting big snook in the backwater takes some patience and persistence, and over the past decade, I have honed my techniques and paired my selection of flies down for this particular style of snook fishing. The patterns presented have been rigorously tested and have a confirmed track record for persuading educated snook in the mangrove creeks and backwaters of Florida. Whether you're fishing lights at night, blind casting the bushes, or sight fishing floating fish ... the detailed instructions and clear step-by-step photos in this book will ensure you have the know how needed to create flies that will best even the most educated of snook. Step-by-step tying instructions for tying "Flip's Glades Deceiver", "Brita's Flatwing Glass Minnow", "Chicone's Sailfin Molly", "Platinum Pilchard", "Midnight Special", "Hollow Point Minnow", and "Reloaded Tuscan Bunny" Eight Effective Patterns for Catching Backcountry Snook. This book is a 191-page paperback illustrated with ultra-hi resolution images. Insights and interviews from saltwater fly tiers, guides and guru's including: Flip Pallot, Tim Borski, Capt. Steve Bailey, and Brita Fordice.
If you're anything like me, just hearing the words "bass fishing" evokes childhood memories of sweltering hot summers and brightly colored deer hair poppers. Like most "noobie" fly anglers, I cut my teeth catching largemouth bass. Unlike other freshwater species whose diet consists of minuscule bugs and worms, a largemouth can, and will, eat just about anything that hits the water. Although small baitfish, frogs, and lizards immediately come to mind, they will also consume small, mammals, birds, and even baby alligators (here in FL) That being said, I did my best to select an assortment of proven patterns for this book that provided a wide array of menu options as well as teach you some fun and new tying techniques for creating your own unique creatures The classic and contemporary largemouth bass patterns included in this book have a track record of success in a number of different conditions and fishing scenarios. Largemouth Bass Flies contains detailed step-by-step instructions for tying Leiser's Bass Angus, Mahler's StrawBoss, CJ's Freaky Frog, Chicone's King Rat, Pineapple Grenade Popper, Sunny Corleone Sunfish, and Carnivore Crayfish. 7 proven patterns for catching Largemouth Bass. This is a 199-page paperback, illustrated with ultra-hi resolution images.
There's a common misconception that all redfish are pushovers on fly. The fairytale being that this species as a whole is fantastically oversized and easily bamboozled with fur and feathers. We've been led to believe that you just bomb a fly, any fly, in their general vicinity and prepare to get down and dirty. But if your reality is anything like mine then you know that not all redfish look like Louisiana lunkers and they're certainly not all agreeable to any offering provided.The ones in my backyard, in and around southwest Florida's Pine Island Sound, generally behave more like permit, requiring more than just a close enough cast and dumb luck. These fish are routinely run over by powerboats, and due to a steady barrage of local tournaments, they are well educated when it comes to what they put into their mouths. For a long period of time, my redfish scorecard was full of refusals and lost opportunities. That stretch of failures really got me thinking about the flies I was throwing.The patterns outlined in this book have been fine-tuned and rigorously tested on countless grass flats, oyster bars, and mangrove shorelines. Tying and stocking your box with this proven assortment of flies will ensure you have the ammunition needed to coax even the most refined redfish, and the insight provided in the interviews of the contributing guides and tying gurus will help you understand what factors need to be considered to create your own productive redfish flies.Step-by-step tying instructions for tying "Flip Pallot's Bushwood", "Cave's Wobbler", "Epoxy Spoon Flies", "Mylar Spoon Flies","Bailey's Claw Seaducer" and "No Name Shrimp", my Swamp Cabbage Shrimp, and Modified Tampa Bay Redfish Fly. Eight proven patterns for catching redfish. This book is a 177-page paperback illustrated with ultra-hi resolution images.Insights from saltwater fly tiers and guru's including: Flip Pallot, Capt. Steve Bailey, Capt. Codty Pierce, and Jon Cave.
