Let me begin by saying please that I can tie complicated flies; I enjoy tying complicated flies. I particularly enjoy tying flies that catch fish. When a complicated fly catches fish that's great; I savor tying it. When a simple fly catches fish that's great too; I savor tying it.
I have tried a large variety of specific flies and types of patterns for Carp. Some of those flies are complicated and some are simple. Some don't work at all, some work moderately well, and some are consistent producers.
The thing about simple flies is that there is a certain degree of mistrust of them. Almost as if, "it couldn't be that good if it ain't hard to tie."
This is a blog, I'm not writing to sell subscriptions; I'm writing because I enjoy it and because a few people seem to enjoy reading it. That said, I am going to make a jump here. I have written some things that are me playing around but I am serious about this next thing. It might seem like am wandering but I'm really not.
If you are a heterosexual man and if you see a woman with big boobs, a lot of makeup, and a magazine kind of face, what would you think? In particular, what would you think if she was standing next to a small breasted woman, with no makeup, and a face? Well, what would you think? If you could stare at them without being noticed who would you stare at? Starin' ain't choosin' though now is it? If you had a choice of being able to talk to one of them who would you choose? Why? Kinda get you goin' a little to stare at them big boobs? Maybe in your life you never had that choice and by that I mean you never had the opportunity to choose the perfect woman. I mean the perfect woman with small boobs and little to no make up. Did you think I meant you never had the opportunity to choose the big boobs? HA! I definitely did not! There is plenty of opportunity to make that choice. If you get the chance to make the choice, choose the small breasted woman with no makeup. Yes, I am serious. I'm tellin' you she'll surprise you over and over and over. She's the best.
Simple flies are like small boobs; they're more erotic, they're the best. I certainly wanted to get your attention, but again, yes I am serious, about the boobs and the flies.
The Chocolate Cherry:
Thread: Black
Hook: Tiemco 5262 sizes 8 and 10
Weight: Dumbbell eyes, sizes 1/8 and 5/32
Tail: White round rubber
Body: Medium brown chenille, size small or even fine
Hackle: Grizzly saddle hackle dyed red.
A few other things about this fly:
I originally tied the fly without the rubber tail. I almost always include the tail now.
The tail actually is two strands of the white rubber; the first one is just blocking the second one in the picture. I cut one piece, fold it over to make it even, and then tie down over the fold.
The hackle is wrapped a good number of times so the color really shows up. The fly ends up looking more red than brown. The grizzly saddle hackle has become very difficult to find in shops. Women are wearing the feathers in their hair. Good grief...
Fishing the Chocolate Cherry:
I have not had as good of luck dropping this fly as I have had dropping the Carp Carrot, a Rubber Leg Hare's Ear or the SJW. I don't have slightest idea why. I have had the best results casting and stripping this fly onto the Carp's dinner plate. I have also observed that a Carp cruising in the water column, as opposed to on the bottom, is more likely to pick this fly up than the Carrot and way more likely to pick it up than the SJW. Again, I don't have any idea why.
This fly has become one of my "go to patterns".
Mr. P.,
ReplyDeleteThe boob thing may depend upon one's age and intent, sort of "I'm never getting married" you may say when your 19. But right, some flies are meant to capture fishermen, and excessively pretty in a trout fisherman's fushia shirt fashion statement manner. I can catch almost any trout rising with a simple well designed soft hackle, crediting a plethora of SH proponents over a millennium. Your "Chocholate Cherry" is like that soft hackle, well designed, developed further slightly with use, and just effective. I like it. My goal this carpin season is to use the road less traveled, (except an egg tie, not sorry,) and use flies new and old that I take off far too often too soon. Now I got to find a dog gone red dyed grizzly hackle. If I'm luckly serendipity will approve of an alternative color, who knows?
Thanks for the fly! Gregg
Thanks Gregg. So true that some flies are meant to only capture fishermen. I'm anxious to hear how your "road less traveled works out".
DeleteMy thanks for posting "The Chocolate Cherry" ... boobs and flies... great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog and thanks for the comments.
DeleteThis might be the best fly pattern blog post ever. Pretty dang good, Mr. P.
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks Ty!
DeleteHow do you feel about the thoery that big boobs and complicated flies sometimes make a fella more confindent and therefore can catch more fish and ....well the analagy is breaking down a little since he already caught fish and now I am confused. Who had the big boobs again?
ReplyDeleteHi McTage. I think that magazines, television, and stores add immensely to that false sense of confidence and in doing so to a disproportionate sense of value. Boobs and flies both.
DeleteBrilliant. The fly and analogy...both! But then again, I'm biased, being the small-breasted woman I am. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Erin for visiting and commenting. I trust you know that I am sincere and respectful when I say, "It makes you more beautiful."
DeleteI know. :-)
DeleteI tie up a really simple pattern that uses a white grizzly hackle on brown chenille. I usually refer to it as the poop fly, but it works. I should try adding some white rubber legs and weighted eyes. This fly has worked when the fish get really picky.
ReplyDeleteI thought the boobs part was at first referring to the dumbbell eyes!
Hi Chris. Thanks for visiting and for sharing your pattern. How big is your poop fly?
DeleteMr. P.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post!! I must say I am not a carp fisherman, but I will say that the Chocolate Cherry is a fantastic looking fly not only for carp but smallmouth and spots. I especially like the eyes. Thanks for sharing a great post.
Hi Bill. Thanks for checking out my blog and for commenting. Some of the places I fish have Smallmouth and Carp. I have had a couple Smallmouth pick it up when I wasn't even fishing for them. I wonder how it would perform for if you when you are targeting Smallmouth.
DeleteSimple is always best, how true. My best patterns are the simplest and take the widest variety of fish. small black dubbed fly with black turkey feather tail adn bead chain eyes, or a dubbed squirrel tail crayfish with bead chain eyes. Both totally unappealing to the avg. fishermen but the fish can't say no. I'm recommending you try two small batches of squirrel tail instead of rubber in your flies, you may be surprised at the fishyness of it all.
ReplyDeleteHi MF.com. Thanks for visiting my blog. I am always interested in any fly someone sends me, a pattern someone suggests, or a tying variation people suggest. Thanks for the proposed alternative.
ReplyDeleteAre you suggesting two small batches of squirrel for a tail? Any particular color you prefer?
Hi Mr.P, I like the "Fox and Grey" i get from Feather-craft, which is in my mind orange and black. Tied in at the back with a pinch of dubbing to help separate them. Now this is how I do it, to each his own....What I am describing is one of my most used Grass and Common carp flies which looks like a Crayfish, The way the squirrel tail is colored it really looks like mottled claws and the tips are orange. When the fly is stripped the "claws" really "flash" and for a stiff fly the darn thing looks alive . For the body I use brown/red/orange yarn blended and mixed with a healthy dose 1/2 inch cut up squirrel tail, in a coffee grinder. I use a dubbing loop for this and it comes out rough and "ugly" but makes a very unified fly. Always with bead chain or lead on a 6 or 8 and the fly is never bigger than 1.5 inches. Add an appropriate lb test weed guard and you have a true secret weapon. Im not trying to push a fav pattern, I jsut have a feeling you'd like the look if you gave it a try, or at least the fish will. :)Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds good and I would like to try it. So that I am clear can you send me a picture? Thanks.
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