Activities Meeting – Todd Schotts Tying

Welcome back! The goal for our first fall activity meeting is to host beginning and intermediate (Featured Member) fly tying. At this time, indoor casting is on hold, but come early and cast outside.. If anyone is willing to lead a rod building class, Chech nymphing set up, or other activity of interest, you can start that, just let me know what you’d like to do! President@mffc.org.

LET’S GET CONNECTED!!!

By Todd A.Schotts

Hello fellow club members and welcome to another great year of “Featured Tiers” for the Michigan Fly Fishing Club’s Activity Meetings. To kickoff our season of “Featured Tyers,” I will be kicking this season of myself with the 1^st Activity Meeting on September 21^st, 2022. Remember we need tiers, so if you are interested see me or contact me at GrizzlyFlies@yahoo.com or 248-961-4164. You can tie a fly like a Woolly Bugger or something more extreme, so let’s get you slinging bobbins as a featured tier!!!

In case you are not familiar with me, here is my fishing report: I am a production tyer; I operate Grizzly Flies by Schottsie. Besides being a production tyer I have been a member of the Michigan Fly Fishing Club for many years now. I have served on the board in various positions, ran the Annual Smallmouth Outing for 11 years, the Muskegon River Outing, supplied articles for the Club’s Newsletter “The Evening Hatch” including the feature “Fly of the Month” for many years. I currently Chair the Guest Tyers for the MFFC Midwest Fly Fishing Expo and organize tyers for our Activity Meetings. Besides all that I am also President of the Huron River Fishing Association and help out with a lot of their activities including the Bass Tournament, Carp Tournament, various outings, and help to organize their Christmas Silent Auction for the club members. I am a Team Member for Norvise, Pro-Staff for Anadromous Fly Tying Company, and on the Pro-Team for TFO Rods. Besides all of this, I still love chasing Bass, Panfish, Trout, Steelhead, and creating new amazing flies.

For our tying night, we are going to be heading into the arena of articulated flies. When people usually hear “Articulated” they get nervous or scared away from tying them. But actually they are really, really easy. The fly we are going to be tying is one of my favorite articulated flies, “The Feather Game Changer.” It is a smaller articulated fly than some of the original styles. Now for myself, I stayed away from tying these flies for the longest time, but once I started, they were so much fun. I naturally added my own flair to it, and these catch fish!! They have the same movement as jointed spin casting lures, which they also catch fish; that’s what makes these flies so popular.

The one thing to remember when tying these, the same step you do on the first segment, you repeat that same step on each section, getting bigger and bigger to create the visual aspect of a minnow.

One thing I have changed up on these flies, I use a segment from a mop piece for the tail in colors of brown, chartreuse, orange, or blue. The other major change I do is I like using “Off-Center” Bait Hooks. This gives the fly even more movement when stripping in.  You can use any color of Hen Hackle, but I like using white, then if needed color with marker or markers to change its appearance.  The filler (Polar Chenille, Cactus Chenille, or Chocklett’s Filler Material, or Chocklett’s Finesse Body Chenille) comes in different colors and sizes. Try to stay with the color as the hackle if possible and size to the size you are tying.  Another trick I like doing is using Glo-Brite Floss when tying down the hackle. It shows up like crazy when the sun hits the flies; just another thing to entice the water inhabitants.

So bring your tying tools and supplies, and I will take us on this awesome adventure of tying articulated flies and remove your fear of tying them.  In case you do not bring supplies, I will be bringing some. Tight Lines and Snazzy Flies, Todd.

MATERIALS:

Thread: 140 Denier or 6/0 thread to match materials or white is good – I like starting out with white, then use Glo-Brite Floss when tying hackle down.

Shank 1: 15mm Fish Spine

Tail: Mop Piece

Body: Polar Chenille or Cactus Hackle followed by Hen Saddle

Shank 2: 15mm Fish Spine

Body: Polar Chenille or Cactus Hackle followed by Hen Saddle

Shank 3: 15mm Fish Spine

Body: Polar Chenille or Cactus Hackle followed by Hen Saddle

Connection: Wire20lb or heavier (I use AFW Surflon 20lb Black-nylon coated steel wire)

Rear Hook: Ahrex Gammerus Size 6

Body: Polar Chenille or Cactus Hackle followed by Hen Saddle

Shank 4: 20mm Fish Spine

Connection: 15mm shank Clipped and secured to front hook

Front Hook: Partridge Attitude Extra Size 1 or Mustad 92641 Baitholder Off-Center Hook Size 1/0

Weight: .020 or .025 wrapped at bend of hook (optional)

Body: Cactus Hackle followed by Hen Saddle

Collar: Sparse Wraps of Red Schlappen (optional)

Head: Hen Hackle

Eyes: Hareline Real Fake Jungle Cock in colors