worldanglr
10-27-2004, 07:10 PM
The Spring Creek Special
Hook: 5263BL Size 8 2XL
Bead: Black Tungsten 5/32
Tail: Rabbit Strip the Length of the hook shank
Body: Rabbit dubbing brush, change density of brush for more or less buoyancy
Notes: That's it? Sounds like a basic leech pattern to me... Well it is, but there's a little bit more too it... The key is the tungsten bead on the head, the lightwire shank, rabbit fur dubbing brush body (wire brush) without the buoyant leather in it, and a leather tail. The result is a fly with the action of a jig, only a little bit better. In order to get the full range of motion out of this fly, it's NECESSARY to use a loop knot of some sort, I prefer Lefty's Loop Knot, also called the Non-Slip Mono Loop. I tie these in olive and black for trout mostly. The thick body and sparse tail roughly resembles that of sculpin. Use a shooting head or sink tip and swing this pattern through tailouts and in front of snags.
In lakes black, olive, white, and burgundy, and excellent colors, fished on a slow, erratic retrieve look suspiciously leech like. For steelhead, I tie them in black, red, pink, purple, and fuschia. I often use two-tone spring creek specials for steelhead, such as black and red. For winter steelhead, use a heavy shooting head and swing the spring creek special through the deepest part of the run, underneath the fast water. For summer, either a lighter sink tip or a dry line with an indicator.
Dead-drift the spring creek directly under the indicator (4 or 5 feet depending on depth or run). In spring creeks, use a 4 foot leader tied with a loop knot. The jig-like action of this pattern makes it excellent for jigging in front of undercuts. The name comes from this technique, as this is what I originally developed it for.
I use a dubbing brush maker called the Twister. It is possible to tie this pattern with a hand dubbing loop or a dubbing loop tool, however I find it easier to pre-make my dubbing brushes with wire. To control how fast the fly sinks, you can make the body sparser or denser. On my average size Spring Creek special, I'll make three flies out of a brush.
I use the 5263BL because of it's light-wire shank. I've experimented with heavy wire hooks for steelhead and big sea-run browns. I've found that if you're swinging the SCS, you can get away with a heavy wire hook, because the jigging action is not as important.
I've found the best all-around size to have is a size 8. This is a good streamer size for rivers, lakes, summer steelhead, and sea-run browns. I do, however, carry them in size 10's for super picky fish, and 6's for fish looking for a bigger meal.
Hook: 5263BL Size 8 2XL
Bead: Black Tungsten 5/32
Tail: Rabbit Strip the Length of the hook shank
Body: Rabbit dubbing brush, change density of brush for more or less buoyancy
Notes: That's it? Sounds like a basic leech pattern to me... Well it is, but there's a little bit more too it... The key is the tungsten bead on the head, the lightwire shank, rabbit fur dubbing brush body (wire brush) without the buoyant leather in it, and a leather tail. The result is a fly with the action of a jig, only a little bit better. In order to get the full range of motion out of this fly, it's NECESSARY to use a loop knot of some sort, I prefer Lefty's Loop Knot, also called the Non-Slip Mono Loop. I tie these in olive and black for trout mostly. The thick body and sparse tail roughly resembles that of sculpin. Use a shooting head or sink tip and swing this pattern through tailouts and in front of snags.
In lakes black, olive, white, and burgundy, and excellent colors, fished on a slow, erratic retrieve look suspiciously leech like. For steelhead, I tie them in black, red, pink, purple, and fuschia. I often use two-tone spring creek specials for steelhead, such as black and red. For winter steelhead, use a heavy shooting head and swing the spring creek special through the deepest part of the run, underneath the fast water. For summer, either a lighter sink tip or a dry line with an indicator.
Dead-drift the spring creek directly under the indicator (4 or 5 feet depending on depth or run). In spring creeks, use a 4 foot leader tied with a loop knot. The jig-like action of this pattern makes it excellent for jigging in front of undercuts. The name comes from this technique, as this is what I originally developed it for.
I use a dubbing brush maker called the Twister. It is possible to tie this pattern with a hand dubbing loop or a dubbing loop tool, however I find it easier to pre-make my dubbing brushes with wire. To control how fast the fly sinks, you can make the body sparser or denser. On my average size Spring Creek special, I'll make three flies out of a brush.
I use the 5263BL because of it's light-wire shank. I've experimented with heavy wire hooks for steelhead and big sea-run browns. I've found that if you're swinging the SCS, you can get away with a heavy wire hook, because the jigging action is not as important.
I've found the best all-around size to have is a size 8. This is a good streamer size for rivers, lakes, summer steelhead, and sea-run browns. I do, however, carry them in size 10's for super picky fish, and 6's for fish looking for a bigger meal.