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Chum Fry Revisited

4K views 38 replies 19 participants last post by  Steve Rohrbach 
#1 ·
With DFL and myself finding a few hungry cutt's yesterday looking to munch on a few chum fry I though I'd bring this back once more. I was asked to do a step by step last year and never got around to it, so here it is. Pretty simple pattern, it helps to flatten the stem of the grizzlies at the tie in point and keep it sparse. You can tie these on any short shank saltwater hook, I use a size 8.
I've been thinking about early spring and the chum fry hitting the salt, and we all know what will be waiting for them, don't we? Anyway I thought I'd try and come up with a little more realistic pattern than the chum baby, don't get me wrong, I use it and it's a great, super easy, pattern, just not very realistic. Any way here's one I came up with, I wanted a big head, with big eye's and something to represent the parr marks. I like floating lines so I thought I'd go with a bead head and decided to put eye's on the beads and epoxy or hard head them, works good. Probably won't last long after it hits the beach a few times, but oh well.
Put a couple of grizzly's back to back for parr marks and used white buck tail, grey buck tail, and some dark olive/brown marabou on top. I had to make some pink one's too, just cause they looked cool. Hope you like them.
Liquid Fluid Fishing bait Bait Artificial fly
Sports equipment Feather Hood Automotive lighting Bait
Street light Gas Wood Bicycle part Household hardware
Wood Wing Fishing bait Aerospace manufacturer Engineering
Finger Fishing lure Material property Bait Nickel
Automotive lighting Sports equipment Wing Fishing bait Feather
Arthropod Insect Natural material Automotive lighting Close-up
Sports equipment Wood Wire Cable Wing
Liquid Fluid Fishing bait Bait Artificial fly
Sports equipment Feather Hood Automotive lighting Bait
Street light Gas Wood Bicycle part Household hardware
Wood Wing Fishing bait Aerospace manufacturer Engineering
Finger Fishing lure Material property Bait Nickel
Automotive lighting Sports equipment Wing Fishing bait Feather
Arthropod Insect Natural material Automotive lighting Close-up
Sports equipment Wood Wire Cable Wing
 
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#12 ·
Thanks guys for the great comments and suggestions. Sorry Larry I thought you'd seen it before.

Jackd, I really like that thunder creek minnow, looks like it would be just as affective, and much easier to tie. I originally thought about just using a marker pen for the parr marks but thought it was kind of like cheating, but now I think it probably makes more since.

S Fontinalis, those eye's are awesome but pretty pricy, I haven't seen them before. I can think of a few patterns that they would be killer on. I use the bead heads mainly for the extra weight, I've also tied them with just epoxy heads as well.

Steve Knapp, I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with, be sure and post a pic when you're finished.
 
#13 ·
Mark et al: The fact of the matter is that, given the opportunity, no cutthroat with even an ounce of sense would refuse any of these patterns! :) I do like the idea of using eyes on flies although I can remember a time, way back when,that I hesitated about using a nail and paint to make eyes on streamers thinking that is was too much like making lures and not real fly tying. Go figure. Today, just look at all the foam and plastic and rubber and epoxy etc. etc. we (and I too) use on flies.
Jackd
 
#19 ·
Jackd, nice fly. What is your wing material? Beautiful job on the head and painted eyes.
Underwing is some grayish/white "fluff" from the base of a grizzly hackle. Next is a grizzly hackle tied flat. On top of that is some grey squirrel and some fox squirrel. The throat is just some red schlappen. I always like to have some red. THe next few I made with the "wing" a bit longer.
 
#23 ·
Thanks, I'm glad you like the fly and the step by step.
Thats great that you've spotted some fry, I haven't yet, but have caught fish on this pattern last time out, so I'm sure there are fry around and more every day. When I fished this pattern last year it worked really well and has a nice transparent profile to it, I'm looking forward to finding some fry in numbers and cutts just going nuts after them, can't wait!!!
 
#33 ·
Finally got a chance to sit down at the vise after two weeks... Brutal. This fly has been in the design department in my head longer than that. Had it planned out right down to the materials... weird how you can dream up a fly during work and other obligations and watch it morph without ever being at the vise.

View attachment 13607
Steve, beautiful tie. I really like the fly. We will have to give it a test on Saturday afternoon. Looking forward to Cutts & Chums buddy.
 
#29 ·
Steve - I like your fly especially the gold hook.
I tied this one up last night. It is a fry pattern we use in Alaska on dollies and rainbows and even salmon. I think it will work on Sea-Run Cutts.
According to its originator, the two most dominant features of small fry are their eyes and parr markings. Mark nailed it with his pattern. This pattern: oval gold body, blue-dun schlappen throat, grizzly hackle sides,blue-dun buck tail underwing with a bit of squirrel tail, pearl krystal flash topping. It was late when I tied this fly and I now see that I left out a bit of red for the gills. Will add it on the next one.

the t View attachment 13617
 
#30 ·
Holy Fry Batman!!! This is getting out of control....you guys are coming up with some "way cool" (I'm a old hippy musician) patterns. You guys are giving me too many idea's. Now I'm on overload.

Steve yours is off in a whole new direction using a steelhead hook, tag, wire rib and all, great idea!

Jackd, no question about that one working, nice!
 
#31 ·
Its cool to see all these variations on the original Chum Baby. A gentleman I fished with late last Fall was using his variation, which he called a "Chum Baby" (but looked less like the original than most of the ones posted in this thread), to fool searun cutts upstream in his local river, miles above tidewater. He said it had been working very well, although on the day we fished, he said the river was at the lowest flows he'd ever seen it for that time of year, and nothing was biting when we fished in the middle of the afternoon.
 
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