Lucky B - Fly Tying Instructions by Charlie Craven
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- Опубликовано: 12 окт 2022
- Fly Tying Recipe:
(Click the links below to purchase the materials from our store)
Hook: #16 Tiemco 2487
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Thread: Yellow UNI 8/0
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Butt: Yellow McFlylon & Yellow 3mm Foam
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Connector: 0X Tippet
Legs: Barred Amber Small Sexi-Legs
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Body: Yellow 3mm Foam
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Thorax: Black Superfine Dubbing
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Wing: Yellow Tan Rust Grey Black Poly Pro Macrame Yarn
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I have always had a romanticized notion about outdoor writers. As a kid, I faithfully read and re-read every word of every fishing magazine I could lay my hands on. The men that wrote for those magazines were larger than life and were seemingly on a constant string of exotic adventures which they then relayed to their readers with delicate and detailed words and pictures. I imagined days and weeks at a time spent fishing with a few short hours intermixed to type the inevitably fantastical stories out in the evening, usually with a glass of brown liquid at the writer’s elbow.
And so, years ago, when Ross Purnell asked me if I wanted to become the Fly Tyer’s Bench Columnist for this magazine, I jumped at the chance. I stocked up on bourbon, typing paper and cardigans with leather elbow patches and waited for my transformation. I’m still waiting.
The truth of the matter is, I am a serial procrastinator and am typically frantically banging away at these articles at the last minute on a fancy new laptop computer at my home office with no booze in sight. Sitting hunched behind the camera under hot lights to tie the flies I feature and hurriedly editing and revising the tutorials and stories, my notions of the glamorous life of being a magazine columnist have a completely different reality than I expected.
Until now.
I can proudly say that I am at this moment sitting in a lovely little house in Wyoming, typing away on that same fancy laptop, after several days of spectacular fishing and an evening spent among fishing guides casually drinking beer and laughing. I must admit, after nearly ten years of writing this column, this is the first time I have lined things up so well and I’m not afraid to say it makes me smile. I’ve finally made it, but honestly, it’s just too hot out for this damn cardigan so I guess I’ll just cut to the chase.
The Lucky B is the culmination of a fly idea that has been rattling around in my brain for almost thirty years. Back in my guiding days, I would pump one fish’s stomach each day during the summer just to keep track of what was happening or changing and what might be on the menu for the day, and pretty much each day I found a single yellow jacket/paper wasp/mud dauber/winged stinged critter in the belly of nearly every trout.
One. Never two or three. One single yellow jacket.
This thought just sort of burbled around in my brain for the past couple of decades and it occurred to me more than once that fish do indeed eat these critters and that I should come up with a pattern to match them. I gave a half assed effort a few different times over the years, but never came up with anything I was really excited about until I started going at it a whole different way.
I had been playing with foam extended bodies tied on a needle, trying to develop an adult cranefly pattern (which has since been perfected and is undoubtedly destined for these pages as well), when it occurred to me that the overlapped foam body had a ton of potential and I set about polishing up the pattern. It took more than a few tries, but I am pretty happy with the result.
I start with a standard, thin sewing needle in the vise and build the abdomen from a strip of foam wrapped over a poly yarn and superglue core. The former existing to allow the body to slide off the needle and the latter to hold it all together once it comes off. Creating the textbook “wasp waist” was a stroke of near genius, if I do say so myself. By adding a stout monofilament articulation point that neatly forms the distinct void between abdomen and thorax, the perfect silhouette of these prolific summertime terrestrials was nailed. From there, a bit of dubbing and a foam strip is combined with some freakishly accurate barred sexi-floss legs and a unique method of forming the mixed color polypropylene macrame yarn wings to finish the fly off. The final artwork on the foam is done using a fine tipped Copic marker, a bit of creativity and a steady hand. The completed pattern floats low with the abdomen and legs dangling and the wings in an easily recognizable wide V shape protruding above the surface. It's buoyant, easy to see and ridiculously realistic and the fish know exactly what it is.
I'm very excited about this pattern. Thank you for sharing Mr. Craven. Can't wait to spend 3 hours trying to tie my first one. 😂😂
I wonder charlie if the fish you're trying to catch and soon release appreciate the meticulous detail you put into your patterns...I think not...but we do!
Absolutely incredible fly
Expertly tied and colored up to give a true to life pissed off appearance! I have to agree with you Charlie, this is one of the coolest bugs I’ve seen in a bit, and I love the extended body movement allotted by the thin mono.
I love yellow jackets and I'm always looking for the next best pattern. I'll be tying these up this winter! THANKS!
Be all what you can be, tie the lucky B and catch a B-utiful trout!
RIP Blue Background 🙂 Amazing fly! Thanks for sharing.
JAW DROPPING! Thanks Charlie!
Fantastic! This is a cool little fly.
I don’t fish for trout because they do not live where I do. However I use a lot of “trout” flies for bass and bluegills and such. They all eat pretty much the same stuff. They can be just as particular about the fly’s appearance sometimes but most days, that just does not matter to the fish. I still tie flies as pretty as I can because I enjoy tying flies.
Thanks for the recipe and the video.
You good sir are a gentleman and a scholar!!
Outstanding tying!!!!
Great looking fly!!
Cool fly Mr Craven! Thanks!
Very clever thinking Mr Craven 😊👍
Really cool fly. If at all possible when you say you’ve been working on a fly for a while, I’d really like to see an early example of the pattern, to get an idea of the patterns evolution. Really appreciate all your videos. Thank you, Mr. Craven
Very cool fly; this is one I will try for sure! Thanks heaps.
Great imitation, thanks for doing the development...
Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Love it!!
Looks great to me
Sheer genius and a work of art. We are not worthy…
genial, gracias por el video
I am going to save this one to my saved youtube vid file. I am going to have to play with this one some over the winter I think, Speaking of yellow jackets, I filled my car and my favorite Shell Sation and as I drove off I had guest. A yellow jacket, the bug was a bit slow for a yellow jacket, I guess I would be too, we are well into fall there is a bit of a chill today and in bug years my guess the damn thing is 90 in human years. I cracked the window and sent him on his way. Charlie always manages to come up with something really different at the vise. I guess that's why you make the big bucks. This bug is nothing more than some yellow foam yarn and some for the lack of better words rubber legs and a hook, the most expensive part of the deal is the Coptic marker. It's a yellow Jacket for sure. I learned early in my Boy scout days about those and setting up a tent on a nest. My parents were of the sort that If I didn't die, you'll live.
Super amazing. Crikey.
Charlie, just tied one up…what a fun tie and realistic pattern. Can’t wait to fish it.
If they “ STING 🐝 “ the Trout, as well as I’ve had them STING 🐝 Me …… that there Pattern
Will “ BEE 🐝 “ a WINNER 🎉
Thanks KING 👑 CRAVEN
✨ 🎣 💫
Tying this pattern, I like the take a black sharpie and color the edge that will be exposed on the rear section when I wrap it. Give it some colored sections to improve the imagery. A person preference. A great fly pattern. Thank you for this one.
---Just my two cents.
Man, once again phenomenal. Gonna have to twist up a few for meself since it’s gonna take at least a few years before the public can buy them ;)
Sooner than you think, they are available now at your local Charlie’s Fly Box!!
Beautiful. Thanks for another masterclass, Charlie! Wonder if you spray-bonded 1mm black foam to 2mm yellow, and then wrapped the body with that (black side-down), if it would create the black segmentation for you (vs the sharpee)?
As Charlie always says: you do you
Awesome looking fly. I’ve been working on my own take of a yellow jacket but it’s not as good looking as yours. Maybe I could send you some to give me your thoughts?
Mr Craven an amazing pattern not only in execution but the thought process behind. Thank you thank you from Siuth Africa. A question is the macrame the cotton acrylic or some other type. You’re a legend thank you
Thank you! Polypropylene macramé yarn.
Wow. I gotta tie some of these. Great fly. How deep was the water to use this ? What species like it? Think panfish would like it to? Thanks so much
Any issues with tying it on? It looks like the foam is covering the eye. Nice pattern regardless.
👍👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏👏
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hi Charley iam going tie this fly. Charley can I use. Monofilament 30LB.? Australia.
🐝
If it doesn't have eyes, it won't catch fish! ;P
Wouldn’t be able to see where it’s going
Mm come on this is the usa.
Absolute sick pattern a definite fish catcher here in Maryland