GFF logo





   
First published June 29th 2006 - More than 2 years ago
More about: Bass Warm water Patterns 

My Favorite Dad

A crawfish pattern for bass, trout, panfish and even catfish

By Michael Smith AKA Rybolov

  
 This Bass Liked my Dad
 This Bass Liked my Dad 
Melanie Smith
 		Back under my rock
 Back under my rock 
Michael Smith
 
Well, since it's just been Father's Day, I figured I would introduce the world to my favorite dad. His name is "Skip's Dad" and he hails from the mind of Skip Morris. I was introduced to him via Joe Cornwall's "Fly Fishing Warm Water Rivers".

Here in Virginia, the rivers are lousy with crayfish. I went last week to the South Fork of the Shenandoah, and in a meter-square area along the shoreline, there had to be at least 30 crayfish in it.

Light colored
 Light colored 
Michael Smith
 
I fish this fly with either a floating line and 10-foot leader or a clear sink-tip. I cast quartering downstream on a tight line like a steelhead swing. Either use 5-inch quick strips or 30-inch slow strips, I've had success with either.



Michael Smith originally posted this pattern on our discussion board under the handle Rybolov, but we found it so good that it deserved its own article. You can read the original post here.






Sometime when I get around to it, I'll start dead-drifting Skip's Dads under an indicator.

Recipe, partially stolen from Joe's book:
Materials
HookSize 6 to 14, 2X or 3X long
ThreadTan, Brown, or Rusty Brown 8/0
WeightBarbel Eyes
TagDub a nose of dubbing from 1/3 of the way around the bend of the hook to the flat of the shank
TailNatural reddish/brown pheasant tail fibers tied in two bunches and split with dubbing to resemble small claws. (Dads with small claws are easier prey for fish)
BodyLight olive or brown haretron dubbing
ShellbackPheasant tail fibers pulled over the dubbed body
RibFine copper wire


One of my local waters is the Potomac River, it's about a 20-minute drive. I go to a little park area known as "Turkey Run". In June and July, the water is a very comfortable bathtub temperature and the current is slow enough that you can wade safely up above your waist.

The Potomac Heritage trail travels right up the banks of the river for miles in either direction and is used by hikers, runners, and families with dogs. Below Turkey Run, the river slows as it enters a small impoundment. A series of rock islands and submerged plants form a phenomenal nursery for smallmouth food.

View it in Google maps.

If you go, be careful because they will lock you in after dark.



Reaction to Skip's Dad can be varied.

I've felt smallmouth nibble at it gently as they suck it up off the riverbottom. When I get gentle takes, I start fishing with a slow, long strip.

  
 Paul the Unabomber
 Paul the Unabomber 
Michael Smith
 
When I find that the fish are slamming the Dad hard, I start using quick 5-inch strips, just enough of a pop so that I see the end of my line jerk.

Sometimes I've cast and had large smallmouth take the fly on the very first strip. It's happened enough that I get the slack out of the line as fast as I can.

Don't forget to let the Dad hang below you in the current. You'll catch bass when you let the fly hang and then give it a couple quick strips.

This is Paul's first day ever with a flyrod, and once he can cast 10 feet and strip line, Skip's Dad gives him a good day on the river.

He'll be back.



User comments
From: Clyde · cepullen·at·hotmail.com
Submitted July 21st 2007

Great looking fly. With the hook up it will work almost anyplace. Thanks for the great recipe. Clyde

From: rybolov · rybolov·at·ryzhe.ath.cx
Submitted January 21st 2007

Yeah, winter is a bad time for fishing crayfish... they all are in hibernation.

As a side note, Joe Cornwall put tying instructions (sequential pictures and a movie) for Skip's Dad on his website at www.flyfishohio.com

From: jason · jason.lowe1496·at·tiscali.co.uk
Submitted January 21st 2007

Dear Michael

I love the fly, I am sure it will work over here in England. I will give it a go next summer.

Great photos

j. Oxford UK

From: rybolov · rybolov·at·ryzhe.ath.cx
Submitted October 5th 2006

Definitely try it for the Wels, probably in a larger size. I've been experimenting with #4/0 Skip's Dad for largemouth bass, so I figure that would work well for larger catfish.

From: Dada · lopfree·at·seznam.cz
Submitted October 4th 2006

Hey Michael,
Iam looking forward to test Your Dad......I looks like pretty good...Our rivers are full of american crayfish which was imported twenty years ago and our barsch, zanders and wels.
And Wels ll be the most interesting..... Thanks for inspiration d. form Czech

From: Joe Cornwall · joe·at·flyfishohio.com
Submitted June 30th 2006

Well done, Mike. The Skip's Dad is an awesome fly indeed. Try it in small sizes down to a size 10 or even 12 for trout and panfish in clear water. Carp love it too! Later in the year as summer fades to autumn, up the size and fish it more aggressively. Also, I suggest using red barbell eyes early in the season, but unpainted eyes as July gives way to August and finally gold eyes as September melts into October. It's a subtle effect, but it mimics the natural changes in the color of the crayfish population (at least on the Midwestern creeks I fish). Tight lines!


Want to comment this page? Fill out the form below.
Comment
Only comments
in English
are accepted!
Your name Your email

All comments will be screened by the GFF staff before publication.
No HTML, images or links, please - we do not publish such comments...
And only English language comments will be published.
Name and email is optional but recommended.
The email will be shown in a disguised form in the final comment to protect you against spam
You can see other public comments on this page

If you want to submit a private comment, not for publication, use this form

 
Did you find the above interesting?
People who looked at the above also looked at these pages:

Rasing chickens

From feathers to chickens - and back again You don't need to ra...

Jacket Blues

GFF partner Martin Joergensen has owned quite a few wading jacke...

Small Fry, 1

Perfection is as illusory in fishing as it is in any other aspec...

Small Fry, intro

A treatise on small fish and small waters; an eclectic collectio...

Small Fry, 3

Lepomis auritus, the redbreast sunfish, does not receiv...
 		This other story related to "warm water" might also interest you:

Warm Water

Book Review: I’ve seen a few other self published books and they always seemed like something bound at a local Kinkos. Not so with Joe’s book. It’s every bit as professionally presented as any book by one of the big publishing houses. Click here to read the entire review

Click to see other stories with the keyword "warm water"
A few random articles for your entertainment

A Global Fly Fisher Publication
Copyright © 1994 - 2008, Joergensen/Petti/Schweitzer/Skehan
Portions of this site copyright © the contributors. All rights reserved.
This material is for personal use only. Do not distribute without prior written consent from each copyright holder.
Comments and suggestions are welcome