Finding the Balance Tying and fishing balanced patterns

** This article was originally published  in 2011 for Fly Fishing Central which has long since been moth balled. I will do a follow up (Part II) shortly seeing as it is probably my number one method for taking big stillwater trout in the spring**

Kent Butterfield with a "Decent" Saskatchewan Rainbow!

Part of the joy garnered from fly fishing and fly tying is often found in the merger between tradition and innovation. Much of our success on the water and the development of successful patterns at the vice stems from experience and information gathered over the years. Nothing holds truer today than in the realm of stillwater fly fishing for trout. Information concerning trout and their habits, habitat and forage base is readily available to both beginners and experienced fly fishers alike.  The result is a breeding ground of ingenuity both in how fly fishers present their patterns to trout in stillwaters and how flies are tied at the vice.

One such method that is popular amongst stillwater fly fishers is fishing flies under a strike indicator. Much to the dislike of purists the “bobbers” have found a place in the arena of stillwater fly fishing. Not only can flies be presented in a lifelike manner to the trout, but the array of forage that can be imitated is virtually endless. Leech, dragonfly, damselfly, caddis, mayfly and various baitfish patterns can be fished successfully in areas where conventional methods simply are not feasible. Presentations in and around weed beds and in close proximity to debris cluttered lake bottoms can be done without fear of fouling up flies. Imitations remain at the proper feeding depth consequently resulting in greater odds of success. 

Balanced Flies Take Big Fish.

This method of stillwater fly fishing does, however, present a problem. With the exception of chironomids, which travel vertically in the water column, most insect species are traditionally ineffectively represented in this manner. As such, most fly fishers fish conventional flies which are meant to be retrieved horizontally through the water column. This is easily accomplished with an assortment of fly lines available to the fly fisherman. When we present these same patterns under a strike indicator the fly is now hanging in a vertical position which is un-characteristic of most trout forage and more often than not refused. To correct this problem flies have to be properly weighted and balanced in a manner that will allow them to be fished vertically below a strike indicator yet ride horizontally in the water column.

Balancing at the Vice

The first and simplest method of getting the proper horizontal orientation of the fly is by using lead wire on the front half of the hook shank to counter balance the weight of the rear half of the hook. Don Andersen, of Rocky Mountain House, has perfected this method which was first developed by Dean Baaynes when tying his Catatonic leech. Don had experimented with various gauges of lead and numbers of wraps on his patterns before finally settling on .025 lead wire on a Mustad #79580 #10 - #12 or equivalent. Don wraps a total of fourteen wraps of lead on the shank of the hook. Wraps are started roughly mid shank to directly behind the hook eye; leaving room to form a head later on. He then makes seven tight wraps towards the bend back overtop his original wraps. The weighted hook looks and acts like a standard jig head used in spin fishing. On smaller flies, below a size #10, .015 gauge lead can be used to minimize bulk on the flies. With hooks properly weighted in this fashion tiers are only limited by their imagination and forage being imitated when dressing their patterns. 

Catatonic Leech

The second method is a complete break away from traditional thought. It is ingenious if only because of its simplicity and its downright effectiveness when one is aiming to fish a horizontal pattern below a strike indicator.

Jerry McBride from Spokane, Washington first started tinkering with balancing flies when members of his local club were discouraged that their patterns were not having great success below a strike indicator. As a mechanical engineer, Jerry quickly applied principles of physics to devise a fool proof solution to the problem. 

Big spring bows' love leeches!

 By placing a tungsten bead on a pin and lashing it out past the hook eye Jerry developed a clever and effective method of balancing flies that would allow his patterns to sit completely horizontal below a strike indicator. When attached to the leader with a non slip loop or Duncan loop the fly would ride upside down, pivoting on the eye creating unhindered movement of the fly.

Jerry first began experimenting with simple fly designs. He believed that by dressing patterns in the round the trout would have a completely unchanged 360° view of the fly. Jerry’s Balanced Bead head Six Pack was the first of these patterns. Since then he has experimented with other patterns that have been easily converted to the balanced fly design and have been met with excellent success. He recommends using Super Glue after the pin has been placed along the hook shank to ensure the pin and bead do not slip. Wide gapped hooks with turned down eyes such as a Mustad #3906 or equivalent are preferred.

Recently several anglers have opted to using actual jig hooks with no lead. Hooks such as a Mustad #32762 Aberdeen or the Gamakatsu Jig 90 will aid in permitting the eye of the hook to remain free of body materials.

 Stillwater fly fishers are forever in Don, Dean and Jerry’s debt. Their simple ideas have created a versatile and effective method when it comes to approaching lakes and ponds.

Pattern Design

Balanced flies are often of basic pattern design. Tiers need to rely on the use of materials such as filoplume, marabou, rabbit strips and ostrich herl to impart life into the fly. Using dubbing loops enables the full effect of the materials to breath in the water.

Balanced Damselfly

 A good imitation for leeches and dragonfly nymphs is Phil Rowley’s After shaft leech. Not only does the fly breathe suggesting life but the array of colors it can be tied in can be adjusted for local conditions. In lakes with clear water the subdued nature of the pattern is taken with confidence by wary trout. A balanced after shaft leach has become my number one pattern for foraging spring trout. It can effectively imitate a wide range of forage types simply by altering the size and color.

An effective imitation of the large darner dragonfly nymphs is the Hunting Dragon. Dropped in amongst the weeds it does an excellent job representing this species common in many productive lakes.

Hunting Dragon

 In many of our parkland lakes in the prairie region of western Canada large hatches of Hexegenia limbata mayflies occur. A balanced Hex’ nymph is excellent just prior to emergences in the evenings. Other species of mayflies as well as caddis flies and damselflies are best imitated with soft hackle designs incorporating filoplume or marabou into the pattern. 

Balanced Hex Nymph

Another overlooked staple in productive stillwaters are the various forage or bait fish species. Tying crippled patterns to imitate recently injured or maimed bait fish can be very effective in triggering larger, predominantly piscivorous, trout into instinctively removing “weak links” from the ecosystem. 

Balanced Stickleback

Crippled Fathead Minnow

 One of the challenges of tying balanced flies is to not clutter the body, in particular, the eye of the fly. When using the lead wrap method, again, leave enough room behind the eye to form a head. With the tungsten bead and pin method, ensure when wrapping or dubbing your body to leave a slight concave past the eye so as not to hinder placing leader material through the eye when fishing.  It should also be mentioned that an excess of materials used behind the eye of the fly will counter the weight of the bead and may affect the orientation of the pattern when fished. This needs to be taken into consideration when determining body materials prior to tying.

It is quickly apparent that pattern design can be easily adjusted to suit local conditions. As fishing balanced patterns grows in popularity I am sure an increase in patterns suitable for this fishing method will follow.

In part II, presentations as well as pattern applications will be discussed.