For our March 29th NPTU Fly Tying Workshop we will host guest tyer Ben Bilello who gave a presentation on CT Broodstock Atlantic Salmon fishing at our September 2016 Chapter Meeting. He will show us how to tie a basic tube fly streamer, discuss how to rig one for fishing, and what the advantages are to using tube flies. We hope to see you there!

The Sunray Shadow tube fly

Materials (we will share materials that you do not have)

 Tubing (will be provided)

 Any color bucktail, though preferably white

 Pearl Krystal Flash and Pearl Flashabou

 Arctic fox fur or cashmere goat hair dyed black (needs to be about 3" long)

 Peacock herl

It's a great general purpose, streamer-type fly. I use it often in the spring. I have caught Atlantic salmon, brookies, rainbows, browns, smallmouth, stripers, and probably other stuff on it. My biggest sea run brown to date took this fly. It works well for the CT Broodstock Salmon, too. It's a great impressionistic streamer pattern for anything that eats other fish.

Tube flies need to be tied with a felting needle in the vise. The needles will be available for use and tyers can buy the needles from me for $1 each if they want to keep them.

If anyone doesn't want to tie on a tube, they can bring a saltwater, salmon, or streamer hook to tie the pattern on. A size 4 is probably good. ~ Ben Bilello

Bio

When he’s not behind a set of drums in a concert hall, jazz club, or recording studio, Ben Bilello can be found either on the water or behind the vise. While he’s an avid trout fisherman and fly tyer, Ben’s true fly fishing and tying passion is the Atlantic salmon. Ben has pursued wild Atlantic salmon in New Brunswick, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Russia; landlocked salmon in New York and Vermont, and broodstock Atlantic salmon in Connecticut. A collection of Ben’s classic and artistic salmon flies are featured in Michael Radencich’s book “Classic Salmon Fly Patterns: Over 1700 Patterns from the Golden Age of Tying,” the largest illustrated compendium of Atlantic salmon flies published to date. Ben’s work can be seen at his website www.benbilello.com/salmonflies and on his salmon fly blog www.theleaper.blogspot.com.

Ben is available for tying lessons, lectures and demonstrations. He can be reached at ben@benbilello.com