Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery - Fly Tying

Local anglers learn the ropes of fly tying at a recent clinic at the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery visitors center.

By Phil SurrattBDN Staff Writerpsurratt@bransondailynews.com

Gather a hook, some thread, wire, feathers and hair and you’ve got yourself some pretty good makings of a trout fly.It’s part of the sport of fly fishing that many anglers have gotten into and many have given up on.It’s a passion to many and a frustration to others, but patience and determination may get you over the hump.

Recently, the Shepherd of the Hills trout hatchery hosted a fly-tying clinic at its visitors center.Local fly-fishing guide Jeremy Hunt was on hand to pass on his tying tips and talk about fly fishing on Lake Taneycomo and the White River in Arkansas. Hunt has tied flies commercially, cranking out big numbers of many different patterns, for fly shops across the country.Hunt said more and more people are getting into the art of fly tying.“It’s really not that hard,” he said. “Learning how to control your thread is the key to a good pattern.”Overdressing, or putting too much material on the hook, is a common problem with new hobbyists.“Your first three might not be that great, but look out for number four, that’s when you start to get the hang of it,” Hunt said.

During the clinic, Hunt showed the group how to tie a dead scud.“Our rivers are full of scuds, especially the White,” he said. “The dead scud pattern has been producing 50 to 60 hookups a day for us.”On the White River, anglers have been casting smaller sized patterns in Nos. 16, 20 and 22, and have been catching big trout.“The key is to find slower water. That’s where you will find fish stacked up in pools,” Hunt said.

This past season, high water has kept anglers away from the region’s trout fisheries.That translates into not as many fish being caught, which means there are now bigger fish in the rivers.“I think we are going to have one of our best years coming up. Scuds and worms are abundant in our rivers and I think we will see consistently larger trout in the 20-inch range,” Hunt said.