The Thunder Creek Emerald Shiner - fun stuff!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- The Thunder Creek series created by Keith Fulsher in 1962 were a revolutionary new method for tying bucktail baitfish imitations. Fairly simple to tie, these patterns are amazingly realistic looking when stripped through holding water and have been known to catch some monster fish.
Hook: #8-10, 3x-6x long
Thread: White
Top: Green bucktail
Underside: White bucktail
Middle: Krystal flash, four strands
Eyes: Painted or stick-on
Keith Fulsher's "Thunder Creek Flies": amzn.to/38qavtC
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Savage Flies is a project with the mission of encouraging and teaching fly tying to as many people as possible. The channel is named after one of my western Maryland homewaters, the Savage River. Thanks for stopping by.
I love bucktail flies, and with a slight adjustment in the colors, this could imitate so many baitfish! My 11yo autistic son (Georgie) just started fly tying with my old vise. His 1st fly was a mohair leech, but last night, he went through my materials, and selected white EP fibers, 1 strand of olive crystal flash, and 1 strand each of red, gold, and pearl flashabou. We tied them, side by side, like bucktails, and he had so much fun! I say, let his imagination run wild, and since he on the Aspergers end of the spectrum, he could get really good at it!
That’s awesome. Embrace that passion and there’s no telling where it may lead.
That is so great to hear! I have an Aspergers son who can get very singularly-focused on an activity like this. Unfortunately my boy has never taken an interest in fishing or tying. Let me know if you need any tools or equipment to help get Georgie started. I've got all kinds of stuff that could help around here. Just drop me an email: matt@savageflies.com.
Keith Fulsher was a friendly older gentleman that I was lucky enough to meet a couple of times in fly shops over the years. I should fish the Thunder Creek flies more often.
That's cool to hear! Lots of these legends in the sport I wish I could have met.
I love how you don't make "rocket science" out of your ties. Sometimes things get overcomplicated by others.
Oh yeah! I like keeping them simple whenever possible. (And if I try to get too elaborate I'll screw something up anyway!)
This is a fun tie but just a little challenging to get the bucktail right. I just returned Fulsher's book to my local library today after reading it a third time. I have the original book but the 2006 version has better pictures. I love that Keith was able to keep fishing into his senior years. Thanks for adding to the Thunder Creek story and keeping Keith's memory alive.
Wow, great comment Mel. And yeah, Keith seemed like a great guy and it is encouraging that he was fishing well into his 80s. I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)
Thanks matt. Back in the early 70 s my box was full of thunder creek used to paint eyes on
That's cool to hear Daniel! I love when folks watching here have practical experience on the flies we tie. :-)
Nice tie. It's nice to see old patterns that people have forgotten. They may be old but they've stood the test of time
Absolutely Matt; I agree 100%!
I’ve always liked Thundercreek flies. I’ve a copy of the book, it amazes me how neat and flat he managed to tie the heads on his flies.
I think keeping sparse on the buck-tail without making the whole thing anaemic looking is the trick . Definitely dipping the buck-tail in water helps.
A cautery tool helps clean up too.
I tend to tie on extra long shank hooks, if the tail is too far past the hook (and you aren’t tying in a stinger) you may get lots of nips rather than takes…
Yep, I can see that happening Michael. But I suppose we risk getting short strikes with the long feather-wing streamers as well. Thanks for the note my friend!
This is a great fly Matt. I will tie it in several colors and sizes. It should do well on the central Texas bass, crappie and panfish.
Oh yeah, this will absolutely be a nice bass fly!
Good morning Matt, nice looking Thunder Creek fly. I have tied these before and I gave my painted eyes a 3d look by adding a drop of thick uv resin over each eye after my paint had dried. Have a great day!!
Now that's a pretty cool idea Steve! I tied one right before this with painted eyes and messed them up so much I didn't want to show it on camera. But I like your idea and giving it a 3d effect. :-)
Awesome Matt! Love bucktail baitfish patterns, no matter reverse tied or not. I have the 2nd printing of that book. I like marabou for them too. Thanks Matt!
Oh yeah! I thought about doing the marabou one but as this is the first one I've tied for the channel I thought I'd keep it like most all the others.
One of my favorite styles of flies. I have a lot of luck with a marabou version in ponds and slack water. Lately I've been experimenting with a coyote version for smaller and shorter hook sizes. Don't forget the red for the thread band. According to Keith it's a trigger. Also, this fly is easier to tie with a ring eye hook. Aside from keeping the two hair bundles seperated, the other thing that most tyers find challenging about this pattern is getting the head proportions correct. Gaelic hooks makes a hook specifically for this pattern. The hook is designed so that the correct head proportions are easily identified.
Yes, great points Craig! I didn't have any straight eye streamer hooks and was wondering after about three of these why I was struggling with the hair up front. And yep, I forgot to mention the red paint or thread for the band. I was actually tying a handful of these for my streamer box and when I do that, I just glue the eyes, or paint the eyes and the band all at once. At least I remembered the rend band before taking the picture of the thumbnail. :-)
Very cool fly with a new technique for me. This should be a fun one to tie! Thanks Matt!
It was Troy! Have fun with it my friend. :-)
Thanks for the video Matt. Now it's off to work I go... Have a great day my friend! Happy tying!!!
You too Alex! Have fun at work my friend. :-)
Nice work yet again Matt.
Appreciate it Ken! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)
That's a proven one, Matt. I used to regularly fish a Thunder Creek Black-Nosed Dace variation. It was deadly! Not sure what possessed me to stray from it.
Thanks Jim! Maybe because that thing is a hard one to tie! Fulsher even said of all the flies in this series that his blacknose dace is the most challenging with the two black strips on each side. I haven't even attempted it yet. :-)
Thanks Matt! You make it look easy, for me, this would take a lot of practice. Nice tie. Thanks for sharing. 😀
Don't tell anybody Jim, but I first tried this style last year and it was a mess. And I had to tie three practice ones yesterday just to get one half way decent looking. :-)
@@SavageFlies lol that makes me feel better. 😅.
I've found these work great for crappie. Had to watch a refresher Thank you for sharing the content you do..
I just remembered how I knew these flies as soon as I saw it. They took a lot of glue on the head for me so I hunted around ( there are so many products that you cannot just go and buy here in N.Z. ) Anyway I found a UV Resin clear glue that is used in conjunction with 3D Printers and I could get it in a 500ml bottle. It's the only head cement I use now. Memories just love them.
Great comment Maurice! I think if you were tying these in the 70s or 80s you probably had to go to the hardware store to get a two-part epoxy to make these hard heads.
Nice tie Matt, thanks for sharing the technique used in this fly, You could use almost any size hook for this pattern with shorter body hair for mini minnows. Thanks for sharing Matt, until next time.
That's a great idea Lee! I didn't even think of making mini minnows or a "micro streamer" in this style. But I'm sure it would make quite an effective fly. I may just try that. :-)
I have, somewhere, a very similar fly I tied about 55 years or so ago but without the lead, eyes and resin. It was in Yellow and White. I never knew I was so far ahead of my time. Keep the good stuff coming Matt.
Ha! You're a revolutionary Dave. :-)
Good Morning Sir Matt, I have got to try this. I'm at work right now and very busy, but I never miss a video and the opportunity to learn something new. Thank you so much.
I know you don't Edward! If I ever see a video that you don't comment on I'd start wondering what happened to you. :-) Have a great weekend my friend!
@@SavageFlies ❤👌💯thanks Sir Matt.
Never seen that fly before, it’s very nice. It will give me a chance to work on my reverse tying. Thank you.
Appreciate it! And don't worry if your heads look shaggy at first, lots of mine still do. :-) Thanks for watching my friend. :-)
Great looking fly Matt.
Appreciate it DB! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)
Thank you for the video Matt ! I would think it would produce good results anywhere it is fished. I will tie a couple today and hopefully try it out soon. Everyone have a great weekend be safe ! Once again thank you Matt !
Well thank you Mike and you have a great weekend too my friend!
Great fly! Surprisingly simple yet requiring some skills at the same time. I think it looks like a great herring imitator. I'll tie a few of these before the season opens.
Excellent Tom! He does have about a dozen specific baitfish imitation patterns in the book but I don't see one for herring. But I'd say any silver back, light bottom imitation would work for them. Or do herring have darker backs... I can't remember!
Good morning Matt☕️☕️
Nicely done, this is streamer week. I’ve got to start fishing them, well more that I do!
I was at the pond early this morning and caught some brilliant colored fish.
That was a nice looking sunfish! And on a tiny streamer to boot. I don't remember if I told you, but my biggest ever brook trout were on the Holston in SW Virginia a few years ago. And on streamers. :-)
Great history and cool fly.
Appreciate it! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)
Oh this is going on my tie list. I could see this replacing my saltwater bucktail jigs for shore fishing. Thanks Matt!!!
Thanks Sam! Fulsher's book actually has a couple of saltwater patterns in it. And I'm sure you could tie any of this style in the colors you want and hook sizes that make sense for you. Good luck my friend!
Nice fly Matt these are very effective . Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Mike! I appreciate you watching it my friend. :-)
Good morning Matt. Nice looking fly. Will have to check that book out. I will have to give this technique a try. Thanks for sharing this one. Have a good weekend and stay safe my friend.
You got it Karl! And hey, did you see my note that you won the Maine book? Check it out and send me an email with you mailing address. :-)
Nice pattern. I've read about this pattern in Peter Gathercole's book,"The Fly-Tying Bible",but this is the first time seeing it tied. In the book he shows clear lacquer on the head. Probably easier with UV resin. Thanks again for another interesting video.
Thanks Ed! Yeah, lacquer would probably take a while to dry but in the end it's probably going to be the same. Maybe a fast-drying epoxy would work well too. (I think that's what Fulsher originally used.)
Nice choice of pattern, I'll have to add this one to the list. It also gives me a reason to stop by the fly shop, lol. Thanks Matt for sharing
And any reason to stop by the fly shop is good enough for me. :-) Thanks for the note and have a great weekend!
Pretty cool looking fly
Appreciate it Jeff! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)
@@SavageFlies my pleasure sir. you are very welcome sir.
So just got home from fishing, had a great time and caught a few fish! And on some flies I tied. Thanks Matt for teaching me to tie better!!
That's so awesome to hear Barbara! I'd love to see pictures of your fish on your own flies. :-)
@@SavageFlies I’m not so good about taking pictures. I keep forgetting to. I guess I just want to get them back in the water
@@barbaraemerich1921 Nothing wrong with that! I’m pretty much the same way. 👍
That's different.... Cool. 👍
Going to have to try this tie ! Thanks for sharing Matt ! Hope you have a great weekend
Appreciate it! You too and thanks for watching my friend. :-)
Thanks Matt for another Great Video 👍
Thanks John! I appreciate you watching it my friend. :-)
Thank you Matt I really appreciate what you do I look forward to your videos every week I'm relatively new with this but I sure try sometimes it look good sometimes well you know:-) and I really enjoyed that back stories thank you again
You're most welcome Marty! I appreciate the support my friend. :-)
One of my favorite flies
Great to hear Richard! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
@@SavageFlies I tie at least one a week sometimes more depending on how many I lose.
I've made those before, way back in the days before UV resin... LOL I raided my sister's clear fingernail polish for the head, takes longer to dry but the end result was the same...
Ha! I think Fulsher used a two-part epoxy resin but I'd say fingernail polish would work too. :-)
Great looking streamer. Thanks Matt. I think it would be great in yellow and white here in Ky.
Absolutely! Maybe even a red stripe... kind of like a Thunder Creek Mickey Finn. :-)
Try it in black and purple too first thing in the morning.
Good morning Matt. Sat down with my ☕️to watch your video and it was a bucktail. Coincidence since I just picked up Valla’s book on tying and fishing bucktails. Haven’t got into it far enough to see if this one is in there. Cool pattern and enjoyed watching you tie it. I’m thinking it would be an effective shiner imitation up here. Very similar technique to tying pike flies only they are on 1/0 to 4/0 hooks. We are headed out on our first trip of the summer and the ice should be off most of the lakes by next weekend I hope. Looking forward to getting out fishing. Take care Matt.
Outstanding, and good luck on the water John! I don't recall if Valla talks much about Fulsher and these flies but I know he's got at least a dozen of them in the book. I probably need to practice with his blacknose dace as that's one of the most common minnows in the waters I fish. That one is just harder to tie. :-)
This pattern really appeals to me. Will have to give it a try. Thanks for sharing.
They're fun patterns Bill! Have fun with it. :-)
Tied several Thunder Creek style. Need to fish them. Never this color. Should do great with salmon and steelhead. Thx Matt.
Oh yeah Clyde! I think these work wherever baitfish live. :-)
I really love this fly! I’m going to try with olive in place of bright green. Thank you
Well thank you Marshall! These are pretty fun streamers to tie. Not the quickest, but still a lot of fun. :-)
Thanks for the tutorial. With the epoxy it looks like a surf candy.
That is a cool looking fly Matt
Thanks for the video
Hope you have a great day of fishing
Appreciate it Dave! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Cool fly Matt, ill have try tying some
Thanks Matt 4 anthr great tie! I've seen this pattern n been thinking of a fly pttrn 4 CA stlhd 4 some time. Now that I can strt tying again I'll tie a variation of fry 2 use here. I have faith it'll anthr fly that'll wear my arm out! Many Blessings 2 u n keep up the instructions 4 simplified tying!
Definitely one for me to try. Thanks for the videos, they are a big help.
Thanks Jim! I appreciate the note my friend. :-)
Such a great classic. Great tying job, Matt. Most versions I’ve seen use red thread for the thread collar behind the head to give the impression of gills. I used to dip the head in Softex, since it’s flexible to the touch after drying. Now, with many types of resin available, I think I’ll try the flexible version of uv resin.
Thanks Bob and I still haven't tried the flexible resin yet. I put that on my to-buy list after we talked a few months ago but have since forgotten all about it. Now I'm looking at J. Stockard... I don't see any but they do have a lot of colored resins and I've never tried those either. Hmmm...
Love these flys I tie a lot of these ??? Nicely done Matt !!!
Appreciate it Scott! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)
@@SavageFlies
I haven’t made them with the weight add to the head tho so I will definitely try that. I have caught a lot of smallmouth on this pattern!!!
Spanish mackerel would love these. Would need quite a few because of break offs with those sharp teeth. Nice fly.
Oh man Craig, that sounds like some fun fishing though!
🤫 Wisconsin fishing is terrible this time of year 😂. Tomahawk, Wisconsin is only a 2 hour drive from our house. I’d love to fish Thunder Creek with you.
That is one of the coolest streamers I have ever seen. Love the way it is tied. You done an excellent job. Fun to watch. Great video as always. Thank you Sir. I will definitely be waiting on this book review. Hope you have a great week buddy. God bless.
Appreciate it Jeff! Maybe someday we'll be able to meet up out there. It is now on my bucket list. :-)
@@SavageFlies That would be awesome. As would fishing the Savage River with you. There is even the possibility of picking an area and meeting halfway. The options are endless my friend. But it would be an honor and a great learning experience to fish beside you. I always joke with Diane, I’d show these famous fisherman some fly fishing they have never seen. 😂😂. Have a great week Matt.
@@jeffreystone7327 Ha! Thanks Jeff. We’ll make it happen someday before we’re too old. 👍
Real nice looking fly Matt need to tie a few different colors send them to granddaughter so they try them out
Absolutely Mark! Make sure to try the blacknose dace, golden shiner and his basic smelt. You can pretty much mach any baitfish that might be living in the water she fishes. :-)
Another great fly Matt, I tie these in several colours and they work really well, I even make ones with a lead underbody for deeper saltwater stuff and fish them on lure tackle. I found the Bucknall too stiff and lifeless so use marabou or craft fur now and it makes a huge difference, the action in the water looks fantastic 👌
Thanks Graham! He does have a couple of the patterns with marabou, but it's really just a tail and he still has the bucktail on top and bottom to make the head.
I like this pattern Matt. What Did he use to coat the head since I'm pretty sure UV was not around then? Another recipe added to the list! lol. Have a great weekend my friend
He said he preferred Devcon 2-Ton epoxy. It's still available today but is one of those where you have to mix the two parts, so probably a bit of a pain to use. I think it's this stuff: amzn.to/3lctnPO
I have used them without eyes and no uv or epoxy and they still catch fish. This is for durability alone.
I can see where hackle pliers would be useful with this. I imagine attaching the eyes can be a bit rage-inducing.
You're not kidding Mark! I had to use tweezers and it still took me a couple minutes to get them on right. But compared to the ones I painted on... oh boy, those eyes were all over the place!
Good morning Matt. Like the fly. What are your thoughts about craft fur? I know it is not the recipe, but I think it will have great action in the tail. Funny thing, I bought some foam to try and saw the craft fur and said what the hell.
I don't use it a lot Nich but I do like it and it can make some great streamer bodies. I actually did a craft fur streamer (and name-the-fly contest) last year. Check it out if you didn't see this one: th-cam.com/video/C1DskkcM1Zg/w-d-xo.html
Mega Thx Matt for your videos. Since I’ve only recently started trying to tie flies, I usually have lots of questions.
I truly enjoy all the background you try to give before showing how to tie the fly.
Would you recommend buying just peacock hurl or actual peacock eye feathers and cutting off the hurl needed?
I’ve searched for freshwater patterns using the eyes but can’t seem to find any.
Thank you my friend! I appreciate the kind words. I'd recommend just getting the herl. A strung pack is just a couple dollars and will last a long time. You will eventually come across some patterns that use peacock sword fibers, and a few of those feathers are good to have but they're used much less often than regular herl. And there are even fewer patterns that call for herl strands pulled from a specific part of an eye feather. They are certainly cool to look at, just not used too often.
@@SavageFlies Mega Thx for the advice
Matt, What did Keith use to coat his heads before us resin.
John Gallagher
It was a two-part epoxy. He mentioned Devcon as the brand which is still available today.
What would do without uv reison this fly was tied with with expoxie
.
hey matt where was the eyes....lol
Ha! I put the eyes on my practice one but if I did it for the camera, the video would have been about three minutes longer. :-)
@@SavageFlies got ya
Question is there any other way you can tie this if you do not have uv resin ? What could i use instead. Thanks
Sure, you could use head cement, or clear fingernail polish. They would just take a while to dry. Or a two-part epoxy from the hardware store would work as well. I think that's what Fulsher originally used in the 1970s.
@@SavageFlies cool ty