Chamois Flys

I have noticed a very notable increase in traffic via searches for chamois patterns. Very cool. When I first started fishing chamois it was a difficult task to find any reference on the net. My introduction to the material came through a buddy who tied it in worm patterns. Big, dew worm like constructions tied and coloured as such. A great pattern, especially in targeting big trout in off coloured water. These days I am seeing a lot more patterns appearing on the web. Not sure how many folks are fishing them though.

Shortly after I started to tie it in minnow patterns. It really shines in this capacity. Such life like movement. I have said right from the start, the only material that is really needed in a chamois streamer is the chamois. Just tying a strip to  a hook will catch you fish. I had a reminder of this last season, and I may have remarked about it on this blog. A day where a pattern I was fishing fell apart. The only thing left on the hook was the chamois. It caught fish. Good fish.


An obvious property of Chamois is it is very water absorbent. As far as us fly fishers are concerned, this property not only helps impart a very lifelike action, it also gives it a life like feel. Fish do not seem to be in any hurry to expel the fly when they chomp down on it. Instead they tend to bite down hard. As far as the action is concerned, it is phenomenal. If a chamois streamer is held in a current, it undulates just as a minnow would. If dead drifted, it tumbles like a dead minnow. A stripping retrieve will see it swim with a dying flutter at the end of the strip. All of this makes for a great fish catching tying material.

It's not to say that chamois is new to the fly tying world. I have seen some rather old nymph patterns that incorporate it. While it is gaining in popularity, it is hardly something you'll see in most anglers fly boxes. It is something you might want to try if your looking to expand your repertoire. One thing I will caution, is if you decide to pick some up, make sure it is the real deal. The faux stuff is not a substitute. I bought a real chamois at Canadian Tire years ago I still have not gone through. Goes a long way.

Below is a video shot last season using a very simple chamois minnow pattern I had thought up the day before.

Post Season Reflection

I suppose with ice starting to form on the lakes, I can start to look back on the season it was.

I made more outings this year, than in the previous three. This is not to say that my back recovered that much. That is hardly the case. It seems to be getting worse, not better. However, the close proximity to so much water made it very easy to get out for a couple of hours in spots where there were likely going to be fish.

The season was a slow start. We had snow on the ground, and ice on the water till towards May. It took me sometime to shake of my hibernation mode too. When eventually things started to line up, I was able to enjoy some of the best fishing of my life, if not the best.

When I look back at posts prior to the season starting, I see things I wanted to do, but never got around too. Like hunting Lake Trout and Walleye. Other species I found I just didn`t want to make the effort for, like Trout. I found it hard to drive 40 mins to fish when I could be on the water in 10 minutes. Consequently, other species saw much more of my time. I did catch some trout. Not many, not too big. But trout they were.

The smallmouth fishing in this area is phenomenal. It succeeded my expectations immensely. The average fish does seem to be in the 2 -3lb range. Over 4lb`s are rarer, but happen often enough that they don`t seem to
be ever out of reach. I was rather pleased with how quickly I figured out were to find them in the various lakes I fished. I thought there would be more of a learning curve there. Thank goodness for fishfinders!

I also fished with spinning gear for the first time in decades. I picked up the routine again quickly, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Towards the end of the season I was fly fishing more than gearing it, but that had to do with old habits than anything else. I am comfortable taking either method out on the water solo, though I do prefer both at my disposal. Catching fish on my own lures was no less satisfying for me than any flyfishing accomplishments. And those lures caught me some great fish. Plastics have come a very long way since I last fished them. Was happy with how consistently productive they are.

Pike I wish I had chased a bit more. Most of my success on that front  was with spinning rigs. I have a couple of good lakes earmarked for next year. Even if I did not get out for them as much as I should have, I did scout and secure some great water for next season. Plan on getting them early season on the fly.

Then there was the Perch. I tangled with them a lot this year. So many of them were eaten. It was a staple in my diet all summer long. I was not a happy camper if I caught bass all day, and no perch. A man needs to eat!

Bird. Bird is the word.

So what now?

Unlikely I will be ice fishing this year. I am not Jesus Christ, I do not walk on water. Even the frozen kind. I suspect I will spend my time hunting this winter. Something I only started this fall, but absolutely love. I regret not having started this in my youth. So far, I`ve only been after grouse. I would like to find some rabbit once that ends. Thing is, you will never see me hiking. The idea of walking from point a, back to point a, just does not make sense to me. Yes, nature is beautiful, but I can observe that from one spot. The walking part of the hike just seems to interfere with the enjoyment from my perspective. However, doing it with a rifle and playing natures equivalent of `Where`s Waldo`is a much different story.

Recent outings.

So, I have been out twice in search of trout. Once was back to the previous spot where I took my first fish. This time I managed to hook several, but land one.

I will tell you this know...............not liking the river fishing bit. Just to finicky and annoying. My back starts giving me grief quick. Pontooning is so much easier.

I have to go back to that water prepared a little better. By that, I mean be set up for nymphing. The guy we got the tip from was a 'dry fly only' sorta guy, by his own admission. Those that have been reading my tripe for long enough will be aware of my affinity for such. So thats how I went rigged. Immediately upon viewing the water I thought........classic nymph water. I should have been setup as such on my second visit.

So far up here, I have seen shit oads of caddis, and few mayflies. The fish I hooked where all on caddis.

I also went out on another day, looking for more water. I found a real nice stretch, but could not interest the fish in a dozen of so casts. You know, I am so damn spoiled I expect immediate results. I really have to get over that. I can't blame my move up here and my other fishing exploits here for that though. That comes from fishing for trout in S.O. I really need to adjust my expectations.

Fish n' Chips. Fresh fish, gluten free.

I was back on Horne tonight for the first time in  a long while. Was hunting perch meat. Caught lots of those. Also caught a good number of bass. I broke off a huge one. You know those overhand knots that appear in our leaders, often via tailing loops? Thats where it broke me off. I have on 20lb tippet material. I was rather surprised. Tells you how much a simple knot like that can affect the integrity of the line.

I fished a few different flies today. All were successful. The Rabbabou Clouser and an Olive Wooly Bugger produced most frequently, and it was the bugger that hooked the mega-bass.

More messin' in Esten.

.............ate a Chamois Strip Minnow.

I headed out for some evening fishing on Esten again. Pretty much the middle ground of the last 2 nights. Tonight I left the casting gear home completely and went with two fly rigs. One with a floater, and one with full sink.

The full sink caught more fish today. But again, it was hardly red letter. Again, only one respectable fish, but a good number of smaller bass and a few more perch.

Fish Chowder with Dumplings. Made stock with the bones and
trimmings of a pike. Nothing gets wasted.

I fished a number of different flies tonight. Those three were the Chamois Strip Minnow, Green Fish Critter and the Rabbabou. All caught fish. The strip minnow caught the most, but the GFC caught the best. I had the thought a while back that it should work well with a sinking line. It would suspend of the bottom nicely. I took a decent fish as soon as I tied it on.

Think I might need a change in venue. It seems as though I am always rewarded when  I explore new waters. We shall see what tomorrow brings.

EL, EL, ON.

.....this mid-lake rock is pretty cool.

I was eager to get back out on to Elliot Lake. Yesterday had been great, and I was hoping for more.

Not sure if its just this year, and or my luck, but there is pretty much always a wind when I've been out. Not a big fan of the wind. Certainly makes for much more work in the pontoon boat. We have also been getting rain almost daily. Although none hit the ground as far as I know, a system did move in threatening a down pour and create some strong winds. Enough to chase me off the lake early. Elliot is not like Horne. Its a much larger waterway. No way I want to get stuck out there in a storm. As it was, staring at the fish finder allowed the cloud cover to get right on top of me before I noticed it.

.......drop shot fish.

Not big, but thanks for playing.

I wanted to try a sinking line today, to see what I could get. Answer was....not much. I got a couple of fish, but conditions were different from yesterday. The fish were not where the had been the day before. A day earlier, and I suspect the sinking line would have worked wonders.
Things started off slow. I was probably out for an hour or so before I got my first fish. A smaller sized smallie. I caught a couple of those to start things off. It was a lot slower than I had anticipated. Not until around 7 oclock did the fishing pick up.

Quality fish.

10-12' was the ticket today.
Chamois Strip Minnow.

At that point, I had positioned myself within a quick dash of the shore where I put in. Yesterday, I had some hits and took a small fish in this area. Figured it was worth checking out. Worked out well. I caught a number of quality fish working a weed line edge in about 10 -12' of water. One fish.............was real big. If it was a bass........I would have liked to have gotten it onto scales. It was not long of a hookup. Long enough for me to say 'holy fuck this fish is big' and start to worry about the logistics of landing it before it popped the hook.
The shittier the weather got, the better the fishing was. In the end, I could see rain coming down in the distance and bailed. It was also bloody cold.

.......big ass bass.

The fly rod proved to be more effective today, despite my ill advised venture with the sinking line. When I started working the 10-12' depth, I switched back to a floater and had immediate success. I fished Yellow Clouser and a bead head Olive Wooly Bugger as well as a Chamois Strip Minnow. The old reliable bugger managed the best fish of the day.

Stormy on Horne.

Heheh........got caught by a thunderstorm while I was in the middle of the lake in my toon. Something I do not want to experience again anytime soon.

Before the evil little storm snuck up on me, I was having an odd time. In a couple of hours, I only caught 2 fish. This was unusual. More odd was the fact they were both big bass. Usually, panfish are all about and ready to play. Not today. Nary did I see a single one.

Today was the first day the temps had started to climb back up to at least the seasonal averages. I had previously mentioned I figured a spike in the temps would do my fishing some good. Did seem to work that way, for at least the bass.

Sky looks alright, and this is minutes from the deluge.
Came fast from the other direction.

I caught both bass in 12 -13 feet of water on Clousers. The first fish came shortly after starting. The second just before the rain two hours later. The first fish measured 16 inches and weighed 2 1/2lbs. Second fish saw no measurement device. It was however, considerably larger than the first, and larger than the 4lb fish I caught earlier this season, making it my biggest bass to date. That fish gave me a great fight. I could see under water foliage on my finder, and caught this fish above it. He immediately dove down into it and made things a lot more difficult for me. My wrist is still sore from the scrap.

Hands down the fly rod was the better option for me today. Could not even get a panfish to hit my spin gear. The bass were both caught on sparsely tied Clousers. Predominately yellow, with red and green crystal flash highlights.

The weather quickly turned to shit tonight. A very dark line of storm clouds snuck up on me. I could not see their approach from where I was in the lake. When I noticed it suddenly get dark, I looked up and it was on top of me. I managed to get two thirds of the way back to the launch before I was caught in a vicious downpour. The waves were kicked up pretty high by a fierce wind, and it was all I could do to get to the nearest landfall. Hauled my toon and gear through some pretty intense foliage. I will assess the damage latter.

Spoiled Rotten.

So, I went out tonight in the pontoon to Horne Lake. Far from a spectacular day. Caught perch....lots of perch. Some on the fly, some on plastics. Caught a few bass. None larger than 12", and likely less than a pound. Tried a lot of different looks, to no avail. If I remember correctly, they all came on `bug`type plastics. A first for me. Never used them before today.

A little odd. I seem to be doing better in short little stints from shore than the tooner. I think I may not to abandon Horne for a bit. Try another lake, or maybe hunt down other species. I dunno. or some reason, I just wasn't feeling it today. In all honesty, I was kind of preoccupied the entire night with thoughts about some tools I had to set for my lure making. My back is still singing sad songs of sorrow which is never overly enjoyable.


We shall see what tomorrow brings. I have to go out to our property tomorrow to meet with a potential builder.

Oh, so the title? You know, I really should not be disappointing by an outing like this, but I was. I just expect big bass now. I do not get them, and apparently I sulk. Not sure I like this side of me.

Fly Pattern: Chamois Strip Minnow?

So, this is the fly I came up with. Very very simple. I can see myself getting a lot of use out of it. Ties up in no time. You should be able to deduce its construction by looking at it.

As I keep saying, you can literally just tie chamois on a hook and it will catch fish. Whether or not the extras tiers add aid in effeciency I will leave for others to debate. I have a feeling that indeed they do, or I wouldn't bother. Without any better reference, I'll be referring to this as a Chamois Strip Minnow, or CSM in the future. As a caveat, with any new pattern I come up with, I always point out, just because I am not aware of it, does not mean this pattern does not already exist. If you have seen it before, drop me a line and let me know the particulars.