Mo Bradley has been tying “fly fishing patterns” for the Kamloops Lakes since the 1960’s. Mo came to Kamloops in 1965 from Derbyshire, England. Retired from his auto body repair career, he continues to promote his love of fly tying and fly fishing. Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, Mo hosted a TV show called “Just Fly Fishing” and a phone-in radio show about fly fishing the Kamloops Lakes. In 2011 Mo was presented with the 2011 National Recreational Fisheries Award for his 30-plus years of developing and promoting recreational fishing in the Kamloops/Shuswap area and for his skill as a master fly-tyer who donates his flies, which are in considerable demand, to various causes.
Mo’s Bloodworm Pattern
Here is the Mo Bradley bloodworm pattern for the Kamloops lakes and instructions on how to fish it. Mo studies aquatic insects in his home aquarium and ties simple but realistic fly tying patterns for fishing the Kamloops Lakes from “Ice Off to Ice On”. He has also produced an instructional DVD that you can use as a guideline for tying these highly effective fly tying patterns.
CHIRONOMID PUPA
Can be fished from ICE OFF TO ICE ON
Insect: midge pupa
Color: Black ,brown, green all shades and red.
Hooks: 12 -3x and smaller.
1. Dress hook.< wrap tying thread from eye
to bend
2. Then tie in small amount of strung
marabou, keep short
3. Now tie in fine swannundaze at the bend
of hook ,flat side down ,then wrap side by side, to
within 1/8 inch of the eye, tie off, then tie in small amount of strung marabou to
look like picture above.
4. Build up head with tying thread black, tie off ,and dress with head cement.
Have fun.
Now the next question is, how to fish this all important fish fodder and what I would look for;
I would go to one of my favorite lakes in the Kamloops area on may 1st, opening day and which I have done for the last thirty years. I would then find an area of five to fifteen foot of water, with a marl bottom where chironimus larvae and pupa, will be hatching from May 1st till the end of Septemberand then some. I would anchor my ten foot REBEL boat, which is manufactured in KAMLOOPS , and is a perfect one person fly fishing craft.
I would then fish with a nine foot #8 fly rod and a full floating number eight line and a long tapered leader, up to twenty foot, attach the above mentioned blood worm, size 10-2x, make a long cast, lower the rod tip to the waters surface. let the leader sink for a few seconds, then start a very slow retrieve, and when i say slow, I mean verrrry slow, then the games will start, have fun and perhaps try fishing BARBLESS.
You might like it , FISH DO.
Look for Fly Fshing Patterns By Mo Bradley in upcoming issues of the STAR/JOURNAL, courtesy of Lower North Thompson Learning and Literacy.