Pat Cohen - Super Bass Flies

Copyright 2020 by Pat Cohen

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Daniel Brount

Cover photo credit: Getty Images and Pat Cohen

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-3689-4

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-3690-0

Printed in China

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

G rowing up in the city of Trenton, New Jersey, I always thought I had it all. My home was just one block from the Delaware River, a roller skating rink, ball fields, and playgrounds. Even a four-star bakery was just around the corner. My father was an enthusiastic fisherman, both fresh and salt water, and he took me often. I also fished locally with my friends. Catfish and carp were the primary targets. Id water our small lawn before dark and return with a flashlight and coffee can later that evening to gather nightcrawlers for bait. Then it was on to the kitchen, where my mother and I would make cornmeal dough balls for carp. I was ready for the next days fishing and life was great.

Fishing with lures was yet to come, but that didnt stop me from sneaking through my fathers tacklebox and rummaging through the Daredevils, plugs, and spinners crammed in the trays. Amid all the wood and metal artificials I found something totally different, a Bass HAIR BUG. It fascinated me. It looked homemade and I immediately thought how cool it would be to craft my own lures. I had to wait a few more years to make that happen, but the seed was planted.

Over the years, fly fishing and fly tying became my passions, and I started to get invitations to tie at major flyfishing shows. This is where I met Pat Cohen in 2010 at the Fly Fishing Show in Somerset, New Jersey. He was sitting about six tables away from me at Tiers Row. It was Pats first appearance at the famed show and he wasted no time drawing a crowd and causing a buzz of excitement that resounded down the aisle. It was obvious that he was someone very special.

I had to get a closer look, so I walked over to his spot and luckily managed a close-up glimpse of his artistry in action. I was drawn in immediately. Lying on the table were bass bugs that were far more sophisticated than anything in my fathers tacklebox of long ago. Pats bugs were exceptional pieces of art. To say that he took spinning deer hair to another level is a gross understatement. These patterns had a style all their own. He tied some easily recognized traditional bass bugs, but most impressive were his creations that reflected a truly outside the box creativity.

Pat is a formally trained artist with a BA degree in figurative drawing and sculpture. Being adorned with tattoos, one quickly realizes his love of tattoo art, and after more than ten years he still practices as a highly sought-after tattoo artist near his home in upstate New York. These artistic skills have obviously served him well in working with deer hair and tying tools. His work can be functional as well as entertaining, and the patterns he ties can range from incredibly realistic mouse simulations to poppers and beyond. Pat fashions deer hair with unsurpassed technical quality. The tightly packed fibers actually feel like cork when he finishes trimming them. Color accents and spots are so well defined you might think they were painted on. The workmanship is absolutely stunning. Ive been a huge fan since our first encounter, and have had the privilege of watching him tie at many shows. He has an engaging personality and loves interacting with the enthusiastic folks who crowd the booth to see a true master at work.

Reading Pats book is almost like having him by your side. It is loaded with content and he covers traditional as well as the latest styles of bass bug configurations. Dive into its pages and youll find yourself both amazed and informed. Im confident it will also improve your fly tying skills.

Bob Popovics
December 2019

PREFACE

I decided to write Super Bass Flies to share information that I have gathered in pursuing bass on the fly with other anglers and tyers. I began fishing for bass as a child, and it remains a passion for me to this day. Making smart design choices based on an understanding of the prey you are imitating makes the most sense to me as a fly angler. There is a seemingly long-forgotten history to bass flies dating back to the eighteenth century. At times, it seems to me that the recent history of trout fishing overshadowed the much longer history of American bass fishing. I researched this history a fair amount and will share much of what I learned with you, although the history of bass flies can be a book unto itself, and if it piques your interest I encourage you to research further.

When I was beginning to put this book together I really thought about what I wanted to offer my readers, and decided that just another book of fly recipes or step-by-steps without explanations was not for me. I researched each food source to give a bit of insight into the actual behavior of each creature we are imitating. Some of the fly contributors shared their personal techniques as well. I broke the book down into three main areas: topwater, mid-column, and bottom, with examples on how to fish the flies in the various portions of the water; it makes no sense to me to have a book of great flies from talented tyers all over the world without explanations about how, why, and when to use them.

Biologically, bass are quite sensitive creatures, and their behavior and feeding habits constantly change. Knowledge of these often-predictable changes will give the fly angler a better understanding of how to pursue these finicky and complex fish. I had to dig deep and spend a huge amount of time really internalizing what it is I do when Im on the water. How do my presentations change, when, and why? Once I was able to conceptualize these techniques, I decided it was extremely important to offer these suggestions and insight on how to use flies effectively throughout the seasons. Every fly in this book was created with a specific purpose in mind. Flies need to solve a problem, informed by experience on the water. In writing this book I tried to cover the relevant food sources I observed during my angling experiences. Use Super Bass Flies as a reference to expand your base knowledge of creative bass-on-the-fly solutions.

The author with a beautiful upstate New York smallmouth bass.

INTRODUCTION

T here is an abundance of warm-water streams, lakes, and farm ponds to fish where I live in upstate New York. I was always a terrible fisherman with spin and casting gear, but I began fly fishing in 2008, and since then I have caught more fish than I can count. I have been tying flies since January of 2009. Fly fishing and tying have become an essential part of my life. Since 2012 I have tied flies on a full-time commercial basis, and have designed materials, dubbing, and tools for fly tiers. One of the most well-known is the Fugly Packer, which is a packing tool for the making of bass bugs.