Now, you may think that Ken slipped on some ice and hit his head because he's standing up for this fly but there's a very good reason for this and that stems from my personal belief that a fly should look like a natural item on the trout's menu in the same way that a pheasant tail nymph does a great job of imitating a mayfly nymph. This very simple creation represents a trout or salmon egg (or sucker egg in the Spring) better than most flies represent the intended insect or bait fish that they represent. My only gripe is that this fly is usually tied too large for the fish in the river. Mine are all micro eggs on size 16 and 18 hooks and they work very well below an active redd. So, let's elevate this deserving creation. It deserves it!!!
My Pheasant Tail
This one has olive colored tail fibers wrapped around the hook shank and a thorax of brown beaver. The wing pad is mallard pulled over the thorax and then hit with a black sharpie. (Many mayfly nymphs will have much darker thoraxes just prior to emergence.
I get a LOT of satisfaction by catching trout on natural looking flies. Remember, It's not how many you catch but how you catch them.
Late New Years Day we settled down to a roast pork stew. I call it a "stew" although there is very little moisture content. Well seasoned pork loin is seared and then surrounded by potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and bok choy in a roasting pan set to bake covered at 320 for about 1.75 hours.
Cold weather comfort food!!!
Ken
9 comments:
Nice looking stew! For some reason I cannot catch fish, just bottom, on those junk flies. Going to tye up some micro eggs for this season when the suckers start spawning.
Caught my Landlocked Salmon in the Bubbler Arm, on that pattern back in December of last year. Got there, spotted her, and began carefully roll casting every morsel in my Fly box. After about six hours I epiphanized the ideal mental visual, these fish were behaving like drop-back Kings, Coho’s, Steelhead, and Browns on the Salmon River in Pulaski. Maybe the key, was a lighter Egg Pattern(Not a Comet) to close the sale. Switched to the same fly, colored orange with a tiny red Sharpie Marker dot. Boom, Boom, Smack, Catch, and Release🐠📚🎣. In the spirit of the Holidays I traded away that fly, to a stunned Fly Fisherman en route back to my vehicle. Showed him the Photograph & Video, whipped out the old Fly Box and a fun albeit discreet transaction took place. If he’s still out there, thank you. Researched the pattern from the swap, A Double Bunny Streamer🐰🐰
Fly Fishing Anonymous
Anonymous 7:42,
Make sure that the material for the sucker eggs is at least light beige in color and about the size of a 5/32 tungsten bead!
Ken
First anonymous - next time you fish a bottom focused fly, tie it on, but leave a long (like 8-10" "tag" end to the tippet. once the fly is tied on, tie a small loop at the end of the tag bit. Now crimp a shot there or better, wrap some tungsten putty on the loop. If you do the latter, do it in a straight line, not a loop, as that could snag easier.
Now as you fish, the fly will be 6" or so off the bottom, and the weight will be ticking the bottom. If you get snagged, the shot often pulls off or pops free with a little upstream flick of the rod. With the tiny tungsten "stick" I've never been snagged more than a little flick fixes.
This lets you get down there, even in current, but generally keeps the fly just off the bottom avoiding the hook proper snagging.
There are other good ways, that's just a system that's worked well for me.
Hibernation (Will),
Very good comment as usual! This is good advice which should be made note of.
Ken
Ken,
Your food picks are killing me! Pork loin rules!!!
GW
Hibernation: Thanks! That use of tungsten putty is one of the best tips I've seen! Can't wait to try it (kinda like a light weight slinky).
Fished the Swift yesterday; caught two brookies in the bubbler arm with a pheasant tail nymph. Saw 8 salmon in the "very deep" Y pool, but no one was able to get them to move an inch. Just about everyone, including me, was fishing from shore. Too dangerous in my book to get wet (or even wetter). My buddy and I drove down to the pipe parking lot and walked in just about dusk before leaving. Didn't fish, but found one worm drowner hauling rainbows out of the river. I know they spend the same money on their license that I do, but I can't help thinking that this is not much more challenging than fishing at Stop & Shop. Made me wish the catch and release section was larger and longer.
Anonymous 1:02
There are a lot of salmon below the power lines and the only way to fish them would be from the "other side" of the river.
Standing on the bank and flipping a weighted nymph over and over isn't that challenging either BUT we can catch and release the fish. They don't. It should be C&R 24-7-365!!!
Ken
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