"If people don't occasionally walk away from you shaking their heads, you're doing something wrong". - John Gierach
If you only fish tailwaters like the Swift and the Farmington you will not need this fly unless you are in a tailwater the day after it's stocked (trout will hit anything then). But if you fish freestones like the Millers, EB or the Ware YOU WILL NEED THIS FLY from mid-May onward because it represents one of the biggest meal tickets a good old freestone brown will encounter and that is the large nymph of the dragon and damsel fly species.
Most of our encounters with this critter are kind of "after the fact", the dried out husks of dragon and damsel flies are all over the boulders that line the river or on boulders that protrude from the river surface.
Why freestones? It appears that dragons and damsels prefer the warmer and less sterile environment that you find on a natural trout stream (so do most aquatic insects but that's another story. The next time you are on a freestone in June check the rocks to see what I'm talking about or check out the photo on the right. There you have the adult fly, which trout don't see to care about, and a couple of husks left on the rocks
I's amazing how that big 2 inch adult can squeeze out of that small shell!!
Trout chase the nymphs and if you are lucky around the beginning of June (on a hot, clear morning) you can see this game in action. The Bliss Pool on the EB ranks #1. Just walk out towards the opposite bank and you may just see the trout slashing away right at the shoreline. I can say that the EB has the most of these insects with the Millers coming in second. I've actually seen a Millers brown beach itself chasing these nymphs on the island at the Kempfield Run.
What fly to use? We are imitating the nymph and not the adult. The adult in the upper photo is a wonderful light green but we want to use a drab brownish wooly bugger in around a size 12. Cast it out and let it sink for a few seconds and then strip quickly in short bursts.
Here's another fly to use and I think it works better than the old WB.
It's at the top of the page and it's the Millers Bug:
Hook - nymph hook size 14 or 14
A little wire at the thorax to weight the fly (not too much)
Tail - Partridge fibers stripped from the stem.
Body - Brown Senyo's Laser Dub (just the right amount of flash)
Hackle - Brownish/tan hen hackle palmered back to front
Head - a few turns of peacock
Yes, I know it looks like a Sparrow fly but I wasn't thinking of that fly when I first tied it (honest).
Tying Flies and Booking trips
I don't think any guide knows the Millers and the Ware like I do. Some may show you the popular spots but I can show you a lot more than that!! Book a trip!!!!!
Ken
11 comments:
I've seen those insect casings all over the EB and oncwe got the tail end of the hatch. The numbers were through the roof!
GW
Your fly looks like a page from Polly Rosborough's Fuzzy Nymphs. I love its impressionist semblance. I'm reminded of the local streamer/nymph 'the westfield', which has many of the characteristics of your WB (peacock body and swept back PT legs)and is very effective on its namesake.
Bob
It does look like one of Poly's but I'm really interested in that "Westfield Fly" that you mentioned.
Ken
Gartside's Sparrow and the venerable Wooly Bugger may well work because they both imitate damsel fly nymphs very well.
The most aggressive trout I've encountered were chasing damselfly nymphs.
Ken
Frankly from many years of experience you are missing the boat (fish!) if you don't carry and use dragonfly nymph patterns on the Farmie! My choice is the sparrow in olive/brown.
Anonymous,
It will not be the first time I've missed the boat, that's for sure. But dragons and damsels seem to be more common on the Millers and the EB and I don't target that species until I'm on those rivers. Needhami's seem to take ALL of my attention during Farmington summer fishing.
Ken
Ken,
Thanks for putting up posts during a darned cold winter. I fished Bondsville for a couple of hours on Thursday, and as expected, it was pretty much iced over. I did find zones to fish, but didn't get any hits. Still nice to be out.
Bondsville has a remarkable version of the damselfly in June, most have black wings with bodies that are as blue or turquoise as can be. I have seen trout try to snare them out of the air when they get too close to the surface, but haven't seen one be successful in that effort as yet. Their presence may explain my getting hits once in a while on my Gartside Sparrow fly.
Days are getting longer. The dark season is mostly behind us now.
Best, Sam
Sam,
I've found that in winter the deep holes/runs will hold the fish. It doesn't mean you can catch them but they will be there.
About 6 weeks to go until Spring. The sap lines/buckets will be out before that!
Ken
Hey Ken -
Regarding those deep roles and runs in the Millers this time of year - would it be worth it to go? Or is the fishing basically impossible between ice up and cold trout sitting on the bottom uninterested in anything we can offer?
I am content wading around in the cold all day. I got a really really nice brown at the swift last weekend, probably my personal best trout ever, but I want to try other winter spots. I went out to the Deerfield a few times in the beginning of january and had one realy good day, its just 2 and a half hours from where I am in Boston. I just don't want to onlybe fishing the swift and loved my few millers trips in the summer this year.
Like I said I'm pretty hardy and cool with dressing up like an eskimo for winter flyfishing. I don't need it to be fantastic fishing but if there is a chance at fish....i'll take it. I've had luck with jighead streamers, bomb euro style flies, and tiny tiny nymphs. Even got a few on your BWO dries but that was earlier in december.
I love your guide for the warmer months - is it still more or less valid in the winter?
Thanks!
Andrew,
I wrote the MILLERS GUIDE with Spring/Summer and Fall in mind and not winter. Winter means high (mostly) cold water and ice. I've caught trout in snowy conditions on the Millers in December but it was during a rare low water condition. Best to hit the tailwaters during winter.
Ken
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