The great fly tier and fly fisher and writer changed my approach to tying emerger flies. His DHE (deer hair emerger) did it all for me. A light curved scud style hook, coarse rabbit fur body and a fine deer hair wing causes the fly to sink a bit on the back end but float on the front, just like an insect trying to break through the surface tension.
I can tie this fly in sizes from size 12 down to about 18. That my be the size limit with deer hair.
Remember, most rises that we see are from a trout taking an EMERGER and not an adult insect.
At The Swift
It's been a strange year. My usual 20 minute drive to the Swift is now a 2 hour slog, a situation that may need a remedy for next year but this past Friday was a good day. It appears that the bulk of the native brookies have not arrived at their traditional spawning grounds, something that seems to be the new normal for this river.
My flies of choice were soft hackles, of course, with a size 16 Partridge and Orange leading the way with some quill bodied soft hackles taking a few.
The main event was the BIG BROWN I missed exactly where two of my clients lost big browns on back to back days 2 years ago.
Lost Glasses
Prescription glasses on a bright green croakie were lost on the 20th somewhere from the Y Pool parking lot and the Y Pool. If found contact me and I'll contact the owner.
Ken
17 comments:
Favorite feather for soft hackles?
Connor,
PARTRIDGE of course!!!
Ken
Those patridge soft hackles are the best - i literally always have a few "ken soft hackles" on me whenever I hit any river, theyre a super underrated 2nd/ tag fly
I also like how your flies are a bit more sparse/light than the commercially available ones at Orvis/Avid Max etc. I have noticed that it makes a huge difference.
Do you have a brand/size of thread that you recommend? I am learning how to tie this year and the sizing and variety of thread is a bit overwhelming.
Hi Ken, I saw the glasses on the parking area right next to route 9 (on the upstream side of the river with the "entering ware" sign). Someone left them on a stump and they are quite easy to find. I'll also email you!
I found the glasses and have them now. Can you give me the contact info so I can get them back to the owner?
Jason
Ken -
They really are some of the most effective flies i've ever used. I always have a few "Ken's soft hackles" or "orange Kens" on me, especially the swift. and yes, that is what me and my fishing buddies call them lol. I've been using them as a dropper/tag fly as well. Works great on a two fly set up with a big annoying streamer.
What type of orange thread do you use? I'm just starting to tie my own flies this year and all of the thread sizes/varieties are kind of confusing.
thanks!
I have not caught many fish this year, Ken, but yesterday the partridge and orange soft hackle with a small split shot above it connected with a hefty rainbow. A few brookies too, one was spectacular in its colors along with a hook jaw and humped back. Only a 9 incher, but boy did it fight! This time of year I am happy I use barbless hooks when the brookie are active so I can send them on their way. Best, Sam
Sam,
Thanks for your comment.
Andrew,
I used to use a lot of kevlar for the orange bodies but have reversed back to 6/0 or 8/0 flat thread.
Ken
Dear Ken,
In 54 years of fly tying I've kept my thread choices relatively simple. For almost all trout flies size 10 and smaller I use either Danville Flymaster 6/0 (a 70-denier flat nylon thread) or Uni-Thread 8/0 (a 72-denier round polyester thread). One quickly learns that the -aught system of thread sizing does not correlate across different brands ...
Charlie Craven's article Thread; A Tangled Mess is a definitive review of the various fly tying thread brands and their properties - highly recommended for all tyers, regardless of experience!
-Mike
P.S. I'm an avid fan of your Copper Grouse soft hackle, which I use to great effect on the Swift each fall.
Mike,
THANK YOU for mentioning the Copper Grouse!! I came up with this fly about three years ago and the Fall trout love it BUT nobody seemed to fish it. I am glad that you do and I will write about it soon.
Ken
To Jason Who Found The Glasses: email me so I can give your email address to the owner of the glasses.
Ken
Andrew,
A word on the sparse nature of my soft hackles. This is the way that the great Sylvester Nemes tied his soft hackles and yes, many commercial Soft hackles are way overdressed.
Ken
Hi Ken - I am glad to see you have decided to keep the blog going! I said my good byes, but it appears things are still cooking.
I was out on the Swift today. It was a bit slow with the water back up at 122 cfs. I am not sure why it is up, but it seems to have put the fish off. I did find some good BT spawning which is nice to see. I believe I know the Brown trout you are talking about and where it is. I believe he has a friend down there too.
Anyway, its good to have you back online. I hope to see you on the water soon!
Falsecast,
The only thing that I stopped doing was guiding. I still post about 6 times a month.
Good to hear from you
Ken
Ken,
I searched the site to find your email address, but I cannot find it. I have the glasses and want to get them back to their owner!
Jason
REGARDING THE LOST GLASSES
It has been a few weeks and I haven't heard anything so I decided to hang the glasses on the wildlife management sign near the rt9 bridge. I hope they get back to the owner!
Could you let me know how I might retrieve my glasses?
Anne
amoseley2@aol.com
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