Fly Fishing: ‘Water Loading’ Heavy Nymphs & Sling

Stonefly Nymph Box (SwittersB)

Ah, May/June! Chasing the Salmon Fly and Golden Stone crawl outs and hatches. Fishing your nymphs on the bottom where they crawl toward shore or below the rapids, where they have been dislodged and been carried into slightly deeper water. It is a fun Western U.S. event and interesting to witness the actual emergence (crawling onto shore/emergence from the nymphal body).  

This action will carry on into July depending upon water temps. The California Stones (Salmon Fly) will end first and the Golden Stones will linger longer. It is a chuck it-sling it-stay tight to the fly-short line-drift affair. You can and probably should attach a second fly to the Stonefly (smaller nymph or a wet fly). Just remember, to avoid tangles, to think of your cast as a lob, open loop affair rather than trying to produce a standard cast with a tighter loop. Tangles and hooks into the back of the neck may result. Some will advocate throwing a longer line, and indeed sometimes you will have to chuck and duck and mend to get to a prime lie. But, I would advise the beginner to fish shorter and tighter to the fly with only  a mend or two at most.  Casting a heavy nymph by loading rod with water tension…

http://tongarirorivermotel.co.nz/2010/08/casting-tongariro-bombs/

Fly Tying Accessories by Creeknuts

CREEKNUTS provides a series a table designs suitable for storage and tying, and with each a fish species is available to choose from. They all appear to be well built and a possible fine addition to your tying station set up in the basement, garage or spare bedroom.

Fly Tying: Searching Patterns

A searching pattern is usually considered something of a generic pattern that can fit the bill for several insects at once. It can be a dry, emerger or nymph pattern. An Adams or Elk Hair Caddis is a good all around searching pattern as is a Pheasant Tail Nymph. A more traditional searching pattern is an attractor pattern; usually big and buoyant. Examples are Humpy’s or as I tied here, a Royal Coachman. 

The traditional Royal Coachman will have a more upright wing of split calf tail. In this instance I canted the calf tail wing forward and wrapped the two brown hackles behind it. With the elk hair tail, two hackles and calf tail wing, this is a pretty buoyant pattern best suited for riffles and seams. It is a morsel worthy of a careless fish.

The classic Royal Coachman has the peacock herl for the abdomen separated by red floss. I lost control of the brown hackle a bit, with hackle fibers trailing to the rear. But, I think it is fine. The calf tail material is cut from the calf tail and securely tied in as a post then split. You could try stacking it in a hair stacker, but I find the calf tail tips too pliable to gain much uniformity from stacking. Instead, when I prepare to cut the clump from the tail, I pull the clump out perpendicular to the tail to obtain more uniform tip alignment.

Below, you see the calf tail wing split. This is a similar technique employed in the Humpy with deer hair wings, which are split. The fly was tied on a size 12 dry fly shot hook with 8/0 brown thread.

Fly Fishing’s Hottest New Trend

Early Morning Friend (SwittersB)

Centered Self (not self absorbed). No outward persona to play the foolish ‘bum’. No seeking the secret anything. It  doesn’t exist or last more than a short time anyway. Shallow pals, self abuse, dead ends, same old newness. Get back to what you always come back to anyway…the basics. Bored too soon with that? Then probably the rest of you life is boring too (save all that drama you get into).

Slow down. Truly take it in. Re-center yourself. Spend this Summer truly enjoying the simple to the complex without a hint of competition (even the self imposed fish count). Don’t brag about where you have been or where you are headed. Just do it and smile that you are fortunate enough to do it at this stage of your life. If you are teaching someone new to the sport then it tasks you with sharing the essence of the sport. Ego, trappings, next fix? Or, something simpler and more pure. 

Well, ok, it’s my attention grabbing lead in. But, you know I am right. 

Fly Tying: Hidden Gems

Subdued Biots

I tied a bunch of these years ago. I found them beneath a pile of yellow Woolly Buggers in a box. I always looked at those yellow Buggers, but never selected one to fish. Tonight, I lifted the half dozen or so yellow flies to set them aside. Beneath them were a half dozen of these little gems. Hooks pitted. Flies long forgotten. 

What I like about this pattern is the peacock and the darker, tan biots (not the more traditional white biot wing/brown biot tail of a Prince Nymph). The furnace hackle palmered through the peacock body is a nice color contrast. Years ago there was, I recall, a pattern called the Simulator (not Stimulator) that was a worthy stillwater pattern. It was similar to the above except the hackle was trimmed shorter before the biot wing was tied in. It also had the more subdued biot wing and tail. Maybe this was some derivation of that? The fly was tied on a size 10 hook. 

It does pay now and then to really dig beneath some of those unused flies you carry year after year, but never use.

Fly Tying & Hair Extenstions: My $25.00 Worth, More or Less

Rooster Saddle Hackle for Extensions

My daughter recently asked to raid my hackle bins for some lengthy rooster feathers for extensions to be crimped into her hair. She helped herself to a half dozen feathers. At about 3 feathers for $25-36 crimped in, I can spare the feathers, because of my OCD (Obsessive Consumerism Disorder)

I don’t doubt this fashion craze is of consequence for some shops and the beginning fly tier, albeit short term, I believe. It the hackle sources are jacking prices to the shop, shame on them. This subject matter is actually pretty stale, but you need to maintain momentum as a beginning tier. 

So, my advice to the beginning tier, ride out the fashion craze. Tie wets, flymphs, nymphs, emergers and streamers. Tie anything that doesn’t require the premium dry fly hackle. Fish them and catch fish.