 One of the greatest pleasures of fly fishing is the requirement of close observation of one’s environment. As one progresses, it becomes abundantly apparent that increased observation and attention to detail reveals the complex and beautiful world that God has created. The relationship and interdependence of each part of our natural world surely is the work of God. Our observations reveal that beetles account for 40% of all insect species (and 25% of all animals) on earth. See Gilliott, Cedric, Entomology (2 ed.) (1995). Given this observation, beetles should account for a decent percentage of space in an angler’s fly box. And for the small stream angler, that percentage should be even higher. This is a rather straightforward beetle pattern that I created. It is designed to solve a few problems: (1) Sight - Small streams, especially canopy laden and/or those in a valley, are notoriously shaded. Even on bright days, sun can be limited and variable. Being able to visually track flies is crucial. While beetles are often comprised of a number of colors, they are often predominately black. Black is tough to track on small streams. Although a flash of white or pearl can be helpful, in sunny areas or in a foam line, it can fade away into the background. For this fly I use SAAP Float-Vis in florescent chartreuse. Other florescent colors can work, such as yellow, pink or orange. The idea is to keep the visual post short so it is visible to the angler but not to the fish and to have a color that will not disappear into the background of the water surface. (2) Legs In Water - Bugginess is the name of the game. Providing something that is enticing and that masquerades as an easy, high caloric meal is key. Often, legs are tied too high on terrestrials and they ride above the water and defeat the purpose. So, I tie the legs on the bottom of the fly and arrange them so they gently slope downward in the water. I also use and prefer legs that are somewhat supple, which allows them to move, rather than using stiff legs with little movement. (3) Peacock - Peacock herl or spears can use used as the underbelly of the fly. While real peacock is incredibly reflective of light, it does have a tendency to be brittle. Here, I chose to dub Arizona Synthetic Dubbing in peacock. Here are the steps for tying the fly. See captions below photos for more detail. Click Play Below. When I fly fish on small streams, I cover a lot of distance. The majority of the streams I visit are buried deep in forests, and hike-ins can be long. Once on a stream, I'm constantly moving, and staying hydrated is a must. With proper hydration, I can stay out longer and go father. I don't find packing in water to be practical, and going without is not an option. I followed Grayl for awhile and eventually became a customer. I'm sold. The 16.9 oz UltraPress, Covert Edition, in Olive Drab (so I don't spook any char!) is part of my everyday (fly fishing) carry. With its smaller size, I can easily clip it to a back belt loop via a carabiner, so it is out of the way.     Date: 04/18/23 Time: 11:30am–3:00pm Weather: windy, light rain, overcast; sunny Air: 46° Windchill: 43° Water: 52° Water pH: 7.14 Elevation: 920’ Unbelievable day. Char after char, feeding on droppers, dries and swung wet flies. The 30 minute hike in to this remote stream was well worth it. These types of remote streams are certainly my preference - little if any pressure, few hikers, and beautiful surroundings, along with great, technical fly fishing. Click Play Below. One of the many joys of making bamboo fly rods is aesthetic customization. Bringing out unique and beautiful wood grains in reel seat inserts can add a very handsome dimension to a cane rod. I made this reel seat insert from Bolivian Rosewood.    However, things don't always go as planned. Before making the above wood insert, I attempted one out of Brazilian Walnut. Before polishing, I decided to make a very minor adjustment to the insert on my lathe. I was immediately reminded of the adage, "leave well enough alone." I didn't, and the insert ripped open. Makers are continually invited to walk the very delicate line between perfection and good enough. Here is my process for making wood reel seat inserts from pen blank wood stock. Click Play. The Connecticut Fly Fisherman’s Association is made up of some wonderful people. With strong leadership, all events are a pleasure to attend. Each time I am asked to participate in fly tying events, I am honored. The other evening, we had our annual Fly Tying Roundtable. Like many, I become inundated with the vast majority of fly patterns to choose from. During a recent read (…and there have been many reads…) of Dave Hughes’ Wet Flies, I noted his suggestion of a great experiment. Hughes suggests that one could tie wet flies in four simple body / wing color patterns: olive/blue dun; gray/grizzly; tan/brown; pale yellow/ginger. p.48. What a wonderful idea! From this suggestion, I decided to tie a nymph, wet and dry fly based on this color scheme. I used favorite base fly patterns, but modified them a bit to accommodate my specific small stream fly fishing needs. This spawned the basis of my fly tying presentation. My goal was to provide folks with a comprehensive set of essential small stream flies that represent a wide variety of life stages of aquatic insects. General fly patterns tied in four (4) different color schemes (olive/blue dun; gray/grizzly; tan/brown; pale yellow/ginger): (1) All-Fur Wets (Rosborough, Hughes) - tied as nymph and wet My Modifications: bodies dubbed with Hare’s Ear Plus matching colors (2) Flymphs (Leisenring, Hidy, Hughes) (3) Wulff Dries (Bailey, Wulff, Betters) My Modifications: hair wings eliminated; hackle and tails color matched The following morning, I disappeared on a remote small stream, and tested these patterns in the warming weather. It was an amazing outing with many char were taken on these flies. Click Play: Date: 04/10/23 Time: 1:30pm Air: 57° Water: 55° Water pH: 7.7 Elevation: 440’ I fished a stream that was new to me. Although it extended deep in a forest, it was a high traffic area with many hikers. Despite not seeing anyone fishing, there were abundant signs that this waterway gets pressured. It is not my typical stream. I prefer those that are virtually unknown, and if known, so difficult to reach that most anglers don’t consider them viable options. These are the streams where the sighting of a bear or another human yields the same level of surprise. I admit that I struggled on this new stream. Despite the warming temps, no fish were rising. The water was very skinny. Runs and riffles were so shallow that it was inconceivable trout would be holding in such water. Many hooked char were so small that setting the hook was almost impossible. Compounding the problem, crunchy dry leaves along the stream made my approach to any plunge pools sound like an airhorn. Stealth was severely compromised. But, I trodded along and chalked up my struggles to user error. And finally I reached some viable water that I approached both up and down stream. Click Play. Machining, knurling and soldering a butt cap, a sliding band and a cork check. Date: 04/03/23 Time: 10:30am Air: 40° Water: 47° Water pH: 7.37 Elevation: 760’ |
