Spring session 7. Rusty Spinner and soft hackles

Got out for some flying on my favorite freestone stream. The fishing started off slow but picked up when Bwo spinners began to fall I tied on a double wing niche rusty spinner (video will be out soon). I fished the late morning and right into the afternoon the Bwo spinners just kept falling.

I began seeing the occasional sulphur pop off and a fish flash here and there. So I tied on a team of soft hackle again. I tied the biot sulphur soft hackle on as lead and the sulphur emerger soft hackle as point with two size 6 split shots to get me down in the deeper swifter runs. I dead drifted the flies above me and past. The I would throw a belly of line down and stream and allow the flies to swing from the bottom to the top.
It was early in the sulphur emergence so the majority of the fish took the flies on the deep swing. I worked my way down stream fishing down and across as the hatch got heavier the trout began to take near the surface and less down low. So to get the ones near the surface I simply took the shot off the line. I have used this technique for sulphur hatches for quite time and it hasn't let me down yet. Give it a go when you notice the things I describe before and get ready for some hard hitting takes! Fishing was hot right up till dark. With light rapidly fading and "more than four" I headed on back to the car. It's sure is great in being a swinger. ;)

Spring Session 6, bwos, sulphers, and cahills

   I got out on the mighty musky here in New Jersey for some flying in the evening. Oh man was there a hatch. There was tiny bwo's sizing around a 18-20 and there big brothers sizing in about #16 in a deep olive.  The fish were in tuned with the blanket that these guys formed on the water. A little bwo dun fly did the trick.  Then the fish switched to the larger bwo, so a nicheo was tied on and back into fish.  The occasional sulphur started to hatch and the rise forms became more tell tale of the taking of emergers.  I tied on a team of the emerger sulphur and the biot sulphur softy and began swinging.  The hits just came one after the other. The fishing was hot to say the least and to my surprise the occasional cahill would drift by me.  The swallows were swooping the cahills that stirred in the eddies of the stream banks. There were several baby mallard ducks having a field day eating the bugs. It was a prolific hatch for sure. 

 With so many mayflies hatching dont be without spinners on your next outing. Bwo spinners fall late morning with many species and the sulphurs will fall in late evening. So if your seeing rises and dont see whats doing, give a spinner a try.

My only wild brown of the evening

Ridge and Valley T.U. Fly tiers round table, Sulpher Emerger video

   Well last evening was my T.U. chapters second tiers round table meeting. It was a good turn out for the event.  At the meeting I demoed and gave instructions how to tie a great emerging  sulphur soft hackle that I have been tying and using for some time. The fly can be fish dead drift in the film, bounced on the bottom, fish as a dropper off a dry fly and on the swing. A leisenring lift is particularly deadly with this fly. 

Special thanks to the M.W.A. for allowing us to use there amazing building check them out Musconetcong water association

Here is the video of the fly I last night, and thanks to everyone for coming out. Hope to see you all next month! Enjoy the video.
Materials
Hook- Daiichi 1110, 1180, 1560  sizes 14 and 16
Thread- Uni- 8/0 Light cahill.
Tail- Pheasant tail fibers
Rib- Tag of tying thread
Abdomen- Pheasant tail
Thorax- Lite yellow U.V. Ice dub.
Hackle- Dun hen neck hackle ( Whiting hen is great for this pattern as it will help the fly stay in film)

Lessons in the fly corner

Well Josh was out to the fly corner this morning for and I taught him how to tie the U.V. Diamond scud, the High Test Hares Ear and .......... The Golden Oldie!!!!!!!  Well hell he has been fishing the fly since i devised, so its only right he should know how to tie one!  Great Job Josh.

Dark Star tutorial (step by step)

The Dark Star Dun
Materials
Hook- Daiichi 1180 or 1110 #12-20
Thread- Tan 8/0
Wings- Black hen hackle tips
Tail- Sandy dun hackle fibers
Abdomen- Stripped peacock quill
Rib- Small Opal tinsel
Thorax- Dyed black peacock hurl
Hackle- Sandy dun.

Start the thread and wrap half way down the shank.

Then wrap the thread half way back up. This will give your wing placement.

Select 2 hen neck hackle tips, pair them up and line up the tips. Measure your wings to be the same length as the hook shank.

Pinch and loop the wings to the top of the shank. Take a couple additional turns to secure, wrapping back touching turns as you secure. Then snip the waste.

Wrap back over the butts touching turns to just before the barb.  Dont worry about standing the wings up yet. They will just get in the way.

Take 6-8 hackle fibers and tie them in for the tail. Take one turn on and one under then one to secure.

Tie in a stripped quill by the skin on the butt end with one turn.

Tie in the small opal tinsel, and advance the thread to about a hook eyes back from the wings.

Wrap the quill forward touching turns.

Now rib the body with the opal tinsel,  3-4 turns is enough. Blurry??? yeah sorry about that.  Now before you stand your wings, put a light coat of varnish/head cement on the body. Be sure to get a bit on the under side of the hook bend to anchor the varnish. This helps make it much more durable.

Now stand the wings up by pulling them up with your finger and thumb and putting wraps right in front of the wing base.

Select a hackle and tie the butt end in in-between the wings. This help keep them split.

Tie in a dyed black peacock hurl by the tip and bring the thread in front of the wings.

Wrap the peacock hurl forward, touching turns and just take one turn in front of the wing.

Now wrap the hackle, take two full turns behind the wing and 1-1 1/2 in front of the wing. 

Whip Finish and your head and the Dark Star is complete.   For flatter water cut a V into the bottom of the hackle. 

The Dark Star Tying video

Here it is, The Dark Star Tying video,  Enjoy.

The Dark Star dun

  I have posted about this fly in some of my fishing reports and never put a photo up.  This fly has worked extremely well for me.  I have used it all over the place, from limestone to freestone, it just works. 
  In high glare situations this fly shines as the black wings are easy to see in this situation. I will confess that there are some times when the black wings are next to impossible to see, but the lighter colored hackle(sandy dun) makes the fly visible at those times. 
  The video is currently uploading and will be on youtube late tonight. I will have it on here in the morning.



Materials
Hook- Daiichi 1180 or 1110 #12-20
Thread- Tan 8/0
Wings- Black hen hackle tips
Tail- Sandy dun hackle fibers
Abdomen- Stripped peacock quill
Rib- Small Opal tinsel
Thorax- Dyed black peacock hurl
Hackle- Sandy dun.

Remember......Its wild brown trout approved!!!!!!!!!

Hendrickson Nicheo Video

Here is my latest video. It is of how I tie my Hendrickson Nicheo. I used it this month the few times I got and it worked very well. Enjoy

Spring session 4, Caddis and wild browns

  Well everyone this post was suppose to have gone up last Friday, but i have been very busy lately with work.  None the less i still have this session fresh in my mind. I got out late morning to my favorite freestone stream and upon my arrival I saw the trout rising.  I had tied on the Hendrickson Nicheo dun to the end of my line. I made my first cast and was awarded with a healthy hard fighting wild brown.  I got a couple more from the first run I hit. Then I moved up stream, casting at the occasional rise and likely areas. I managed a few more on the way the up.  I came up to spot that has always given up a large wild brown. I watched patiently in hopes to see a rise. Then, there was a large nose that came up in the film.  I got into position, and sent a drift.  It was just a tad to the left, so i sent a second.  The trout took the Nicheo without hesitation and man did my reel sing when i lifted the rod. The fight lasted for several minutes, as there wast much of current in the area to ad in tiring the trout. The trout dogged down in a deep cut and then, POP, went the hook.  Bummer. 

     I regrouped and moved up a bit, I watched a nice seem with the ever so popular white bubble flowing down. I saw a rise, then another, but this one had a big nose, just like the previous trout.  The story repeats, in that my first cast was just to the right, and the second resulted in the reel screaming. I hook this trout in about 8" of water at the very head of the run. He took off running down to the deep cut that the other one dogged me in. I applied the brakes and was able to get him turned around.  My position this time had currents to my favor. I was able to tire the trout out so i could make the landing rather quickly.

  After releasing the brown, I figured I was good. Only fished for a little over an hour but it was a blast.  There where quite a few different bugs hatching and laying eggs. Caddis, gordons, bwo, hendricksons and even the Jersey skeeters(crane fly) were out in good numbers.   So with "more than four" I headed on back to the car.

Spring session 3, some birthday trout.

  Well on Thursday it was my birthday, and I got out for some flying for wild browns as usual.  The bugs were hatching and first I hit my local spring creek for some action.  The trout were rising all over the place to bwos, caddis and midges.  I know that the stream has a few hedrickson in it so i figured the fish would be on the look out for them. I tied on the Hedrickson nicheo dun and rather quickly i was into my first wild brown of the morning. I got several more before Josh call to meet up for a session, so off to Pa i went to hit my favorite freestoner. Here the caddis were coming off heavy and egg laying as well. However the trout were defiantly more interested in the mayflies coming off sporadically. The hendrickson nicheo did the trick.  We both did well and before i knew it, it was time for me to head out.  All in all it was a great B-day fishing session.