Caddis Chronicles

I've been meaning to post this since Sunday, but life has gotten in the way...............this one speaks for itelf.

I was watching one of the Sunday morning news programs and at the end of a 30-minute segment on the problems the American auto industry is having, the station was panning out from the panel of speakers and a car logo appeared on the screen - a voice-over says, "The preceeding has been brought to you by Toyota."

WHAT?!

Couldn't they find another sponsor besides a foreign car maker?

Money talks, and it's multi-lingual............and lacking a frontal lobe apparently.

I have some other stuff on my mind, but that will have to wait until later.........

Life is good. Just do it with your eyes open.

I turned 50 yesterday, and as you might know, it was just just like any other day. Got up, did some stuff around the house and then went over to Ians with my chainsaw and helped him cut up a large old ash tree that fell and crushed part of a paddock fence. The horses could have cared less and the dogs thought it was all a game. They think everything is a game, wonderful animals with great dispositions. They almost, ALMOST, make me think I might like a dog of my own............then I realize part of the reason I like them and other peoples dogs is because they don't live with me. Toby and Valerie - the happiest dogs going.

Then my wife had a dinner party here for me. Of course, I made the dinner - spaghetti and meatballs!! Nothing like cooking after working your butt off out in the cold. Actually, I love to cook and Karen just finished her clinical rotation in psyche at the hospital and spent most of the weekend studying for the final. She's only got one more clinical rotation in the spring then she's done! It's all good.

Then we went down to the Inn and met a bunch of friends and the celebration really began. My 80 year old mother came for a bit and provided some of the comedic excitment. Got home late, but sober, and went to bed. Had a blast. Like I said, just like any other day.

Life is good. Age is a state of mind.....................tell my body that.

Has it been a week already? It seems like just yesterday we had 25 people over for Thanksgiving dinner.......and that was just my family and a friend and his two kids. Lot's of fun, no calamities, and good food all around. Man, that went fast!

Now for your reading pleasure: I have heard back from Chris DelPlato about his Black-nosed Dace imitation and he has been kind enough to send me a couple of photos to share with you.

About 40 years ago or more, fly tyer/innovator and author, Art Flick, developed a bucktail streamer fly to imitate the dace. This pattern was effective from the start and today it still occupies space in just about every fly fishers arsenal of patterns. Here is a photo of the original fly in all its glory - a simple tie using dyed bucktail for the wing:

Here's the natural Black-nosed Dace.

Then along comes master streamer tyer, Chris DelPlato, and he comes up with this beautiful imitation shown below. Look at the natural, and then look at this (the fly in the photo has been wetted and looks darker than it really is as no light is coming through from behind it as it would in the water) - what more can I say? Tie some up!! Oh, and flatten that barb, Del! : )

Hook - 5x-6x long streamer, size to match natural in particular water.

Thread - Black.

Tail - Two, trimmed light Henback, Brahma Hen (or similar) feathers, back to back.

Body - black wool, thin.

Wing - Russian squirrel tail on top of a thin bunch of smoke or tan coloredUnique Hair (to get color separation between lateral line and back). You can substitute for the squirrel with other long, fine darker hair when tying larger sizes.

Belly - Steve Farrar’s Blend 'Off White' tied in heavier than synthetic in wing to give a bulkier, translucent appearance for the belly, trimmed to taper toward hook bend.

Throat - Red hackle fibers.

Eye - Prismatic stick on, placed on body behind thread head.

Head - Overcoat front end with epoxy to slightly past eye.

Go fish!!!

Life is good. Especially when someone comes along with a bad-ass fly.