Caddis Chronicles

This one has been picked up by Midcurrent, so we just have the link.

http://midcurrent.com/videos/tying-a-soft-hackle-mayfly-emerger/

This is a most versatile pattern as you can just change the throax color and hook size to imitate all of the different mayflies in their emergent state.

Here is my soft hackle version of the Autumn Sedge we highlighted in our last post.  This fly imitates the emerging pupa quite well.  Fish it dead-drift then lift it when it gets to likely holding water, or fish it on the swing and let the current lift it at the end of the swing as the line tightens.  These are tied on size #10 hooks - the first is tied on a Czech Dohiku hook, and the second is a Dai-Riki dry fly hook.


This is an easy tie that works well this time of the year, fished any time of the day.  We've been known to fish them with a split shot on the tippet to get them down into the deep holes and runs.  Fish them through the run and don't lift the fly to cast again until the current has brought the fly to the surface.  We get some hard takes on the end of the drift just as the fly ascends to the surface.

Here is my low riding adult imitation: Ruddy orange body; amber zelon underwing; orange dyed elk body wing; touch dubbed hare's ear for the thorax.  Size #10 dry fly hook.  This pattern has worked well for me as a general searching pattern early and late in the day this time of the year.

Tie some up and fish them, you won't be disappointed.

All comments and feedback are welcome!

Tim Flagler works fast! It was just a couple days ago he filmed us fishing after the flood and he already has a video of us on the web!  (See my post of 9/5)

Nice job, Tim!  And yes, we do need to spread out......you would still have to film all of us though, so put on your running shoes. : )

We are experiencing a very low, thick cloud bank that's full of wet.  Seriously full of wet!  The vast grayness hanging just above the treetops dropped it's load earlier today and the rivers again exceeded flood stage.  And in so doing, they also have zero visibility!  Even if the trouts had GPS on their dash, it would be worthless - like a drunk in the dark.

If you are in the area Sunday morning and happen to have your tying tools with you, stop by Shannon's Fly Shop in Califon, and join me for a couple of hours of fly tying - we're going to do Flies for Fall Trout.  How to tie them and how to fish them.  The fish may not be able to see your flies, but that doesn't mean they won't look good to us. 

It's a great way to watch me make a fool of myself in front of a tying vise and a gang of strangers, and maybe I'll learn something at the same time.  It's always fun.   We'll do a couple of dries, and a couple of wets/nymphs, and maybe take a request or two.

And why should you want to do that?  So you can go out to your favorite stream on a cool October morning when the trees are in all their golden glory, and do everything right so one of these beauties comes to your fly and takes it like candy.....

 
Now that's living!

After a somewhat long, forced withdrawal from fly fishing for trout thanks to hot, dry weather, we fished last evening.  The river is still somewhat high and still turbid, but not so much so that we couldn't fish our flies and have the trout pick them out of the suspended particles flowing by them.  It was a warm, humid evening with calm skies tinged by the soft golden glow of the late summer sun.

We were actually fishing for a purpose.  Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions wanted to put together a video of post hurricane trout fishing to show that the fish are still right where they were before the storm.  He was also hoping to get some footage of the proper way to release a trout after landing it.  Me, John C., Len R., Jim of Shannon's Fly Shop and his mate Donna, all met at the river and did our best to give Tim what he needed.

As you might expect, not much was happening on the surface so the order of the day was nymphs and streamers.  We all hooked fish and managed to land a few nice ones, mostly on nymphs in the course of a few hours.  The trout are right where they should have been despite the way the river had flooded the week before.  They were all healthy and fought hard - several managed to break me off before I could get them to hand.................see what happens when you don't fish for a couple of weeks?  The mind and the muscles get rusty!!!!

It was great to be on the water with friends.  There is nothing like spending an evening standing in cool flowing water, warm summer sun on your face, fishing, and sharing some laughs with your friends.  Sure, we fished much too close to each other under normal circumstances, but sometimes the catching takes a back seat to bullshitting.

AND.........

Mr. Q. caught a beautiful brown a few miles down river from us.........I got this photo from him when I got back to the fishing shack.  Way to go buddy!        

I know we're digressing again, but the rivers are just too full of water and debris to fish right now. 

The old wives tale says that the bigger the acorns, the worse the winter to come.  If you believe in that stuff, we're in for a doozey this coming winter season.  This is a typical acorn from one of the oaks on my property this year.  The things are huge!   This photo is not doctored or p-shopped, just a little ole acorn next to George for perspective.  When one of these fatties falls from its mother and lands on the roof, it sounds like someone is tossing rocks at the house.  


The squirrels may be happy now, but that may change when they are freezing their asses off this winter trying to figure out where they stashed them.  And the deer, they think they're in candyland right now.