This past week I heard from an old friend who moved to California some years ago, Hugh Rosen. He was saying hello and letting me know he posted a link to one of my tying videos on a UK fly fishing forum thread LINK here. I met Hugh in the early '90s, when I had a fly shop in Summit, NJ. He was a regular to the shop, and in '94, he decided it was time to learn to tie flies and so he took my fly tying class. He's been tying and fishing his own flies ever since.
Hugh also related a story of being in England this year and fishing the famed Test River for its wily brown trout. He took fish on Pheasant Tail nymphs, and dry flies - The dry that delivered was Preben Torp Jacobsen's Ollie (named after Oliver Kite) - it is a palmer hackled Kites Imperial variant. Being always curious about flies, I asked Hugh what an Ollie was, and he sent me the following step-by-step on how to tie it:
Hook: Kamasan B-440 #14 (turned-up eye as in the original)
Thread: Imperial purple (8/0)
Tail: Dun hackle
Rib: Fine gold wire
Body: Graylag goose herl or CDC feather tied in at rear by the tip, twisted and wrapped forward. .
Palmered body hackle: Whiting pro saddle dyed olive. Wrap hackle to read as shown and tie in and counter-wrap with gold wire.
Done!
Results!
The man himself. Looks like a beautiful setting - one more place to fish on the bucket list.
Often, when we speak or write about fly fishing, we relate our experiences of being outdoors, on the water, of the beautiful fish we caught, and the peacefulness of nature. The friendships we make and the sharing of our experiences are just as enriching. Thanks for sharing your story with us, Hugh.
Do you sharpen your hooks?
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