The "Brook Series" Pattern 3

Pheasants, they're not just for Pheasant tail nymphs. I have been fooling with various pheasant feathers to create small streamers. And to tell you the truth they look real fishy. The various pheasant skins I use, Golden, and Ringneck, both natural and dyed have numbers of different feathers taken from the rump, back, neck, and wing. Theses feathers all have that special iridescent look that seem to attract fish.

I have tied 3 of these flies, all different, using the various pheasant types, and feathers. The patterns are named the Brook Series, #'s 1, 2, and 3. I have tested pattern 3 and did very well with it, taking both wild browns and brookies.

"Brook Series" pattern 1..........Hook, Mustad 38941, which is a pretty nice vintage hook. To bad they don't make them anymore. Body, light green floss,...Tag and Rib, flat silver tinsel,...Hackle, rump feather from a ring neck pheasant, followed by a church window feather from a dyed red ring neck pheasant. The head is formed by a few wraps of peacock herl, which is also a fish magnet. I fished this fly and below are a few views of how it looks.

This view it looks like a small fish, the kind most streams have. It also looks like a nymph.

The look from above. Fish like body, and a good nymph also.

This view is what it looks like after it is false casted a few times. It takes on the look of some land based insect, ragged and beat. This fly drew some nice responses.

Here's one of the browns that took pattern 3. There were many more that day, and they will come in a report later.

"Mothers Day" 2014

Mothers Day.....Happy Mothers Day to all, be it a bit late. You are such a big part of our lives.

Mothers Day we were invited to a casual dinner by our daughter Candace, son in law Mel, and our two beautiful grand children Morgan and Ethan. Dinner was at the "Griswold Inn" in Essex, Connecticut. The Griswold Inn is a 230 year old establishment. It has been the place for food,drink, and lodging of travelers, colonists, mariners, and every other walk of life. It's a museum, and can be enjoyed while dining. The dinner was first class, both in the service, and the highest quality of food. It is a place for families, or just you and yours.

The "Griswold Inn" just as it was built in 1776. They still offer lodging to all.

From right to left, Mel, Ethan, Candace, Jeanette, Morgan, and myself.

A very important part of American history took place here 200 years ago. During the war of 1812 the British launched a raid on Essex. In the harbor 27 American ships were burned, and much of the stocks needed to fight this war were taken.

Looking from a dock where perhaps the ships burned one now sees a beautiful Connecticut river.

We walked through the narrow streets of this historic town. Stopping for an ice cream cone we saw another bit of Americana..... It was an enjoyable Mothers Day.

A Change, I think it's good.

It's been a few days since my last post, and I apologize. Sometimes some of life's nasties while small, when compiled can be a pain. With that taken care of I'll write a post.

This is an outing from last week Monday. It was a small wild trout stream that holds both brook and brown trout. In this particular section the brown has always dominated both in numbers as well as size. But in the last year I've noticed a slight change. The brookies have become more numerous and the size has increased. You can take many small browns, I mean small, some being only 2 or 3 inches long. But the brookies of that size have never been caught. The brookies that I have caught here have been good sized, and some quite thick.

In this section most every time a fly is cast a brown will take the fly, it just looks like a place that would hold a brown. But lately I have taken brookies here.

On this day I fished a Black Fly. It's a simple pattern requiring just black dubbing and palmered black hackle. It is almost impossible to see the fly on the water, but the trout see it perfectly, and they kill it. This simple fly pattern is about 400 years old. This handsome brown liked the looks of this antique pattern.

In this run I quickly hooked a nice brown. But his intentions were different than mine. After a brief look he was gone. After several more casts and the same amount of rises and misses I finally had a solid hookup.

A fine looking brook trout took the black fly, and began a dance like a rainbow. He jumped several times, and ran for cover. When he came to hand I could see it's beauty. A quick photo and of he went. After taking a trout that causes so much of a disturbance in a run I generally don't try to fish it again, choosing to rest it for awhile. On this day I didn't, and continued to float the fly I couldn't see.

Almost in the same spot where the brookie hit, this brown struck. They are getting along so it seems....as long as they are of similar size and bully mentality.

Red Brook, May 2014. A grand day at Lyman Reserve

Yesterday Jeanette and I took a day trip to Cape Cod. On the list of things to do was a few hours to be spent fishing Red Brook, and simply enjoying a walk through the lands that surround this wonderful place. We left home around 4:30 am and after stopping for a large road coffee to go we headed out on a 3 hour ride. We arrived as the traffic crossing the Sagamore bridge over the Cape Cod canal was building. Construction was the issue on this narrow bridge. The decision was made to stop at a local breakfast emporium and fuel up and allow the traffic to clear. After breakfast it seemed that our plan was not working, the traffic was still jammed. So we headed for Lyman Reserve and fish Red Brook. Ten AM, with bright sunshine, and no foliage on the trees was not good for angling for brook trout. To make matters worse the run of herring was on and there were ospreys, and blue herons about. But we came to fish and that I did.

After an hour I gave in to the fact that the fish were there but the conditions were not going to let me tempt one to strike. So I broke the rod down and we decided to walk the many foot paths of the Reserve.

As you can see, the sun was not in favor of angling, but it did make foe some beautiful views.

Walking and hearing, as well as seeing Spring come to life was truly wonderful.

There are many pine trees, and there needles make for carpeted walking along the paths. Many of these paths were lovely patches of flowers.

We walked for several hours, and it was time for lunch, after which I would head back to the brook for some late afternoon fishing.

The stream was now in shadow. There was a better shot at being able to catch fish now with some cover.

Everywhere the streamer worked in shade I took a strike.

The first Red Brook brook trout of the day came late afternoon on a simple red and white bucktail. I don't know if it was a "salter" but it did have that pale look. It was well fed as this photo shows.

Another brook trout on the red and white. This one had the look of a regular brook trout. These fish fight with a tenacity unlike others.

The last few casts of the day were made along this stretch. As the streamer drifted to the bank I saw the trout move to it and strike. I felt him, but not for long. The fly was cast to the bank again and the the fish chased again. This time the hook held.

The last fish of the day. A beautiful Red Brook brook trout.

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