Monday, February 4, 2019

The Irish Mayfly on Super Bowl Sunday

Some months back I read a magazine article on Irish Flies. As the article went on it highlighted Irish mayflies. The flies were absolutely beautiful and quite large. They involved using various tail materials which were tied quite long, pretty basic body dubbings and a wing comprised of three hackles of different birds and different colors. I tied up some and yesterday I ran them by the locals to get their reaction.



I was not expecting much when I let them float the stream. The weather has been cold although it had moderated some in the last days. About 11 am it actually felt good and apparently it got a few insects flying about. The ones I saw were small, black in color. They did not bring about any rises that I saw but maybe it got the trout looking up.


The Irish fly did not resemble the actual flies I saw about but it got the attention of these little guys....they would not leave it alone.


It was here in this riffle where I saw my first rising fish. I cast to it and it surfaced and took the fly.


I did not expect this, but I welcomed it. He was strong and healthy and even retained some of it's color.


The fly floated well and did double duty as a wet fly. I think those Irish fly tyers had a bit of Yankee blood in them when they created these flies.


This brookie was amazing. I can't describe in words the battle he put forth. The hot action lasted only a short time but it was enough on a early February day to satisfy this angler.












29 comments:

  1. Alan, fantastic and that last one is an absolute corker. Those white stripes on the fins are wonderful. Regards, John

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous
      Thanks
      John those white tipped fins are remnants of the last ice age.
      Folks John is the writer of the Blog The Two Terriers...check it out.

      Delete
    2. Alan, many thanks for that! Regards, John

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. William Shuck
      Thanks
      Bill do you know of any good books on Irish Flies?

      Delete
  3. Alan
    Those are some superb fish - even more impressive given the cold weather you have had of late.
    Hoping to get out on the River myself next weekend, fingers crossed the weather doesn't turn nasty!
    Alistair

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alistair Corbishley
      Thanks
      Alistair it does not take much in warming temps to turn on the brookies. Lets hope you get that chance to wet a line.

      Delete
  4. The Irish fly had to be good. After all it was Irish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mark Kautz
      Thanks
      Mark I love the construction of these flies. They worked well in February I can only imagine how they'll perform when May comes around.

      Delete
  5. I was so excited about the arrival of Truck Day that I almost missed your post this morning. Beautifully done as always, Alan.

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    Replies
    1. mike
      Thanks
      Mike I am so excited about the upcoming season. Baseball has always been my true love, that is after brook trout.

      Delete
  6. Very nice, Alan. That pic of the little hen is great.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Matt Grobert
      Thanks
      Matt isn't she lovely. A good sign for a healthy trout stream are the little ones.

      Delete
  7. alan, brilliant again my friend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. George
      Thanks
      George do you know of any good books on Irish Flies?

      Delete
  8. I am a Japanese tenkara angler. I'm your fan.
    I linked, so I will let you know.

    https://tenkaratrain.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tenkara Train
      Thanks
      Welcome my friend.
      I checked out your blog but it's all in Japanese.

      Delete
  9. I love that fly, Alan. Seems the brook trout did as well. Those bottom two are something else!

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    Replies
    1. Parachute Adams
      Thanks
      Sam I can't wait until April-May to really test these flies. They are fun to tie as well.
      Healthy fish for sure.

      Delete
  10. Alan, I'm always amazed at the size of the fish in such shallow CT waters. Over here in RI we're lucky to find the tiny wild brooktrout. But the streams are so broken up by culverts and impoundments it isn't surprising.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gary
      Thanks
      Gary we were talking about the abundance of wild brook trout in our streams. We fished a tiny one today and we were amazed at the amount of brook trout caught and and the sheer numbers of spooked trout. We are fortunate.

      Delete
  11. Following is information for an excellent book on Irish flies:

    "Trout and Salmon Flies of Ireland" Peter O'Reilly, author; Merlin Unwin Books, publisher; ISBN 978 1 873674 19 2; reprinted in 2015, www.merlinunwin.co.uk


    I purchased this book at the Clifden Bookshop located on Main Street in Clifden, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. (www.clifdenbookshop.com )


    The book contains color plates of flies along with a recipe and brief description. The Irish wet flies and salmon flies are pieces of art that you almost don't want to fish.


    While in Clifden be sure to stop at Stanleys at the lower end of Market Street. This 6th generation family business first started in 1824. In addition to selling quality clothing, they also sell fishing tackle. The current Mr. Stanley who runs the business will gladly offer excellent information for area fishing and recommend flies to use.


    Best wishes,
    Bill Love
    Sandpoint Idaho

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous
      Thanks
      Bill I'm so thankful for the info, and I'll sure check it out. While I"d love to visit Ireland I don't think I'll be doing it.

      Delete
  12. Beautiful fish for any time of year! I am not familiar with the Irish flies but will have to do some research.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NJpatbee
      Thanks
      Pat they are fun to tie, and they get the job done. Visualize this mid July, 8 pm, Farmington river, a big size 8 dry fly floating down, and ....
      Tie some up buddy.

      Delete
  13. Alan
    Really impressed with fullness of the this fly. It should float high on the water surface. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete