As anglers we have those special places on the waters we fish. Big river guys have them and small stream guys have them. It is the small stream places which have a more intimate feeling about them and seem to hold on to those that fish them. One such stream that I fish often has such a spot that brings me back to it time and again. There is an old wooden foot bridge that is suspect but I have yet to hear of anybody going through it. Above and below are gorgeous pools that are a joy to fish. These pools are not the most productive on this stream and I can't explain why. But when here I will stay for a longer time then I do most places along a stream. I tell myself that's it's the beauty of the spot that keeps me here. Maybe so but I think it's because of the possibility of catching a trout here that has eluded me for a long time.
The "hot spot hard caddis"...this fly gets attention. It's simple, hot orange thread, hares mask dubbing and a semi stiff brown hackle.
I'm going to tie some of these up, they look fantastic. Very nice ties, Alan.
ReplyDeletemike
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Mike I think the hot orange head and tail really make this fly work. Mr. Betters influence.
Alan,
ReplyDeleteSome of those special places hold a lot of memories. Great looking flies. Are they fished dry?
JJ
Beaverdam
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Joe you well know that the places we fish most often are the memories we keep. it's not always about the fish.
Depending on how stiff the hackle is it can be fish both ways. I don't use gink on mine but rather dry the with a few false casts.
That bridge does look a bit rickety. The path to it and away from it must go somewhere or it wouldn't be there.
ReplyDeleteMark Kautz
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Mark the trail that crosses the bridge is a popular one. The only issue is the fact that the trail is swampy in the area of the bridge. The bridge is actually safe.
That one sweet spot...
ReplyDeleteBureboyblog
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It features all that is necessary to make ones day.
Alan, I use black thread for the head keeping the tail spot for the attractor exclusively. I'm sure it works either way but single spot is more appealing to my eye. I had a blue heron walk up and fish the same pool with me yesterday.
ReplyDeleteJohn Dornik
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John your right one hot spot is sufficient.
I take it that pool had ample fish swimming in it.
Love that pattern, thinking swap out the hot orange for fluorescent green for the grannoms still out here in PA.
ReplyDeleteNed Zeppelin
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Kevin I think your idea is right on. Try it and let us know.
Alan, I couldnt agree more about small streams. There is one, I've fished it for probably 30-35 years (gulp), starting when I was a kid. But I've probably only caught 5 trout there in that time frame. It looks great, feels great, and is just awesome to be near... So I keep going, full well knowing I'm not going to catch a fish (or at least, that it would be really rare). Some spots just do it.
ReplyDeleteThat is a sweet little buggy fly - going to have to tie some of those up!
Hibernation
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Will even though your little stream lacks the trout you seek it still holds space in your minds journal. They don't have to be productive in terms of amount of fish taken but in terms of overall beauty. Keep visiting "your stream".....
Alan
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of adding color to any fly pattern. Great work at the vice--thanks for sharing
Bill Trussell
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Bill sometimes that bit of color means the difference between a strike and just a look.