North Country Spiders

I had the desire to tie up a few North Country Spiders last night. So with "The Three Pickers" CD playing I got out the silk threads some hackle and tied up some classics. These flies are incredible, such a delight to tie and fish. So little material and so much fish catching capability. I get so much pleasure in tying a fly that has been around for over a century, actually longer. Using silk thread adds so much to these simple flies. Along with the sparse hackle there is a simple elegance to the final product.

The Partridge and Orange. This is probably the most recognized of the North Country Spiders. It is one of the flies that can still be found most everywhere.

The Purple Dun. This spider is not likely to be found in fly shop bins. But may soon be a favorite of some.

Enhancements That Pay Big Dividends

Over the last few years the State of Connecticut has been replacing culverts that flow under paved roads. The replacements were done because of the need to prevent the roads from being washed away in times of heavy rains. A plus of these necessary replacements is the fact that the state has used fish friendly culverts. I have seen several styles of these culverts and all seem to have accomplished what they were designed to do. One such culvert replacement is on a small stream that flows through a big piece of state land. I first noticed the stream many years ago when I hunted the land. Where the stream flowed under the road was a disaster for fish passage. The culvert was at least a foot high. The pool it created was deep but that was as far as the brook trout could go.

So about three years ago that useless culvert was replaced with the fish friendly one. It opened up the stream to some beautiful habitat for brook trout.

I poked around that stream recently and was thrilled with what I saw. There were brook trout darting about. These fish were small but they were there. Now I really don't think a 10 inch brookie will be caught here but that is not the point and that point is they are here in whatever size that may be. They are survivors and a necessary part of our heritage.

This was one of several I hooked that day. He was the only one that came to hand.

A Few Good......

Since last Monday I have fished three different streams in various parts of the state. We have experienced a mild stretch of weather and the brookies have responded well to it. Most of the streams have shed any remnants of ice but a few have some that seem to hang on. Most of the brookies were found in winter holding places but a few of them were in those wild water areas. I wish I really knew what makes a brookie move from a comfortable place and choose to go to what is a unfriendly area. In this section I hooked fish in the head and tail of the run/pool. The brookies took wet flies.

A typical jewel from this stream.

I saw several of these clinging to my waders.

I fish this stream several times a year. It's a consistent producer of brook trout, but it looks like it could do better. No explanation for the low amount of fish.

But in a couple of hours of peace and beauty and brook trout like this I find myself greatly rewarded.

Some fried zucchini for lunch...

Palmered Flies, Simple And....

Palmered flies, simplicity equals fish catching ability. I have written about palmered flies in the past. The orange palmer and yellow palmer are two dry flies that exceed when called into service. But the palmered flies featured here are wet flies. They are simple to tie and require few materials. They are not difficult to fish, actually there is no set method other then cast them into the water. For the most part these flies will not sink deep but remain in that mid water level until they complete their drift at which they will rise up in the way a natural insect will.

The materials used are thread, dubbing and some hackle. The hackle is from a India rooster which seems to work well with these flies. The color of the hackle can vary from dark to light with that center band which is a bit darker. I usually use Australian opossum but any spikey dubbing will work.

Here is a palmered fly when dry. You can see the dark highlight from the badger hackle.

This one has a little lighter hackle.

When wet these flies take on a whole new look. They represent no single insect but do represent every insect that is in a stream. The hackle flares in the water and it's incredible the amount of movement these simple flies impart.

Take a real close look at this fly. You can see the distinct color variations, the tiny legs caused by the wrapping of the dubbing. A fish eye view that says "eat it"....so simple yet so complex.