Match The Hatch? Not Necessary....

Hook, marabou feather, and  a red collar.

The soft hackle streamer. This fly was created by Jack Gartside of Boston MA. As to the date of it's creation I'm not certain of but I came to know of it when I saw Jack tie it at a fly fishing show. Jack was a "great" fly tyer and to have him tie the fly in front of me has left a lasting impact on me. I use the soft hackle streamer in my fishing and I carry it tied as Jack instructed using the same materials. I also have been tinkering with some colors to arouse the curiosity of the brook trout. I have found that most colors seem to awaken bottom sitting brookies and I've tied a few of my favorites here. I have also put a tutorial of the fly and it's as Jack tied it....simple stuff.

This one has a olive marabou wing, with a collar of yellow and orange hackle.

This one has a white marabou wing, with a black and orange hackle collar.

This one features a white marabou wing, purple hackle collar and a peacock head.

Marabou, use the thinnest stems possible. This will enable you to wrap the marabou without it breaking and to maintain a slim profile.

Collar hackle can be the soft feathers from a saddle, strung schlappen on hen feathers if you have them large enough.

Wrap thread to about midway down hook shank. Tie in first marabou feather and wrap forward until all of feather is used. Stroke fibers backward while wrapping.

Tie in second marabou feather and wrap forward and tie off.

At this point you could whip finish and the fly would fish very well.

At this point tie in the black feather and wrap it 3-4 times as as the collar.

Tie in the orange feather and wrap as you did with the black one. Stroke back the fibers and tie off.

The complete soft hackle streamer.

This is the soft hackle streamer as tied by Jack Gartside. A gray marabou wing, and a collar of mallard flank.

"Frosty Mornings"

Frosty mornings where the air temp is hovering around 30 and the sun is starting to make itself a factor in the day is a time for some incredible photos. These winter berries with a hint of frost upon them make such a lovely sight as I walk to the stream. These days can be very erratic in the trouts feeding time. It also makes for a hit or miss decision on what they will eat. A rule of thumb is that winter food sources are scarce and usually small, perhaps a small nymph is the best choice. Over the years I have come to realize that small is not always the way to go, and bottom bouncing is not always the best method. I have been fooling around with spey type flies for trout and have had some success with them. These flies are tied on #8 salmon hooks and are on the large side. Wow you say, that's big, and that's true but so is a Mickey Finn tied on a #8 streamer hook and that is pretty common for a trout fishing fly.

Well on this day I fished one of these spey flies and it did it's magic. While fishing these flies so many trout came up from the bottom to wildly swipe at the fly. It surprised me how they liked the presentation. As the fly was swinging across they would hit it, and as the fly straightened out the trout would not touch it. I have seen this before, I just don't quite know why they do it.

 I have a few of these fly patterns to share with you and will do so on my next post.

These brookies were not shy about crushing the large fly.

Not exactly a fly for framing, but a worker for sure. Simple construction, with a minimum of materials.

Last week we made some homemade sausage. Fried it and put it together with mashed potatoes, gravy and peas....so good.

A Couple of Thank You's....

Back in October a reader of SSR's sent me an e-mail asking if I wanted some woodcock wings, and feathers. He assured me that they were clean and the markings were quality. Woodcock is a staple in the construction of North Country flies. They have proven to be fish catchers and they are a forgiving feather in that they are not overwhelmingly fragile. Well getting back to the e-mail, I said I would love to have the woodcock wings and feathers. A few days later I received a package and when I opened it I was astounded. The wings were the best I've seen. These feathers were perfect. Their shape and sheer amount of quality useful feathers was beyond what I had imagined. "John" I want to thank you for the feathers and I'll be busy this winter creating many flies.

This is a Woodcock and Orange spider. The hackle is on of the feathers from John's woodcock wings.

Woodcock and Orange with tail. The hackle is an under covert from a woodcock.

Tom Davis of "Teton Tenkara", which is a wonderful blog by the way. He posted a pattern that I copied and had success with it. Seeing this Tenkara pattern and others that I've tied. A reader of SSR's by the name of Bill Shuck got bit by the Kebari style flies and created this awesome fly. Some of the materials used in the fly are heron, mole, and waterhen. I could see this fly in the lip of a brook trout...

Look, It May Be The Same Stream But Look Closer.....

These are so common, but every one is different. Sights that most pass by seem to catch my eye. I was out roaming a stream in search of a few brown trout. The stream is one of my favorites for wild browns, and most times I can find a few who will light up my day. These browns are not huge and will never grace the covers of magazines but what they will do is bring a few moments of euphoria to an old angler. The notables have said that the brown is a fly fishers challenge, they are selective and must be pursued with extreme caution. This may be true but not so on a small stream. In the end they are just beautiful creatures looking for something to eat.

Flowing waters in times of sunlight and clouds...strong currents and soft sanctuaries.

Salmo trutta...He is a tough fellow, and handsome too.

A clump of dead leaves and some broken branches. A mess on your lawn but so beautiful in a small stream.

What lies below?

The orange striped brown trout. A quirk of nature on perhaps something else.

Other than clean cold water these trees that have been blown down are a necessity for wild trout to sustain life.

Pretty common. Maybe so but to me they are very unique and very precious.