An Autumn Mosaic

I spent about five hours on a small stream yesterday. It was a beautiful day once the clouds broke and it was one of those days where everything went right. The stream was running almost at capacity, clear crisp water, I mean it sparkled like diamonds. I spent more time taking in the scenery than I did fishing, now that may not be entirely true but it was close. Looking into the stream the colored leaves seem to jump right at you, and when placed against the cobble bottom it look like a mosaic...natures mosaic.

The trees are in various stages of color change, some gold some red, there is also that clump of green in there.

The brook trout are not to be outdone. Many colors present along the body of this one.

I wish I could capture to true colors of this leaf jam. They were so vibrant with the riffled water flowing over the top....a few inches below that jam a willing brookie took a dry fly.

The fly...it's colors are that of fall.

Could fishing get any better? This angler says no..

This fly did reasonably well in it's first outing.

days to come...

Streamers Of Bill Edson

One of the great fly tyers of those early days, glory days of Maine fly fishing was Bill Edson. Bill was from Portland Maine and created many streamer flies that were staples in the fly wallets of anglers who were seeking the giant brook trout and salmon of the Rangeley lakes of western Maine. Many Edson's patterns had a unique item used in their construction, that item was a small brass eye. This brass eye was used in place of jungle cock and was tied in at the head.

These are the brass eyes that are used in many of Edson's streamers. One of his patterns used both jungle cock and the brass eyes.

This is the "Kennebago Special"....The body is flat silver tinsel, the throat is yellow and red hackle. The wing is furnace saddle hackle, and the eyes are jungle and brass. It is said that this streamer was Bill Edson's favorite fly.

This streamer is called a "Dark Edson Tiger" squirrel wing....Tag is gold tinsel. tail yellow hackle. Body yellow chenille, wing is fox squirrel, throat is red hackle. The fly also uses the brass eye.

Streamers, Brook Trout, And Sore Knees...One Of My Best Days

Yesterday I can honestly say was one of the ten best days of fishing in my life. I experienced in a few hours the pure joy of doing everything that one needs to do to be able to say that this is what truly what fly fishing is. The stream I chose is one I'm familiar with. It has a gentle side to it and a nasty side. The walk in can be seen as a gentle one as pictured above. There is a mix of hemlock and hardwood with open banks. It is here that many brookies were slashing at the fly offered.

This is a small stream anglers dream. Runs, riffles and small pools. The area is open and tangle free. It is here where I was catching many brookies in the 3-4 inch range. They were viciously attacking the streamer I was fishing. It is here where the fishing became a challenge. The exposed roots became a dominant factor in the comfort factor, I mean they raised heck with my ankles and knees. I try my hardest to stay out of the water at this time. Most of the fishing is from the bank and you can get yourself into some precarious positions standing on roots and rocks and I probably should have found a more stable casting place, but that's small stream fishing.

It was in this pool that I was forced to use the upstream streamer technique. This is a method I first learned of while fishing the Upperdam pool in Maine. It involves casting upstream and stripping the streamer back at a fast speed.

This beautiful male brook trout found that streamer traveling at the speed of sound to much to resist. He hit that thing and actually began to take off line. It was a memorable battle with all of the tricks we both had in our play books coming into use. As he rest at the bank I slid my hand under him and lifted him to take a photo. The streamer slid out and he lay there for a few moments. He then swam off into the stream.

This pool was a challenge. A nice flow coming in and heading to a pile of wood. The pool was deep and its bottom thick with silt and fallen leaves and hemlock needles. I tried to stand on the small rocks but could not keep my footing. I wandered to the area where I could get out onto the clump of woody debris. It was here that I could make a decent cast into the pool. On the third cast I felt a fish take the fly, a surface splash and it was off. Several more casts and the pool seemed dead. I said to myself there has to be a few more in there. Several more casts and then I felt the tug of a good fish.

My goodness you talk about a fight...this guy was mean and was not about to be subdued. Luckily he did not try to go into that nasty tangle of wood. I was able to get control and brought the regal native to hand. A wild brook trout in all his glory...carry on my friend.

This was a special day in Brook Trout Forest.

North Country Flies...Classics With A Twist

North Country flies need no additives, their simple lines using but silk and feather have endured for a long time. I want to tell you about a modern treatment I use on a couple of these North Country patterns. Myself like many other fly tyers like to use dubbing in one form or another on the the North Country flies. The dubbing tied in as a thorax or as part of a sparse body. Several materials are common on these flies including hares ear, and mole both of which are great and very easy to work with.

I would like to share another dubbing I love to use on these North Country flies. It's called SLF, synthetic living fiber. The material is squirrel mixed with a touch of sparkle. It is friendly and not obnoxious to work with. Many of the spider patterns call for a sparse dubbed body and SLF can be used in way that you can almost let it fall on a waxed silk forming a very seductive and effective fly.

A pattern I love to tie and fish. The Partridge and Olive. Olive silk thread and a whispy SLF body.

Partridge and Orange using bleached ginger SLF for the thorax

Partridge and Yellow, this fly also uses bleached ginger for a thorax.