Fly fishing, world domination and socks...

Español

Foro en Español
Manual de Lanzado
Sección de Carlos
The Downloads

Trailer... Buy...

Falsecast

Monday: Paul Arden
Tuesday: Davy Wotton
Wednesday: Matt Klara
Thursday: Harps
Friday: Ray Fairweather
Saturday: Viking Lars
Sunday: Sean Geer

Contents... Front Page Fly Casting The Manual Beginners Flytying Articles Reviews Saltwater Stillwater The Flow Carlos Steve Lars Deano Matt Paul Pic of the Day Movies Vortex Fishmail Snapcast Advice CCS Rod Data Glossary FP archive

As predicted last week this past few days the caddis have started to make a appearance but not as yet in sufficient numbers to get the trout feeding on the surface. Those we have been catching this past few days have been stuffed with the cased and pupating larva, which is a good sign as by this indication of the food base at the bed of the river the emergence of the adults within the next week or so should be a good one. For very many reasons the caddis emergence is absolutely one of my favorite times. By and large it is the first major hatch we see here and also one that will induce trophy trout to rise to the surface. Be they Browns, Cutthroats of Rainbows, all be it is the Browns and Cutts that appeal to myself as well as many of my customers.

Lets take a rain check here guys. As we all know this past 50 years we have seen all manner of new fly patterns innovated, and in the case of dry caddis and emerging pupa very many, some of which out there l have been responsible for, ok no problem. Winged caddis patterns of all sorts sporting fancy wing combinations of feather fiber glued to backing, printed cut out caddis fly wings, wing burners and you name it, joke of the matter is a fish can only see a profile from below of a caddis fly's wings, it matters not what we see from above, agreed. If the truth of the matter be known the odds are that there were more than enough fly patterns of the 1800s period that will more or less catch any trout that is taking caddis fly's, with a couple of exceptions, one of those being the Elk hair caddis. Tie this fly in different sizes and color combinations and for the best part you will fool any fish taking adult caddis, next to that l would add the Moser Balloon caddis.

Ok, it not so much the dry fly patterns l am discussing here. Go to a fly shop today and try to buy such fly patterns as the woodcock series, woodcock and hare ear, woodcock and green or yellow or mixed, odds are you will not be able. Add to that variations of the hares ear, other than the gold ribbed hares ear nymph, odds are not available. Maybe you will be able to find a Invicta, a fly innovated in 1860, then the silver version of the same fly, the Whickhams fancy, and a few more l could add to the list. Simply some of the best fly patterns of all time to nail fish when they are taking caddis.

I well remember long ago fishing a small privately owned stillwater. As the light started to fade the fish started to rise. The reason why was the abundance of the longhorn sedge. Very soon the margins of this lake were boiling with rising trout, oh l caught a few but nothing like the numbers this elderly fellow fishing a short way from myself was hooking up. Now he was no fancy caster that's for sure, but that was beside the point. I knew well enough it was the darn fly he was using, no question of doubt about that one.

As our fishing day ended l got to talking with this fellow who's name l do not remember now, no matter he showed me a fly l had never seen before. Which was a Woodcock and hares ear, now l understood why he was catching those fish, if there was any fly that resembled the longhorns it was this. He then went to his car and gave me a small cardboard box, which l still have. On it was a label that said William Woodford of Christchurch England 1850. inside it contained about a doz of the killer flies. Apparently he had obtained from this now deceased company boxes of flies that were sold at next to nothing, which was the source that he had obtained these flies, he never tied flies himself, even though he had started to fly fish in the early 1900s. After the first meeting we met often at the lake. I was also able to buy a number of the Woodford flies of different patterns, and still own some of those. The day eventually came when he made his last cast, l will always remember him for he instilled in me something l will never forget, which amounts to the value of those traditional wet fly patterns, which furthered for me the passion of fishing the wet fly.

I wonder how many of you guys today still carry in your fly boxes wonderful Woodcocks. It is a interesting fly as it is one of the few traditional wet fly patterns that sports two long tails of bronze mallard that imitate the antenna of the sedge fly, in particular the longhorn sedges, saying that it works equally well for other species.

My pics this week depict some of my favorites of the past along with two lovely trout that the wet fly deceived.

Tight lines all.

Davy.

Pic Of Day

SL Promotions

www.sexyloops.com
Copyright © 1998-2009