Viking Lars | Saturday, 19 February 2022
I really dislike talking about “the good old days”, yet somehow I find it’s important to remember how conditions once were. For instance most, let’s say not new, fly fishers remember the incredible blanket hatches of Caenis in the late summer. These hatches are all but gone.
In Denmark one of the earliest hatches to bring trout and grayling to the surface is the Baetis rhodani hatch (Large Dark Olive). Unfortunately - still talking about “the good old days” there aren’t many grayling left after the invasion of cormorants and grayling are more eager to rise than trout (of which there aren’t exactly many either).
During a Baetis-hatch several other insects are hatching, and you might see the odd stonefly getting snatched off the surface, but not many.
For the adults, I fish a standard parachute dry on a size 14 hook. A floating nymph is also important (same size) and even a nymph imitation can bring the odd bend to the rod on slow days (I of course always fish Oliver Edwards’ Baetis Nymph). Somehow I can’t remember experiencing the spinner fall being of any importance.
Dry, floating/hatching nymph and nymph - or something in between. A North Country-style softhackle/spider, of course. I’ve used several over the years and the old masters used the well known Waterhen Blog and the perhaps slightly less known Yorkshire’s Greenwell. I’ve fished a Waterhen Blow extensively, but never the Yorkshire Greenwell. I’ll make sure to tie some for the box.
In the Facebook group” The Spider and Soft Hackle Community”, I stumbled over Robert Smith’s post on the Russled Midge/Castle Rock, which has a heron herl body. I went looking for my heron feathers and could only find the dyed olive ones. So I decided to work on a Baetis spider.
This is what I ended up with. I’ve tied a total of four (and some variants), so I have’t fished it yet, but I’ve no doubt that it’ll fish well. Kill well as they said back then.
An easy pattern:
Thread: Pearsall’s no. 3.
Hook: Ahrex 505, size 14.
Tag: Thread.
Rib: Thread.
Body: Dyes olive heron herl.
Hackle: Quail which matches the smokey grey wings of the Baetis well.
I really can’t wait to try this pattern.
Have a great weekend,
Lars