Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh

Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 26 July 2019

Winnie the Pooh or like we called Nalle Puh is our national fly. It has been invited in 1968 by Simo Lumme and every flyfisherman in Finland knows this fly. Or at least they should know it. It has some tricky parts when you are tying that but you can make it easier also. Fly is imitating trichoptera adult. It is very good fly for trout and grayling. Floating high in the surface and you can make lot of variation with fishing techniques.

Original one is orange but also black and brown ones has been good. With Dark Pooh my biggest whitefish is 1,2 kg. Quill from hackle has to be just little bit longer than mouth in hook. So fly is floating by hackle nothing else. Wings need to be tied as V and it can’t be leaning forward as otherwise fly will go it nose. Wing has to be also straight up, otherwise going sideway.

Hook.- dry fly size 6-18
Yarn.- orange
Wings- brown bear or similar curly tyed as V
Thread.- thin metal gold
Body hackle.- cock brown
Body.- yellow and orange seal, and hare’s face hair, or optional ginger seal.
Front hackle. two or three brown hackle cock

 

21 years ago I took part my first flytying lesson. It was hold by local club. And one of the fly we tied was Nalle Puh, winnie the Pooh. I still have it in my box and now and then I’m using it still. And 20 years ago I got my first trout with that fly.

It was warm almost hot summer evening and I was fishing new river for me. I had no luck with wet flies. I was in really begin of my flyfishing career. Basicly it was second summer that I fished with flyrod. I came to nice looking pool and neck. I saw some rises but couldn’t reach them because bushes and trees behind me and little bit over also. So I slowly waded of from shore and more middle of pool. Fish was still rising just on the neck just before water breaks. I tied Winnie the Pooh on line. Cast, too short…. second one, rise but no strike, fish was picking something next to my fly. Third cast, nothing even I thought it was good one. Fourth and fifht….. and so on nothing. In this point I should change fly allready but I got somekind of obsession about that fly. Maybe it was like ten cast when it finally happen, rise, strike and fight. It felt like 15 minutes but was more like 5 minutes fight and I was able to land beautiful 40 cm brown trout, it had nice golden side and beautiful spots. I took photos with my eyes and brains, no phones on that time at least ones with camera.

After that I have using Winnie the Pooh as dry fly now and then. I should use it more often because it is really good high floating fly. You can fish it tradional way or drifting and jumping it over water. Always exciting moments with that fly. On the photos darker one is my very first Nalle Puh still in use.

Have a nice weekend

Mika from Finland

ps. Heat wave found us also. Last week it was + 8 celsius and next day + 22, no it is around +30 celsius.