bugs

fur, feather and steel.
it's what I use to catch
those beautiful trouts.

there're always conversations
that pop up, 'if you had just
one fly....'

if I had just one fly, it would
be an ant. tied the standard
way, two lumps of dubbed fur
with a hackle 'round the waist.


black is the standard, but
I was having a lot of success
with an orange and grizzly
variation late in the summer.
ants are everywhere, and the
trouts know it. present 'em
on top, or drown 'em down
underneath. very versatile and
they work everywhere from
the Letort to trickling mtn brooks.


of course, until it warms up
and the ants become active,
I have a couple other favorites....

fishing underneath is never
my preference, but sometimes
it's the only game going. for
those times I've had the most
success with a simple shrimpy
scud pattern. dubb it, wrap it
w/ some fine copper and pick
it out to make it look buggy.
fooled plenty of Letort browns
with this little fly...


I don't fish many nymphs in
the mtns, when I do, it's
usually a generic buggy
pattern like a Hare's ear
or a Prince. Want to try out
some soft hackles this year,
so I tied up a handful of these
a week or so ago, gonna do
more in a darker color scheme.....


And thinking towards that
week i'm planning for chasing
hatches in late May, this was the
best sulphur pattern I used last
year. I have a box filled with all
kinds of sulphur patterns, cut
wings, parachutes, extended
bodies, classic Catskills and this
simple thing worked the best for
me last year, go figure. need to tie
up a bunch more of these too.


so those are what I found
to work the best for me last
year. if only it was that simple,
right? Variety is the spice, and
it's good to have choices....cuz
you just never know what you'll
find out along the stream. These
are my two take anywhere boxes,
one for the spring creeks, one for
the hemlock brookies.


Those trouts sure can be a
finicky bunch, back to the vise.