By Topf Wells
I’m looking forward to fishing again, although I’m not hardy enough to have been out yet. With much colder weather here, our activities might be limited to indoor preparation. For those of us who tie flies, now is the perfect time to do so or, with the announcement of SWTU’s online classes, to learn how.
For those of us who don’t, here are a couple of suggestions for re-examining and re-organizing the dozens or hundreds or thousands of flies we already have. Hint: never tell your non-fishing spouse how many flies you have.
Reflecting on last year is a good place to start. On a windly, late summer, mid-afternoon trip to a very popular, very close local trout stream, I found one of the hatch(es) of the year. Throughout a large, wide riffle, dozens of very small, yellowish flies were coming off, for hours, believe it or not. I could not tell if they were tiny mayflies, caddis, or midges or some combination. Trout were feeding at a dozen or so places in the riffle. Many were small trout but not all. I tried many small flies, caught a few fish, and lost a nice one but I knew I did not have the right fly. Nothing matched the color nor the way the bug skittered about on the surface. Oh to have had the right fly.
As I was looking through too many flies and fly boxes a couple of weeks ago, I discovered I had the right fly, 7 of them in fact. I had bought them at a TU event years ago; having not found an occasion to use them, they were on one of my fishing shelves in the basement.
No more, I’m now ready for that hatch or whatever come August, 2021. The point being, it’s worth reviewing your fishing notes or taking a stroll down memory lane as you prepare your flies for this season. And look at all of the flies.
When you look at those flies, you might run across something like the 6 scuds I bought at another TU event. These presented a problem. I’m way too sentimental. If someone gives me a fly or I buy them at some TU event, I feel a connection to them. I can’t just not use them or throw them away. (I could, of course, re-gift them to some unsuspecting angler but that doesn’t seem right either). In this case, I have never used the flies. The bodies seemed way too bulky and took up too much of the hook gap. I recognized, though, with just a bit of work with some small needle-nosed pliers and Sally’s best scissors, I could rehabilitate these scuds. I’m sure she’ll never notice. It’s worth looking over your flies to see if some similar, modest modifications might make some more effective.
Stay warm, stay healthy, and fish when you can!
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Posted: February 14, 2021 by Drew Kasel
Inside, Thinking of the New Season
I’m looking forward to fishing again, although I’m not hardy enough to have been out yet. With much colder weather here, our activities might be limited to indoor preparation. For those of us who tie flies, now is the perfect time to do so or, with the announcement of SWTU’s online classes, to learn how.
For those of us who don’t, here are a couple of suggestions for re-examining and re-organizing the dozens or hundreds or thousands of flies we already have. Hint: never tell your non-fishing spouse how many flies you have.
Reflecting on last year is a good place to start. On a windly, late summer, mid-afternoon trip to a very popular, very close local trout stream, I found one of the hatch(es) of the year. Throughout a large, wide riffle, dozens of very small, yellowish flies were coming off, for hours, believe it or not. I could not tell if they were tiny mayflies, caddis, or midges or some combination. Trout were feeding at a dozen or so places in the riffle. Many were small trout but not all. I tried many small flies, caught a few fish, and lost a nice one but I knew I did not have the right fly. Nothing matched the color nor the way the bug skittered about on the surface. Oh to have had the right fly.
As I was looking through too many flies and fly boxes a couple of weeks ago, I discovered I had the right fly, 7 of them in fact. I had bought them at a TU event years ago; having not found an occasion to use them, they were on one of my fishing shelves in the basement.
No more, I’m now ready for that hatch or whatever come August, 2021. The point being, it’s worth reviewing your fishing notes or taking a stroll down memory lane as you prepare your flies for this season. And look at all of the flies.
When you look at those flies, you might run across something like the 6 scuds I bought at another TU event. These presented a problem. I’m way too sentimental. If someone gives me a fly or I buy them at some TU event, I feel a connection to them. I can’t just not use them or throw them away. (I could, of course, re-gift them to some unsuspecting angler but that doesn’t seem right either). In this case, I have never used the flies. The bodies seemed way too bulky and took up too much of the hook gap. I recognized, though, with just a bit of work with some small needle-nosed pliers and Sally’s best scissors, I could rehabilitate these scuds. I’m sure she’ll never notice. It’s worth looking over your flies to see if some similar, modest modifications might make some more effective.
Stay warm, stay healthy, and fish when you can!
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