Fountains of Youth – Classic trout flies that have withstood the test of time … flies that remain “forever young”
by Rusty Dunn
A mid-summer day in the late 1940s begins like many others in Pennsylvania’s fertile Cumberland Valley. A young Vince Marinaro fishes the crystalline waters of Letort Spring Run. The day is brilliantly sunny, and as the heat builds, so does Marinaro’s frustration. Insects are seemingly nonexistent, yet many fine trout rise steadily in the creek’s weedy channels. The riseforms are slow and deliberate, leaving only the faintest hint of a ring.
Marinaro has spent several days trying to decipher what the rising trout feed upon. He casts a box full of dries, wets, and nymphs with little success. He fishes atop the surface, in the surface, under the surface, and near the bottom. Nothing. He gives his flies a little twitch or a slow retrieve. Still nothing. He casts to a dozen steady risers, and one-by-one they stop feeding. Marinaro’s frustration finally boils over. He quits fishing, sets his rod aside, lays flat on the ground, and crawls like a spider to the water’s edge. Perched within inches of the surface, he intently scans for signs of life. Nothing. After a few minutes of hypnotic study, though, he begins to see things. Tiny things. Insects he had initially overlooked. Tiny mayfly duns struggling to shed their nymphal skins, beetles smaller than he thought possible, and tiny little leafhoppers. Marinaro is stunned by the miniature world before his eyes, revealed suddenly as if a curtain had been raised and the stage lights switched on. He hurries to a nearby fishing hut, finds a mesh bag, fashions a workable seine, and returns to the stream to seine the current. The net is alive with tiny insects. Beetles no more than 3/32″ long; winged and wingless red ants so small that their slender waists are nearly invisible; unimaginably small mayfly nymphs and emerging duns; tiny green leafhoppers about 1/8″ long; little inchworms fallen from the trees; and black ants, unseen at the surface because they drift underwater. Marinaro’s day ended in wonderment, for he had discovered the world of tiny terrestrials.
The classic angling literature frequently discussed terrestrial insects that fall or are blown into trout streams, but their importance as late season trout fare was rarely emphasized. As the hatches of spring decline, aquatic insects become increasingly scarce, and terrestrials can sustain trout for months. Marinaro described his day of discovery on the Letort in his 1950 book A Modern Dry Fly Code, in which he devoted about a third of the contents to terrestrials and their imitation. Marinaro’s Jassid pattern is an excellent imitation of small beetles, but it was never very popular. Jassids require jungle cock nails, an exotic bird species whose feathers have always been rare and expensive. The scarcity of jungle cock made the Jassid itself an endangered species.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvanian John Crowe was a contemporary of Marinaro’s from the nearby steel town of Johnstown, PA. Crowe fished many of the same streams as Marinaro and designed an affordable beetle imitation that is still popular today. It is a model of simplicity and was first described in Crowe’s 1947 book The Book of Trout Lore. Marinaro’s Jassid was a blue-blooded fly intended for fly fishing’s cognoscenti. John Crowe’s beetle was a blue-collared fly intended for fly fishing’s rank and file. Both are first rate flies, but Crowe Beetles won’t break the bank.
Fish a Crowe Beetle anytime from early summer to season’s end, especially along grassy banks and near overhanging trees. The fly can be difficult to see, but a spot of paint or a tuft of bright yarn tied over the back aids visibility. Crowe Beetles are fragile, but don’t be concerned when they become tattered; they fish even better that way. Many accomplished anglers maintain that Crowe Beetles are more effective than the ubiquitous and wildly popular foam beetles. Foam beetles float well, are easy to see, and are durable, but they are soulless gobs of synthetics. When the weather warms and the terrestrials of summer come calling, fish with passion. Fish with history. Fish with John Crowe’s steel town beetle.
Copyright 2022, Rusty Dunn
Crowe Beetle
To imitate shiny green beetles, wrap an underbody of peacock herl or dub an underbody of sparkly dark green dubbing.
| Hook: |
Dry fly, #14 – #20 |
| Thread: |
Black, 8/0 or 6/0 |
| Body: |
Deer hair, dyed black, lashed to the hook shank and pulled over to form a rounded oval shape; trim to leave a prominent head. |
| Legs: |
Three hair fibers on each side, snipped at the tail and pulled out sideways |
Crowe Beetle
Leave a Comment
Last Updated: August 4, 2022 by Drew Kasel
by Rusty Dunn
A mid-summer day in the late 1940s begins like many others in Pennsylvania’s fertile Cumberland Valley. A young Vince Marinaro fishes the crystalline waters of Letort Spring Run. The day is brilliantly sunny, and as the heat builds, so does Marinaro’s frustration. Insects are seemingly nonexistent, yet many fine trout rise steadily in the creek’s weedy channels. The riseforms are slow and deliberate, leaving only the faintest hint of a ring.
Marinaro has spent several days trying to decipher what the rising trout feed upon. He casts a box full of dries, wets, and nymphs with little success. He fishes atop the surface, in the surface, under the surface, and near the bottom. Nothing. He gives his flies a little twitch or a slow retrieve. Still nothing. He casts to a dozen steady risers, and one-by-one they stop feeding. Marinaro’s frustration finally boils over. He quits fishing, sets his rod aside, lays flat on the ground, and crawls like a spider to the water’s edge. Perched within inches of the surface, he intently scans for signs of life. Nothing. After a few minutes of hypnotic study, though, he begins to see things. Tiny things. Insects he had initially overlooked. Tiny mayfly duns struggling to shed their nymphal skins, beetles smaller than he thought possible, and tiny little leafhoppers. Marinaro is stunned by the miniature world before his eyes, revealed suddenly as if a curtain had been raised and the stage lights switched on. He hurries to a nearby fishing hut, finds a mesh bag, fashions a workable seine, and returns to the stream to seine the current. The net is alive with tiny insects. Beetles no more than 3/32″ long; winged and wingless red ants so small that their slender waists are nearly invisible; unimaginably small mayfly nymphs and emerging duns; tiny green leafhoppers about 1/8″ long; little inchworms fallen from the trees; and black ants, unseen at the surface because they drift underwater. Marinaro’s day ended in wonderment, for he had discovered the world of tiny terrestrials.
The classic angling literature frequently discussed terrestrial insects that fall or are blown into trout streams, but their importance as late season trout fare was rarely emphasized. As the hatches of spring decline, aquatic insects become increasingly scarce, and terrestrials can sustain trout for months. Marinaro described his day of discovery on the Letort in his 1950 book A Modern Dry Fly Code, in which he devoted about a third of the contents to terrestrials and their imitation. Marinaro’s Jassid pattern is an excellent imitation of small beetles, but it was never very popular. Jassids require jungle cock nails, an exotic bird species whose feathers have always been rare and expensive. The scarcity of jungle cock made the Jassid itself an endangered species.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvanian John Crowe was a contemporary of Marinaro’s from the nearby steel town of Johnstown, PA. Crowe fished many of the same streams as Marinaro and designed an affordable beetle imitation that is still popular today. It is a model of simplicity and was first described in Crowe’s 1947 book The Book of Trout Lore. Marinaro’s Jassid was a blue-blooded fly intended for fly fishing’s cognoscenti. John Crowe’s beetle was a blue-collared fly intended for fly fishing’s rank and file. Both are first rate flies, but Crowe Beetles won’t break the bank.
Fish a Crowe Beetle anytime from early summer to season’s end, especially along grassy banks and near overhanging trees. The fly can be difficult to see, but a spot of paint or a tuft of bright yarn tied over the back aids visibility. Crowe Beetles are fragile, but don’t be concerned when they become tattered; they fish even better that way. Many accomplished anglers maintain that Crowe Beetles are more effective than the ubiquitous and wildly popular foam beetles. Foam beetles float well, are easy to see, and are durable, but they are soulless gobs of synthetics. When the weather warms and the terrestrials of summer come calling, fish with passion. Fish with history. Fish with John Crowe’s steel town beetle.
Copyright 2022, Rusty Dunn
Crowe Beetle
To imitate shiny green beetles, wrap an underbody of peacock herl or dub an underbody of sparkly dark green dubbing.
Share this:
Category: Fly Tying, Rusty Dunn Fountains of Youth
Recent Posts
Categories