Fountains of Youth – Classic trout flies that have withstood the test of time … flies that remain “forever young”

by Rusty Dunn

It’s mid-Spring on a bluebird April day. The water has warmed following winter’s chill, and trout are looking up. Fish are slashing in the riffles and porpoising in the pools. You reach confidently for a size #18 dark bodied caddis dry fly. Good choice. Fish are on it in a flash. Over the next few hours, you bring dozens to hand. What a glo­rious day. The thrill of victory.

Just one month earlier on the same stream in March, you found blue-winged olives hatching in abun­dance and again fish rising everywhere. You reached con­fi­dently for a size #18 BWO dun. No tak­ers. You tried a smaller size but only got cautious looks from wary trout. You switched to a parachute BWO. No interest. You tried a BWO emerger. Rejection. You emptied the fly box trying to find a pattern that fish would take but never found one. Standing among rising trout, you were fish­less. As daylight faded to evening, your confidence faded to zero. The agony of defeat. Read More