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

by Rusty Dunn

British flies are often named with a sense of whimsy, such as the Welsh­man’s Button, Wickham’s Fancy, Houghton Ruby, and Dotterel Dun.  The list is long.  Such names conjure images of long-forgotten an­glers, quaint old-world locations, or feathers plucked from an exotic bird.  The Tup’s Indis­pensable is one such flight of fancy.  ‘Tup’ is a Scottish term for a male sheep.  ‘Indis­pen­sable’ refers to the magic ingredient sup­pos­edly needed for the fly’s effec­tiveness … the secret sauce, the indispensable mojo, the fly-tying secret guarded from public disclosure for over 30 years. Read More

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

by Rusty Dunn

You fish among giants on a strikingly beautiful river.  Mt. Shasta (14,000+ feet) is but 45 miles to your north; Mt. Lassen (10,000+ feet) but 35 miles to your south.  They sparkle like jewels and tower over the landscape.  Your attention, however, is focused on a different jewel of similar proportions.  A 20+ inch wild rainbow gently rises just 20 feet from your rod tip.  Blue-winged olives dance in the air.  It’s an angler’s dream come true.  Hooking that trout won’t be easy because the river is slow, glassy smooth, and crystal clear.  Local trout, fur­thermore, are legendary for being ultra-selective.  But you have an advantage.  You carry a fly designed expressly for this hatch on this river by a local angler who was one of America’s most experienced, ob­servant, and creative fly tyers.  You take a deep breath and tie on the fly fatale, a size #16 Quigley Cripple. Read More