Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Working on my fly box for the coming fishing season. Lemme see, I got yer soft hackles, I got your everyday wolly buggers, I got the yer chironomids, Some plain Jane pheasant tails bead heads, dragon and damsel, hares' ears, and ....? What am I missing? Dry flies are in another box for another day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 What happened to long shank #6 hooks and a cricket? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 WET or Dry? I think that would be a dry, fished with a sinking line which would make it a wet, so it would be a wet, dry fly. NO? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eamon Chute Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Silver Hiltons. Ya' just gotta' have Silver Hiltons if ya' wanna' take stealhead! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 WET or Dry? I think that would be a dry, fished with a sinking line which would make it a wet, so it would be a wet, dry fly. NO? Ain't you fishin in the water? Of course it's gonna be wet. My home sets on a hill 150' or so above Spring River, 3/4 of a mile from the head spring. this is the Spring River that winds across southern Missouri and dumps into Grand Lake of the Cherokees in Oklahoma. The "Head of the River" once housed a trout farm and some enterprising soul has also stocked the river with "Cloud River Rainbows" that are reproducing. Just below our home there is a pool about 20 feet wide and 200' long and about 5-6 feet deep. My wife and I spend a good portion of our leisure daylight hours on our porch looking toward the river. About 10 days ago we noticed a lot of activity on this pool. Assuming it was ducks or something similar, I went to get the binoculars. What it was was a heavy hatch of some sort and the trout were knocking the snot out of them. I almost got up and went fishing but the wine tasted good and the steaks were about ready. Just thought it was unusual for an insect hatch this time of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 Silver Hiltons. Ya' just gotta' have Silver Hiltons if ya' wanna' take stealhead! Perhaps, but I like a purple bunny or a pink marabou for summer runs. Size 4. But that said, most of my summer fishing will be in stillwater. Going to try the North end of Lake Washington, just off the weed beds in the shallow NE corner for spiny rays. That is going to call for some bead heads and some scuds me thinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Dave Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Well sir, seeing as how I am an expert, I will attempt to edumacate you. What qualifys me as an expert you may ask? Fair question. Well, I once walked past a display of flies in the store, and I have a computer and internet connection, therefor I am an expert. Anywho.... You see, them fishes are smart, darn smart. You need to put them flies in order by when they hatch. Cuz if'n you try to float a May fly past them in say March or April? They is gonna know fer sure that something ain't right. Next thing you know they called their buddies the slippery rocks and you're on your ass in freezing water. All I can remember from my very brief foray into fly fishing back in my youth is that they seemed to like shrimps, but then again so do I. Also the gold ribbed hares ear was a good producer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Hey BMC - my friend Blake who owns Far West Fly Shop in California is a lifelong avid fly fisherman, lake and stream fishing, and deep sea fisherman. You can get supplies from him and talk with him too if any needs arise. Great pard to deal with. http://stores.farwestflyshop.com/StoreFront.bok GG ~ Goinf to forward this thread to him and see if he 'bites' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 Ain't you fishin in the water? Of course it's gonna be wet. My home sets on a hill 150' or so above Spring River, 3/4 of a mile from the head spring. this is the Spring River that winds across southern Missouri and dumps into Grand Lake of the Cherokees in Oklahoma. The "Head of the River" once housed a trout farm and some enterprising soul has also stocked the river with "Cloud River Rainbows" that are reproducing. Just below our home there is a pool about 20 feet wide and 200' long and about 5-6 feet deep. My wife and I spend a good portion of our leisure daylight hours on our porch looking toward the river. About 10 days ago we noticed a lot of activity on this pool. Assuming it was ducks or something similar, I went to get the binoculars. What it was was a heavy hatch of some sort and the trout were knocking the snot out of them. I almost got up and went fishing but the wine tasted good and the steaks were about ready. Just thought it was unusual for an insect hatch this time of the year. Not right sure of the hatch charts for your part of the world, Noz, but depending on water temps and species it could be an early mayfly hatch. March browns are due to come out in a few weeks but I do not know if they are prolific in your area. It could also be the BWO hatch which goes on all the time. If they were breaking the water it was most likely a hatch of some sort of other. It is a bit early for the Callibaetis, but then who knows what nature will do. What ever it was, fish will hammer an early season hatch. They must get hungry over the cold winter months. I recall fishing in Lake Tranquille, up near Kamloops, BC a few years ago. We arrived late in the afternoon and did not fish the first day. Sitting on the deck of the cabin, with a libation, and watching the lake, a full moon came up to show the lake dimpled with rising trout all over the place. Seems we got there just after ice out and the moon was full and the fish were feasting all night. Next day you could not buy a bite. Darn fish. EDIT: Could have been an early stone fly hatch. According to the hatch chart for Missouri, there is a mid March stone fly hatch. Stones hatch in moving water and you said that this is a river. Just a guess though. Problem is that the stone fly usually migrate to the edge and do not hatch like mayflies. Well sir, seeing as how I am an expert, I will attempt to edumacate you. What qualifys me as an expert you may ask? Fair question. Well, I once walked past a display of flies in the store, and I have a computer and internet connection, therefor I am an expert. Anywho.... You see, them fishes are smart, darn smart. You need to put them flies in order by when they hatch. Cuz if'n you try to float a May fly past them in say March or April? They is gonna know fer sure that something ain't right. Next thing you know they called their buddies the slippery rocks and you're on your ass in freezing water. All I can remember from my very brief foray into fly fishing back in my youth is that they seemed to like shrimps, but then again so do I. Also the gold ribbed hares ear was a good producer. But Professor Grizz, what about the March Brown fly. That is a mayfly. It hatches in March and April and usually gone by May. Perhaps it should be called a March fly? Stupid fish bugs! Hey BMC - my friend Blake who owns Far West Fly Shop in California is a lifelong avid fly fisherman, lake and stream fishing, and deep sea fisherman. You can get supplies from him and talk with him too if any needs arise. Great pard to deal with. http://stores.farwestflyshop.com/StoreFront.bok GG ~ Goinf to forward this thread to him and see if he 'bites' Thanks for the tip, Gunner. Always good to talk fishing with a fellow angler. Can steal ideas from them. I usually patronize the local fly shops here in Wet Washington, to help them along. I doubt that I will be fishing California waters any time soon. I usuall look North, East and West for fishing before I look South. I had hoped to get down to the Deschutes in Oregon sometime, but that is in the deep bucket list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apache Hawk 60642 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Working on my fly box for the coming fishing season. Lemme see, I got yer soft hackles, I got your everyday wolly buggers, I got the yer chironomids, Some plain Jane pheasant tails bead heads, dragon and damsel, hares' ears, and ....? What am I missing? Dry flies are in another box for another day. Uhhhhhh..........................What he say ? ? :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 Drink up sez I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apache Hawk 60642 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Drink up sez I. Don't mind ifin' I do Badger ! Thank ya kindle.....just up it on Professor Grizz's tab ! :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 Grizz buys good drinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apache Hawk 60642 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Grizz buys good drinks. Shore do ! Tank I'll have nother .......On his tab of course ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 Yeah, I gonna get me one of them frilly little drinkiepoos that come in colors with a little umbrella stuck in it and a piece of fruit on the side. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Dave Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Oh what the heck, if'n I'm buying I guess I might as well drink one too, give me a rum and coke. Been thinking I need to start drinking more anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apache Hawk 60642 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Oh what the heck, if'n I'm buying I guess I might as well drink one too, give me a rum and coke. Been thinking I need to start drinking more anyway. Had an Army buddy what liked his Jack and Coke. A shot glass of Coke and a iced tea glass of Jack ! Man, he shore could make that coke last all night long ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Dave Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Used to like rum and coke, 7 and 7, and such. Any more a Margarita is what I'll order if I have anything to drink at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Phil Peeno #50923 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Corn. Cans of corn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Pony Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Badger if you get bored you can tie some wooly mammoths, like a bugger but much bigger think a nightcrawler hook. A couple I used to work with gave me a starter kit for Christmas one year and I used big hooks to practice on. Made up several different colors and took em out buggin for smallmouth. Goofy looking things actually worked and it didnt matter how bad my casting was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulp, SASS#28319 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Remember the Patrick McManus story about fly fishing? He said often as not, on a forward cast (not sure of terminology) but anyway, when the line is behind you and you flip it forward towards the water, often as not the fly would snatch off a part of his ear on the way by. Then for a little while he could fly fish and bait fish at the same time. BTW, trout like worms too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 Patrick wrote some very funny stuff, Pulp. Wide brim Cowboy hats come in very handy when flyfishing. So do sunglasses. It is part of the costume. Nicking your ear seems to be a problem with weighted flies more so than with unweighted flies. Most of my fly rods are over 8 1/2 feet long so I do not have a problem. My casting style s a rather slow, open loop style and so I do not worry about that very much. Some of the newer, fast action rods will nick you a time or two, though. Iron Pony, most of my flies are smaller offerings. I am finding that my inventory is way too large and I only use a pattern or two on each outing. When I first started I was like a kid in a candy shop and what was bright and attractive to me, surly was attractive to the fish. BUT THEY DIDN'T SEE IT THAT WAY. Now I try to plan ahead and figure out what patterns will attract fish under the current (pun intended) circumstances. One great advantage of tying your own flies is that you can tailor you fly box's contents to the immediate fishing circumstances. It rarely will produce more fish, but it gives you something else to think about rather than the the fact that the fish is smarter than you are. Tex. Good ole WDFW frowns on cans of corn with holes in the can, in most fishing circumstances. They want to take your money and fishing equipment when you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-BAR #18287 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 You need some size 16 to 20 scuds and fish them dead drift bouncing on the bottom on 1 lb tippet. You won't land many fish on that light leader but you will find the fish interested most of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 You need some size 16 to 20 scuds and fish them dead drift bouncing on the bottom on 1 lb tippet. You won't land many fish on that light leader but you will find the fish interested most of the time. Not a lot of of spring creeks over on this side, most are fast water freestone rivers or streams. Scud fishing for the most part is in the lakes, or at least as far as I know. But you do present a good size/pattern program. I plan to use just that over in Lake Washington when the weather gets a little dryer and warmer. There is a nice weed/milfoil bed over in the NE corner of the lake that should harbor some fish. I am not sure of which species but I intend to find out. I usually fish a short leader, like 6 - 71/2 feet 4 X and add a three foot tippet of 5x. I seldom go below 5x because a large fish will be played to exhaustion if you happen to get one. Smaller fish can be horsed a bit more and released quickly too. My old eyes have trouble with the smaller hooks so I also seldom go below 18. I have boxes of size 8 through 18. Twelve and sixteen seem to be my favorite. The fish have other ideas, but what the heck do they know. Stupid fish. Because of regulations and amount of traffic on the rivers, I find that I spend more time on flat and still water, fishing. There are so many venues around my home that I should not have to travel all that far to wet a line. Besides, with me, it is all about the wonder of nature and life cycles in the waterways. Fish are a pleasant bonus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pack Saddle Slim, SASS #73122 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Hmmmm...let's see. You've got your beadheads, a good collection of ephemora, your nymphs, and your standard dries (i.e. elk hair caddis, Adams, Royal Wulfs, a few Light Cahills, etc.). Oh...you might want to throw in a couple leeches just for the heck of it. I usually have a good assortment of emergers on hand, too. Other than that, Badger, it sounds like you're in pretty good shape. Reminds me, I probably ought to do the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Locals use a tiny, tiny flourescent green nymph. One of the tricked out uber trout fishermen came by and actually asked permission to fish. Happens about one every three years. The other several hundred just assume it's their god given right to fish on my land. As a gift he brought me a selection of some of his hand tied flys, none of them more than 3/16' long. I had no place to put them that I wouldn't lose them so I laid them on the window sill in my office. A couple of days later my mother told me that my office was really getting to be a mess. She had swept up and thrown away a whole handful of dead bugs out of my windows. Ah, well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 BMC Do ya have your BASIC RED and OD Green , flying fish flys ? The red ons have a fuse in place of the tail And the green one are shaped like a disfigured pineapple Fish and Game , tend to frown on the use of em , around here CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 BMC Do ya have your BASIC RED and OD Green , flying fish flys ? The red ons have a fuse in place of the tail And the green one are shaped like a disfigured pineapple Fish and Game , tend to frown on the use of em , around here CB Now why would I do that, Chickasaw? When a little EXLIAR on the water and they all come topside for air anyhoo. Just grab the net and scoop out the ones you want. Fish people don't need to know nuttin about it. The mist on the water goes away in a day or two and there is no evidence that I was ever there. As I said to the game warden just the other day. YOU CAN'T PROOVE THAT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Shapiro Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I know exactly what you're missing. Your missing that abomination of a random collection of fur, feathers, and colored yarn tied to a hook behind a tungsten bead. You know, that fly 'experiment'? The one you tossed into the back of the box because you're embarrassed to be seen using it? Well, that fly just flat out works. I've got a mess of picky browns and rainbows on just such a concoction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 OK Doc, now you went and done it. You got me started on fish lies er stories. I was out fishing my favorite hole on the Sky one fine summer day. I had just about exhaused my supply of flies and excuses. I recall only a few small rainbows and I was headed home. I walked across the gravel bar and on the other side was a small drift of water maybe six inches deep with a hole maybe five feet deep at the end and a tree and stump in the water. Now I am using a five weight rod and a 5x tippet. I look at that stump and say to myself, "What the Hey?" I look in my fly box and the only fly I have that is not soaking wet is a big, and I mean big #6 PINK MARIBOU concoction that I had tied in a drunken stupor or a moment of mental lapse. I mean it was big and ugly. Don't ask me why, I sometimes do things that even I do not understand, I tied that sucker on, with a nice snug fisherman's knot. I threw it out in the little channel and let it drift and just as I was about to lift the fly off the water, WHAM!. Liked to pull my arm out of my shoulder socket. The battle lasted all of maybe three nanoseconds. It left me weak and afraid. I still have that fly somewhere. IF you have ever had a steelhead hit your fly you will know what a thrill it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001 Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 BMC All of us that tye , have a few MAJOR uglys , hid back , just in case I have a couple of SUPER UGLYS , that are killers CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 I was rummaging around in my tying materials and guess what I found. Hot Pink chenille and black marabou. And a whole bunch of krystal flash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pack Saddle Slim, SASS #73122 Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 I was rummaging around in my tying materials and guess what I found. Hot Pink chenille and black marabou. And a whole bunch of krystal flash. Sounds like the beginnings of the infamous "Badger Mountain Special." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Dave Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Now badger, have you been doing your exercises? If'n you just go out there cold, yer gonna pull a muscle or throw yer shoulder out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Shapiro Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 The biggest brown I ever caught sucked down a bit of green yarn tied to a #14 hook and drifted deep through a pool. I had to chase that sucker down because it stripped off all the line and got into the backing and the tippet was #7. Turned out to be about 28 or 30 inches. And this one ain't no fish tale. For some reason the fish in that pool loved that fly. I caught a mess of 'em out of the pool. Might have had something to do with the fact that the stream is located an hour outside D.C. I bet the fish have seen every fly in the Orvis catalog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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