Lower Housatonic Spring Fishing 4/24/12

It was an extremely windy night out on the lower Housatonic.  Braved the elements with good friends Jeff Purcell, Drew Farrel, Mike "Too Tall" Harrington, and Internet Fishing Star Bear Cochrane.  A Big Thank You to Bear and Mike for helping me to land this 29 1/2" Striper.  Below Bear battles a nice bass that gives him all he can handle.

Paul's May 2012 Flies of the Month

Partridge and Orange

Hook:  Size #14 to #18 wetfly hook of choice.

Tying thread:  Orange.

Body:  Orange floss (Some tyers prefer to use silk tying thread).

Rib:  (Optional) Gold Wire.

Hackle:  Partridge. 

I’ve found this fly to be extremely successful during caddis and sulphur hatches. 

 Hare’s Ear Flymph

Hook:  Size #14 to #18 wetfly hook of choice.

Tying thread:  Orange.

Tail:  Brown hen hackle fibers.

Body:  Hares ear dubbing.

Rib:  (Optional) Gold Wire.

Hackle:  Partridge (Optional – furnace hen hackle). 

For many fly fishermen, wet flies are patterns which are very foreign to them.  Hopefully your not one of them.   I love fishing wet flies.  The technique is easy to master.  That’s why I frequently fished them when I was first learning to fly fish.  Just cast across and down river.  When the fly is near the end of it’s drift, raise your rod tip slightly and hold on as the fly rises to the surface.  This technique is also referred to as the “Leisenring’s Lift”.  Jim Leisenring was a wet fly pioneer.  He developed a highly successful fishing method where the wet fly “rises” suddenly where the trout are holding in the river.  The soft hackle on wet flies depicts movement.  Many anglers lift and twitch their rods to coax trout to hit their flies.  I’ll also fish wet flies in a dropper setup.

These flies can also be viewed at the Housatonic Fly Fishermen’s Association website at www.hffa.net .  If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a pattern of

The month I can be reached at 203 305-3850 or e-mail me at pdinice@snet.net.

Paul's April 2012 Fly of the Month

“Single feather Rhody Flat Wing”

Hook:  Eagle Claw 254 SS or L 253 1/0

Tail:  White bucktail, 2 times the length of the hook shank.  Topped by an Olive flat wing hackle resting on a dubbing pillow of fluff from the base of the feather.

Body:  Pearl Bill’s Body Braid.

Throat:  Long white bucktail.   Use your nail to surround the bottom and both sides of 

               the hook.

Wing:  Yellow  bucktail over which is mylar tinsel or flash of choice, over which is       olive bucktail, over which is 5 to 6 strands of peacock herl as a wing topping.

Eyes:  Jungle cock. (“Flat Wing Purists” would never substitute anything for jungle

           cock, for others an option is to use 3 D eyes and epoxy on and over them)

Head:  White thread/head cement

Begin tying this fly by advancing your thread from the eye to the hook bend.  Next, cut off a small bunch of hairs near the base of white bucktail.  These fibers are “more” hollow.  You want these hairs to splay and flair when tied in.  They should be two (2) hook shank long.  Use your nail to press down on and surround the hook with the bucktail.  Next, select your olive hackle feather.  It is going to lay flat on top of your tail, same length or longer.  Before tying it on to your hook shank you are going to dub some of the feather fluff from the base onto your tying thread.  Once its dubbed on the thread, raise your thread over the hook shank and slide the fluff down onto the hook shank.  This will form a ball and base for your single flat wing feather.   Tie in your “flat wing” feather.  Next tie in your pearl Bill’s body braid and palmer it forward.  Leave enough room near the eye of the hook to tie in your throat and wing.  Next select and cut a small bunch of white bucktail for the throat of the fly.  It should extend almost to the tip of the hackle feather.  Use your nail to make the fibers surround ¾ of the hook shank.  Next begin tying in the wing.  Select a small bunch of yellow bucktail and tie it in on top of the hook shank.  It should extend to the tip of the tail.  Next tie in a few strands of your tinsel or flash of choice.  The flash can extend beyond the tail of the fly.  Next tie in a small bunch of olive bucktail.  Same length as the underlying yellow.  Next select 7 or 8 strands of peacock herl as your wing topping.   They should be the length of the entire fly.  Finally, tie in your jungle cock eyes.  Two color “splashes” of the jungle cock should be visible to resemble the pupil of the baitfish eye.  Finally tie off the fly and apply head cement.

It’s movement and appearance in the water is truly special.   As with other “flat wing” type flies I love dead drifting it in the current.  When retrieving it, try stripping it back erratically.

This fly can also be viewed at the Housatonic Fly Fishermen’s Association website at www.hffa.net  .  If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of the Month I can be reached at 203 305-3850 or e-mail me at pdinice@frontier.com .

Mike Harrington & "Bear" Cochrane land spring "keepers" on the lower Housatonic.

One of the things I love most about fly fishing is shared experiences with friends.  Great video here of Mike "Too Tall" Harrington landing a nice spring "keeper".  Below Internet Fishing Star "Bear" Cochrane with another spring "keeper".

Paul's March 2012 Fly of the Month

Deer Hair CDC Compara Dun

Hook:  Size 12 to 20 Curved shank emerger hook. 

Tying thread:   Color to match the natural.  ( I tie this fly in brown, olive, grey, and sulphur yellow/orange)

Body:   Goose or turkey biot, color to match natural.

Wing:  Coastal deer hair, two CDC feathers for sizes #12-16.

Tail:  Micro fibets.
Thorax/Head:   Lightly dubbed rabbit or CDC dubbing.

This fly is a great variation of a “Compara Dun” pattern.  Not only does it have a traditional deer hair wing, it also has CDC feathers tied in behind it.  The CDC fibers tend to scatter around the fly.  The CDC not only helps to float the fly but also give the appearance of movement when the fibers touch the surface film.  Instead of a dubbed body, a goose or turkey biot is used, giving it a segmented appearance. 

To tie this fly, begin by covering the hook shank with thread.  Take a clump of coastal deer hair, stack it, and tie it in for the wing.  Try to use a little less deer hair than a traditional Compara Dun since the wing will also consist of CDC feathers.  The deer hair should be tied in with the tips extending beyond the hook shank approximately the length of the hook shank.  Leave enough room between the tie in point and hook eye to dub a small head later in the tying sequence.  Next lay in two CDC feathers on top of the coastal deer hair. 

Bring your thread back down to the bend of the hook.  Tie in and split 4-5 micro fibets just as you would with a traditional dry fly.  Tie in your goose or turkey biot by the tip to form your body.  The smooth leading edge should face the hook eye so that when you wrap it forward a segmented body is created by the trailing “fluffy” edge.  Wrap it forward up to the point where your wing is tied in.  Next, you are going to lightly dub your tying thread to form the thorax and head of the fly.  After dubbing a small thorax behind your wing tie in point, feather the deer hair and CDC back and wrap through it just as you would if tying a traditional Compara Dun.  Form a small dubbed head to keep your wing erect on the hook shank.  Tie off your thread.  Use some head cement if you so desire.  Once the wing is “stood up” preen and spread it with your fingers to form a wing to support the fly in the surface film. 

I love fishing Compara Dun style flies, especially in stretches of “flat” dry fly water.  It seems to work very well on super selective trout.

This fly can also be viewed at the Housatonic Fly Fishermen’s Association website at  www.hffa.net .  If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a pattern of The month I can be reached at 203 305-3850 or e-mail me at pdinice@snet.net .

Paul's February 2012 Fly of the Month

Royal Trude

I’ve been writing the Fly of the Month for close to 30 years now.  During that time less than a handful of flies have appeared more than once.  Those very few I’ve resubmittedbecause they were so productive and/or they had significant importance to fly fishing here in New England.  Although a western fly, the Royal Trude is my favorite dry fly.   I’ve found it does extremely well during isonichia, alder, and stone fly hatches, even though it’s an attractor fly.   Below is how it first appeared in the HFFA newsletter in the early 90’s.

 Royal Trude or “You don’t always have to match the Hatch.”

Hook:  Size 6 to 16 dry fly hook.  Tying thread:   Black.

Tail:   Golden Pheasant tippets.

Body:  1/3 peacock hurl, 1/3 red floss, 1/3 Peacock hurl.

Wing:  White calf tail.
Hackle:  Brown.

This is perhaps my favorite dry fly.  Years ago when I first started tying flies I tied this pattern because I thought it would be easier to tie on a single caddis style wing, rather than one which I would have to split.  Unfortunately, with my limited fly tying experience, I encountered a different problem.  The most critical element of tying this fly is proportion to fit all the body materials on the hook shank, and making sure that when you tie in the wing you cut the butts as close to the hook eye as possible.  You have to create a smooth and even wrapping base for your hackle.  The wing should extend just slightly beyond the bend of the hook.

The royal trued is a “western” attractor fly.  It really doesn’t imitate a particular may fly or hatch.  I don’t know why fish like it so much.  Perhaps it’s the peacock hurl in the body, maybe the color red, or possibly the “caddis” wing which makes fish go crazy.  I have taken countless fish on it.  I love to fish it in the fast water.  It is extremely visible and floats like a cork if you over dress the hackle a bit.

It can also be fished effectively wet.  Sometimes at the end of my drift I’ll let the fly go under and give it a couple of twitches.  This method has consistently produced fish for me.  As my Cousin Sam once pointed out to me, it is also a pattern that is extremely versatile.  Simply clip the hackle off and it can be fished as a small streamer.  My friend Bill Goeben loves to tie it in large sizes for warm water species in ponds. 

Visually, there isn’t a prettier or more classic dry fly pattern.  I hope you’ll give it a try.  There is an underground cult of us fly fisherman who fish “The Trude”, “stimulators”, humpties” and other western attractors on our eastern streams.  It’s your loss if you “don’t believe”. 

If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a pattern of the month I can be reached at 203 305-3850 or e-mail me at pdinice@frontier.com .  This pattern can also be viewed at www.hffa.net .

Paul's January 2012 Fly of the Month

Mickey Finn

Hook:  Diachi 2220 Size #4 to #10 4X long streamer hook or similar (Mustad 9672).    

Thread:  Black. 

Body:  Flat Silver Tinsel.       Ribbing:  Oval Silver Tinsel.

Wing:  Yellow over red, over yellow buck tail.  

Head:   Black thread.

One of the first fly’s that I ever learned to tie was a Mickey Finn.  One of the easiest flies to tie, and boy does it catch trout on the Housatonic.  Yellow has always been a great streamer color on the Hous.  Rainbows love it.

Begin by applying a thread base across the hook shank.   Cover with thread and lacquer.  Tie in the oval silver tinsel at the hook bend.   Bring your thread forward to the eye.  Tie in the flat silver tinsel.  Wrap it back to the hook bend, then reverse directions and bring it back to the eye.  Tie and cut it off.  Leave enough room to add a wing and form a head.  Next, wrap your ribbing forward to the eye, tie and cut it off.  Option:  Sometimes instead of using flat and oval tinsel, I’ll make my body from silver mylar diamond tubbing.  What is important is to create a slender and even body profile.

Now apply your wing.  First, tie in a small amount of yellow buck tail. It should extend just a little beyond the hook bend.  Make 3-4 thread wraps to secure it. Cut the excess Bucktail at an angle to ultimately form a symmetrical head.  Repeat the step with the same amount of red buck tail.  Finally, apply the same amount of yellow buck tail for the top of the wing.  Form a head of black thread.  Tie off and lacquer.  Traditionally this fly has no eyes, but I have painted white eyes with a black center on some of mine.  Many of my streamers I like on the sparse side.  This is one of them. 

Fish it with a “twitch”, slow retrieve, fast retrieve, or a “wet fly” swing.  It’s great in lakes or rivers.  So productive when it came out in the 1930’s, it was once called “The Assassin”.   If you are just learning to tie and fly fish, this is definitely the streamer for you.  Trout, small mouth bass, and large mouth bass will all succumb to this pattern.  If you are a Salt Water fly fisher, this color combination is an old time tradition striper killer. Its still a great salt water fly today. 

This fly can also be viewed at the Housatonic Fly Fishermen’s Association website at www.hffa.net .  If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a pattern of  The month, I can be reached by e-mail me at pdinice@frontier.com .