We all know the joy of catching a nice trout on a new patterned, but what is unfathomably more enjoyable is catching trout on a pattern that you tied personally; a desire that most fly fishermen have, but few end up ever pursuing the art, usually because they do not know where to begin, faced most commonly with the question, “Where do I get the material.”
Buying the tools to begin tying is as simply as a trip to your local sports outfitter, however, acquiring the actually materials can be quite a challenge if you do not know where to look.

This time of year, as well as during other hunting seasons, the availability of materials increases greatly. Around the country there are thousands of gaming clubs, at which, hunters gather to register their trophies. Furthermore, there are many times throughout the year that these clubs engage in large bird roasts, and other such activities, resulting in large amounts of unused feathers and furs, that can readily be obtained.

Furthermore, there is another resource that I have found to be very useful when I am in need of material: the DEP. Over the past few years I have made friends with a member of the Maine DEP. Thanks to this contact, I have had access to a number of materials not readily available to me here in Connecticut. Therefore I highly recommend that you make friends with your local game clubs and DEP.

More than just natural materials alone, there are many other materials that can be found in a number of other places, such as your local arts and crafts store, filled with different yarns and colored feathers. I have found that some of the most useful materials I have in my arsenal are not ordered from magazines, or found attatched to an animal, but rather have been found strolling the aisles of ‘Crafts R Us.’

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The U.F.O. is particularly successful during the dry seasons, when the rivers, streams, and lakes, tend to have less water than normal, and the temperature of the water warms. During these odd times, when trout seem to almost become dormant, terrestrials generally become a must-have, if you want to fill your creel. The U.F.O. is an extraordinarily useful fly because it can be used as a substitution for almost the entire beetle and ant families.

When fishing with the U.F.O., placement and presentation are key to catching fish. Acting as a terrestrial, the U.F.O. is best if fished across the banks of the streams, preferably under overhanging branches and shrubs.

To better give the illusion that the U.F.O. has fallen from hanging undergrowth, once should present the fly more ‘floatly’ than usual. Generally, when presenting a dry fly, it is recommended that the caster lays the line perfectly parallel with the water, about a foot above the surface, before allowing it to touch down. When fishing the U.F.O., it is important to delay this leveling process, and instead, allow the line to lay out with the line hitting the water just slightly before the fly. This will allow the fly to have the appearance that it is falling, in its own weight to the water. To furthermore present the fly as real, try to keep it from hitting the water with more force than would be natural. This will keep the fly from startling the fish, and causing them to disperse.

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The WEW can be used as an imitator of the damsel nymph, which makes this pattern particularly effective on those hot summer days when there seems to be no other hatches rising. The WEW can also be used as a wooly bugger supplement when fishing on those last few cold months of fishing toward the beginning and end of fishing season.

The WEW is most effective in dark, murky areas of rivers, or the outside edges of bends in the river. The reason for fishing this fly on the outsides edges of a turn in the river is because that is where drift wood and leaves will tend to wash ashore in the most abundant amounts. These sticks and leaves sink to the riverbed and rot, creating an ever growing area of black mud where these damsel flies make themselves at home.

When fishing the Wild-Eyed Wooly, it is best to use a quarter turn sweep, and then retrieve it in short smooth bursts of movement, allowing the fly to bounce along the riverbed. It is important to remember to never let the WEW lay dormant for any period of time while in the water. The WEW’s tail and gills, being comprised of black malibu, gives the WEW the realistic appearance of having moving body parts. What you must keep in mind, however, is that on a real damsel nymph, these body parts are almost continuously moving, and therefore, your imitation should keep moving as well, not giving the fish a chance to inspect the fly before making the choice to strike, which they tend to do during the pause directly after the head of the streamer hits the riverbed.

Another important thing to remember is not to back-cast this fly unless it is weighted with lead! I have tried before to back cast this fly in order to achieve a greater distance to fish, and found that if you back cast more than one cast rotation (once back-then forward), the fly becomes to dry that it can take excruciating amounts of time to sink. If you prefer to not roll cast, and enjoy the art of back casting, as do I, you can tie the fly using copper beads for eyes, as opposed to plastic, and add further weight using lead wire. This will allow you to back cast, and still have the WEW sink efficiently.

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As the discussion with these two men continued, it became clear that regardless of what coast you are on, or how different of lived we lived being in different areas of the country, we still were able to communicate perfectly on one topic, clear water fishing. These two men used a technique that is very common to use around the east coast as well, called “hopper and dropper.” By utilizing this method, a fisherman has the ability to fish two very different patterns at the same time, more readily appealing to the different desires of different fish.

In the case of “hopper and dropper,” the fisherman ties a hopper pattern, the lead, to the tippet as usual, then, selecting a nymph of some sort, ties short piece of tippet material, about nine inches will do, to the shank of the hopper, then attach the dropper nymph to that tippet. It is important to make sure that your lead fly is always a highly buoyant dry fly, and your dropper is a very non-buoyant nymph or wet fly pattern. It is key to balance the flies appropriately, to ensure that the dropper does not sink the lead, nor should the lead cause the dropper to float unnaturally. This technique will undoubtedly serve you well, and, in some cases will lead to an interesting tale of a ‘double catch.’

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Due to the rise is the water levels, as a result of the rainy season, the banks of the rivers become submerged, as do the homes of inumerable mud worms, such as the Tubiflew worm, an aquatic worm that closely resembles the common earthworm, although red in color. The rising water forces these worms from their homes, resulting in a buffet for local trout. Fly fishermen capitalize on this natural occurance using patterns that mimick these worms, such as the San Jaun Worm, discussed earlier on the website.

From speaking with other fishermen along the Rio Grande, I learned that many New Mexican fishermen prefer darkwater fishing due to the fact that the murky waters, coupled with the loud rushing water, make it almost impossible for the trout to see or sense the danger of approaching fishermen, giving the fisherman the upperhand when trying to land ‘the big one.’

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The streamer, theoretically, was used primarily in the Montana state, and other western countries, until it was discovered, and brought eastward to be fished along the New England area. While the Montana was quickly making its way to the front of fishermen’s boxes here in the US, it was rapidly making its debut into Canada and New Zealand, becoming a personal favorite for northern trout fishing.

Although extremely effective, the Montana is a very simplistic nymph, as far as fishing it is concerned. This fly is a very popular fly year around, and should be fished deep along the riverbed. It is extraordinarily productive if fished in stony areas of streams, on the upstream face of rapid or turbulent water. When fishing the Montana, like most other nymphs, there are two key methods, the ‘dead drift’ method, and the ‘tight line’ method.

The ‘dead drift’ method of fishing is very self explanatory. The nymph should be cast directly across the current, and allowed to bounce across the bottom at a dead drift. The fisherman should allow this to occur until it reaches a point where his line is parallel to the banks of the river, causing it to no longer drift. At this point, the fisherman should slowly retrieve the nymph, stripping the line in with shoot twitches of the line; pausing between each movement. When suing this method, the fish will usually strike immediately after the nymph moves, so be prepared during those pauses! Although it is more difficult to feel the slight strikes of trout when using this method, it is generally preferred by experienced fishermen due to the fact that one can cover more water faster, increasing ones likeliness to come across fish.

The second of the two fishing methods is the ‘tight line’ method. The ‘tight line’ method is almost exactly the same as the ‘dead drift’, except without the first step. When using the ‘tight line’ method, one should cast the fly directly downstream from where they are standing, causing the line to immediately become taut. Let the nymph rest at that place for a while. Then, slowly retrieve the nymph in short twitches, as explained above. This method is useful due to the fact that the line is always taut, causing strikes to be more noticeable, and making it easier for the fisherman to set the hook.

Because of the construction of the nymph being almost entirely of chenille, the Montana, if dry cast, will float. To counter this, the fisherman can be proactive, and weight the nymph with lead wire, or he can simply resort to simply role casting the nymph keeping it from drying too quickly.

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If fished either at dawn or dusk, the Mickey Mouse is very effective, especially when the conditions are cool, and when fog is just slight on the water; although this pattern has been known to catch trout at many different times of day, in fairly different condition. Although the Mickey Mouse can be productively fished in a wide variety of terrains, it is best if fished along the edges of fielded streams, and rivers, where the muddy banks smoothly transition to water. Ideally, one should fish this pattern directly under an overhanging log, or tree branch, to give the illusion that the mouse has fallen from a place of natural safety.

Although the Mickey Mouse will remain afloat through most styles of casting, roll casting is undoubtedly the most efficient. While the weight of the mouse is not usually a factor when casting, because it weights so little, the size of the fly can very negatively affect the cast. Because of its large size, the wind caused by a cast will cause the mouse to flutter in the air, resulting in miscasts, and, or wind-knots.

Once the mouse is presented along the edge of the water, the fisherman should allowing it to sit in rest for a short moment, allowing the majority of the ripples to calm, then in short bursts, strip line in, slowly retrieving the mouse in a series of twitches and pauses. This will give the illusion that the mouse is injured in the water, and trying to swim. The trout will generally hit the mouse during the pauses. The most important thing to remember is that trout generally will not immediately strike such a large target. Instead, trout will hit the mouse a number of times, and then strike it for a kill. Understanding this, the fisherman needs to refrain from forcefully attempting the set the hook prematurely. The fisherman should not try to set the hook until the trout firmly strike the mouse, or they will only spook the trout, and will leave the stream with no more than a fish tale.

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I went a number of years fumbling through this action until my father pointed out to me a very simple was to correct this problem. When threading a line, pull enough line from the reel so that you can easily hold a piece float-line in your hand. Fold the line over and pass the loop through the eyelets. This loop will keep the line from passing back through the eyelets if dropped, saving time and frustration.

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Before getting too frustrated with the seemingly ‘fasting’ fish, consider two major things: water temperature, and water level. These two natural characteristics tend to be inversely related, in most cases. This means that generally, with a rise in temperature, there will be a decrease in water. This also means that an increase in water will typically result in a decrease in water temperature. These factors vary due to location, weather patterns, dams, and many other things.

If the water level and the temperature of the water seem normal, then simply try another fly, but if either of the two factors, especially the later, is abnormal, simply pull in your line and wait. If conditions are not favorable for large trout, they will become dormant during the day, trying to conserve as much energy as possible in case of emergency, and simply just to stay alive. To do this, they will usually sit out of currents, along the sides of streams, where they can still receive enough oxygen to breathe, but not have to remain swimming; some large trout will lay on the bottom, generally on the immediate downstream side of a submerged rock or log. As well as maintaining energy by not resting in currents, trout will cease to hunt and eat during the day, and rather will resort to feeding at night, under the cool cover of darkness. At night, when the water temperature cools, the trophy trout will begin to feed. So, on those hot summers days, it is best to start fishing around dusk, and fish throughout the night. When night fishing, there is one fly that stands out above all others: the Muddler Minnow.

The Muddler Minnow’s slender body, paired with its large, deer hair, head, make it a welcoming meal for any trophy trout cruising the waters in the late night. The deer hair head is what truly sets this streamer apart, for two major reasons, initial presentation, and retrieving presentation.

Initial presentation is the state of the fly the moment it first hits the surface of the water. The initial presentation is hinged on a slue of factors, such as the fly’s size, weight, structure, speed, and other such variables. When presenting a fly, it is typically advantageous for the fisherman to ease the fly into the water, with as little disruption as possible, but with the Muddler Minnow, it is a wholly different game. Due to its large head, the Muddler Minnow causes much disruption to the surface tension, which, at night catches the attention of, and attracts large trout. To present the fly initially, it is best to utilize the roll cast, or the barrel cast. The Muddler Minnow is a very heavy streamer, especially when wet, and can be quite a challenge for one to back cast. Once the fly hits the water, it is important to begin properly retrieving the fly: the retrieving presentation.

The retrieving presentation consists of all action of the fly from the time it hits the water, until it is ready to be cast again. When retrieving the Muddler Minnow, it should be drawn in short strips. The fisherman should allow about a ten second pause between each jerk, (try not to allow a pattern to form in the jerks and pauses of the retrieving presentation; a patterned retrieve will make the streamer less lifelike, and may spook the targeted trout).

What makes the Muddler Minnow unique from all other streamers is its head. The deer hair that makes up the head of the streamer is hollow, much like a clump of extremely small straws. These hairs trap small amounts of air inside their hollows, which, during every tuck of the line, is forced out of their confinement, and into the water, creating a quite noticeable disturbance along the surface of the water. Almost simultaneously, as well as during the pause, these hairs reopen, and fill again with air.

The most beneficial area to fish the Muddler Minnow, especially at night, is along the edges of river banks, as well as along protruding logs or rocks. At night, large fish will tend to move into shallower water, where smaller minnows and crayfish roam the riverbeds. Even in the lively nightlife of the riverbed, the Muddler Minnow truly makes a splash, and is a delectable treat for any large trout that may be in the area.

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When I was six years old, my brothers and I were catching crayfish behind our house. When searching the riverbed, we found what we thought to be possessed dirt and sticks, walking along the bottom of the river. After having built up the nerves to catch these mind-boggling moving stones, we quickly brought them to my dad to inquire as to their origin; that is when I first discovered the Caddis nymph. Caddis nymphs, after they hatch from eggs along the riverbed, begin to secrete a liquid from their bodies that is much like concrete. When they have secreted a sufficient amount of liquid to coat their bodies, they roll along the riverbed, concreting to them small stones, sand, and even sticks, depending on the surroundings in which they lay. Their coating of terrain acts as camouflage that keeps these vulnerable nymphs safe from hungry predators. This is the stage of the fly that is being mimicked by this specific pattern.

Because of the weight, and density of the nymph, the fisherman can utilize pretty much any cast which they desire. Regardless of the cast, there are two key methods that can be used when fishing the Dr, C, as well as most other nymphs: the Dead Drift method, and the Line Tight method. Both which I have discussed in past blogs.

If you are looking to catch fish, which every fisherman is, this is the perfect fly for you!

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