Whole winged flies

Not much to do over the holiday weekend.  Morgan was at the shore and the rest of us were tired from a long and very distressful week (what's new?).  It was still extremely hot and humid in Central Pa, so instead of stressing-out  any trout (that rhymed) I would happen to catch while fly-fishing, I tied some whole-winged flies.  At present, these are the most difficult flies I've tied.  Without an artistic bone in my body, I was quite happy with the results of the 3 types of flies I tied.

Hyropsyche

Tied several flies tonight, but my favourite tie was my rendition of the Hydropsyche.   No, "hot spot", n

o bead, just a good old fashioned fly:  Brown thread, lead wire to keep 'er down, mono for the ribbing, tiny gray cdc feathers for the anal clamps, clear plastic for the shell, bunny dubbing, some cut bunny hair for the arms and a black marker.  Easy!!!

Blue Eyes turn Brown

This afternoon/evening I ventured over to the Donegal Creek for a mid-summers try at some Donegal Brown Trout.  It was steadily raining and the temp was around 69 degrees.  Rather cool for August 18th.  The stream was low and extremely clear.  I saw a couple of Blue Herons flying around the creek partaking in a sushi supper.  They have the whole Susquehanna River not 1/2 a mile away, but continue to devour the poor Rainbow and Brown trout of the Donegal.  After cursing the Herons, I tied-on my newly created "Old Blue Eyes" nymphs and caught two Donegal Browns.  Not the biggest Browns in the world, but I am happy I caught them with my new nymphs :)  I'm going to tie some more of them bad-boys tonight!

Old Blue Eyes

So I made a Nymphing rod, right??  Hmm, think I need to tie some nymphs.  After reading the latest issue of Fly Tyer, I came-up with my rendition of author Scott Hanson's "Spearfish Special".  This is an extremely easy tie (the only type I tie) and includes the following ingredients:  1/8 Tungsten Bead, size 14 nymph hook, Peacock Blue 140 thread, 5-8 pheasant tail fibers, BR copper wire, small white cdc feather, & a pinch of black/blue ice dub.  Easy!!  I still need to learn how to take pictures.

I really have to learn how to take good pictures.  Here are a couple more pictures of my new Czech Nymph Rod, which is an IM6, 10' graphite rod, with silk threads and Snake Guide Brand guides.

My Czech Nymph Rod

Here is the second rod I've ever constructed.   It's termed a Czech Nymph rod in today's vernacular, but the old timers would probably call it a high sticking rod.  Whatever nomenclature is thus assigned, the rod's purpose is to deliver a nymph or two to its intended prey, while keeping more line off the water than a traditional fly rod.  Hence it's 10' length and extremely light weight.  I chose a beautiful black ash burl handle for two reasons:  1.  it's freaking beautiful; and, 2.  wood transmits vibrations better than a traditional cork handle.  You can't see Mr. Brown below a stream's surface, so picking-up every minute vibration, such as a Mr. Brown's "take" is quite important.