Amber, Mole and Starling

Post by **William Anderson** » Wed Mar 16, 2011 9:58 am

I've been tying a bunch of this type of wire body for prospecting when there seems to be nothing else going on in the water. I favor these just because of a couple occassions when they saved the day and made for some great catching. These also make a great fly to add a point fly too to get a smaller non weighted nymph down deep. I'll post a few variations. (my photo set up is out of the garage for the first time in about 2 years.)

Daiichi
Uni 8/0 Black
Amber colored Brassie wire
Black Mole from the skin
Starling

Amber Mole and Starling.JPG

w

Post by **hankaye** » Wed Mar 16, 2011 10:43 am

Dub-Ya, Howdy;

Nice fly, still working with the spiky / messy (?) look.

I'm beginning to believe that I get more attracted to the messy/spiky look. Must be my cluttered mind................

hank

Post by **willowhead** » Wed Mar 16, 2011 10:48 am

WOW! That's a HOT fly.....

Post by **hankaye** » Wed Mar 16, 2011 10:59 am

Dub-Ya, Howdy;

How do you fish these ........ sorta let them hit bottom and just bounce along ?
Or do you do something else to keep them just off the bottom and wander around?

Would be interesting to see how you experienced fisherfolk fish the flys you post.
To see the fly is nice ...... to understand how it fish it or how you the fisher prefer to fish it is better.

just askin' ...........

hank

Post by **kanutripr** » Wed Mar 16, 2011 11:33 am

W

I like that method of wrapping the wire body. Very neat. Well done!

Vicki

Post by **letumgo** » Wed Mar 16, 2011 11:55 am

Love it! I tyed some very similar flies last fall. I hope to test them this spring.

Post by **Old Hat** » Wed Mar 16, 2011 1:51 pm

Beautiful brassie soft hackle. Looks to be a real catcher for sure.

Post by **tie2fish** » Wed Mar 16, 2011 2:27 pm

Fly for Hire -- Will Kill

Post by **William Anderson** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 11:26 pm

Thanks everyone. I love these flies.

Hank, sorry to just get to your question. The answer is not going to be very satisfying. They are as versitile as many soft-hackles. Personally, I try to fish these further out (more stealthy) than a nymph, though you could fish them just like a nymph. I think the shape/contrast and action of the hackle and thorax make for a great pattern to drop as close to the bottom as possible. When weather is cold, or things are just slow, getting a fly down deep is the key to hooking up. I don't like to fish bead heads, but they are sometimes invaluable in getting a fly down. I also prefer to fish one fly, but sometimes you need a fly like this to get down quickly and drop a tiny nymph off the bend. Like with other softhackles, the two fly system is a great way to prospect water in early season or between hatches. This fly is more fun to fish than a nymph in my opinion. I just like to imagine the hackle getting as much attention as the glint of the body. I've taken some spooky browns with this pattern using a high stick/czech nymph method too. I don't, but you could also fish this under an indicator. It's just a versitile pattern.

I read someone some time ago who said the differnce between a good nymph fisherman and a great nymph fisherman is usually just one split shot. I hate to use split shot, but the point is getting the fly down is the key. So yes bumpidy bump on the bottom is not a bad idea. These also need to be quick and easy to tie, because if you're not getting hung up on the bottom occassionally, you're not fishing deep enough. So count losing a fly on the bottom as a sign that you're doing it right.

w

Post by **Otter** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 5:41 am

Well done William, these brassies , I have no doubt are at times very effective.

It is farily well established that when trout are hard on the bottom they rarely will move much within the water column to take nymphs etc... but may move laterally quite a distance to intercept. If you accept this then it's not rocket science to realise that getting your flies to fish at the right depth is critical and when they get there they should drift with minimum drag. When fishing the bottom zones I normally when covering recognised good lies try drag free drift first before a few drifts with subtle movement or lifts. It is not uncommon to find that one method will outfish another on any given day so it pays to be versatile in your approach. Many anglers will combine a weighted attractor like the brassie with a more imitaive natural looking pattern. If I were to be honest about it I would say that more than not the attractor will take the bulk of the fish but that the more imitative pattern will in the long term take the better trout. On hard fished waters it can on occasion pay to fish two less weighted patterns rather than one heavyweight and one lightweight, allow a longer drift and keep movement as subtle as possible. Bottom line is that you need a few approaches and may need to work hard to ascertain the best rig for any bit of water at any time. Knowledge of what has been recently hatching or about to hatch should give you a better perspective on the most likely best approach and patterns.

Whether you go for flies like the brassies or more subtly weighted ones there are times when weighted flies are essential to success and if your flies ain't at the right depth then you will catch very little.

Amber, Mole and Starling

Amber, Mole and Starling

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