Pogo nymph soft hackle.

[gingerdun]

Good post Jeff. I learned a lot here.

Lance

[DUBBN]

The first time I looked at the pattern I thought "What The Heck". The more I loook at it, the more I like it. I have to give this a try . Thanks Jeff!

[letumgo]

Jeff - No worries, mate. I understood the friendly banter. My comment was offered in the same manner, with a friendly smile and a wink.

[William Anderson]

Like Wayne, I did a double-take when I first saw this...but the logic is pretty sound and if guys are tagging NZ sized browns with it, no one could argue with that. This is an interesting idea. I like it. Thanks so much for bringing something new (to me) to the table. This is very cool. Didn't hurt that it was tied especially well and well photographed. Killer post.

w

[gig]

Nice, different and unusual. I have tied Pogo Nymphs before but have yet to ever use them, still in my fly box. I will have to tie the same nymphs but including a SH this time

[Mataura mayfly]

gig, try them as suggested- as a plain nymph on point with something you have confidence in as your top fly...... that way you won't feel you might be missing fish due to some silly idea of a foam backed nymph scaring the heck out of the local fishes. If it works for you, all well and good, if not at least you tried something new.

Another thing to remember is colours are optional! Tie them in colours to suit your naturals.

Ray, Wayne, William and all others that may have gasped at a foam soft hackle....... I am good at that! I do a lot of stuff that is pretty out there on the fringe, I still tie and fish a lot of traditional patterns, but I am open to the new and different. I share when I can and if it leads to a few folk trying something new then it is knowledge well shared.
Believe me, I pick up a hell of a lot more tips and information on here than any of you are ever likely to squeeze out of me!

[Mataura mayfly]

Time to bump this up a bit, after some field testing.
We are going through a bit of a drought, maybe a one in 10 year type of rainless month, February has gifted us less than 25% of normal rainfall. Rivers are low and warm, algal blooms are flashing up everywhere and farmers are still sucking the aquifers dry to irrigate fields .
The water in the Mataura is warm, slow, low and algal growth is rife, clumps of it dislodged as you wade or floating in mats downstream. A lot of usual hotspots are either high and dry or shallow current-less pools that are not holding trout.
In other words the fishing has been pleasant, due to the weather- but damn hard with lethargic trout or at least hard to find trout.

I had been getting skunked this last week with SH fished as emergers for "supping" trout in the evenings, even dries and parachutes were getting refused. I tried all the tricks I know of but it just wasn't happening for me. Traditional "hot" times for trout here are evening rises and morning spinner emerger action. Then throw in a midnight snack and you cover most surface feeding/ sight fishing options. Having tried all these I was missing out, I knew there were trout there- always have been, but I was not fooling them, so changed tactics.

Enter the soft hackle pogo nymph..... and middle of the day high sun and heat fishing! Teamed up below a tungsten beadhead the SHPN has been killing for me. I even tried a straight pogo nymph without hackle and was back to square one. Add a hackled fly and the action was on again.
My usual fishing here is first find your trout and then cast/present to him. With this I was fishing blind, prospecting likely looking water or where I thought trout would be....... with an indicator! . Not the "norm" for me...... but it worked! Not a single take on the bead head nymphs (which 90% of nymph fishers use here as a single).

[letumgo]

Ahhhh... That is just what the doctor ordered!

Great report Jeff, and handsome trout. I'm happy for you buddy...jealous, but happy...

[fly_fischa]

Great post Jeff, I've been toying with the same idea for a while.
I just didn't have the courage to post foam on the forum Now that the precedent has been set and you're not banished, I might unleash some of my foam creations on the forum.

Great tie Jeff, I especially enjoyed the field trip report and couldn't help but notice you removed the worm from the hook before taking the photo (nice touch). Joking

[Mataura mayfly]

couldn't help but notice you removed the worm from the hook before taking the photo (nice touch). Joking

Ssshhhh! Don't tell everyone!! Bad enough I can't cast for crap without you telling everyone I use a fly rod as a bait pole. Worst of the lot is having to flick that dang worm off the hook when the local Ranger shows up. To be able to flick it off without it flying through the air and slapping said Ranger in the face takes some practise!

Foam has it's uses mate, OK some kind of over-do things and end up with garish warm water creations of foam blocks and rubber legs, but subtle use has its place. This one is a buoyancy aid first and foremost, rest of the fly is pretty standard soft hackle stuff.