Fly Tying: More Rocky Ford Dries

I continue to tie, thinking of those Rocky Ford Rainbows. I continue to think about those Rocky Ford Rainbows, so I tie. That happy vicious circle.

As always, these are the recipes of the flies pictured. They often represent variations on standard patterns. 

Bear's Paw

Hook: dry fly, 1X long, #14

Thread; black

Body: peacock herl

Hackle: Grizzly

I saw this on a local fly tying show that was originally aired in 2009.

This is a simple tie that appeals to me. Its close resemblance to the

Renegade and the Griffith's Gnat is obvious, but it has a charm of its own.

No one seems to know where the name came from, though there are

many Bear's Paw or Bear Paw lakes and creeks in the west, so it could

have been named for a place. I also discovered that Taylor Williams,

the man given credit for inventing the Renegade in Wyoming back in the 30's,

 had a nickname: "Beartracks." Maybe there's a connection.

Humpy

Hook: dry fly, #14

Thread: black

Tail: natural deer hair

Wing: natural deer hair, upright and divided

Underbody: working thread over wing butts

Shellback: wing hair drawn forward over body

Hackle: grizzly

Ah, Humpies. I hope someday to learn how to tie them. I consistently

get the shellback/wing hair too long or too short. It's too long on this

example. But I really like the pattern, so I'll keep trying. On this version

I wanted a black underbody. The standard fly is yellow, though green

and red are common variations. I also used grizzly hackle

alone. The standard fly uses grizzly and brown.

Callibaetis

Hook: dry fly, 1X long, #14

Thread: black

Tail: grizzly hackle fibers

Body: Adams gray dubbing

Rib: 5X monofilament

Wing: white antron yarn

Hackle: grizzly

I've seen a few callibaetis hatching on my last two trips to Rocky Ford.

They were few and far between, but consistent. Mostly they attracted no

attention as they floated and fluttered on the surface just over the trout's heads.

But I did see one trout finally have a go at one--and miss. This is a

simple pattern that has been a go to in recent years. It floats high, it's easy to see,

and it's durable. I've had the Rocky Ford fish compete with each other

to see who can get to this fly first, but you have to be there on the right day.

Fly Tying: Thanks Again, George

George Griffith, one of the founders of Trout Unlimited, and the originator of the Griffith's Gnat.

Time to once again bow to the hatch and unleash his brainchild on those slow-moving pods of sipping Rocky Ford Creek Rainbows. It has done the trick before....

Trout Lake Report: How Can You Improve On Perfection?

It was in many ways a perfect evening.

It was hot, calm, quiet--road dust hung in the air.

The fish were...introspective.

It seemed that small was the new big. No fish would come to a muddler. When they came up at all it was to sip one of the swarming midges.

I clipped the muddler. This time I would go intuitive rather than counter to it. I cast up along the bank where a fish had come up once. I waited, and it finally came up again--and I had it, a red-cheeked beauty.

I fooled it. Who would have thought that the man in the familiar float tube who always throws big muddlers had matched the hatch with a fine little #18 griffith's gnat on 5X tippet?

The word went out. No more fish were fooled.

It didn't matter. How can you improve on perfection?

Trout Lake Report: Good Bye, August

One more turn before August fades away for another year. It's warm, but there's a feeling in the air. The breeze out of the south has less conviction now.

You give the muddlers a break. They are looking well-worn, a happy state of affairs. You want to see what a stimulator will do. You tie on a beauty, all black and grizzly and natural deer hair. You get a hit on your first cast as you kick through the weeds at the put in. You miss him. Further out you cast back to the edge of the weed bed and a fish takes, churns, and breaks you off. You check: the knot failed. You'll miss that stimulator.

The truth is you're getting low on stimulators. You find one that's one of those flies you look at and think, "Now why in the world did I tie that?" But it makes you curious about what the fish will think. You tie it on.

They like it. It's big, it's meaty-looking, and, who knows, maybe they like that color combination. You get two beauties on the strip.

You work it for awhile. There are fish out in open water, and they're picking up any morsel that strikes their fancy. You let that big stimulator drift with the breeze, and fish hit it. You get some hook ups, but they're short-lived. The fish simply explode when they feel that threat to their freedom. One fish tail walks six feet, and when he comes down he's thrown the hook. You are filled with admiration.

After awhile the lake calms. The fish turn a cold shoulder to the stimulator and begin to work on the midge hatch. So you do something you haven't done for awhile: you tie on a 5X tippet with a griffith's gnat on the end of it. It's a big griffith's gnat--probably a 16--but it's the smallest fly you've had on for some time. On the first cast a fish is all over it the instant it hits the water.

You drift and cast and look for rises and cast again. Sometimes you just drift and forget to cast.

Once in awhile you get a hit. And once you get another hook up.

You watch the day fading into night. It's cool now, and you roll your shirtsleeves down, and you know you're watching summer fade away, too. You'll make the most of it before it's completely gone. But the balance has tipped.

So, good bye, August. See you again.