Your Order
Posts Tagged ‘caddis’
Lower Gospel Lake 8/27
|
It’s a big huckleberry year, so I convinced Peach and Mudd that it was picking time; but before we could start on that endeavor, I would have to drop in the canyon and fish Lower Gospel Lake. They took the bait, and I found myself on the two mile trail that falls off into the lake.
I had fished the lake a couple of years ago, and the cutthroats were all about 8-11 inches long. If the lake took its natural progression, the fish should be larger this year. I was wrong—the fish were just about the same. There are too many fish in the lake, and the food source isn’t supplying the nutrients to grow larger fish. Looking at the outlet, I could see at least a dozen fish, and they looked exactly as I remembered. Regardless, I had a fishing rod in my hand, so my choices were to fish or to fish. I elected to fish.
The cutties were cruising the shorelines cleaning up the small midges and occasional caddis that had hatched during the night before. I began targeting the fish out ahead of me along the edge with nice sift casts, landing the Flying Black Any out ahead of the fish then putting a little movement on the bug. The fish would see the ant at surprisingly long distance and bolt to the surface. Even with small fish, it’s still exciting to watch “the take.” In fact, there is no excitement in all of sport like “the take.” I have been addicted to it for 50 years, and it never grows old.
So I fished the shoreline for 150 yards, caught and released about 25 gorgeous cutties, hiked out of the canyon, and huckleberried the rest of the day. Life is good!!
Flies that caught fish:
Black Flying Ant; #16
Ants
An enormous percentage of a trout's diet above 6,000 feet is ants. Fish cruise the edges under the canopy in search of these crunchy, high-octane morsels. The four ant patterns displayed are the ultimate weapons in the most prevalent color selections. They have tightly wound oblong body segments, beautifully crafted wings, and present themselves exactly like the natural. They have no deer hair shells over the tail so they are tough and won't fray or break like many commercial flies. You will catch more fish with less refusals using DFI ants!
$1.80
- Color:
- Black, Cinnamon, Red.
Adams Caddis – Green; #18
Adams Caddis
A gorgeous high-floating fly tied in body colors gray and dark olive with the classic grizzly and brown collar. Fish him in fast water and very aggressively. He floats like a cork and catches fish like a worm.
$1.95
- Color:
- Gray, Green.
South Fork of the Boise Fishing Report 8-23
|
|
There are times you fantasize about the fishing day ahead of you. You visualize giant fish rolling up to the hook, enormous jumps four feet out of the water, and your reel squealing as the monster fish has his way. Rarely does your fantasy ever equal reality of fishing for big smart fish, but on 8/23/11 on the South Fork of the Boise River, the reality of the fishing trip totally surpassed the fantasy, and for eight straight hours we brawled with some of the largest fish I’ve ever seen caught on the South Fork, and I’ve fished that river since 1977.
The day started innocently with a Pink Tantalizer as the tie-on bug thinking there might be a pink hatch happening in the run of river we were going to fish. As we waded the river to get into position, it was obvious I tied on the wrong fly because there were tons of caddis bouncing on the water. We viewed the run up river and it was totally silent without a head peaking up to eat a bug. I never let that bother me because I know something in the fly box will coax them to the surface. I casted the fly a few times…no fish. I was about ready to change to a hopper when Geoff mentioned the overtone colors of the caddis were exactly like the Adam Caddis collection. I tied on a Peacock Caddis #16 and two casts later, bang! The first monster of the day came out of nowhere and ate the bug. We went to the mat together for a major wrestling match that I finally won, and the first big fish was in the net. I dried out and served the fly, and again bang—another big fish. Then another fish and another until I had landed 10 fish in a row without missing one or losing one. The fish were eating the bug and the hook sets were almost always deep in the side of the mouth.
I had to tie on a new tippet because of the rock abrasions, but I put the same caddis back on I had been using. I served the fly against the main current over a large sunken boulder and I saw the whole shimmering side of a fish as he side swiped the caddis. I set the hook and immediately the fish was electric; he jumped four feet out of the water and the second he landed, he flat-out exploded down river. In five seconds I was in backing and I told Geoff to stay with the camera because I’m chasing the fish. I waded a riff raff bank downstream, and the fish peeled line way faster than I could walk. I looked completely across the river, and the fish was against the far bank 50 yards away. I continued down river, and the fish swam back across to my side of the river. I think to myself that I might be able to land him at the bottom of the slick, but about the time I catch up to him, he plunges over a set of rapids and again he’s in my backing down river. I chased the fish because it would be a cold day in hell before I let him lick me. We battled on through the rapids to a relatively calm pool and I had the fish on my side the river. I was able to keep him out of the main current, and inch by inch, I gained on him. The fish moved toward shore just above a guide and two clients in a boat; and just ahead of the boat, I slid the fish into the net. My only comment to them was, “It was a wild ride” because they could see how far up river I started the chase. I’d snagged the fish in one of his pelvic fins; and if you can imagine a 20” fish, very heavy, in fast water hooked in the mid-section, it’s easy to understand the chase. Even so, I’ve never seen a fish run that far in my life. It was an easy quarter mile below where I hooked the fish and Geoff had filmed the whole episode to the point I looked like a speck in the camera.
We regrouped and went back to fishing and immediately we were in another fish, then another and another….. until we reached a large bush that overhung the river. There was a deep run under the brush with a gentle current—it had big fish written all over it. I laid the caddis in the soft water above the brush in the shade and I saw the fly perfectly. It gently floated to the brush, and the second the fly hit sunlight, I saw the total red side of a giant fish blindside the caddis. I drove the hook in the side of his mouth and he immediately owned me by going out to deep water where he rocked me up. I waded out, laid my rod over and behind the boulder, and the fish came loose. Down the river he went. I couldn’t chase him so I make my stand and forced the issue. He turned and moved into softer water where I eventually put him in the net. It was a totally spectacular fish, about 23” long and heavy with gorgeous red cheeks and an almost radiant red strip down his sides.
I retied the fly, dried it well and went back to fishing. Instantly another fish ate the caddis and I landed him there. Another and another and another… until we finally reached the riffle at the head of the run. I stopped getting action on the caddis, so I switch to the Bullet Head Hopper, and on the first cast, a big old rainbow ate it. I landed him and then five more fish in a row went into the net on the hopper.
We finally reached the top of the run and looked back at the 250 yards of water we’d fished. I had no idea how many fish we caught, but the size of the fish was the aspect that stuck in my mind. We moved to a new stretch of water and settled into a long riffle with a cobblestone bottom.
I started fishing up through the riffle. Against the bank under a small bush, Geoff and I both saw a big fish rise. He was slightly out of casting distance, so we moved up. On the first cast, I put the caddis on his nose; and without hesitation, he ate it. Game on again, but this time we were not in a boulder pile and landing this fish would be easier. Wrong again and the fish put on a heroic fight before he succumbed to the net. I dried the fly and long casted to the right of where I’d hooked the last fish. Bang, another big fish ate my fly and I landed him. He was a carbon copy of the last fish—big, thick, and gorgeous.
We moved on up the river to hatch water and there were a few pinks coming off, so naturally I tied on a Pink Tantalizer and served the bug. There were fish to target and as expected, they ate the bug. For the next hour, we landed fish on a pink through the top of the run. Shade was accumulating in the canyon, so we hiked out of the canyon and had lunch at 7:30 at night. After visiting with a couple of fellow fishermen for a half hour, I tied on a Midnight Caddis and headed up river.
Just below the islands, we settled in on the final run of the day. We walked to the bottom of the run and looked up river in the glow water for heads. Not much cooking. We stared at the water for two or three minutes, and right on schedule a fish broke the surface of the glow. We marked him, then another fish rose and we marked him also.
I approached the first fish and hooked and landed him in the fading daylight. While landing the fish, Geoff spotted a big fish rising in fast current ahead of us. Geoff showed me where he was living and I casted to him a few times…nothing. I made a final cast and hooked a small fish and released him. Geoff assured me that the small fish wasn’t what he had seen previously. I trusted his judgment so I go back to casting for the larger fish right at dark. Sometimes I could see the fly and sometimes I couldn’t, and on one of the times I couldn’t see the fly, the big fish ate the bug. All of a sudden, a giant fish jumped completely out of the water about 15 feet out from me. I pulled my slack fly line and realized I have the fish on. We battled into darkness and finally the fish and I were together at the net. We revived the fish in the last sliver of light and he melted into the darkness of the river.
If this fishing adventure sounds a little inflated we understand, but after the day Geoff and I looked at each other and thought did that really happen? All I can tell you is it did and we shot seven hours of footage that captured the whole experience. We’ll probably cut a caddis movie this winter.
Flies that caught fish:
#8 Bullet Head Hopper
Bullet Hopper
$2.35
#16 Peacock Caddis
Peacock Caddis
$1.95
#18 Pink Tantalizer
Tantalizer Series
The “Tantalizer” Series of emergers maybe the most significant break through in dry fly fishing in years. This fly has tested magnificently over every species of trout at every elevation. It’s a super fly that was so successful we featured the Pink Tantalizer in a video we shot on the South Fork of the Snake River last fall.
$1.90
#16 Midnight Caddis
Midnight Caddis
Midnight Caddis the absolute perfect sundown to dark caddis fished on sheen water. It has awesome visibility and can be fished aggressively in heavy riffle. This fly was created to match the large black caddis hatch in the high country, but recently it has sparkled on low elevation rivers in twilight hours. It's a party animal after sundown!
$1.95
Owyhee River – 8/21
|
|
Had to check out when the peaches and pears would be ready to pick in Greenleaf so at 3:00, Peach, Mudd, and I jumped in the rig and headed toward the river. Amazing the excuses a fisherman can conjure up to get to the river!
The “O” was running pretty high, murky, and lots of debris in the water. We reached the river at 5:00 and the plan was to smack a big hopper at the edges until the sun went down, then chase heads until dark. I started fishing the riffle section below the powerline hole, splatting a #6 Bullet Head Hopper as tight as possible against the edge.
The action started innocently with a big old Bruiser “Brownie” finning up to the surface and kissing my hopper, but he didn’t take. Then another fish false took. I figured it was a good sign; if you can get them to come to the surface, it would only be a matter of time until a fish made the commitment. About 5 minutes later, the commitment was made and I drove a hook in the first “Brownie” of the day, a big golden guy with a little spunk. I got him almost into the net and he plunged into deep water and kicked the hook. Long distance release I guess they call that. I dried the fly and shot it back in the riffle. Bang a big fish ate it. I set the hook; he ran to deep water and shook the hook free. Darn it!!! I was looking forward to seeing fish in the net.
I moved up and started fishing the cut banks along the willows. It didn’t take long for a “Brownie” to appear at the fly, but this time a happy ending with a beautiful 19” fish in the net. The fish that were a little underfed earlier in the summer have put on some poundage in a hurry.
I worked the rest of the riffle and landed a half dozen nice fish. It was time to go hunt heads, but I had to make a final cast at the top of the run against a shallow edge. The hopper settled in the tiny current and began its slow decent back to me. The fly was only a foot off the bank when I saw a wake and big head encompass the bug. I hooked him hard in the side of the mouth and the war was on. Out to midstream, head shaking, then down the river he went. I began to follow, and after a few dosey does, the fish and I came together at the net. Wow!! He was a nice fish over 20” and nice condition. I admired him awhile, shot a few photos, and watched him disappear in the murky water. Life is good!!!!
I bounced out of the riffle and headed down river to a spot I calculated some big “Brownies” would be targeting a caddis before dark. Upon my arrival at the hole, I immediately saw a head. I changed my tippet to 5X, tied on a Midnight Caddis, and piled over the bank.
I was in the river in no time and spotted the first fish in the glow of the surface ahead of me. I hooked him on the first cast. He was about 11” long. I spotted another fish and hooked him. He was about 12” long. At least they were getting bigger. There was another fish in close to the bank that looked bigger, so I served him a fly. Bang he ate it, and I landed a fish about 14” long. Then I caught another small fish. It was getting almost black dark and I thought I saw a big nose appear on a small inner riffle. I zinged a cast to it. Nothing. I tried again and that same big nose appeared and ate the bug. I pounded the hook to him and down the river he went; then across to the other side against the willow line. I felt him graze over a few large boulders then back over to my side of the river where he rooted into a few debris piles against the edge. I still didn’t know what he looked like or how big he was. It was dark and I finally got him in position and slid him into the net. I used the flash component of the camera to get the first good look at the fish. He was a big old dude 20” and very colorful. After a couple photos I slid him over the net and he immediately disappeared.
So it went on the “O” on August 21. I think I might go back sometime soon!!!
Flies that caught fish:
Bullet Head Hopper, size #8 & #6 I think I did better on the #8 than the #6
Bullet Hopper
$2.35
Midnight Caddis #16 That fly almost never fails after the sun goes down
Midnight Caddis
Midnight Caddis the absolute perfect sundown to dark caddis fished on sheen water. It has awesome visibility and can be fished aggressively in heavy riffle. This fly was created to match the large black caddis hatch in the high country, but recently it has sparkled on low elevation rivers in twilight hours. It's a party animal after sundown!
$1.95
Twenty Mile Lakes (Day 3) – 8/17
|
|
Up a steep mountain chute, through a saddle, and across a ridge top, and we found ourselves at the upper lake in the chain (East Lake) to start Day 3. We fished around the lake and saw a few feeding fish beyond casting range. I caught one fish then moved down to the center lake (South Lake). Again this lake was being fished, so the obvious choice was to revisit Long Lake where the fishing was fantastic the day before.
Steve started in the southeast corner of the lake and immediately hooked and landed a beautiful 14-inch cuttie. I started about center on the southern side of the lake and on the second cast, I hooked and landed the largest fish of the trip. It was a beautiful 17+ inch rainbow. From there, we both continued to hook fish of all sizes: 8 inches to 14-inch fish. We pulled off the lake in mid-afternoon and decided to chase fish at our home lake the rest of the day.
Steve landed two nice cutties, and I landed one to finish off the day. All told, it was an awesome backpacking trip to Twenty Mile Lakes. Great scenery, ice-cold spring 40 yards from camp, and lots of rainbows and cutties. Life is good!!
Flies that caught fish:
Adams Stimulator; #16 & #14
Adams Stimulator
$1.95
Emperor Caddis – Black; #20 & #18
Emperor Series
Our #1 fishing fly for 2009 was the “Emperor” caddis series. We fished this series of flies at all elevations, from May through September and they are truly super flies. We featured the “Emperor” black caddis in a video we shot in the Idaho Wilderness called “Fishing the High Country,” and it took the place of our Black Flying Ant as the #1 fly for alpine lakes. Every place we fished these flies, they put on a show!!!!
$1.90
$1.71 — $1.90
You save $0.19 (10%)!
Flying Black Ant, #16 & #14
Ants
An enormous percentage of a trout's diet above 6,000 feet is ants. Fish cruise the edges under the canopy in search of these crunchy, high-octane morsels. The four ant patterns displayed are the ultimate weapons in the most prevalent color selections. They have tightly wound oblong body segments, beautifully crafted wings, and present themselves exactly like the natural. They have no deer hair shells over the tail so they are tough and won't fray or break like many commercial flies. You will catch more fish with less refusals using DFI ants!
$1.80
- Color:
- Black, Cinnamon, Red.
Beetle, #14
Beetle
The most realistic beetle pattern available. It has a peacock belly, a sculptured body, and exactly 6 moose hair legs. DFI beetles are killer flies in almost all waters.
$1.80
Green Sedge, #14 (Tester Fly)
Adams Caddis, #16
Adams Caddis
A gorgeous high-floating fly tied in body colors gray and dark olive with the classic grizzly and brown collar. Fish him in fast water and very aggressively. He floats like a cork and catches fish like a worm.
$1.95
- Color:
- Gray, Green.
Harriman Ranch Section (Henry’s Fork of the Snake) 9/25-26 (Dry Fly Fish Idaho)
|
|
I’ve always found that late September on spring creek-type water is the most difficult time to fish, and the Ranch was no different than expected. The large hatches of mayflies were winding down to the point that the fish were not keying on them, and the fall hatches had not begun. The major problem though, was the salad floating in the river and the difficulty with keeping your fly free of floating debris. You could almost not fish the main current because of dense foliage covering the surface. But all issues aside, we had a pretty good fishing trip, averaging about 25 fish a day. Some of them pushed over 20 inches. We lost a lot of larger fish because they would make ridiculously mad runs to the center of the river, and your line would accumulate pounds of salad to the point where the fish would outrun your line and straighten or break off the hook. Because the hatches were mostly small bugs, our ties were on small hooks, which made landing fish extremely difficult. We found the Ranch to be a spectacular fly fishing location, but you’d be better served to fish that section of the river at a different time of year.
On the second day on the section of the river between the highway bridge to Riverside takeout, we did encounter a large midge hatch that brought the giant fish to the surface. Using our Caddidge ( dry fly fish Idaho) pattern, size 22, we hooked some pigs, but we didn’t have time to stay on the hatch because of darkness.
Here’s the selection of flies we hooked fish on:
Black Gold #14, #16
Caddis – Green #18
Midnight Caddis #16
Emperor Caddis – Black #20
Emergers with White Wing #22
Tanatalizer – Green #18
Hoppers – #8
No Hackle Mayfly – Mahogany #18
Black Gold Stimulator
$1.95 — $2.25
Adams Caddis
A gorgeous high-floating fly tied in body colors gray and dark olive with the classic grizzly and brown collar. Fish him in fast water and very aggressively. He floats like a cork and catches fish like a worm.
$1.95
- Color:
- Gray, Green.
Midnight Caddis
Midnight Caddis the absolute perfect sundown to dark caddis fished on sheen water. It has awesome visibility and can be fished aggressively in heavy riffle. This fly was created to match the large black caddis hatch in the high country, but recently it has sparkled on low elevation rivers in twilight hours. It's a party animal after sundown!
$1.95
Emperor Series
Our #1 fishing fly for 2009 was the “Emperor” caddis series. We fished this series of flies at all elevations, from May through September and they are truly super flies. We featured the “Emperor” black caddis in a video we shot in the Idaho Wilderness called “Fishing the High Country,” and it took the place of our Black Flying Ant as the #1 fly for alpine lakes. Every place we fished these flies, they put on a show!!!!
$1.90
$1.71 — $1.90
You save $0.19 (10%)!
Emergers
$1.65
- Color:
- Black Wing Black Emerger, White Wing Black Emerger, Blue Wing Olive Emerger, Brown Emerger, Gray Emerger, PMD Emerger,
Tantalizer Series
The “Tantalizer” Series of emergers maybe the most significant break through in dry fly fishing in years. This fly has tested magnificently over every species of trout at every elevation. It’s a super fly that was so successful we featured the Pink Tantalizer in a video we shot on the South Fork of the Snake River last fall.
$1.90
Bullet Hopper
$2.35
Mahogany No Hackle
$2.05
Owyhee River 9/3 (Dry Fly Fish Idaho)
|
|
It was in the sheen light of dusk maybe half hour until black dark, I positioned directly across the river from the glow of the sunken sun. It spread a perfect glisten to see the tiny #22 Caddige (dry fly fish Idaho) fly on the surface. I had targeted a giant fish and dead drifted over him several times without a take. On the next cast I over shot him about 18 inches and swam the caddis in front of his trough. When the fly intersected the fish there was no take; I continue to move the bug and suddenly I see his nose, there’s a big white mouth crush down on the caddidge (dry fly fish Idaho). I set the hook gently and the fish absolutely went nuts. He ripped across the river in one big zing and searched the far bank for obstacles to hang me on, then roared off down river to my backing. After a dive in the moss bed 3 more big runs I net the fish at black dark.
I’ve caught some giant fish on “O” (dry fly fish Idaho) this year, but I think this big dark male won the prize. I measured him on the net which is 24 inches long and he was just a little larger than the net, but his true size was in his girth. The little Caddige (dry fly fish Idaho) fly was in the top of his mouth and it looked like a tiny speck in the enormous white inner mouth. I admired the fish for a long time while I revived him, and then watched him disappear into darkness.
The fly was badly water logged, but I could still hear and see fish feeding in front of me. It was black dark, but I had to make another cast. I hucked the Caddige (dry fly fish Idaho) into a cluster of fish and began chigging it through the feeders. It was my first cast after landing the giant and toward the end of the retrieve…BANG another large fish eats the Caddige (dry fly fish Idaho). I can’t see anything and the fish is ripping and roaring through the hole like a maniac. The only way I have a clue where the fish is is the direction he’s yanking my rod. I finally hear the knot to my butt piece slide through the top eye; I raise the rod and net the fish. It was the perfect ending for a day on the “O” (dry fly fish Idaho). I revived the fish and clipped the fly, because I couldn’t see to remove the hook.
It was a pretty good day overall. In the early portion of the day, I had good success on the Gray Searcher (dry fly fish Idaho) size #16. We’ll have this bug in stock next week and I highly recommend this pattern in gray and mahogany this time of year. I also landed a half dozen fish on our Gray Tantalizer (dry fly fish Idaho) #18. I continue to use our new Midnight Caddis (dry fly fish Idaho) when the sun goes down and I picked up two big fish on that bug below the Ginger Bread house. Fish this bug in hard riffle, twilight to dark and you’ll be amazed at what comes calling. Before I tied on the Caddige (dry fly fish Idaho), I caught one nice fish on our little Blood Midge #22 (dry fly fish Idaho). The Caddige was the show stopper for the day. In the last 45 minutes of fishing, that fly caught six fish—and they were all large.
Flies that caught fish:
Midnight Caddis #16
Caddidge #22
Searcher – Gray #16
Blood Midge #22
Tantalizer Series – Gray #18
Midnight Caddis
Midnight Caddis the absolute perfect sundown to dark caddis fished on sheen water. It has awesome visibility and can be fished aggressively in heavy riffle. This fly was created to match the large black caddis hatch in the high country, but recently it has sparkled on low elevation rivers in twilight hours. It's a party animal after sundown!
$1.95
Caddidge
Introducing--the "Caddige." It's a brilliant wintertime midge fished in the soft foam lines, and it's a dynamite early-spring, dark caddis. I have seen it land giant fish in both seasons. Tied on a Tiemco #200R hook, it will hold that big guy. Take your time!!! Size #22 only.
$1.90
Searcher Patterns
The new world of dry fly fishing challenges the belief that you need a hatch. Fish this bug with NO hatch in holding water, and you'll be shocked to see what's calling. The fish will suddenly appear and eat this pattern. DFI has designed the new generation of of "searcher" flies built to sustain at least two hatches; in this case, a mayfly and a caddis, and get fish to take on their preference. It's a concept that catches fish!! One size; 6 different colors.
$1.90
Blood Midge
$1.65
Tantalizer Series
The “Tantalizer” Series of emergers maybe the most significant break through in dry fly fishing in years. This fly has tested magnificently over every species of trout at every elevation. It’s a super fly that was so successful we featured the Pink Tantalizer in a video we shot on the South Fork of the Snake River last fall.
$1.90
South Fork Boise Report 8/17 (Dry Fly Fish Idaho)
|
|
Wow!! The South Fork (dry fly fish Idaho) is fishing brilliantly right now!! The pink mayflies are coming off in the mid afternoon, dark caddis is popping after sundown and the hopper fishing is awesome between. There’s giant rainbows sipping bugs in the foam lines and riffles; and smacking hoppers off the grass brushes and steep bouldered edges. If you haven’t hit the South Fork of the Boise River (dry fly fish Idaho) lately you should make the run.
We fished the river from 2:00 until dark (8/17/2010) and had a monster day for not only numbers of fish, but size. There were at least three fish over 20” and a few nets full of fish 16-19”. They are fat, feisty, and looking up for the right fly. The pink hatches are #18 (dry fly fish Idaho) in the mid afternoon and #16 (dry fly fish Idaho) at sundown to dark. We caught a few more fish on the Tantalizer Pink Emerger (dry fly fish Idaho) than the adult, but they produced well.
Flies that caught fish 8/17/2010
#8 Bullet Head Hopper- didn’t land a lot of fish on this bug but 2 of the 20” fish were netted on this pattern
Bullet Hopper
$2.35
#20 Emperor Caddis Black (Late Evening)
Emperor Series
Our #1 fishing fly for 2009 was the “Emperor” caddis series. We fished this series of flies at all elevations, from May through September and they are truly super flies. We featured the “Emperor” black caddis in a video we shot in the Idaho Wilderness called “Fishing the High Country,” and it took the place of our Black Flying Ant as the #1 fly for alpine lakes. Every place we fished these flies, they put on a show!!!!
$1.90
$1.71 — $1.90
You save $0.19 (10%)!
#18 Adams Caddis Green (Early Evening)
Adams Caddis
A gorgeous high-floating fly tied in body colors gray and dark olive with the classic grizzly and brown collar. Fish him in fast water and very aggressively. He floats like a cork and catches fish like a worm.
$1.95
- Color:
- Gray, Green.
#18 Pink Tantalizer (late in the day a #16)
Tantalizer Series
The “Tantalizer” Series of emergers maybe the most significant break through in dry fly fishing in years. This fly has tested magnificently over every species of trout at every elevation. It’s a super fly that was so successful we featured the Pink Tantalizer in a video we shot on the South Fork of the Snake River last fall.
$1.90
#18 & #16 Pink Mayfly (Single Upright Wing)
Pink Quill Wing
$2.05
#16 Get Her Done Caddis Green (Early Evening)
"Get Her Done" Series
The “Get Her Done” Caddis Series could be the hottest new patterns on the market today. The days of the elk hair caddis are over once you use this life-like masterpiece. We had phenomenal results in the testing period on these flies and we’ve tied them in all the predominant caddis colors. These flies are a must in your fly box and a game changer on the surface of the water.
$1.95
Middle Fork Salmon 7/31 (Dry Fly Fish Idaho)
|
|
Two and a half miles above Dagger Falls and about 12 miles down river from yesterday’s blog.
The day started exactly like the previous day—on about my third cast with a #12 Black Gold Hardback (dry fly fish Idaho), I hooked and landed a 13-inch cutty. Then exactly like the day before, I began catching numerous small rainbows. I worked through a great run of water for an hour without landing another quality fish. I moved up river to an awesome run of water, the best riffle I’d seen in two days. It was 100 yards long with a shallow riffle on the left gently sloping to a deep green riffle in the middle with a deep boulder edge on the right. It was the first place I’d seen in two days where you could work a small fly in great holding water.
I waded the river to the deep bouldered edge, tied on a piece of 5X tippet, and put on a #18 Emperor Caddis Black (dry fly fish Idaho). It looked perfect; it fished perfect, but the only problem was the fish didn’t think it was perfect. I caught small rainbows and one nice cutty all the way through the run in water that should have held big fish. I changed flies….same results. I skated flies…same results until I had fished the entire right side of this magnificent hole. At the top of the hole, I waded back across the river and walked the bank back to the bottom of the same hole. I was determined at that point that I was going to figure this river out.
There had to be a dry fly that would work, but the river offered zero clues. There were still no hatches to match and no fish at the surface, but I remembered a time fishing Kelly Creek for cutthroats where the conditions were the same. On that day I tied on a Beetle (dry fly fish Idaho) and it was the answer, so why not today on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River? I tied on a #14 Beetle (dry fly fish Idaho.)
There was a caramel colored cobblestone bottom on my side of the river with a gentle riffle that fell off to a deep green center of the river and it made a transition line through the entire run of water. There had to be a fish there—it was too perfect not to hold fish. I began working the beetle over the transition line. All of a sudden a big cutty rose in slow motion and ate my bug. I could see his red underbelly from 60 feet away. I hooked him and pulled him down river out of the hole. A few minutes later, he was laying in the shallow riffle at the bank. I gently removed the hook, revived him, and watched him slowly swim away.
I cautiously moved back into position casting quarter angle across the riffle and letting the fly float to the transition line caramel to green. Bang! Another nice cutty took the fly and I landed him. The angle was perfect to set a hook and they were seriously eating the fly. For a hundred yards of river, the scenario repeated itself time and time again. The fly would float gently along the surface from shallow to deep and yet another cutty would suddenly appear at the surface. I retied my knot a couple of times—they wore out my first beetle completely. It had tooth rips all over it, and the peacock hurl was shredded and sticking out the sides of the fly. I retied another fresh beetle and the fish immediately began mutilating it, too.
For two hours clear to the top of the hole, the fish smacked the beetle, and we had a reunion at the bank. I admired their beauty, they admitted that they didn’t like me, and we both went about our business.
Over the years, I have had this experience with cutthroats and beetles many times, but I’m a very slow learner. I throw our beautiful stimulators, caddis, and everything else, and the fish continue to refuse them. It finally dawns on me that cutties flat-out love beetles everywhere I have ever fished them. DO NOT ever underestimate the power of a beetle!!
Fishing Tip: Here is a technique we recommend trying the next time you fish a beetle fly. On a small high mountain stream fish the fly down stream and skate it across the riffles and holes. You’ll often catch the quality fish in a small stream working it that way.
Flies that caught fish:
Black Gold #12
Emperor Caddis – Black #18
Beetle #14
Black Gold Stimulator
$1.95 — $2.25
Emperor Series
Our #1 fishing fly for 2009 was the “Emperor” caddis series. We fished this series of flies at all elevations, from May through September and they are truly super flies. We featured the “Emperor” black caddis in a video we shot in the Idaho Wilderness called “Fishing the High Country,” and it took the place of our Black Flying Ant as the #1 fly for alpine lakes. Every place we fished these flies, they put on a show!!!!
$1.90
$1.71 — $1.90
You save $0.19 (10%)!
Beetle
The most realistic beetle pattern available. It has a peacock belly, a sculptured body, and exactly 6 moose hair legs. DFI beetles are killer flies in almost all waters.
$1.80
South Fork Boise River 7/26 (Dry Fly Fish Idaho)
|
|
Our last few fishing expeditions I haven’t had a chance to fish, so I took a quick run to the South Fork of the Boise River (dry fly fish Idaho) with Ray Shervik to scratch the itch. We hit the river about 10:30 am; the river was clear, clean, and flowing about 1600 cfs. It is perfect fishing water for boating or wading. Over the years I’ve learned a lot of side channels and short fishing runs that you can wade to and those places really produced on the 26th. Even though there weren’t a lot of hatches that came off, the fish were there and looking up.
The day started a little slow on the first run above Cow Creek, but we picked up 3, two on a Golden Stone (dry fly fish Idaho) tight to the edge and one on a Black and Green Emperor Caddis (dry fly fish Idaho). We continued down river below Cow Creek to a side channel and picked up 4 more really nice fish–two on a #16 Black Gold (dry fly fish Idaho) and two tight against the bank on a Black Emperor Caddis #20 (dry fly fish Idaho). The fishing was just beginning to heat up.
I sent Ray up another side channel while I fished a section of the main river. Ray moved up the side channel to a section of boulders; and all of a sudden, the pink adult mayflies began to pop and the fish showed up in large numbers at the surface. He tied on a Dry Fly Innovations Pink Adult #18 (dry fly fish Idaho), and it was exactly what the fish were looking for. He began picking them off one after another, and every fish he targeted was eating the fly. He finally honed in on a giant fish that was patrolling in a tough place to cast. He angled around a large boulder and side around a cast to the fish. Without hesitation the big guy ate the bug and all Hades broke loose. After 15 minutes of brawling, he was admiring a magnificent 22-inch rainbow. Wow!!
While Ray worked the side channel, the main river had no hatches but the combination of #10 Golden Stones (dry fly fish Idaho) and #8 Bullet Head Hoppers (dry fly fish Idaho) was hooking one fish after another for me. At times the fish would jump completely out of the water with the hopper in their mouth; and by the time they resurfaced on the water, I would have already secured the hook in them. That process continued for a large section of river until I settled in on a beautiful deep riffle against the bank. A very large fish came up and nosed the hopper without a take, so I served the fly a couple more times and the fish wouldn’t take. I change flies to a #18 Adams Caddis (dry fly fish Idaho) and served it to the fish’s lair. No take. Another cast, and no take. The third time was the charm and the big guy rose gently and sipped the bug. A soft hook set, a monster jump, and the battle was on. After some hairy moments trying to keep him in the hole and a dive into the willows along the edge, I slid him into the net. A spectacular heavy 20-inch fish was glimmering in the net. Wow life is good!!!
We finished the day in the same place we started thinking that a late evening hatch may have started. There were a few fish surfacing intermittently, but no real hatch. Ray sunk a nymph and hooked a few nice fish and I picked up a few on an Emperor Caddis Black (dry fly fish Idaho).
It was really nice to have a rod in my hand again and the itch got well scratched!
Flies that caught fish:
Bullet Head Hopper #8
Golden Stone #10
Emperor Caddis – Black #20
Adams Caddis – Green #18
Adult Mayfly – Pink #18
Black Gold #12 & #16
Tantalizer – Pink #18
Bullet Hopper
$2.35
Golden Stone
A spectacular dry fly with extended tail, dark hair back, ribbed abdomen and front antennae. It's the best producing golden stone I have ever fished.
$2.05 — $2.25
Emperor Series
Our #1 fishing fly for 2009 was the “Emperor” caddis series. We fished this series of flies at all elevations, from May through September and they are truly super flies. We featured the “Emperor” black caddis in a video we shot in the Idaho Wilderness called “Fishing the High Country,” and it took the place of our Black Flying Ant as the #1 fly for alpine lakes. Every place we fished these flies, they put on a show!!!!
$1.90
$1.71 — $1.90
You save $0.19 (10%)!
Pink Quill Wing
$2.05
Black Gold Stimulator
$1.95 — $2.25
Emergers
$1.65
- Color:
- Black Wing Black Emerger, White Wing Black Emerger, Blue Wing Olive Emerger, Brown Emerger, Gray Emerger, PMD Emerger,
Warren Dredge Ponds 7/15 (Dry Fly Fish Idaho)
|
|
One of Idaho’s great hidden gems is the Warren Dredge Ponds located about 40 miles north of McCall on Warren Wagon Road. The Dredge Ponds are 2 miles outside of the town of Warren, which used to be a thriving metropolis back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The whole valley was once a lush meadow with a gorgeous stream (Warren Creek) running through the center of it. The early pioneers discovered gold and silver in the valley and this is how the dredge ponds came into existence. In the middle of the valley lies remnants of an old dredger that created a unique fishery in the state of Idaho. The ponds are stocked to the gills (no pun intended) with little eastern brooks that are prime for the taking if you have the right fly.
I had the distinct pleasure of fishing with one of the best fly fishermen I have ever fished with; my brother Nathan. Nathan resides in Nashville Tennessee, and he only fly fishes when he comes home, but he never seems to lose his touch. We started off fishing at one of the several ponds and we both had tied on an Emperor Caddis Black #20 (dry fly fish Idaho). We separated and both took a different side of the pond so we could divide and conquer. Like clockwork, Nathan’s first cast resulted in a nice 7” brookie; and from that point on, I was playing catch up to keep up with his catch numbers. After about 25 fish, Nathan’s Emperor Caddis Black (dry fly fish Idaho) had seen better days, so he tied on a new fly, one that he thought was an Emperor Caddis. It turns out he had tied on a goose biot mayfly and suddenly he was getting no bites or any false takes. At this point we were separated and I had no idea why he was not catching any fish because I was routinely catching fish on the Emperor Caddis Black (dry fly fish Idaho). We finished fishing that pond and we met back up and I looked at his fly and realized he was using the wrong fly for the job. Whenever you are fishing a heavily fished area there is no substitute for the right fly.
So the day went on fishing miscellaneous ponds catching small brookies, so we decided to fish Warren Creek to see if bigger fish resided in it. We started on the lower section and we picked up a couple, but the fish were small so we headed up river to find bigger fish. I decided to tie on a Beetle #16 (dry fly fish Idaho) and started fishing upside down for the fish. I would cast down river and skate my beetle across holding waters and out of nowhere fish would strike the beetle like a bolt of lightening. Anytime you are faced with crystal clear water and fish that spook easy, the upside down technique is a great way to pick up fish that otherwise you would’ve scared before you got a hook in front of them. We fished on for a few more hours, picking up some nice brookies and wild native rainbows.
My brother and I finished up the day on one more pond, and we decided to use new flies and experiment a little bit. I had tied on a Black Ant #14 (dry fly fish Idaho) and Nathan tied on a Little Morman Girl #16 (dry fly fish Idaho). We fished on picking up a few more fish before we called it a day and headed back to camp. On the day we caught lots of fish, we had some good gut laughs and waded through some very cold stretches of river. The flies we used on the day were:
Emperor Caddis Black #20 & #18
Beetle #16
Black Ant #14
Emperor Caddis Gray #18
Little Mormon Girl #16
Emperor Series
Our #1 fishing fly for 2009 was the “Emperor” caddis series. We fished this series of flies at all elevations, from May through September and they are truly super flies. We featured the “Emperor” black caddis in a video we shot in the Idaho Wilderness called “Fishing the High Country,” and it took the place of our Black Flying Ant as the #1 fly for alpine lakes. Every place we fished these flies, they put on a show!!!!
$1.90
$1.71 — $1.90
You save $0.19 (10%)!
Beetle
The most realistic beetle pattern available. It has a peacock belly, a sculptured body, and exactly 6 moose hair legs. DFI beetles are killer flies in almost all waters.
$1.80
Ants
An enormous percentage of a trout's diet above 6,000 feet is ants. Fish cruise the edges under the canopy in search of these crunchy, high-octane morsels. The four ant patterns displayed are the ultimate weapons in the most prevalent color selections. They have tightly wound oblong body segments, beautifully crafted wings, and present themselves exactly like the natural. They have no deer hair shells over the tail so they are tough and won't fray or break like many commercial flies. You will catch more fish with less refusals using DFI ants!
$1.80
- Color:
- Black, Cinnamon, Red.
Little Mormon Girl
$1.85
- Size:
- 16 14