Drakes and Other Delights

Apologies to HA + TJB. Love the album, though. I think my folks wore one out back in the 70's.

Hold my scotch.

AT left, a bear drake. 

Size 12 4xl. Yep - big guy. 

Deer hair tails. Double dubbed body the back being a grey-copper SLF mix and the front being a green-rust SLF mix. Ribbed with the tag end of the tying thread. Double hackle: Speckled hen over brown. 

I tie this on a steelhead iron heavy hook in 7 as well. The light wire 12 floats nicely in the near-film. The size 7 sinks slowly and makes for a great twitch retrieve or for the hand-twist. Very effective last year on the Manistee which was low and slow (for the Manistee).  This guy robbed all the best pools.

Steve Bird's low-water Spey flies really helped me with this guy.  

There are lots of patterns for brown/olive/green drakes. Luckily, fine discrimination does not seem to apply when these large (size 8-10) beasties are on the water. Davie McPhail's own mayfly pattern he tied-up for Irish stillwater fishing is very similar in profile. 

Many patterns are tied on even larger hooks but I like the 12 and 14 4xl streamer hooks. The trout seem to take on the "gulp" whole mouth attack and so I find these hooks sufficient to connect. 

I'm going north this weekend and fish cold water where the local drake hatch has spread to a large lake adjacent to Lake Michigan. The large fish cruise at dusk and take these flies both as they emerge and as they return. They emerge and take to flight quickly on this water. 

I might have to whip up a few CDC winged variants and see if that helps with  the spinner return. Hmmm.

The emerger is a big shaggy mass of shuck and fly which is best represented by just that: mass. Fish clear the water taking the nymphs in their final ascent looking much like a Killer Whale at Seaworld.

Anyway, that's the story.  Dawn and dusk. 

I'm going to throw large flies for brown trout. I'll tie some western coachmen streamers tomorrow in case I'm able to convince my host to throw a few for "little fish" : my beloved brookies.

Hope the holiday weekend sees fly rods in all your hands. Might be hex time here. They're late this year. I'm going far enough north I don't have to endure the combat fishing which is the hex.

It's a good weekend to foment revolution. Pick a cause. Defy some authority.

Minister: "The colonies are revolting." 

King George: "They certainly are."

Prost.