Day Fifty Three to Fity Seven

Day Fifty Two: Glo Bug

 

Glo Bugs:

Extremely popular for fresh run Rainbows, on rivers like the infamous Tongariro. Commonly fished with heavy nymph, to get it down deep.

This is one winter fly you shouldn’t go without, and funnily enough I have heard that Snapper love them too.

Day Fifty One: Black and Peacock

Black and Peacock:

A simple but effective still water fly. Most commonly used as a snail pattern, but can be useful as a beetle, either sunk or gunked up to float.

Day Fifty: Synthetic Hare and Copper

Synthetic Hare and Copper:

One fault I have found with my fly choices is weight. If I go through my nymph boxes 99% are all tungsten bead heads.

One fish I have a constant battle with lies with its dorsal cutting through the river. Tungsten is too heavy for his lie; this fly un-weighted did the business.

Day Forty Nine: Foam Emerger

Foam Emerger:

Ugly the way emergers are meant to be, and I really hate tying neatly.
Have a good week end.

Day Forty Eight: Glister Nymph

Glister Nymph:

Glister is an amazing product, 1 or 2 strands is enough to give any nymph the ‘Bling’ factor. Which has either a, I’ll eat that or, a fleeing reaction.

I tend to use a more subtle patterns, but have had pretty good results with glister, particularly in lower light conditions.

Day Forty Seven: Caddis

Another Caddis:

Please forgive me if you see a lot of very similar fly patterns. They all play a part in the greater scheme of fooling fish.

Subtle differences to us can be the difference between a hit or not from the fish. No matter how similar two days can be, sometimes a pattern won’t fool twice.

Day Forty Six: Garth's Nymph

Garth’s Nymph: Generalisation

Last season this was an absolute winner for me. I was convinced it was the pattern. To be honest, I now realise the beauty of this pattern is its weight.  Getting the fly down to our fish is most important.

These two beauties were caught one cast apart. The fly was so worn it was only the copper and bead left. They didn’t seem to mind.

Day Forty Five: Green Trude

Green Trude:

I must admit, this pattern I saw while on Google images as I had no idea what to tie tonight. Lazy huh? I will however back myself and fish this come the new season.

I do not doubt that this will fool its fair share of fish.

Day Forty Four: Foam Terrestrials

Summer Terrestrials:

Cicada time needs no introductions, However, I found this season a few fish that had obviously seen too many Cicada patterns.

Swapping patterns, especially one that does not really imitate the Cicada, can and usually does result in an exciting take.  

Day Forty Three: Pheasant Tail Cray

Pheasant Tail Cray:

Having a play with some pheasant, and really liked the look of these. I tried making nylon eyes but really didn’t like them, so reverted back to the damsel eyes.

These would be deadly at night, a slow jerky retrieve through a deep pool.

Day Forty Two: Prince Nymph

Prince Nymph:

What a killer week. I am in no mood to tie today, and have no real desire to carry this on. However I never said I was a tier, just someone stupid enough to take on a yearly challenge!

The prince nymph needs no introduction, it will catch trout, in my experience or lack of, Rainbow’s tend to like it more than Browns. Have a good week end.

Day Forty One: Simple Mayfly

Simple Mayfly:

I very rarely kill a fish. I believe the last one was a few season’s back now, and even then I didn’t really want too. He was sipping flies in a long run. He rose to this fly but it hooked him in the eye. Poor fella.

Day Forty: Purple Prince

Purple Prince:

This one’s for the Bows, especially late season fish. The purple is nicely visible in the shallow or down deep. I must admit I haven’t given this fly to much attention but in fast pocket water it does come into its own.

Day Thirty Nine: Foam Cicada

Green Cicada:

This was a copy of a pattern introduced to me by one Garth Stevenson. It rides wonderfully high in fast water and easy to spot by the fish and angler alike.

Last season on the last day of a four day tramp, I found a fish. It only took one cast and he was mine, I had never caught a fish on the first and only cast of the day.

Thanks to Jordan Moss for the photo.

Day Thirty Eight: Another Caddis

Caddis (a cheap copy of Norm Marsh’s):

This fly is still as good as it was when it was created. The biggest problem is the black magic hooks used to tie it are not as strong as the old mustards.

I have lost one good fish on this ‘F’ series hook, one too many, so this fly isn’t used as often as it really should.

Day Thirty Seven: My Current Favourite

Current Favourite:

I had posted its variant a while ago, with an orange tungsten bead. This has been a very successful fish taker this autumn/winter.

I was pleasantly surprised when recently I flicked this in front of a very sleepy looking fish. He had ignored every other offer, but didn’t hesitate to take this pattern.

Day Thirty Six: Palmered Dry

Palmered Dry:

This is a very simple fly, hence why I had planned to tie it while I was away.

I used this pattern on a bow; He was sitting in a back eddy with no room for a back cast. Long story short I floated this pattern downstream to him, while sitting on a submerged log. He came up and took it, then ran straight under the log I was perched on. Only some very fancy netting skills saved the tippet.

The Tying Bench:

The "Back eddy" Fish: Excuse the hideous photo.

Day Thirty Five: Caddis Dry

Caddis Dry:

Tied with a wing case of foam, this fly is close to unsinkable.  Larger than I usually like for a caddis, I am unsure if this fly is not mistaken for some other terrestrial.

On a side note if you are wondering why 3 days of this blog were missing, I was away and outside of net coverage, but had taken the vice with me as Day Thirty Six will show.

Day Thirty Four: Sandy Caddis

Sandy Caddis:

This is another very simple fly. The Sandy Caddis is just that, a Caddis that is encased in the sand it lives in.  

There are areas of our country, that the fish are so full of them, they have been likened to a bean bag, or crunchy football.

Day Thirty Three: Doll Fly

Doll Flies:

This fly is commonly tied with a luminescent body. Fished day or night, it has been associated with some very nice lake trout indeed.

This one is tied with a Pearl Mylar body as my local supply store had no glow material. I think you still get the impression of the smelt it’s meant to imitate.

Day Thirty Two: Purple Fuzzy

Fuzzy Wuzzy:

 Yet another night time pattern. The Fuzzy is usually tied with red or green chenille. From all accounts  purple has been a very effective colour with our Rainbows recently.

I will give this fly a try on Friday night; I have tied up the usual green and red variants. However, my gut feeling suggests this fly is about to get smashed.

Day Thirty One: Black Marabou

18 years:

It has been 18 years since fishing the hallowed lakes of Rotorua. I grew up there in more ways than one, and it has been far too long in my return.

This fly is a night time pattern. Fished slow and deep, on a sinking line it has and will take fish. At this time of year, in some of the Rotorua lakes, that fish could be well into double figure territory.

Day Thirty: Another Hotspot!

Another Hotspot:

There really is something so fishable about 2 minute ties. This hotspot caddis has done the business for me, time and time again.

Why? It is rough, buggy and seems to have all the triggers that my browns require. With or without the Hotspot, it really does deserve its place in my fly box.

Day Twenty Nine: Silver Invicta

Silver Invicta:

I have done this fly no justice today. The hackle is way too long, and rigid. I will still fish this example; however I really need to spend some time correcting the hackles.

I fish these down and across, on a floating line at dusk. The fish usually hits mid swing. More drag the better, the swinging across mimicking the skittering of a caddis.

Day Twenty Eight: More Tubes

Still Playing:

Still mucking round with some tubes. This one will have a run tomorrow, chasing some of my local browns. I feel the more subtle colour will have a better success rate than yesterday’s effort.

On a side note: I apologise to all who have commented on some of the flies, for some reason I cannot reply, or even comment on my own posts. However I have read them, thank you for your comments. Jack the dubbing used on that is Hares Ears SLF dubbing, but will have to double check that.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Ps: These will be used to chase down some Kawhai if the Trout aren’t cooperating J

Day Twenty Seven: Tubes

Tube Madness:

This is one for the aggressive winter rainbows. I would love to have the chance to flick a tube fly at a good size fish- something I have never done before.

I have also never tied one. The head in this example needs a lot of work. I would imagine that tied with the right tube, mandrel and the correct vice, they would become very popular in NZ.

Day Twenty Six: M.V.F (Most Valuable Fly)

All Time Favourite:

If I had to choose one fly and one only, to fish with for the rest of my life, then this would be it. It is simple, but very deadly.  A 2 minute tie I was saving this for a night when I was running out of time.

I once landed 5 fish over 4lb, on this pattern. All within 50meters of each other, and I only missed the sixth due to the barb disappearing at some stage after the fifth. It was a glorious half an hour that I have never repeated.

Day Twenty Five: Stimulator

Blue Stimie:

I owe my best Hutt fish of this season, to this fly. I had hooked and dropped him on a cicada pattern; he then lay doggo in a deep run, clearly visible and not interested. 

 Eventually I gave up and threw this at him. He came up, had a look, declined the offer but this started him feeding again, the next cast he took a foam cicada from the surface, sight fishing at its very best.

Day Twenty Four: Bloody Simple

Bloody Butcher:

Not quite true to the original. I use black rabbit for the wing, reason being I have plenty of it, and I like its movement, so too do the fish.

I fail to see the issue with simplifying patterns, the silver Mylar more often than not gets torn after 2-3 fish. It is not uncommon for me to rid the silver ribbing, and use more durable copper wire.

Day Twenty Three: Modern Nymph

Rainbow Connection:

It is not often I get to chase Bows. All my local rivers are Browns only, not from lack of trying, the Bows just never successfully took hold. So whenever I get the chance to I jump at it.

This pattern did the business for me on a river in the Hawkes Bay. Although nothing huge came to the net that day, the Bows kept me well entertained.

Day Twenty Two: Double Bunny

Big Flies:

Fishing at this time of year can be most frustrating. Most of the browns have moved upstream, and spawning is occupying their pea sized brains.

For the fish that still hang around, inducing a strike is often out of a territorial instinct,rather than a feeding one, so don’t be afraid to go BIG.

Day Twenty One: Black Pennell

Black Pennell:

This fly is another very simple wet, the Black Pennell, an old Welsh pattern. It excels as a Lake Fly in sizes 8-10.

I must admit today’s fly I have never fished! I went for a simple pattern, as it is Friday night, I am tired and cold, and all I could manage tonight was a 2.5lb sea run, and for my efforts I pulled my calf muscle. Damn!

Day Twenty: Captivator

Captivator:

Last night, I returned to find my wife at the vice. This has only happened once before. The result is the first photo, a fly she calls the “Captivator.”  (wing span of nearly 150mm, it is massive)

The challenge for me is to fish it successfully, so I adapted the pattern slightly for my local browns (second photo), However I can’t help but wonder if her original pattern would fool a fish or two.

Day Nineteen: Caddis

Opening Day:

Around here opening day always seems to crap out on me. Last season was no different. The rains came for a solid week and the river turned to a brown torrent.

On the side of the main flow I saw a dorsal cut through the surface, struck, and it was all on. Two minutes later it was all off. Fun while it lasted.