Picket Pin

[wgmiller]

I just received my Jan/Feb "PA Angler and Boater" magazine and it has a good writeup on the Picket Pin. I didn't realize it, but I had one in my fly box and never knew what it was. It was just one of those flies I picked up that looked "tasty", yet I never fished it.

Does anyone fish this fly and if so, how productive has it been for you? How have you fished it? Wet or dry? It looks like a pretty easy tie and I may fish the one I have to see what kind of results it produces.

Picket Pin:

 

[daman1277]

Strikes me as a cross between a bugger and a Palomino midge.

 

[JohnnyUtah]

The picket pin is a deadly fly. I fish it wet like a nymph. Works great. Give it, a go. Its a great classic patten. I plan to do a video and tutorial soon on this pattern.

 

[wgmiller]

Daman,

It's tied on the larger size (8, 10, 12) on a 3XL hook. About the only thing it has in common with a bugger is the hackle. The rest of it is peacock herl, squirrel tail, etc.

 

[fritz]

Tied some of these for smallmouth years ago when I first started tying. Forgot about them til I got rooting around in my flies a couple years ago. It was like "oh yeah, those things"!. Yep, been having good luck with them fished like a wet fly. I hear they work well during a caddis hatch although I have not experienced that to date. And yes the bonus is that they are easy for me to tie.

 

[MattBoyer]

I use them both wet and dry for brookies, sometimes in the same cast, kinda like a Hornberg is fished, they've always done well for me.

Boyer

 

[troutpoop]

Last night I was looking through my stuff and found that exact fly. I knew I had just seen it recently somewhere and riffled through all the recent magazines and saw the same article. I too have it in my box and never fished it.
Mine is a little bigger than I would generally use for trout. Mine is maybe an 8.

 

[sniperfreak223]

I've used them as both a streamer and a dry fly as a stonefly/hopper imitation, and it's deadly in both roles. Definitely a must have fly.

 

[Wetfly01]

This fly has been a killer for me over the years. The one you have pictured there is the traditional tie. The one's I use most often I'll put a florescent green butt or red on them. Also the same fly but change the wing to red squirrel or fox squirrel. Its a great searching wet fly. I'll tie them in 14's through 8's. And they seem to produce fish all season long.

 

[troutbert]

Try fishing them with some movement, i.e. twitching them.

Does anyone know the history, origin of that fly?

 

[FrequentTyer]

troutbert wrote:
Try fishing them with some movement, i.e. twitching them.

Does anyone know the history, origin of that fly?

It's a great pattern. Here is a little bit of history. I really like the explanation of the name:
http://flyanglersonline.com/features/oldflies/part115.php

 

[JohnnyUtah]

Thanks for the link, I enjoyed the read.

 

[pete41]

looks like hybrids that were so popular in the west 60 years or so ago-fish them wet ,dry,surface stripped,as streamers or nymphs even-
So if you were limited to one or two patterns they would suffice but lost favor to more specialized ties.
Muddler minnow school-do everything-
Honestly I forgot most of the names.

 

[FlySwatter]

One more voice in the crowd: I've had very good success with this pattern. I fish it like a wet/streamer. Mostly as troutbert said, with twitches.

 

[just_jon]

This post brings back some good memories. This was the first fly I learned to tie. I primarily fished as a streamer, but occasionally had success dead drifting it in sizes 14 and 16. A friend fished it dry at the height of the gypsy moth infestation in the 80's and reported great success on streams with a forest canopy. I thought he was joking until I tried it for myself.

Just got a sudden urge to tie some picket pins.

 

[wgmiller]

I saw some recipes calling for elk hair instead of the squirrel hair if using it for a topwater version. For those who fish it dry, do you tie it exclusively with squirrel hair regardless of how you're fishing it?

Nice to see a good discussion on a time-tested fly.

 

[flyfishermanj]

I personally haven't had much luck with, but really never fished it with purpose. Seem to put it on as an after thought. The "old timers" I know swear by them, that's why I always carry a couple. Just might have to give it a serious try next time out.

JH

 

[troutbert]

wgmiller wrote:
I saw some recipes calling for elk hair instead of the squirrel hair if using it for a topwater version. For those who fish it dry, do you tie it exclusively with squirrel hair regardless of how you're fishing it?

Nice to see a good discussion on a time-tested fly.

That would be an elk hair caddis with a peacock body. Not that there's anythig wrong with that. It would surely catch trout. And it would make a decent imitation of the grannoms.

But to call such a fly a "picket pin" would be quite a stretch. Just as a dry fly "wooly bugger" would be quite a stretch.

 

[JohnnyUtah]

troutbert wrote:

wgmiller wrote:
I saw some recipes calling for elk hair instead of the squirrel hair if using it for a topwater version. For those who fish it dry, do you tie it exclusively with squirrel hair regardless of how you're fishing it?

Nice to see a good discussion on a time-tested fly.

That would be an elk hair caddis with a peacock body. Not that there's anythig wrong with that. It would surely catch trout. And it would make a decent imitation of the grannoms.

But to call such a fly a "picket pin" would be quite a stretch. Just as a dry fly "wooly bugger" would be quite a stretch.

Do you mean some thing like this???

If you like that, Then how about this

Now that your laughing take a look at this.

 

[FrequentTyer]

wgmiller wrote:
I saw some recipes calling for elk hair instead of the squirrel hair if using it for a topwater version. For those who fish it dry, do you tie it exclusively with squirrel hair regardless of how you're fishing it?

Nice to see a good discussion on a time-tested fly.

It is a simple enough pattern to play with. For example, mallard or woodduck make a nice wing in place of the squirrel and give a different quality of movement in the water. Anyone that wants to be a purist will have to find a source of ground squirrel (and let me know if you find one). But elk would seem to make the pattern less versatile, and as was pointed out would be pretty close to an EHC.