By Maurice
The Fall season marks the return of shorter days, cooler nights and lower stream temperatures on our more marginal waters around the Commonwealth. Many trout waters ride the razors edge on harboring wild trout. We see lots of ATW's with wild trout during the cooler months of spring and winter. Usually these waters are rather large, their watersheds are made of many wild trout tributaries. Often the main stem which warms in Summer are believed to be transitional wild trout waters. Ones that have their wild trout leave the warmer stream during the heat of summer only to have them return in the fall to the larger water with better habitat and cover as well as forage. Or they hunker down, find thermal refuge through springs seeps, tributary mouths or deeper water. It is the fall season when I like to sample the bigger waters to see if I can scare up some of these Wild Brown Trout.The ones that made it through the tough months, the survivors.
It is this type of fishing that I enjoy the most. Often no one else is fishing, the air is crisp, the water cool and clear and solitude abounds. But lets face it, the business at hand is to touch a few survivors. So I like to use a fly I know will get them to take a look and grab it. Now not just any goto fly. No, not a Green Weenie, Goodness NO! They are for old men and children! Although I have been known to use them I would prefer to fish "off the junk". My good friend and fellow board member Fritz often texts me pics at work during the week of him tearing up the York County waters with the Weenie, I kid him but it works. I am just too stubborn to use it. Its pretty clear that the success of the Weenie is largely due to the color, Chartreuse.
One of my favorite goto Fall flies on Muddy is a Yellow Stonefly nymph. So I am thinking...maybe I will tie up a few and when selecting the white rubber legs from a bass jig skirt; I wade past orange, green,chartreuse. Wait a minute, thats not a bad idea. Chartreuse legs. Yeah, like a Weenie color, but not a weenie. This might be the ticket. I mean until someone sees the pics of this fly with chartreuse legs in the trouts mouth. Ahhhh, Who Gives A Rat's Arse.
This marks the birth of the WhoGARA stonefly. Following is a tutorial for tying this simple yet effective fly. Now using it anytime but the Fall may bring scorn over you but if someone gives you a ribbing just tell them the name. WhoGARA! It catches fish. I only fished for two hours in marginal water and landed three wild browns and lost two larger ones, turned and moved several more. I am convinced that it got the attention of nearly all of the trout it drifted past.
WhoGARA Stonefly
You will see by the tutorial that details are not important.
Hook: WhoGARA big hook - #12 2xl streamer.
Thread: Olive (WhoGARA) it gets covered anyway.
Underbody: 18ga.Wire (WhoGARA - I used electric motor windings)
Tail: Brown goose biots.
Body: Yeller dubbin.
Wing case: Pheasant tail fibers.
Rib: Copper Wire, WhoGARA, it just protects the Pheasant fibers.
Legs: Chartreuse Spinner Bait Skit string.
Thorax/head: Same Yeller Dubbin.
Instructions:
Step 1: Put a base layer of thread on the hook to keep the wire from sliding around the hook. Don't worry about the lengths of wire being the same, remember WhoGARA.
More after the break Here
One of my favorite goto Fall flies on Muddy is a Yellow Stonefly nymph. So I am thinking...maybe I will tie up a few and when selecting the white rubber legs from a bass jig skirt; I wade past orange, green,chartreuse. Wait a minute, thats not a bad idea. Chartreuse legs. Yeah, like a Weenie color, but not a weenie. This might be the ticket. I mean until someone sees the pics of this fly with chartreuse legs in the trouts mouth. Ahhhh, Who Gives A Rat's Arse.
This marks the birth of the WhoGARA stonefly. Following is a tutorial for tying this simple yet effective fly. Now using it anytime but the Fall may bring scorn over you but if someone gives you a ribbing just tell them the name. WhoGARA! It catches fish. I only fished for two hours in marginal water and landed three wild browns and lost two larger ones, turned and moved several more. I am convinced that it got the attention of nearly all of the trout it drifted past.
WhoGARA Stonefly
You will see by the tutorial that details are not important.
Hook: WhoGARA big hook - #12 2xl streamer.
Thread: Olive (WhoGARA) it gets covered anyway.
Underbody: 18ga.Wire (WhoGARA - I used electric motor windings)
Tail: Brown goose biots.
Body: Yeller dubbin.
Wing case: Pheasant tail fibers.
Rib: Copper Wire, WhoGARA, it just protects the Pheasant fibers.
Legs: Chartreuse Spinner Bait Skit string.
Thorax/head: Same Yeller Dubbin.
Instructions:
Step 1: Put a base layer of thread on the hook to keep the wire from sliding around the hook. Don't worry about the lengths of wire being the same, remember WhoGARA.
More after the break Here
