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Skaters
Since I'm here, I was rereading Ed Shenk's Fly Rod Trouting and longing for the days when PA limestone creeks used to hold monster browns. While I'm familiar with pretty much everything in the book, has anyone ever used Skaters? Apparently, Ed Shenk swears by them during mid-summer.
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Skaters are facinating to say the least.
Ed Hewett was an advocate, I have some of his skater flies which were given to me by Vince Marinaro. I had to promise to fish at least one - I have, it caught fish, and I've not lost it yet.
They are not 'soft hackle' flies and are fished on the surface and 'skittered' or allowed to blow around in a wind.
For more, including the tying instructions,
(not for beginners) is here: [url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/oldflies/part8.html:f9525]http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/oldflies/part8.html[/url:f9525]
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LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL
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How do they sit on the water? Hook down? Or do they manage to stay up completely on the hackle?
Looks like something I could dapple over the willows and dance across trout holding pools.
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Paul H.
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"A dry fly on the rise is the beauty mark of a lovely river."
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I've actually never even seen one. From what I understand, they "skate" across the water on stiff hackles, hook down. Its the perfect, and sometimes only, option for hot summer fishing in still pools.
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Letort is correct, but read the section of the Old Flies article after the instructions by Vince. The fishing instructions are there.
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LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL
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Well believe it or not when I began tying hackle I tied something like the skater only that in white and brown colors. I thought that tying a just the hackle on the shank it will be easier to learn than tying a full fly. I kept it on the box just as a reminder to improve my skills.
After a great afternoon on a small pound I decided to try something really crazy. I tied the white "thing" to the end of a 5x tippet and to my surprise: casted, let it still, nothing happened, some movement with the line, nothing, thought it a lost case (hey, I was just trying something crazy, it was bound to happen. No worries.) so I began to retreive the line, it was moving FAST and just then: Boom a nice 15 inches rainbow!! she hooked herself after the ferociuos attack.
All the day was about little trouts rising to black e-z nymphs fished emerging, strikes were triggered when the fly was just below the film. The white thing was the only dry action I saw that day.
I never used the fly again as it was lost to the last trout of the day and never came to tying another one 'cause I thought it was just one of those days when a "bare hook" will do, never came back to that pound neither. I am rushing to the bench to tie a whole bunch now!!
Dave
[This message has been edited by dphotoco (edited 19 May 2005).]
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The FAOL link above gives some great advice concerning the skater. In addition to what you will find there, I offer the following:
The skater is worth a try when you encounter seemingly perfect dry fly conditions, but no hatch is present. It can be fished with a longer line, and twiched along like a streamer, except that it stays on the surface. I think a moderate current helps a bit. You will see more fish than you catch. They tend to chase it and slash at it as often as they actually take it.
The big problem today is, where do you get long fibered DF hackle to tie such a fly?
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Tom,
I don't know about restrictions or even bans to cock fights up there in the states, we have none here in the 3rd world. Some really well raised fighting cocks from good breeds are a good source of long barbuled hackle, stiff enough to tie the skater just that it won't stay stiff for too long, a day of fishing or two at most. But still they cut the feathers from the necks, and sometimes saddles, of the birds and throw them away as garbage so if you manage to find some of this cocks you will have the feathers for free. I have been told that in Louisiana there are still some cock fights, May be it can be worked out, I don't know.
Dave
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Boy have you got that right JC. Back when, it was harder than heck to find hackle to tie those flies as well as the Art Flicks Variants. It is a breeze now.
I use to have one fellow that had a standing order for Spiders. When ever I got the hackle to tie some up for him he would take as many as I had hackle for. And he didn't care what color they were either.
The best trick for tying Skaters that I know of is using Silk thread so you can slide the feathers together with ease. Using the wrong thread or wax is a no no when tying these flies in my view. Ron
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dphotoco
In the philippines the losing cock winds up in the winning cock owner's kettle.
In regards to utilizing the feathers...the
Filipinos have very inventive ways to take
fish but fly fishing isn't one of them. http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/frown.gif
To bad..know they'd enjoy it.
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Regards
nam
[This message has been edited by namekagon (edited 19 May 2005).]