Lizzie's Stone on Elizabeth Creek ID
I went exploring today expecting to try the North Fork of the Clearwater and maybe Kelly Creek. Came to a bridge crossing a small tributary to the N.F.C. The sign read - ELIZABETH CREEK.
I KID YOU NOT !!
Spent a couple hours fishing "Lizzie's Stone" on the North Fork and on Elizabeth Creek. Long story ( see my post today on "Some Time in the Mountains" thread on the Fishing Reports Forum ) short. Caught about thirteen cutts and bows on the Creek and a half dozen fishies in the River with Lizzie's Stone. Also turned a good number of fish - hits and refusals and all that. Lots of action in a fairly short time. THAT is what I was expecting of this fly.
I did make a couple changes to the original. I eliminated the peacock herl as a mostly cosmetic thing. May tie the fly with the peacock or not in the future, depending on my mood at the time.
The other change was more substantial. The original fly wanted to propeller, probably due to the way the hackle was tied in and wrapped. Looked good, but maybe not the best technique ?? Decided to tie in the hackle a couple eye widths behind the eye, hackle back to the deer hair tie in point, and then hackle forward to just behind the eye and tie it off. That change did seem to eliminate the propeller effect.
Fished the same fly for the best part of a couple hours and landed somewhere around nineteen fishies. It was still floating well just before I stuck it in an evergreen by keeping my backcast uppeth, way uppeth.
More effective, simpler, and definitely durable. It fishes, and my friend Liz fishes, too !!
John