What to tie/fish in cold weather?

[pittendrigh]

Okay. I mite bite! I like! So, where does one get Edge Bright in the Bozeman area?

Willy is mostly a guide and instructor in summer. Spiritually anyway. In winter he's a cash register engineer at Bozeman's Troutfitters shop, where they have Edge Bright--largely because of Willy's influence. Fins and Feathers out in 4-corners has it too. For largely the same reason.

Extra bright flies really do seem to work extra-well in the cold water season. Not that they don't work well in summer too. But in winter they're a bit like magic. Give them a few days of fishing and see for yourself. I'm a believer....not a trace of doubt in my mind.

...Oh god. That's an annoying song from the 60s isn't it? But it's also a damn good fly.

[pittendrigh]

RE> "Edge Bright too thick for small flies"

I have an old swing-arm paper cutter that was my dad's (he didn't use it for fly tying). I find it useful for cutting all manner of things. I can use it to shave off 1/32" hair-thin strips of edge bright (from a rectangle of the stuff). And that I can wind onto the abdomen of a #18 midge.

[John Rhoades]

Willy is mostly a guide and instructor in summer. Spiritually anyway. In winter he's a cash register engineer at Bozeman's Troutfitters shop, where they have Edge Bright--largely because of Willy's influence. Fins and Feathers out in 4-corners has it too. For largely the same reason.

Extra bright flies really do seem to work extra-well in the cold water season. Not that they don't work well in summer too. But in winter they're a bit like magic. Give them a few days of fishing and see for yourself. I'm a believer....not a trace of doubt in my mind.

...Oh god. That's an annoying song from the 60s isn't it? But it's also a damn good fly.

Thanks for the info. I'm in PA for the winter, and wasn't sure where to find it here. I go to both of those fly shops you mentioned when we're in MT for the summer. However, I couldn't wait until then and found it on Ebay, so I bought a bunch of it.

You say it's a good winter fly, but there's a MT lake that we fish in the spring that has lots of Travelling Lake Sedges. I'm thinking Edge Bright might also make some interesting pupae imitations of those sedges.

[teachmarkey]

Happy New Year to all! Still looking for fly ideas, though!

Thanks for the tips! Keep 'em coming!

[RIRed]

I live in RI too. The best fly to use at this time of year is the lemon woodduck heron. It should be fished deep, like on a sink tip or with a few split shot to get it deep. I like to cast across the current and let it swing downstream. Once it reaches the end let it hang in the current. That is when I get most strikes. Caught 2 big rainbows a couple of weeks ago using this fly and technique.

[teachmarkey]

Great, RIRed! I had to Google the pictures of it. Still very much a rookie fly fisherman, but I'd never even heard of it. Gotta add some wood duck flank to my shopping list!

[RIRed]

Teachmarkey

A less expensive alternative to wood duck is mallard barred flank wood duck. Tie this streamer on a size 10 streamer hook. Works well in the Wood River, Blackstone River and the Clear River in Burrillville. If you want more info about fishing streams and rivers in RI you can e-mail me at smarshall125@gmail.com

[okflyfisher]

i just got back from trout trip in moving water I have never seen the fish so stuck on midges. One day a blck mercury midge was hot. the next 2 days white miracle midges were king

There were not clouds of midges around and the fish were ignoring the small caddis that were around