NEW FLY DAY
It has stayed dry and I can take the canoe into one of my favorite ponds. I have not been there for a long time. This is one of the most fertile ponds I fish. It has incredible numbers of fish in it. I have had a scuba diver go down in this pond looking for something that was lost. He was amazed by the number of fish that he saw.
I had flies from a few swaps and a few that other folks had sent to me. It was time to try them. I do use one of my favorite flies to make sure the fish are biting and then I see how the other flies are working. If the fish don’t take my fly then how can I be sure that the other flies do not work?
I caught a few fish on my flies so went to the other flies. I wanted to give them a good work out. I started by tying on two of the flies and making some cast, and I caught a few fish on each of them. I tied on two more flies, even though I don’t like tying flies on. I made some casts and caught fish on each of these flies.
I continued to do this this for several more times. I had about three dozen flies I had to move from one box to another. As I use the fly and put it in the second box to know that it has been used. Ribbed side of the box gets flies that have worked and the flat side the flies that did not work. That way I don’t have to try to remember.
Every time I caught a few fish on fly I would put it in the box and then tie another one on (fly not the other stuff). There were not any flies on the flat size of the box. Some of the flies took more casts to catch a few fish, but that may be because I was not retrieving them the right way. From the seat of the canoe I was in there is a great chance that the fisherman could be the problem. That is why I try flies on three ponds, on three different days, during different parts of the year, before I put them aside. I will also try them again the next year. They worked some place so I need to use them more than once.
The last fly I tied on was one that Quiver Kid sent me. There was a thread he was on and showed a purple fly. He sent me a couple and I wanted to try them. I had arrived at the place on the pond where I have caught the largest gills I have taken in this pond. I cast the fly out and let it drop. The fly had not dropped far when a fish took it. It turned out to be a huge gill that I could not wrap my hand around it. I had to lip it to land it. Fun, but it went back in the pond.
Made another dozen casts and picked up six more big gills. All of them were about the same size. Tried some of the other flies, but they did not attract the huge gills. Tried the fly from Zac again and the big gills were on it.
Gonna’ have to tie some and carry these in my box. Thanks Zac.
Several of the others will go into my box. I may have to carry another box with me with the new patterns.
Thanks to everyone I have swapped with and those who sent flies. It’s great fun to add patterns that will work and to see what other forks are doing.
Rick