There was a post here a while back asking the question: Do you ever buy flies? Most said they never do. I indicated I always end up buying some of the “local” patterns at my fishing destination.
This July, I was in the Yellowstone area fishing with some guys on the Henry’s Fork. The hatch activity was slowing down each day. The bugs (and thus the rises) were somewhat sporadic and happened only at certain times of the day.
Towards the end of our trip, the spinner fall of large Brown Drakes (or Gray Drakes - hard to tell) happened at about 8PM. On the morning of our last day, I bought a couple Brown Drake spinners of a rather unusual nature. They were tied with hot spots and they looked like they might work.
That night at about 8PM, the spinner fall started and was even lighter than previous days. I put on the fly I had purchased that morning and cast to the location of a rather “strong” rise. I immediately hooked and landed a nice fat rainbow of about 18 inches.
Here’s my thought: That fly was pricey (over $2). But, what was catching, fighting, and landing that rainbow in fairly heavy water worth - especially when I had paid so much to travel there and stay there? I always figure local patterns can often be the best. Next time I go, I will have tied some of these.
Nice fishy fly. I can see that getting hammered. I try to do as much local research as possible in advance, as I like catching on flies I tied. Agree on the $2 is a cheap price for a good fish.
18" rainbow weighs about 2 - 2 1/2 lbs for the cost of a $2.00 fly comes out to $1.00/lb; I’d say that’s worth it (jk). I’ll buy a fly if it’s something that’s working and like nothing else I have in my box; I’ll also buy the materials, if I don’t have them, and tie some up in the truck before I go out on the water. BTW, that’s a cool looking spinner, neat that you caught the brown drake hatch; congrats.
Another story on same trip: In the mornings, we would fish the area just above the Harriman Ranch boundary. There was usually a compound hatch of PMD, caddis, and Flavs. One morning, I got up early and tied a couple really nice (I thought) size 14 olive sparkle duns in my room.
Later that morning on the water, I put on one of the Flavs I had tied and hooked, and landed a really fat rainbow. Perhaps only 16", but nice and strong. It does add “flavor” to the process when you use your own fly - especially if tied just a few hours earlier.
But, back to the lower Henry’s Fork story above, I might not have caught ANY fish that evening. The few brown drake spinner patterns I had did not work very well.
When I split the tails on my spinners I use fluro yellow or green floss. ( Tie the tail fibres in then fold the floss around the hook bend. Bring the floss between the fibres to split them and tie down to the top of the hook shank.) This gives me a tiny hot spot to represent the egg sack of the natural. We don’t have the same insects over here, but the difference even that tiny hot spot makes is amazing. One day I was out with a friend when we came on grayling rising to a spinner fall. I had only that week started to tie my spinners with a hot spot. The Old spinners were still in my box and the new ones in a container in my pocket. My friend said he didn’t have any spinner patterns on him so I gave him the new ones in the container and fished myself with the old ones. He proceeded to out fish me 3 or 4 to one. The only difference being the hot spot. When he gave me one back I soon passed his tally. Now all my spinner patterns have this feature. I’ve never known it to be a detriment. Some of you may have seen the article I did about this in Fly Fishing and Fly Tying, The Something for Nothing Spinner.
I really enjoy catching fish on my own flies… after all it’s all part of the fly fishing concept. However, I always support the local Fly Stores too! They are important to all of us whether or not we live near them or not. I’ve spent a bunch of money getting to their location to fish so it doesn’t hurt for me to drop $20.00 in their store when I’m talking with them about the information about the area fishing and what is working. Sometimes they don’t have a fly that I need so I buy some tying supplies, but I always support the shop somehow. Some of these shops are run on a shoestring. It’s the least we fly fishers can do to help keep the sport alive.
I think you hit it right on the head mahanvey. Theres more to visiting a local fly shop than just buying flies. I to try to support in some way any shop I can when visiting an out of town stream. Just go in , spend a few bucks and visit with the locals. The information they often share can sure make it a better trip. These guys always know what catches fish on there home waters.
I usually visit a fly shop at my fishing destination. If they have a particular fly that’s doing exceptionally well, I buy a few and the materials to tie them, and make a bunch of my own.
I agree with and always try to help out the local fly shop by getting something, anything and even occasionally I will find something that I will bring home and show my local shop that they will then start stocking.
On the original fly posted here, I know a lot of you guys have far more experience figuring out how to tie what you see in pictures. This looks fairly straightforward but is that post (or would it be indicator) dyed snowshoe fur or does it look more synthetic. I can’t tell. This looks like something to try on Hat Creek when it gets into one of those difficult spinner falls.
it is a synthetic dyed neon orange. I bought it in the TroutHunter fly shop in Last Chance, Idaho. Do not remember whether or not it was a Harrop fly. They have a complete set of bins which have Harrop flies and then a much larger set of bins which are not his/hers. The Harrop flies are about 50 cents higher, as I recall.
There is nothing wrong with buying flies at a destination, and if I was gonna spend two bucks, the pattern in the pic looks worth it.
I usually reserve some money to spend at the fly shop at a destination whether I buy flies of tying material. I feel it is a polite way to express my gratitude for chatting up the fly shop people about the whats and wheres of the area.
As far as using the flies, I have not used any I have bought. I really really want my own patterns to work-just stubborn that way.
