I hooked a lot of fish. I landed very few. Perhaps it is because they were in some rather swift riffles and the second they hit my flies they had a strong current working for them. Or, it could be I am out of practice and was slow on the hook set.
Most fish took the little Trico, but I lost fish on the size 16 yellow soft hackles too.
My buddy was not having the issues I was. He hooked more fish than I did, and landed a heck of a lot more. He swung his raft over next to mine and handed me a beaded Soft Hackle. He said 3 out of 4 fish were taking it. I was in the process of re-tying flies on as I had a lost my entire set up from the first fly down to the third due to a snag . I put the size 18 beaded PT bodied fly on top as an attractor. The yellow soft hackle next and the trico last. Just like my buddy 3 out of 4 fish took the beaded attractor. My landing rate didnt improve, but my rate of hook ups did.
At lunch he handed me 4 more of the pattern. I asked him what the collar was. He told me he did not know. He said 4 or 5 years ago he purchased them at Cabelas or Sportsmans Warehouse. He said they were being discontinued. He said the price was .99 cents per dozen. Not per fly, but dozen. He bought all they had of those (4 dozen), and a few dozen Red, Two Bit Hookers. A double beaded mayfly nymph by Charlie Craven.
This morning I woke up, made coffee, washed my raft, cleaned my truck. Then I sat down to try to figure out this little pattern.
It is a size 16 on a curved hook. The tail looks like rooster. I like that, as rooster is so much more durable than pheasant. The body (abdomen and thorax) is pheasant tail wrapped in copper wire. The body is surprisingly fat compared to a true PT nymph. The bead is Silver. I do not know if it is tungsten or brass.
Now I am looking at the collar. I can not decide what it is. At first I am thinking Partridge Filoplume, but I swear I can see feather barbules mixed in. I was stumped. I stared at the fly for about five minutes. Sipping coffee with a bewildered, stupid look on my face.
Then it dawned on me. It is the fluff from the bottom of the feather I tear off when I am preparing my hen hackles to tie in. I tie in by the stem, not the tip. The wonderful fluff and a few hen barbules were right there in front of me on the darkest Dun hen cape I own. Every large feather had enough to tie two flies!
I tied a dozen size 16's today. I will try them on the Gunnison this week.
This is the original
