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| Victim of a parachute Hendrickson |
Though these trout for the most part are stockers, they quickly adjust their diet to the mayfly and caddis hatches. We have an abundance of caddis hatching, tans and black caddis in sizes from 10 to 18. I have had good success with a #12 and #14 brown z-lon caddis. This is, for me, one of the most productive caddis patterns I've ever used. Both here in the east and out west. Yetserday on the Mad River I had a tremendous evening of dry fly fishing using a #12 parachute Hendrickson. We are pretty much on track here as for the progression of hatches, with trout taking Quill Gordons, Hendricksons and Red Quills eagerly. My favorite, and what I am looking forward to is the Sulphurs.
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| Decent size for a stocked brown |
Sulphurs for me signal the beginning of the summer dry fly 'season'. With the emergence of Sulphurs is the arival of the March Brown, and BWOs. Soon to follow is the brief Green Drake hatch, followed by the Light Cahills and Grey Fox hatch. About this time we also get an Iso hatch, these are not the #14- #16s of the late summer/early fall variety, these are the #10 and #12 bruisers that show up every June. The trout hit these with as much gusto as the Green Drakes or the Hex hatch here in late summer.
I had the chance the other evening to meet a young man who showed up stream side with a new fly rod, reel and a box of flies. "It's my first time fly fishing. I was here the other night and the fly fisherman was hammering them." He went to Wal-Mart and bought the outfit. I chatted a few minutes with him and enjoyed seeing his new found enthusiasm for something that for as far back as I can remember has always been a part of my life. Made me promise myself never to take it for granted, and to quietly thank my dad who so many years ago gave me my first fly rod. I showed him how to staighten his new line and leader and told him not to drop the rod so far down behind him on the back cast. There was a lot more to tell him but if he sticks to it he'll figure it out, like we all did. Fly fishing is not so much about mastering technique as it is about melding with the hatch, the trout and the river, at least that's what it's about for me. Hope I see him again.
Tight lines.
