TR: match the hatch - NOT
 

I had the chance to get out on a local tailwater yesterday evening for a few
hours. The hatch coming off was a small (#20-22) black midge, so I decided I
should match it. Trout seemed to be rising and, as any elitist knows, you have
to match the hatch. In the first hour, I got a few refusals and then got bored.
Searching my fly box, I came across a pattern I tied for a swap last year called
Trout Candy. The fly is tied on a #16 dry hook, has a dun-colored dubbed body,
with grizzly palmered hackle and mallard flank tail and back. Since this was
about the furthest thing from what was hatching (and being the contrarian I am),
I gave it a go. I soaked the fly first so it would ride just under the surface.
First cast had a nice rainbow on - not really big, but every bit of 14 inches.
Then it picked up four or five 6-10 inch brookies before landing another few
mid-sized rainbows. In most every case, the fish took the fly at the very end of
the drift as I just started to slowly strip in the line.

This experience made me wonder how many fish I have missed because I picked up
the line to cast before the end of the drift. Typically, when fishing emergers
or something like this fly as an emerger, the typical thought is that when the
drag-free drift is done, the fish will be suspect of the fly. For some reason,
this drag-drift tactic worked well yesterday, so I'm not complaining and will
try to remember the lesson.
--
TL,
Tim
http://css.sbcma.com/timj