On Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:11:10 -0700 (PDT), Padishar Creel
wrote:

As my old eyes fade, I am always looking for easy ways to tie my fly
on while stumbling along the stream. I just learned about the Moffitt
Fly System. Anybody tried this and if so what did you think?

Chris, this is a variation of the bead system used in Alaska. Years
ago, fly fishers in Alaska used egg patterns when fishing for big
rainbows that were feeding on the salmon spawn. The eggs worked
really well, however, they created one little problem: the mortality
rate was very high because most of the rainbows would take the egg
pattern and swallow it in their feeding frenzy. Removing it or
leaving it in killed a lot of fish.

A guide dreamed up the bead method. You slip a colored glass bead
onto the end of your leader (represents the egg/spawn and can be
colored with finger nail polish to match whatever salmon pattern you
are targeting). You then tie a short piece of tippet to you leader
(double surgeon's knot is fine), slide the bead down to the knot and
hold it there by placing a tooth pick in the bead (and breaking off
the tooth pick's end). You then tie a hook onto the other end (four
to five inches) of the tippet.

You see the take when the rainbow hits the bead, set the hook which
pulls the bead out of the fish's mouth and brings the hook into the
mouth. Voila! Big rainbow on an egg pattern with the hook in its
upper jaw.

When I used this method in Alaska, the fish was usually hooked in the
upper jaw on either the inside or outside. This is the best place to
hook a trout because the upper jaw is the strongest and less harm is
done to the fish. We didn't use circle hooks, but straight size 12
dry fly hooks without barbs. I doubt any of us killed a fish.

The tool to remove the hook is nothing more than a gimmick and when
poking around with such could cause damage to the fish's mouth or
gills. Simply release the fish the "old fashioned" way.

You had better check your area's regulations concerning this set-up,
because it could be construed as snagging the fish. You could "beat
the rap" by tying on a real nymph instead of a hook. That is what I
did one morning while fishing the sucker spawn on the Rapid River.

If you use this method I imagine your fly selection from Moffit is
going to be rather limited. I've had my most successful season in 21
years this year on the Rapid and I've been using soft hackle nymphs
size 18 to 22 and I *know* Moffit doesn't have them. d;o)

Dave