David LaCourse wrote:

Yeah, it's called "match the hatch".

I am not "matching the hatch". I am matching the "drift".
Whole different mind set. I match what floats by their
nose, which is what is normally growing in the and
not going through some kind of metamorphosis.

Of course they are not going
to take a size 22 hopper or Madam X (if such a lure could be tied). No
argument there. I am speaking of consistently taking trout, big trout,
on very small ties. When I switched from 12, 14, 16 nymphs to 18 - 24,
my catch improved. Our friend Bruiser got me started with very tiny
nmphs when he gave me a fly he named in my honor, The Pirate. An easy
tie - just thread, but the size of he hook - 22- is the key. He gave me
an entire box of very small ties and when I used them on the Rapid, I
was astounded at their success. Over the years I have experimented with
soft hackle on very small nymphs and that has improved my connections.

I've been using Harry's Killer Caddis dry. I have it in size 12 - 16,
and have a friend who ties it in size 18 (the body material comes from
(I think) Harrop. Anyhooo, I have noticed a big difference between
large and small hooks in this tie. There is, of course, that long
argument about color and size. I think size is more important.

Awesome feedback. Thank you!


In my experience trout usually feed opportunistically and erratically,
but often enough they're keyed into a rhythmic feeding pattern on a
small but numerous bug, whether a dry or a nymph. Sometimes, on a
fertile stream, there will be multiple simultaneous "hatches" but the
trout are focused exclusively on one bug -- I think because they have
a energy-conserving, rhythmic feeding pattern. In that situation you'd
better have the right fly and the right presentation.

I agree. They are very opportunistic, especially on the Rapid. That is
why I said that when I give them a fly they have never seen, they go
crazy for it. Something as simple as a head with orange thread rather
than the normal brown is enough to make them key on that fly. This
river is also famous for its streamer fishing, and just the opposite is
true. If you fish streamers, the bigger the better. A size 2, 10X, is
the norm. I believe that Carrie Stevens discovered this on these waters
many years ago.

Speaking of the "drift", we have these three inch Stones in my river.
Black in the water and dark red in the air. Look like a huge flying
red ant in the air. Scare the hell out of you when they land on
the back of your neck. Anyway, the argument among the "hatchers"
at the fly shop was that they should match the full size three
inch adult. So they tied me a stone with a #6 hook. The trout
attached them from the side like a they would a minnow. Lots of
action, no hook ups. As I am the only "drifter", I finally
convinced them that it took these stones three years to grow to
that size. So, finally got my #12's. And, I have caught zillions of
fish on them. The idea was to match what is living in the
water on a day by day basis, not what is hatching once or
twice a year.

A tip from a "drifter": do not forget the white nymph.
Nymphs shuck their exoskeletons several times a year as
they grow. Until they readjust, they are cream colored.
If I can not get my trout to pay attention, I switch to
white or cream color. More yummy, less crunch.



I just reread what Todd and Bill were talking about and noticed
something that I omitted. They are speaking of stocked trout, while my
experience is the same as yours, wild trout (sorry T-bone). I rarely
fish for stockies, but when I do, the more traditional sizes work best.
A number of years ago I showed a bait fisherman how to quickly take his
limit. I gathered a handful of small pepples (pellets) and threw them
in the water. I told the guy to cast him worm into the middle of the
pepple pattern. He did and immediately caught a 12 inch rainbow.
Surprise, surprise. The hatchery fish were used to being fed with
pellets thrown (like my pepples). I erred in showing this to this guy
because the next time I fished this water (White's Pond in Concord, MA),
two bait fishermen were doing the pepple trick. I didn't tell the first
guy that it works only after the stocking truck has deposited its cargo.

Dave

My section of river only gets stocked once a year. Twice if they have
too many trout at the hatchery. They call it a gift. The stockers
only last about three weeks. So, most of the time I have the river
all to my self and I play with the remaining wild trout. The wild ones
are easy to tell apart by their fins, colors, and attitude.

-T