Deer hair skaters.

Hello all I've been hanging round reading but this is my second post.



Deer hair skaters



I remember seeing these in a Lee Wolfe book I was browsing one time I been
working on them they fish fine.

Anyone ever fished skaters they are usually made with over sized stiff
hackle but its hard to get any more because the hackle now days are very
good but smaller sized.



You could really get a rainbow interested you skate and dance it across the
surface. It's effective at times.





Link to flies

http://www.savepic.com/freepictureho...loneskater.jpg



http://www.savepic.com/freepictureho...mg=skater1.jpg

"G. J. Z." wrote in message
news:_bOJg.2025$Xw6.1005@trndny02...
Hello all I've been hanging round reading but this is my second post.

Deer hair skaters

I remember seeing these in a Lee Wolfe book I was browsing one time I been
working on them they fish fine.

Anyone ever fished skaters they are usually made with over sized stiff
hackle but its hard to get any more because the hackle now days are very
good but smaller sized.

You could really get a rainbow interested you skate and dance it across
the surface. It's effective at times.

Link to flies

http://www.savepic.com/freepictureho...loneskater.jpg

http://www.savepic.com/freepictureho...mg=skater1.jpg


Interesting flies, but those weren't what I was expecting. A very common fly
in the Scandhoovian regions is a "Skating Caddis", something which as of
yet, seems rare in the shops I have looked into. The folks at LLBeans had
never even heard of it, yet it was the most productive fly at both Lapland
Claves I attended. I still use it as my 'secret weapon' when I fish in New
England because I'm quite sure the fish have never seen one before.

http://www.fish4flies.com/Dry/Sedge/..._Black.Gallery

--riverman

riverman wrote:

Interesting flies, but those weren't what I was expecting. A very common fly
in the Scandhoovian regions is a "Skating Caddis", something which as of
yet, seems rare in the shops I have looked into. The folks at LLBeans had
never even heard of it, yet it was the most productive fly at both Lapland
Claves I attended. I still use it as my 'secret weapon' when I fish in New
England because I'm quite sure the fish have never seen one before.

http://www.fish4flies.com/Dry/Sedge/..._Black.Gallery

--riverman


For anyone interested in the tying instructions for this "secret weapon".....

http://www.rackelhanen.se/eng/10235.htm

It is a good fly.

/Vaughan

"Vaughan Hurry" wrote in message
...
For anyone interested in the tying instructions for this "secret
weapon".....

http://www.rackelhanen.se/eng/10235.htm

It is a good fly.

/Vaughan

Interesting that G.J.Z, Myron and you are all talking about deer hair
skaters and provide illustrations that show three entirely different flies.
The first thing that popped into my mind on seeing yours was "muddler." If
memory serves, there are references to using a muddler as a dry fly in the
literature. I've tried it myself with small ones but without notable
success. As a matter of fact, I've never had much luck with muddlers at
all, regardless of how, when or where I've used them.....despite glowing
reports from many others. Go figure.

Wolfgang

Wolfgang wrote:

Interesting that G.J.Z, Myron and you are all talking about deer hair
skaters and provide illustrations that show three entirely different flies.
The first thing that popped into my mind on seeing yours was "muddler." If
memory serves, there are references to using a muddler as a dry fly in the
literature. I've tried it myself with small ones but without notable
success. As a matter of fact, I've never had much luck with muddlers at
all, regardless of how, when or where I've used them.....despite glowing
reports from many others. Go figure.


I have done well fishing for LM Bass with Muddlers, but I don't remember
catching any trout with them. Perhaps because there are other go to
patterns that get down faster.

Regarding the deer hair caddis. One of my favorite flies for fishing
turbulent mountain streams is the Goddard Caddis, aka G&H Sedge. It
seems to be an irresistible temptation for less educated mountain trout,
but is probably laughed at on waters that see more pressure. Vaughan's
link resembles that pattern and it definitely could be used for skating.

Crane flies seem to be the only other dry pattern I can think of that
actually needs some action. A tactic for lake fishing in the UK is to
tie on a "Daddy Long Legs" and strip it in fast. I also was shown a
similar tactic on the Beaverhead, MT, chucking a big Crane fly to the
bank and lifting the rod to the vertical to impart the action. The guide
counted over 100 fish that moved to that pattern that day.

Gary

GM wrote:
Wolfgang wrote:

Interesting that G.J.Z, Myron and you are all talking about deer hair
skaters and provide illustrations that show three entirely different
flies. The first thing that popped into my mind on seeing yours was
"muddler." If memory serves, there are references to using a muddler
as a dry fly in the literature. I've tried it myself with small ones
but without notable success. As a matter of fact, I've never had much
luck with muddlers at all, regardless of how, when or where I've used
them.....despite glowing reports from many others. Go figure.


I have done well fishing for LM Bass with Muddlers, but I don't remember
catching any trout with them. Perhaps because there are other go to
patterns that get down faster.

Regarding the deer hair caddis. One of my favorite flies for fishing
turbulent mountain streams is the Goddard Caddis, aka G&H Sedge. It
seems to be an irresistible temptation for less educated mountain trout,
but is probably laughed at on waters that see more pressure. Vaughan's
link resembles that pattern and it definitely could be used for skating.

Crane flies seem to be the only other dry pattern I can think of that
actually needs some action. A tactic for lake fishing in the UK is to
tie on a "Daddy Long Legs" and strip it in fast. I also was shown a
similar tactic on the Beaverhead, MT, chucking a big Crane fly to the
bank and lifting the rod to the vertical to impart the action. The guide
counted over 100 fish that moved to that pattern that day.

Gary



FWIW, I saw the version Myron posted and the one I posted a link to as variations on a theme and as
the streaking caddis is the common variant in these parts I assumed it was the pattern Myron had
acquired while here - but perhaps I was wrong. Either way, I agree with the suggestion that it has a
lot of muddler genes in its ancestry, and I have on many occasions used a greased muddler as a night
surface fly for trout and grayling, with good results. The streaking caddis is also perhaps fished
more as late evening fly but also brings up good fish during the daytime in summer, even on sunny
days. Perhaps our fish are not so edumacated but it would surprise me if these large, actively
fished flies would not work for trout anywhere there were big caddis about.

/Vaughan

GM typed:
snip
Regarding the deer hair caddis. One of my favorite flies for fishing
turbulent mountain streams is the Goddard Caddis, aka G&H Sedge. It
seems to be an irresistible temptation for less educated mountain
trout,

.. . . a fond memory is you and I making little trouties shoot for the sky
while skating the caddis flies in the riffles of that feeder stream to the
Batten Kill. Much fun.
--
TL,
Tim
-------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

Interesting that G.J.Z, Myron and you are all talking about deer hair
skaters and provide illustrations that show three entirely different
flies. The first thing that popped into my mind on seeing yours was
"muddler." If memory serves, there are references to using a muddler as a
dry fly in the literature. I've tried it myself with small ones but
without notable success. As a matter of fact, I've never had much luck
with muddlers at all, regardless of how, when or where I've used
them.....despite glowing reports from many others. Go figure.

Wolfgang


My first catches of Arctic Lake Trout on the Arolik Lake in Alaska were on
the muddler after trying six different surface and subsurface patterns
without success. I switched over to my 8wt which had the sinking line, tied
on the muddler, let it go deep and gave it a few short twitches as I
retrieved very slowly. That was the first time I ever caught anything on a
muddler pattern. What's funny, it was the last pattern I purchased for
Alaska. I've heard of fly fisherman working the muddler on the surface,
something I would love to try someday.
fwiw,
-tom

On Fri, 1 Sep 2006 07:44:50 -0500, "Wolfgang"
wrote:
If memory serves, there are references to using a muddler as a dry fly in the
literature.

I've had some luck fishing a muddler dry. One day on Spring Creek a
nice fish was sipping something too small for me to see, although it
was only about 15 feet away.

Since I couldn't imitate it, I tried a #12 muddler. The 15-inch trout
took it on the first cast.

Try that sometime.

vince

"vincent p. norris" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 1 Sep 2006 07:44:50 -0500, "Wolfgang"
wrote:
If memory serves, there are references to using a muddler as a dry fly
in the
literature.

I've had some luck fishing a muddler dry. One day on Spring Creek a
nice fish was sipping something too small for me to see, although it
was only about 15 feet away.

Since I couldn't imitate it, I tried a #12 muddler. The 15-inch trout
took it on the first cast.

Try that sometime.

vince

Don't overlook taking Muddlers and fishing them dry when you go warm-water
fishing. In sizes 6-12 at dusk, I've floated them around brush and
stick-ups in ponds and caught some explosive strikes from bass up to 5
pounds and Warmouth well over a pound. My best guess is they are mistaken
for fat, juicy grasshoppers or cicadas, but who really knows what the fish
is thinking?

-Doc