I just have to share.
pictured below is the classic and very old and (mostly) forgotten
wet-fly pattern named : Picket Pin
So far this Spring,
I've been out trout fishing 4 times.
And not counting my strike-out down in Coburn, PA at McFarland's gathering,
I've caught ~14 fish (mostly Browns, 4 Rainbow, and a Brook Trout)
All but one of these fish were taken on this pattern.
I fish my wet flies in a "Catskill Strap" rig,
which is 3 flies staggered on the leader about 15"-18" apart,
the upper two suspended on ~5" tags or droppers.
So it's not like the fish I caught were just hungry,
and my fly just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
They had the ability to select the fly they would take.
(I usually keep the Picket Pin as the middle of the 3)
The other 2 flies in my rig have varied greatly:
BWO(wet)
Quill Gordon (wet)
Greene Caddis (wet)
Green Caddis pupae (bead head)
Pheasant Tail nymph
etc.
But the fish took the Picket Pin time and time again.
I think it's because it makes for a reasonable little black stone imitation,
and they are hatching (along with other bugs) at the moment.
And aside from imitating a natural, it's just so freekin' buggy lookin', ain't it?
Anyway,
here's the pattern recipe.
Tie a few up and draw your own conclusions:
hook: #10-#12 2x heavy, 1x long
thread: 6/0 Black
tail: brown hackle
body: Peacock herl w/ brown hackle (palmered)
ribbing: medium gold wire (counter-wrapped)
wing: Squirrel Tail (white tips)
head: Peacock herl
fish it on the down-and-across swing,
where a good riffle tail-out dumps into a deep pool.
pictured below is the classic and very old and (mostly) forgotten
wet-fly pattern named : Picket Pin
So far this Spring,
I've been out trout fishing 4 times.
And not counting my strike-out down in Coburn, PA at McFarland's gathering,
I've caught ~14 fish (mostly Browns, 4 Rainbow, and a Brook Trout)
All but one of these fish were taken on this pattern.
I fish my wet flies in a "Catskill Strap" rig,
which is 3 flies staggered on the leader about 15"-18" apart,
the upper two suspended on ~5" tags or droppers.
So it's not like the fish I caught were just hungry,
and my fly just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
They had the ability to select the fly they would take.
(I usually keep the Picket Pin as the middle of the 3)
The other 2 flies in my rig have varied greatly:
BWO(wet)
Quill Gordon (wet)
Greene Caddis (wet)
Green Caddis pupae (bead head)
Pheasant Tail nymph
etc.
But the fish took the Picket Pin time and time again.
I think it's because it makes for a reasonable little black stone imitation,
and they are hatching (along with other bugs) at the moment.
And aside from imitating a natural, it's just so freekin' buggy lookin', ain't it?
Anyway,
here's the pattern recipe.
Tie a few up and draw your own conclusions:
hook: #10-#12 2x heavy, 1x long
thread: 6/0 Black
tail: brown hackle
body: Peacock herl w/ brown hackle (palmered)
ribbing: medium gold wire (counter-wrapped)
wing: Squirrel Tail (white tips)
head: Peacock herl
fish it on the down-and-across swing,
where a good riffle tail-out dumps into a deep pool.
