Tying the Foamulator

I decided to post my version of the Foamulator dry fly.  This pattern is very heavy on materials and not a quick tie but I love its buggy and unsinkable characteristics.  I like using it on hopper dropper rigs, for a golden stonefly imitation and it makes for a great attractor pattern. 

Tying an Ausable Bomber

This is my first attempt at a fly tying film.  I decided to start out with a quick, easy and effective Adirondack dry fly pattern the Ausable bomber.  

Winter fly fishing in the Adirondacks

Got one!

 It has been an unusual winter here in the northeast.  I have never seen a winter in the Adirondacks with so little snow. I haven't had to plow my driveway a single time and only shoveled my porch once!  The warmer temperatures have helped save on fuel and firewood consumption, but seem strange in northern New York.  Lake Champlain is almost entirely free of ice and spring is just around the corner.  Will this be the year winter never comes?   I have been able to fly fish and catch trout or salmon every month this "winter" without leaving the Adirondacks!  I haven't done much land-locked salmon fishing in the middle of February, but the last few times I have gone out we were able to locate some fish in the rivers. Here are a few pictures of our past two outings:

This salmon was hiding just under the ice

This one took an unweighted White Zoo Cougar

This guy was fooled by a Governor Aiken streamer and was quickly released after I snapped this picture

Tom Conway 

This land-locked salmon put up a good fight; look at the size of that tail fin.

Streamers

I have been adding some streamers to my online shop.  I am gonna start with my favorites Matukas, Zonkers, Mickey Finns and a cool Zoo Cougar variation that I have had a ton of luck with on the Adirondack rivers.  Its pretty much a regular Cougar except I use a bead head and a few different materials.  Take a look!

Grey Matuka

Bead head Cougar

As always I love doing custom flies for whatever fishing situation you might find yourself encountering just send me an email and I will get in touch.

Peacock for dry flies and nymphs

Every fly tier and most fly fishermen know about the supposed fish-attracting powers of peacock herl.  Off hand I can think of about a dozen flies that use this remarkable natural material.  Here are two examples: one dry and one wet.  Both of these patterns are pretty old; the Picket Pin originated in Montana around 1919 and the House and Lot first showed up in the late 1950's.

Picket Pin

H and L variant a.k.a. House and Lot
 featuring stripped peacock body and a peacock herl thorax

Fall in the Adirondacks

As the seasons change so do our fishing opportunities and tactics.  Fishing streamers slow and deep and weighted nymphs have produced the most action over the past couple of weeks.   I have enticed a few good trout on big dries, blue winged olives, and have witnessed trout selectively feeding on tiny size #22-#26 rusty spinners.  We have had more than our fair share of rainy weather and off-colored water this fall.  My most productive nymph has been a rubber legged prince tied with a silver bead head.  Fall is not the season for epic hatches or consistent dry fly action, but for many folks it's the greatest time to be on the water.  The crisp days, dramatic fall colors, hungry fish, and the impending snow seem to add extra intensity to every outing.

 Rubber leg prince nymphs ready for action

Tom Conway caught this one on a rubber legged prince

another one on a rubber leg

Hopper

The Salmon are starting to show up in the Lake Champlain tributaries; I caught this nice fish on October 2nd using a grey matuka.

I am going to be offering special deals on flies via the Ruff Waters Fly Fishing Facebook page click on the like button to your right so you can take advantage.

New Caddis Dry Fly

After field testing my new foam caddis dry fly I am very impressed with its durability and its ability to skitter up and across swift current.  My fly tying room is filled with creations that I will probably never tie again; they either aren't an improvement on a current fly I already offer to my customers or I haven't personally caught enough trout on them to feel confident putting then in my online shop.  This caddis exceeded my expectations, so I quickly tied a couple dozen to share with my friends and clients and to sell at the local fly shop.  Everyone that has used the fly has been satisfied and they like its ability to get tumbled by whitewater and then pop back up to the surface!