Winter tying inspiration.
Photo by Josh Almond.
Intro by Josh Almond
Welcome to the weekly newsletter and the first day of February! We're slowly working our way towards spring although we have to wait an extra day this go-round thanks to it being a leap year. We've had a mild winter so far but that doesn't change the fact that January seems to drag a bit and make us all yearn for sunny spring days. From the looks of the forecast, February is going to start with some snow. We'll accept it, as we know it's needed but that's still not changing the fact we're all looking forward to some spring dry fly days.
A few weeks ago I made mention of some big saltwater flies that Patrick Daigle brought in and how sparsely tied they were. The benefits of sparsely tied flies also extends into our freshwater flies as well. We most commonly see it with nymphs, some of the most popular flies we sell in the shop are perdigon or bullet style flies. These slender bodied flies are popular because they sink quickly without the addition of a lot of unnecessary weight. This ensures they end up in the strike zone quickly and efficiently. They aren't exactly the most accurate imitation of any specific bug but they are close enough to pique the interest of hungry trout.
The same principle of less is more can also be applied to our dry flies. With the exception of our stoneflies and terrestrials, a lot of the adult bugs we try and imitate have rather slender bodies. It is very easy to overdub a dry fly and make them too bulky. In my opinion just enough dubbing to cover the thread is all that's needed to create a solid counterfeit. If you're a tyer who appreciates a tapered body try creating the taper with a few thoughtful thread wraps versus adding more dubbing. I think you'll find your flies not only float better but end up more durable as well.
As far as streamers go I'll try and keep this short and sweet as I could write an entire months worth of newsletters with my thoughts on streamer flies. Due to using larger hooks, we seem to want to pack on as much material as the shank allows. It's common to see on both freshwater and saltwater patterns. If you've ever tied a streamer and thought it looked like a dead stick in the water try revisiting that pattern, but more sparsely tied. When water has the ability to flow through and around our material selection it's amazing how much life a large fly can display.
As always give us a call at the shop, swing in or shoot us an email if you have any questions!
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