Rocks And Rolls

125 YEAR TRADITION

Defining A Tradition

a 'modern' revolution

WALLPAPER:  FEATHER DUSTER

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.. 3/4 of a century may seem short to some and long to others. The modern dry fly movement is just turning 125 years old, (short to some - long to others.) It is, in the modern mind, the "TRADITIONAL" way to fly fish.

CLASSIC LEADWING COACHMAN

.. Prior to the adoption of floating flies, (for centuries and even millennia,) the traditional and, accepted way was to fish with a sub surface fly.
.. As with all flies and with all tiers the flies evolved and became standardized as the classic wet fly.

CLARET AND GOLD WASP

.. These classic flies, (salmon size or trout size,) have a simple body, sparse hackle, and an erect wing, (like the dorsal fin of a grayling.)
.. Almost immediately after the standardizing of this morphology variation crept into the recipes.

SCARLET IBIS

.. Soon the shorthand vernacular of fly fishing took over and called everything that was sunken a wet fly.
.. About the time of fly standardization came the interest in sub surface trout food.
.. Patterns began to be imitative of what was found in the belly's of trout and what lived under rocks.

FROM A TROUT'S BELLY

.. Nymph patterns became popular. These proliferated as information and imagination took hold.
.. Some of these patterns were highly imitative and others were extraordinarily impressionistic.
.. About the time that the subsurface tradition had evolved into the accepted, and standardized way to take a trout, along came the floating fly techniques. At first it was just any fly on the surface of the water. 

QUILL BODY CATSKILL DRY FLY

.. Again, information and, innovation and, imagination  served to contribute to the patterns of floating flies.
.. The modern dry fly is now considered traditional and classic.
.. The art of the dry fly has become a bit of voodoo hocus pocus in the modern fly fishing fraternity. It is the 'holy grail' for many fishers.
.. That's a whole different story.

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PRINCE NYMPH

.. Recently there has been an interesting resurgence in fishing sunken flies.
.. The wet fly and, particularly the nymph, is gaining in popularity: for many reasons, we suppose.
.. Properly fished the nymph will catch more fish than any other sort of fly. There is also a mystery about the 'take' of a nymph. Is it the bottom? Is it a fish? 

BOB'S ROCK WORM

.. Without the advantage of seeing the take there is much finesse, technique and, luck involved in galling a fish with a subsurface fly.
.. Happily, fish will gobble the flies with amazing gusto and regularity, (and spit them out rapidly as well.)
.. There are only a few tips that need be elucidated to ensure that success is achieved in nymph, (or other subsurface,)  fly fishing.

CASUAL DRESS

.. First off it is important to look under rocks. That's where the year round food supply is.
.. Big ones, little ones, cased ones, wiggly ones, crawly ones, and even fixated ones all can be found there. Pick something from your box that is close to what you find.

BLOND FEATHER DUSTER

.. Be sure that your fly line is exceedingly clean and well dressed. It must float high, be easily mended, highly visible,  and of the proper taper to deliver the nymph. Long casts are not necessary; most of the time.

.. Drift is very important. Weight should seldom be used. Line mending is a nearly lost art. The roll cast and water load are nearly forgotten - even with the currently popularity of Spey Techniques.

THE PENGUIN

..  There is really nothing to it. Unlike with a surface fly; techniques for fishing a subsurface fly can be mastered in a long day
.. Bobbers, (strike indicators for the effete,) are not really necessary - even though they can help. Double bobbers are even used. Yarn is nice. Foam works but is environmentally insensitive.

LARGE STONEFLY NYMPH

.. During the last year or eighteen months - or so - buzz in town and in the dark corners of pubs has been heard using subsurface vernacular in animated conversations.
.. Most of our neighbors are accomplished sub surface fishers. Most visitors are either preconditioned to or, sucked in to, floating fly fishing by local counter help. Missing lots of fish on the surface makes it seem hard to catch trout.
.. For some "hard" is the challenge. So be it.

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.. About a year ago Tom Rosenbauer, (from Orvis,) bucked the trending 'Great Spey Revolution' and produced a very informative video about nymph and wet fly fishing. If you would like to catch fish all day long it is well worth your time to view it.

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.. It's another sunny day and, as they say around here: "We're down to dirt." There are still piles of snow in the corners and lining the streets. Some are 10' tall.

STIMULATOR WITH HAIRCUT

.. The kids are back on their skateboards. We anticipate about five or six days of 50°F temperatures. There may be some drizzle too - the melt will soon be in the creeks and rivers - the color cometh!
.. We have just enough time for a brief nap and then some wandering along the muddy shores of Notellum Creek.

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WALLPAPER:  PHEASANT BACK FEATHERS