Post by daves on Jun 29, 2013 8:18:08 GMT
One of my favourite flies for small streams, where the trout are opportunistic feeders, is a foam, black beetle (Le Scarab Noire). Its name comes as a result of a French angler who insisted on telling all & sundry that I'd caught several fish in a pool (on an Austrian pocket-water stream) where he'd just blanked because of this 'magic' fly. The reason was, intact, drag-free drifts; however it is a very effective pattern with just the right triggers & the plop it makes on landing really attracts the fish. Last week on the Tenkara syndicate waters I had fish charge 12' across a pool to grab it!
Last September Steve Donohue, Don Stazicker & Stu Crofts were taking the p**s out of me about Le Scarab (since we'd met the Frenchman again in our hotel & he'd instantly come over to greet me). However they were less inclined to p**s take when I started catching on the fly in question & particularly when the Brook Trout came up for it in a blizzard on the Krimmler Ache (over 500 feet up in the mountains).
The tying is simple:
Hook: Size 16 to 12 Fine wire dry fly
Thread: Black 8/0
Body: Peacock Ice Dub
Back: 2mm thick black sealed cell foam foam strip 5 to 6mm wide
Legs: Black Flexifloss or Peacock herl (4 or 6)
Sighter: Pink poly yarn
Head: A stubb of the black foam
It helps to angle the legs slightly up to ensure the correct aerodynamics, thus ensuring the fly lands sighter upwards all the time.
Last September Steve Donohue, Don Stazicker & Stu Crofts were taking the p**s out of me about Le Scarab (since we'd met the Frenchman again in our hotel & he'd instantly come over to greet me). However they were less inclined to p**s take when I started catching on the fly in question & particularly when the Brook Trout came up for it in a blizzard on the Krimmler Ache (over 500 feet up in the mountains).
The tying is simple:
Hook: Size 16 to 12 Fine wire dry fly
Thread: Black 8/0
Body: Peacock Ice Dub
Back: 2mm thick black sealed cell foam foam strip 5 to 6mm wide
Legs: Black Flexifloss or Peacock herl (4 or 6)
Sighter: Pink poly yarn
Head: A stubb of the black foam
It helps to angle the legs slightly up to ensure the correct aerodynamics, thus ensuring the fly lands sighter upwards all the time.