Saturday, May 12, 2012

It's Sulphur Season!

Hi folks, sorry for the interruption the last couple of weeks.  Had to heal from the accident - I know I posted about it, but removed them on the advice of my advisor.  Feeling much better, thanks, still have a way to go, but at least I can fish and tie.

Anyway, got out the other day and the sulphurs, both big and small - E. invaria and dorothea - were on the water and the trout had their noses up to them.  With the warm weekend here, the hatch should just get better, so get out if you can and enjoy it. 

We just completed a video with Tightline Productions on how to tie my sulphur emerger/cripple, which works wonders when the trout get fussy, especially on spring creek type waters.  We'll post it as soon as Tim has done his magic editing to it.  Here's a photo of the culprit.  I know it looks like a tough tie, but it is not really, and it works great. We had an article on this fly and other caribou hair dries in Flyfishermen magazine a few years back, and of course, it is in my book - Fly Fishing New Jersey Trout Streams.


Recipe
Thread: 3/0 yellow and 6/0 olive danville (naturally)
Shuck: Mayfly brown Zelon
Abdomen: Yellow 3/0 danville
Rib: 60 brown thread touch-dubbed with clipped brown Australian opossum
Thorax: Yellow natural fur dubbing - here I use rabbit
Wing: Caribou hair

Remember, with the sulphurs, you can fish the "hatch" all day, starting with the nymph.  The nymphs are very active before they hatch, and a well fished pheasant tail nymph, or soft-hackle emerger, during the day into late afternoon should take their share of fish feeding on the naturals.  If you watch the water column, you will see trout flashing and feeding below the surface on the nymphs.  Toss your imitation above these actively feeding fish and drift it through the middle of the water column.  If the fish don't take the drifting fly, you can try to induce a take by lifting the fly slowly when it gets to the target area.

Once you see trout feeding at or just below the surface, tie on an emerger pattern and fish it in the film targeting the bulges and rings the feeding fish make.  Once the trout switch to the adults - look for noses breaking the surface - tie on your favorite dry and go to town.  As dusk arrives and your dun starts getting refusals, switch to a spinner, and you should take fish right into darkness.

Texting and driving is worse than baitfishing! 

1 comment:

Brk Trt said...

That's a wonderful fly.
I know it's a sulphur, but on a small stream it could be taken for several other insects.
Well done.