11-10-2007, 01:04 PM
[size 1][black][size 2]"So, was your choice of flies here mostly experimentation, or choice based on conditions? Also, I like that California Coachman. Do you prefer it to the royal?"[/size][/black][/size]
[size 1][/size]
[#0000ff]Glad you appreciate my inclusion of the fly pics. I know I always like to see stuff like that in reports. Names alone do not always get the job done.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have tied flies since about age 7...over 55 years. It has probably been almost that long since I have fished any "standard" pattern...other than a renegade. Hard to improve on the original. Almost all of the flies I tie and use are my own variations and hybrids...like my "coachagade"...a hybrid between a royal/california coachman and a renegade. Tough to tie but double deadly. Sorry, no pics, but will shoot and post some if you want.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I always carry about 4 kinds of "coachmen"...the old all dark (ostrich) with white hair wings or tail and a ginger or rust front hackle...the "royal", with bright red...the "California", with hot orange (light or dark)...and the "Utah", with chartreuse. At least one of them...in some size...will catch trout almost anywhere. Steelhead and salmon too. And, tons of bluegills.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]While the hot red royal version is a tradional attractor pattern everywhere, not as many fly flingers are familiar with the California version. I have found that in most cases, the hot orange seems to be more effective than the bright red. Lately it has been kicking bootie for me at Jordanelle, and also caught my only rainbow at Yuba last week. The tigers at Huntington have always responded to flies and lures with a bit of orange in them, so the California coachman is usually effective.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The combination of chartreuse and black is widely recognized as being one of the best two colors for many species. Using a black chenille body and a "shellback" of chartreuse "sparkle braid"...with a tail of mixed black and chartreuse Krystal Flash...produces a highly visible fly that has a lot of trigger factors. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I did not get a good pic of the red butt Hilton. But, you can see it fairly well in the one pic. I tie it on a size 6 red Eagle Claw laser sharp streamer hook. It is the standard silver Hilton tie...with black sparkle chenille body, grizzly hackle wings and grizzly hackle front. Instead of using mallard flank feathers for the "traditional" tie, I use about a dozen strands of red Krystal Flash or a bit of red quill feather. A couple of dyed red hackle tippets work well too. The combo of black and red is also a proven trout taker. Works for me.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]My choice of flies, on any given day...at any given time...is based upon a combination of experience and observation. It helps to know the water and the species, and the annual changes in the habitat and feeding patterns. I am happy to say that most of the time I guess right and I am rewarded with a bent stick and stretched string. But, like all anglers, the fish sometimes humble me again. That's when I start changing up...using different colors, sizes and presentations. Prozac helps too.[/#0000ff]
[signature]
[size 1][/size]
[#0000ff]Glad you appreciate my inclusion of the fly pics. I know I always like to see stuff like that in reports. Names alone do not always get the job done.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have tied flies since about age 7...over 55 years. It has probably been almost that long since I have fished any "standard" pattern...other than a renegade. Hard to improve on the original. Almost all of the flies I tie and use are my own variations and hybrids...like my "coachagade"...a hybrid between a royal/california coachman and a renegade. Tough to tie but double deadly. Sorry, no pics, but will shoot and post some if you want.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I always carry about 4 kinds of "coachmen"...the old all dark (ostrich) with white hair wings or tail and a ginger or rust front hackle...the "royal", with bright red...the "California", with hot orange (light or dark)...and the "Utah", with chartreuse. At least one of them...in some size...will catch trout almost anywhere. Steelhead and salmon too. And, tons of bluegills.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]While the hot red royal version is a tradional attractor pattern everywhere, not as many fly flingers are familiar with the California version. I have found that in most cases, the hot orange seems to be more effective than the bright red. Lately it has been kicking bootie for me at Jordanelle, and also caught my only rainbow at Yuba last week. The tigers at Huntington have always responded to flies and lures with a bit of orange in them, so the California coachman is usually effective.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The combination of chartreuse and black is widely recognized as being one of the best two colors for many species. Using a black chenille body and a "shellback" of chartreuse "sparkle braid"...with a tail of mixed black and chartreuse Krystal Flash...produces a highly visible fly that has a lot of trigger factors. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I did not get a good pic of the red butt Hilton. But, you can see it fairly well in the one pic. I tie it on a size 6 red Eagle Claw laser sharp streamer hook. It is the standard silver Hilton tie...with black sparkle chenille body, grizzly hackle wings and grizzly hackle front. Instead of using mallard flank feathers for the "traditional" tie, I use about a dozen strands of red Krystal Flash or a bit of red quill feather. A couple of dyed red hackle tippets work well too. The combo of black and red is also a proven trout taker. Works for me.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]My choice of flies, on any given day...at any given time...is based upon a combination of experience and observation. It helps to know the water and the species, and the annual changes in the habitat and feeding patterns. I am happy to say that most of the time I guess right and I am rewarded with a bent stick and stretched string. But, like all anglers, the fish sometimes humble me again. That's when I start changing up...using different colors, sizes and presentations. Prozac helps too.[/#0000ff]
[signature]