Missing streamer and a couple reports

[Cowboypirate]

About a month ago I lost my fly vest and the majority of my fly gear. The one thing I do miss in the vest was an old case of flies that were my dads. In particular it had a couple of what we called a " strawberry streamer" I am not sure if he tied them or bought them. They were part of some fond memories. He liked to go late in the year and fish by lantern in the dark with these streamers behind a bubble. Best I can recall they were a dark kinda bucktail design with some red or dark body and eyes. That ring a bell to anyone? I would like to buy or tie up some to replace them.


As for a couple quick reports

RP - abundant perch and smallies are available along the shorelines. My students are catching them at the docks. We have caught them at pullout on both sides. Our floating bugs, pats fligs or roadrunner jigs, pats marabou  jigs, senkos rigged wacky. Ext. Good place to get a bite. 

Whitney. Extended family has been up twice. Lots of smaller bows and tigers on powerbait. Worm and bobber. Jake's and meps. A few bigger tigers working jigs deep. Road in is close m-thur for a few weeks for construction work. You can access via gold hill or the county road through coalville but they are both rough.

Pineview is red hot for panfish but cookie is working on a video. So I will let her tell that story when she is ready

We will drop a report on the Idaho forum Thursday about a trip to Magic. 

We are burning up the fuel and sandwiches making up for a couple summers that we did not get out as much. Fun fun

[TubeDude]

As I offered in our get-together last week, if you can find a picture of the pattern I will gladly help you tie up a few.

[Mildog]

We used to sell and tie “strawberry streamers” back in the day at Anglers Inn. I’ll have to check if I have any around. My recollection was red feather tail, black chenille body with silver tinsel (barber pole style) and squirell tail on top streaming back to about end of hook shank. White eye on black head or jungle cock eye (hard to find these days)
If I can find one I’ll add a picture.
Mildog out!

[Cowboypirate]

We used to sell and tie “strawberry streamers” back in the day at Anglers Inn. I’ll have to check if I have any around. My recollection was red feather tail, black chenille body with silver tinsel (barber pole style) and squirell tail on top streaming back to about end of hook shank. White eye on black head or jungle cock eye (hard to find these days)
If I can find one I’ll add a picture.
Mildog out!

That sounds like the one. Txs

[lovetofish]

Back in the day when my parents had a cabin at Clarks Camp on Strawberry. The cafe at Clarks Camp used to sell one they called a 'Strawberry Special' it was all red. It had a red tail, red chenille body with silver wrapping from back to front and red 'dle' hackle tied on the front.

Although I don't fly fish anymore, I still tie flies on occasion when I need some. Next time I sit down to tie any I will tie a few for you.

I had to put quotes on 'dle' because it kept inserting a face. Keeps doing the same thing.

[Cowboypirate]

Back in the day when my parents had a cabin at Clarks Camp on Strawberry. The cafe at Clarks Camp used to sell one they called a 'Strawberry Special' it was all red. It had a red tail, red chenille body with silver wrapping from back to front and red 'dle' hackle tied on the front.

Although I don't fly fish anymore, I still tie flies on occasion when I need some. Next time I sit down to tie any I will tie a few for you.

I had to put quotes on 'dle' because it kept inserting a face. Keeps doing the same thing.

That would be amazing to get a hand tied fly of that type - txs. I know my dad had that one in his box too.

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As I offered in our get-together last week, if you can find a picture of the pattern I will gladly help you tie up a few.

Sound like mildog may be able to get us a photo. The way he described it is exactly as I remember

[TubeDude]

I have all the materials and I will tie up a couple of options later...and post pics.  I have the grey squirrel tail, but have also found that using a couple of grizzly hackle tips for wings also works well.  Will make both for you to look at.

Also, there are a lot of other flies and different colors that work well on Da Berry.  Purples have really become popular the past few years.  And in the fall go to long white patterns...like zonkers, buggers and even articulated (jointed) patterns.  I used to make some about six inches long for a guy who fished them behind a bubble and caught lots of over-slot cutts and big bows on them.

[TubeDude]

Okay, here's a pic of a couple of variations of the "Strawberry Fly"...as described by Mildog.  Also a pic of some "Silver Hiltons".  This is a fly pattern I discovered while living and fishing in N. California.  It is a fave steelhead pattern but works very well on many species.  Can't think of many Utah fishies I haven't caught on them...in various sizes fished various ways.  They are great on Strawberry.


Also including my writeup on "Hot Head Flies" (see attachment below).  I invented these several years ago to allow me to fish my fave bugger patterns with a large head with glitter and eyes...like I use on jigs.  Fish love 'em and they are neutral buoyancy so they fish like any other fly...and they don't create noticeable extra wind resistance on the cast.   You can fish them subsurface with a sinking line or dress them and fish them like hoppers on top.   These are great on Da Berry and other waters too...for lots of species of all sizes.  They are easy to make once you master the few basics...using hot melt glue on regular fly hooks.  I can show you how in only a few minutes.

[Mildog]

Pat ,
I remember many fine days using Silver Hiltons that you turned me on to, 40 ish years ago. Trout , crappie, bass and pelican bluegills loved them!!
The fly you tied looks like the pattern I remember , could add just a bit more squirrel tail to the wing!
But those will get em I’m sure! Remember fishing those at Strawberry at night and even deer creek behind a bubble for rainbows!!
Great job as always by the master crafter!!
Mildog out!

[TubeDude]

Pat ,
I remember many fine days using Silver Hiltons that you turned me on to, 40 ish years ago. Trout , crappie, bass and pelican bluegills loved them!!
The fly you tied looks like the pattern I remember , could add just a bit more squirrel tail to the wing!
But those will get em I’m sure! Remember fishing those at Strawberry at night and even deer creek behind a bubble for rainbows!!
Great job as always by the master crafter!!
Mildog out!

Thanks...namesake.  No problem with the squirrel tail.  I tend to like mine a bit sparser...to just create a colored back line rather than a big bushy tie.  But to each his own.  Heck, I could even put a whole squirrel on there if I could keep 'em from wiggling and chomping my fingers in the process.

Didn't remember I had shared the Hiltons with you.  But, then again, there's a lot I don't remember these days.

[Mildog]

Yes , Silver Hilton’s were a mainstay in my fly arsenal back in the ”day” after you turned me on to that pattern. Probably about 1978 geez that makes us seem old , cause we are I guess. Had some epic days on Pelican lake for those huge bluegill. I remember one day a buddy ( now lifelong friend) made our first fishing trip together float tubing at Pelican. Weather was sketchy in salt lake but we used to go no matter what back then drive through snow sleet near the Berry , weather improved as we got to Pelican we figured the weather was coming better get out quick. We jumped in our tubes and headed out to some holes in the weeds, they weren’t in the shallows just yet as it was early season. I put on sliver Hilton on fly rod he tied in black marabou jig ( Black Death in my fishing repertoire) we caught our limit of 40 slabs in 42 casts combined. Headed into shallows and beat up a few bass . Then weather started turning we called it and headed home. A day I’ll never forget! We were the only people on the lake that day.

[Cowboypirate]

Yes , Silver Hilton’s were a mainstay in my fly arsenal back in the ”day” after you turned me on to that pattern. Probably about 1978 geez that makes us seem old , cause we are I guess. Had some epic days on Pelican lake for those huge bluegill. I remember one day a buddy ( now lifelong friend) made our first fishing trip together float tubing at Pelican. Weather was sketchy in salt lake but we used to go no matter what back then drive through snow sleet near the Berry , weather improved as we got to Pelican we figured the weather was coming better get out quick. We jumped in our tubes and headed out to some holes in the weeds, they weren’t in the shallows just yet as it was early season. I put on sliver Hilton on fly rod he tied in black marabou jig ( Black Death in my fishing repertoire) we caught our limit of 40 slabs in 42 casts combined. Headed into shallows and beat up a few bass . Then weather started turning we called it and headed home. A day I’ll never forget! We were the only people on the lake that day.

My father inlaw tells of similar days on Pelican. I hear good bass fishing reports now after they removed the carp but no stories about big gills yet. Hope that part recovers over time

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Pat, I will reach out via email and see if we can arrange a visit. My fishing club is excited to try out some of the goodies you donated.

And we caught our first perch on the whirly flig yesterday. Unfortunately he was not much bigger than the flig so we spanked his butt for chasing silver bling and told him to grow a few inches and we would see him then. The roadrunners continue to catch various species.

[TubeDude]

Pelican is another of those "used to be" waters in Utah.  Lotsa BIG bluegills and healthy bass.  Here are a couple of pics from the past.  One is a pic of one of my earliest commercial model float tubes...a "Fishmaster"...and a pair of heavy rubber Voit fins.  Oh yeah, there are also some "average" Pelican Lake 'gills in the picture.  The other pic is of  him and her spawning bluegills from Pelican.  Both were about 10 inches.  I whimper a lot when I look at some of my old pics and think about the "good ol' days"...when I can remember them.