Albino Stone, Cold!!
Being that i taught myself how to fly fish and than how to tie flies, i wasn't aware it was customary to trade a fly with another fly guy i meet along a stream or parking lot. it took a couple of years for me to figure this out.
i was camping in ole' bull campground when an old timer, upon seeing my fly rod, came over and we started to talk about fly fishing. he handed me one of his favorite flies. it resembled an October Caddis tied on a #8 hook. "it catches steelhead as well as trout", he told me and explained how to fish it. we talked a little longer and than he walked away, what seemed to be, in an unsettled manner. it took some time later that i discovered swapping flies on a stream was more than just a good gesture.
the strangest fly i ever recieved was a wound condom fly! now, i'm not making fun of the fly nor the guy that gave it to me. i thought it strange that not only someone would think of winding a piece of pink prophylactic around a streamer hook to catch trout, but to trade this as a customary fly in the middle of a stream with someone you never met before. i can't remember how i was suppose to use it though. was i suppose to sink it in a deep hole and then jig it up and down or drift it between a seam and strip it back in?
after joining fisherie.com i was involved in fly swaps. it was intriguing in seeing how others tie flies. though i'm a little old fashion, i still tie most of my flies with 95% of furs, feathers and natural material, i can see why the younger generation and other fly tyers are attracted to the array of sparkle and pizzaz of artificial material. what i realy like is when someone gets back to me and tells me how 'my fly' worked for them in catching fish.
bear-kodiak and i have been trading flies and material for some time now. it feels good to hear my flies work down in Shamokin, wherever in the heck that is?
this brings me to my outing last saturday. i was fishing with Cold, fisherie.com user name, on the little mahoning creek. i had a wedding and recption to go to so i was limited to fishing 'till noon. doing alright catching fish with beetles and small dries in the early morning until the sun overtook the shady spots. Cold joined me and we worked our way downstrem to a deep pool i was familiar with. having no luck trying to make fish rise i resorted to nymph fishing.
i found i tie a lot of uncommon patterns that not too many use. some are my creations while some are out of a fly pattern book that attracted my attention. i may alter the pattern somewhat to my taste but still call it by its rightful name, such as the albino stone or a barking spider pattern.
i tied on an albino stone and drifted it in front of the far bank than into the deep pool. my line pulled and i was late on the hook up, i must have been talking to Cold. after a few more drifts Cold noticed that fish were going after my albino stone as he stood watching as i was croutched on the heels of my feet. i ended up hooking into a trout but he released himself before i was able to bring him in. I gave Cold an albino stone and he immediatly tied it on his tippet. within a few drifts he connected and netted a fat 14"r. after releasing it we fished the pool a little longer and then it was time for me to take off. i gave Cold another albino stone and wished him luck.
as i scooted down the road, along the stream towards home, i looked through the trees and seen Cold still fishing the hole. little did i know....
we fished together Sunday on the loyalhanna. he showed me the tiger trout, on his cell phone, he had caught in the little mahoning after i left. Monday when i got back on the internet i found these pics. in my inbox.
great job mark and nice fishen with ya!!
for a more complete story on 'fighting the tiger' go to
http://tailingloops.blogspot.com under the title 'Big success on the Little Mahoning'
post edited by doubletaper - 2009/06/02 14:34:51