Last week I said that I was working on a new fly pattern to imitate the early black and brown stoneflies and provided some of my thoughts about an effective fly design. This past Saturday we launched the ship for a daylong float and I brought a few different prototype patterns to test if the stoneflies showed up and the trout started feeding on them. The middle of the day provided a short window of mating flight activity and an opportunity to see what the trout had to say on the matter. One pattern was nearly impossible to see on the water and was quickly replaced with another that I could see better and could be twitched if I wanted to move it. I’m glad to report that the second pattern was well received by its intended audience, and they took it without hesitation. I don’t want to say that the search for a good early stonefly pattern is over yet; because as we all know, the research is never ending. A pic from Saturday’s float with one of my fishy friends doing what he does. Till next time …… www.ramsayflies.com
