One of the initial draws to fly tying and the sport of fly fishing for me was the natural relationship between stream bred insect life and trout, the cycles of insect emergences, and the art of imitating those lifeforms with an artificial fly. Nothing stirs the excitement of the young boy stored in an older man’s heart than the beginning of a mayfly hatch and the first spreading rings made by rising trout. After all these years I still shake with youthful excitement and anticipation when I open a fly box and chose what I hope is the right fly to crack the code. It still fascinates me as much now as it did in the beginning, and most of my winter days are spent tying imitative flies and looking forward to another season on the water. Winter often let’s go slowly before finally giving way to spring, but the streams here are full of water and mayfly nymphs that will be ready to hatch soon. My fly boxes will be stocked with the hope of what they will bring, and the trout will rise. Pictured this week is one of those first early spring hatches we will see here in the east; Epeorus pleuralis, aka the “Quill Gordon”. Till next week ….. www.ramsayflies.com
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