Terrestrials And Changing Weather

 Fly Fishing  No Responses »
Sep 302011
 
grass hopper

Terrestrial season is almost over from the trout fishing perspective. A rather powerful cold front is approaching the Carolinas, with lows toward the coast down into the low to mid 40s and probably 30s in some higher elevation spots to the west, especially in NC. Certainly the coolest temperatures we’ve seen around this area in several months. I personally will be welcoming it with open windows.

With cooler days and nights ushering in Autumn, the time for fishing with hoppers, ants, and such is almost over. Soon we’ll be shifting back to nymphs and nymphs with an additional trailing nymph. I’m afraid, the days are numbered for creatures like the one shown below.

grass hopper

New Flies In The Box

 Fly Fishing, Gear Spotlight  2 Responses »
Aug 292010
 

In my latest fly fishing report, “New Flies, Broken Bones, and Brook Trout”, I mentioned the use of some new flies. These included flies tied by Tyler Legg of Tar Heel Fly Fishing, which are the Extended Body Inchworm and the Vinyl Rib Stone

Extended Body Inchworm

Summer is a great time of year to fly fish with terrestrial patterns including imitations of the inchworm. Tyler’s version is a nice foam bodied design with excellent visibility on the water. When I set out to try the EBI, I decided that catching or not catching fish wouldn’t be a factor in any sort of critique. Not that I’m actually qualified to critique anything in the first place, but even the best lures can fail to catch finicky fish from time to time. The EBI provides great visibility on the water, and casts exceptionally well. This combination truly makes it a joy to fish making it more like floating a small piece of artwork through the riffles, with the added anticipation of the site and sounds of an anxious fish popping the surface. As I mentioned, flotation is good, and the visibility continues, even when pulled under the surface by varying currents. I did apply some gel floatant to the Inchworm, but it may not really be necessary.

extended body inchworm

Extended Body Inchworm On The Water. Unfortunately I forgot my good camera!

Key Points of The Extended Body Inchworm

  • Visibility: Excellent
  • Flotation: Good
  • Casting: Very Good
  • Recommendation: Get some for your fly box to use from around July 1st through the end of September.
brook trout on inchworm

A Little Evidence. Brook Trout on EBI

Tyler’s Extended Body Inchworm is available at Casters Fly Shop

Mr. Legg’s other fly I had intended to try was the Vinyl Rib Stone. Ultimately I was unable to give it a fair test on the last trip, but I did not want to leave it unmentioned. This Stonefly imitator is very well tied, and if you are looking for a large stonefly nymph imitator that is heavy and will get down deep in a hurry, this fly would certainly not be a bad choice at all. I have a few really deep pools I hope to try it out in soon.

vinyl rib stone

The Vinyl Rib Stone

The Vinyl Rib Stone is also available at Casters Fly Shop.