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By Walt Young
For the Mirror
Tying flies has long been one of my favorite winter activities. I derive much pleasure from crafting a supply of the many fly patterns needed to restock my fly boxes for the upcoming trout season. It's also an opportunity to experiment with new materials and fly designs in the hope of creating a new and effective fly pattern.
Last winter, much of my time at the fly-tying vise was spent making dry flies. Having very little snow accumulation during the winter seemed to indicate the streams of our region would likely be relatively low during the springtime, which could offer optimal conditions for excellent dry-fly fishing. I planned to be ready for that prospect.
The lack of a springtime runoff did indeed find most streams with lower-than-normal flows. That is until the beginning of April when a heavy rain event produced catastrophic flooding. I certainly don't need to remind any trout angler that the opening weekend of trout season was a complete bust on all area streams.
Then just as most waterways began to return to something approaching normal, another bout of rain had them running bank full again. That pattern seemed to persist well into May, dooming the window of many eagerly anticipated spring fly hatches to less than ideal fishing conditions.
By the beginning of June most years, I've already had plenty of great outings to fish dry flies, but this year was not one of them. Motivated by that ample inventory of dry flies I created over the winter, however, I have been playing dry-fly catchup the past couple of weeks with good success.
Water levels in most of the streams I have visited are a tad above average for this time of year, so the fishing should remain reasonably productive for a few more weeks. It also seems that there are quite a few trout than usual remaining in some of the stocked waters I've fished recently. Possibly all the high water during the opening weeks of the season resulted in decreased fishing pressure and fewer fish being harvested.
Early mornings and late evenings will usually be the most productive times to fish now, although the fish can be reasonably responsive even during midday under overcast conditions. Don't expect to see waves of bug hatching or lots of rising trout in most pools like can happen in the spring.
To some extent, however, trout are looking up for food now and will often take food on the surface more readily than any other time of year. Rather than waiting for a rising fish to target, fishing the water with a dry fly can be tremendously productive and enjoyable in early summer.
Float your dry flies over any potential holding lie for a trout. And don't neglect riffles and other types of broken water. You might be amazed how well trout will take dry flies in the swifter currents.
Because insect hatches on most streams tend to be sparse and sporadic this time of year, the trout also don't tend to be as selective either. Therefore, I find a good basic selection of summertime dry flies in a range of sizes will do the job most of the time.
My first choice will usually be a caddisfly imitation. My favorite caddis dry fly pattern has long been the popular Elk-Hair Caddis, which float well and are particularly effective in faster water. A good selection of Elk-Hair Caddis would include patterns with tan, brown and cream bodies in sizes 14 and 16.
I like parachute-style flies for virtually all my mayfly imitations. In the summer, I always carry Adams Parachutes in sizes 12 to 18. It's a great searching pattern and in smaller sizes is a good imitation of the little Blue Quills that are on the water right now. Also include some Light Cahills in sizes 12 and 14 and some little Orange Sulphurs in sizes 16 and 18.
If the waters you fish see any amount of fishing pressure this time of year, you will probably find the need to use smaller flies to fool some of those trout, so having some flies down to size 20 could be useful. The Griffith's Gnat is a great all-around midge pattern when the fish are locked on to tiny flies. Add a few black, cream and brown midges to round out your selection of small stuff.
For those of us whose eyes aren't as young as they used to be, including a few so-called attractor patterns in your summer fly inventory can be a good idea. Wulffs, Humpys and Stimulators tied in various color combinations in sizes 12 to 16 are some of the best patterns for bringing up trout when nothing is hatching.
They also float extremely well and are easy to see, both for the angler and the trout, which makes them quite effective in faster runs and pocket water.
As water levels recede and the weather heats up, a higher percentage of the trout's diet will include so-called terrestrial insects like ants, beetles, inchworms, caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets and just about any other bug that lives near a stream and could fall into the water. Many of the flies created to imitate these insects are fashioned from foam, cork, deer hair or other materials that are durable and float well, making them perfect for attracting summertime trout.