All content © Robert Williamson

All content © Robert Williamson

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

The Chain Gang!




Getting ready for a few mayfly hatches. Just a handful of Blue-winged Olive, Pale Morning Dun and Mahogany Dun mayflies tied with the chain_stitched body technique.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

AIR BUGS!

< Photo by F/V Gulf Ventur (other sample photos on his site just click on my link: Real trout Bum).

Air-filled fly body. I've been tying and fishing air-bugs for several years now. Great material to imitate large insects like stoneflies, cicada, grasshoppers, beetles and crickets.

Photo by Bushrat.>>>

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Marty Howard Photo of Golden Stone Nymph

Marty and his son seined this golden stone nymph out of one of our Utah waters. Thanks for sharing the photo Marty. You can visit Marty's web site at www.martyhoward.com

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Looking for and Fishing Adult Stoneflies


It's May! If the water conditions are right. It's time to start looking for large stonefly adults. It's been cold enough this spring to put this hatch back a little bit. I'll start to seriously look for these bugs around May 15th on until the end of the month. Hopefully, the water will cooperate and not be a raging torrent of spring run-off.
Even with high water, it is possible to catch trout holding in the shallow edge water and in back eddies and back wash bends.
Last year during some higher, faster water, I was fishing from a high bank, concrete retaining wall. I cast a Twisted Stonefly into the head of the run and watched a 18-inch brown chase the fly downstream for 10 feet before he caught up to it and grabbed it. The battle was on but I knew the trout would win and that I would lose a fly. There was no way I was going to play the fish up the side of the concrete. I did fight him for a few minutes and as I sensed he was getting tired of the situation, I quickly, with a swift jerk on the rod, snapped the fly off. The trout flipped around and headed for the depth of the run. I wished there would have been a way to get down to him for a proper catch and release, but the wall was just too high. I would have released this fish anyway, but I felt bad having to do a long distance release and have him swimming around for a while adorned with his new piercing.