Sportsmans News

By Steve Smith
River’s Wild Flies

Never underestimate the San Juan Worm is a statement I hear a lot when talking nymph fishing.  A piece of yarn tied to a hook seems a little too simple or generic to catch fish. The reality is – fish like worms, and the San Juan Worm is a tried and true fly pattern that catches fish everywhere. I became a believer a few years back on a trip to Lee’s Ferry on the Colorado River in Arizona. I was totally unfamiliar with the river and which flies to use. I threw streamers around, fished Scuds, Pheasant Tails, etc. with little luck. After examining the river, I noticed small, red worms in the water, unfortunately I didn’t have a San Juan worm in my box. That night back at the hotel I tied a few up with materials I purchased at the local shop. The next day was a completely different story. I caught fish consistently throughout the day. Continue Reading

By Steve Smith
Rivers Wild Flies

You’ve got to be kidding me!  Fish don’t eat ants.
Lots of beginning fishermen have this opinion, but it doesn’t take very long fishing ants to find out just how much fish like them – they love ants!
If there is an aquatic insect hatch in progress, match it, but if there isn’t one, use terrestrials.  Late summer and early fall is the prime time to fish with terrestrial patterns.  Most of the midge, mayfly, caddis and stonefly hatches are over for the year and with them the large mature nymphs which trout are used to feeding on.  In their place you’ll find fish feeding on ants, beetles, crickets and grasshoppers.  These large, land dwelling insects must look like a Thanksgiving turkey to fish which are used to eating small aquatic ‘bugs’.  Terrestrial patterns are most effective during the heat of the day, after the sun has warmed up the bugs and they are moving around.    Continue Reading

By Steve Smith
Rivers Wild Flies

One of the great summer hatches of the west is the Pale Morning Dun. When the weather starts to warm and the rivers return to their normal flows, the PMD hatch is one of the most reliable hatches all summer long. These pale-yellow mayflies will emerge not just in the morning as the name implies but throughout the day. The hatch usually begins in June and can last into September.
I’ve enjoyed PMD hatches on my home waters of the Blacksmith Fork and Logan rivers in Northern Utah, along with fantastic fishing on the South Fork of the Snake and the Henry’s Fork in Eastern Idaho. The South Fork especially stands out in my mind where beautiful Cutthroat trout stack into shallow riffles along the gravel bars. When the hatch is on you’ll see noses and tails swirling in the choppy water. I’ve have great days on the South Fork and I’ve gotten my butt kicked. These fish see their fair share of PMD patterns thrown at them so they get educated quickly. That’s why I make sure my fly box is stocked with a variety of patterns to match the PMD hatch. I like Pheasant Tails for the nymph stage, a RS2 PMD for the emerger stage, and a Thorax Dun for the adult stage. I also carry a few Rusty Spinners for the spinner stage. The Thorax PMD is my favorite pattern. I use it as my main fly and may trail a Pheasant tail or an RS2 behind.
The key features that set the Thorax style PMD apart from the traditional PMD is the straight upright wing and spaced hackle. The wing is tied with Turkey flats which can be frustrating but it gives the fly a unique profile similar to the natural. Poly yarn is a good substitute for the wing. Traditional style PMDs are tied with tight wraps of hackle giving the fly a “fluffy” appearance. This is nice in fast moving water where flotation is important but may be a little overdressed in slower moving riffles where PMDs are more likely to hatch. The Thorax style hackle is evenly spaced through the front half of the hook and is clipped on the bottom. This allows the fly to sit lower in the water creating a more defined body outline. Sportsman’s Warehouse has beautifully tied Thorax PMD’s at ridiculously low prices. So stop in and grab a couple because there’s a good chance you’ll see PMDs on the river this summer.

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By Steve Smith, River’s Wild Flies

One of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of fly fishing is fishing dry flies. In particular, really small dry flies. So what are these mysterious little flies? The tiny gnat looking things that some people mistake for mosquitoes are actually midges. They are one of the hardiest aquatic insects found in any water, hatching virtually year round. They are especially important to trout during the winter and early spring months when they might be the only active insects at the time. Midges are most vulnerable to trout when they are emerging. They will “hang” in the surface film, break away from their pupal skin, then emerge as a fully winged adult. They will rest on the surface to dry out their wings before they take flight. This is where trout come along and snatch them up before they can take off. During a midge hatch there may be a whole pod of trout softly sipping midges. So now the question is – how do I fool one of these guys? Continue Reading

By Steve Smith, Rivers Wild Flies

Spring fishing is upon us. Other than the sporadic midges, the first major hatch to hit the rivers is the Baetis hatch. Properly referred to as “Blue Wing Olives” these mayflies are just that,  blue winged with an olive body.  This small mayfly pops up like little sailboats, mostly on overcast days, creating some great dry fly action. This hatch can bring every fish in the river to the surface for an easy meal. Hungry trout will often feed on the nymphs at the start of the hatch, then move to the surface as more duns emerge. As the hatch progresses, trout will move into slower riffles and eddies that trap the adult duns. Continue Reading

Not every great fly has been created.  While there are already innumerable patterns, the true definition of greatness is determined by the fish.  The fly tier’s quest is to make an imitation which will consistently (but perhaps not every time) fool a fish into taking it.

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by Steve Smith
Rivers Wild Flies

Nearly every day it seems the news reports a new product or a new technology.  Electrical engineers are combining the benefits of the Internet with the benefit of cell phones, automotive engineers are combining the benefits of gasoline engines with the benefits of electric engines and even chefs combine different combinations of ingredients.  What do people expect when they cross different species or technologies?

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