Spring is coming!

The spring is coming. I went fishing today. The temperature is rising, the white stuff is melting fast, birds are starting to to feel the hormone rush, even a few midges were hatching at the shallows. Sadly the river was high and muddy and no fish cared to make appearance.
Never the less, I went fishing today! It takes a long winter to fully appreciate the fact :)

March Brown (Variant) for a swap

The tie:
#12 Lake hook by Skalka
Red Benecchi tying thread
natural dubbing from Hare's back
UNI gold tinsel #16
low quality (very cheap, Chinese?) hen hackle
Teal flank for wing

I got involved in a swap again, this time the theme was "Traditional wet". I can think of no other pattern which could measure up to the tradition associated with the March Brown, at least around where I live - which is sort of funny, as the particular mayfly on which the pattern is supposed to be based, Rhitogena germanica, was all but wiped out due to pollution. Anyhow, it will be March in a couple days so March Brown it is.
The canonical March Brown is supposed to have wings from feather slips, but I have found drake (or teal in this case) wings to be equally appealing and much more durable than pheasant primaries.
This particular pattern has been a steady producer for me for last couple of seasons on both rivers and still waters.

Project Hydropsyche - Part I. (pupa)

The tie:
#12 Pupa hook by Skalka, lightly weighted at the bend

greenish antron dubbing

yellow embroidery thread ribbing

pheasant tail back cover

pheasant primaries for wing buds

CDC beard hackle

Boar antennae

Australian Opossum thorax & head

I am going through period of intense fascination by Caddis pupae: both the larva (i.e. CZ Bobeš) and adult are well established in my fly boxes, but I never gave much thought to pupae till the 2009 season.

To make my amends I am making it the first pattern in my Hydropsyche caddis life cycle series.

Violet and Gold Quill

The tie:
#16 Skalka Pupa hook
2.8 mm Tungsten bead
Tan 8/0 UNI thread
Brown rooster hackle fibres
Peacock quill treated with bleach
Australian Opossum dubbing
Hends UV Violet dubbing

A source that has been right in the past told me that the UV violet dubbing is the next best thing since sliced bread and I am leaving it out of my fly boxes at my own peril.
Of course, this source has been wrong as well, but do I dare to risk it being right this time?

Barbie Dun

The tie:
#14 Hanák 130 BL hook
Pink 8/0 UNI thread
Barred Coq de León
UNI stretch Hot Pink
Pinkish CDC
Pink Beaver dubbing

The unusually long and intensive period of cold and snowy weather - and not being able to fish - is taking its toll on me. I find myself tying crazier and crazier pattens. This one might actually work though, the color pink is a well known Grayling attractor...

CDC no Hackle Quill

The tie:
#14 Hanák 130 BL hook
Tan 8/0 UNI thread
Red game rooster hackle fibres for tail
Peacock quill for body
Black musk rat dubbing for thorax
CDC wing

Only after seeing the enlarged pic of the fly after I took the photo I noticed that the thread shows through. Since I did not see this when looking at the actual fly I hope the fish will not notice either :-)
I plan to use this one on long, leisurly glides in late spring, with the wing greased with CDC oil and the body trapped in surface film.

Duck fly

The tie:
#12 TMC2487 BL hook
black UNI 8/0 thread
pheasant tail dyed black for body
Australian Opossum dyed black for thorax
pearl UNI #16 tinsel
Tiemco Aero Dry Wing
young Chinese rooster hackle dyed black (very soft)

The duck fly is not a grayling fly, as it hatches on stillwaters on late March / early April. It is however the first quality dry fly fishing in spring, something I eagerly await :-)