Pat Torrey is our resident Zen Master of
nymph fishing. Here is a quick tip from his wisdom.
Blue Winged Olives and the Wet Fly
If you are the type of angler who is
looking for a different kind of fall fishing experience, we at UpCountry
just might have the answer for you: fish the fall Baetis with little Blue
Winged Olive wets.
Almost every afternoon from mid October
until the first week of December the Farmington River has a very
consistent hatch of small Baetis mayflies, size 26-28. The extended time
frame of the hatch allows the fish to get pretty familiar with
this food source. Most anglers fish this hatch with standard dry fly and
emerger patterns, which become less and less effective as time goes on.
As an alternative: try fishing the Baetis hatch below
the surface with soft hackled wet fly imitations that are seldom used. To
paraphrase the late Gary LaFontaine: if you want to catch more fish, fish
when other fishermen don’t; fish where other fishermen don’t, and fish
how other fishermen don’t.
Blue Wing Olive Wet
Hook:
Tiemco 100 or 2487
Body:
Olive brown fur or olive thread
Tail:
Blue dun wet hackle or brown zelon
Rib:
Gold wire (optional)
Hackle:
Blue dun wet hackle
A selection of Pat’s wet fly patterns are available at
UpCountry.
