Mighty May Baetis Sz 18
"Good to Great", that is my reply when customers walk in and ask about fishing on the Yakima River right now. Fall is in full swing, it was 36 this morning, and the fish are devouring the last of the big bugs before the winter fast. Well, fast is not correct, it's more like winter diet plan for trouts.
Why small? We have previously covered the big stuff, the big three- Summer Stones (Done), Fall Caddis (NOW) and Crane Flies (Now, but fading). These big guys all fish well after about 12 or so in the afternoon, but what about prior to noon? Nymphing becomes essential. Couple that with the fact that fall Baetis are hatching in the canyon, other sections too, and you will start to piece the game plan together.
Start the morning at 10, have a good breakfast. Fish a Stone and a Mighty May up until 12 or 1pm, then switch to big, skated flies like we covered in earlier posts. The "in-tune" angler will start picking up fish quickly. The river system is great for wading. An angler can also add a dropper to the big flies, but that is totally up for debate.
One note on the fish- I had a series of about 10 missed strikes the other day and I was having trouble figuring out why! I changed hooks, delayed strikes, etc. Nothing worked. Then, in frustration, I decided to just let the fly sit after the rise and count. One, two, three...POW- the fish would come back and clobber the fly. I don't see that all that often but it was the way of the day.
Recipe:
Mighty May Baetis
Hook: #14-20 Emerger- like the Dai-Riki #125
Bead: 3/32″ Black Bead
Thread: Black Veevus 10/0
Tail: Pheasant Tail
Body: Thread
Rib: small green Holo Tinsel by UTC
Thorax: Peacock Ice Dub, but I have also seen Black Ice dub.
Wingcase: Mottled Hen Feather
Legs: Natural India Hen Back
To finish: Use Loon Fly Finish, Thick, on wingcase feather and thread. Done!
No comments:
Post a Comment