Woe is me

“‘Where have all the flowers gone,’ or insects, as the case may be.”

—Clem Fullerton

Barb and I have only fished twice since the great flood scoured our streams and valleys. One day, we fished the Willowemoc at the upper end of the Power Line Pool from late afternoon into dark. Neither of us saw one fly of any kind over the water. Even though we followed Ed Van Put’s rule number one, “never leave the river until dark,” we could find no rising fish. A desultory examination of river rocks revealed only a smattering of insect life.

With Kellams Bridge out of commission, our favorite spots on the East Branch of the Delaware might as well be on the far side of the moon. Nevertheless, we did make that trip this past Wednesday evening. We were stymied by the same problem we ran into on the Willowemoc, no flies, no rising fish. Barb and I spent a lovely evening sitting on the bank watching the mist grow heavier and heavier over the flow of the East Branch. Tom Brown and Dave McMurray suffered the same experience. Even though the river was running at 55 degrees, great for a July trout stream, not a single caddis fly, stone fly or mayfly was observed. For the sake of all of us, property owners and fly fishers, may this be the last of these dreadful high water events for a long time to come.

With the fishing so disappointing, I have been spending a good deal of time fiddling around at the fly-tying vice. Some weeks ago, in one of the Roscoe fly fishing shops, I had been shown a hackle-wing spinner pattern that I longed to imitate. I purchased one fly to use as a model, returned home and went to work trying to duplicate it. After finishing the first fly, I placed it next to the sample. Hmmm, in comparison mine looked like something the cat had dragged in. An hour or so later, I still was unable to replicate the purchased fly.

Seeking help, I went to the book, “The Fly Tiers Benchside Reference to Techniques and Dressing Styles,” written by Ted Leeson and Jim Schollmeyer. On page 277, under the technique for a “Gathered Hackle Arc Wing,” I found a clue. By using this method to gather all of the hackle collar above the hook shank and then producing the spinner wings, I was able to produce a satisfactory tie. If tied correctly, the hackle fibers should mostly lie out at a 180-degree angle from the hook shank. A small number of hackle fibers should lie out at only about a 150-degree angle from the hook shank. If this configuration is achieved, the fly, while floating flush in the surface of the stream, will still be fairly visible to the angler.

Now, if I can only find a trout or two rising to a spinner fall, these flies will be shown to the only critics that count. I find I can tie in this manner down to a size 16; smaller than that, my fingers are too clumsy. For tailing material on these flies, I like to use stripped hackle stems from rooster saddle hackles. These are flexible, but will not warp or bend out of shape in a fly box. When spinning the dubbing for the body onto the thread, I use Red Label Mucilin rather than wax or spit to get a tight body. That way I waterproof the fly body while I’m tying it. (I guess these sentences should be titled, tips from an amateur fly tier.)

Now hear this: on Friday and Saturday, August 11 and 12, the Delaware River Foundation will be putting on the “Days on the Delaware” program. This is an event that should not be missed by any angler who fishes in the Delaware River system. The two-day event will be held at the River Run restaurant on the grounds of the West Branch Angler, Hale Eddy, NY. The programs will begin at 10:00 a.m. Early arrivals can order a complete breakfast or simply grab a sticky bun along with coffee or orange juice. Remember, a new flow arrangement will be put in place on May 1, 2007. This will be a great opportunity to learn about some of the new ideas that will be put forth. Peter Kolesar, a professor at Columbia University, will speak regarding an Adaptive Release Policy. There will be a question and answer period after Professor Kolesar’s presentation.

John Miller will put on a spectacular presentation of various stages of mayflies in full color. You won’t believe your eyes when you see this.

Saturday afternoon, we will all pitch in and clean up our defiled river. I hope to see y’all there. For information or directions, call 607/637-3220 or visit delawareriverfoundation.org.