Bodies

I think fly fishing is about a rolling series of obsessions.

When I started, I very quickly got into throwing tiny dries on a #000 at the Swift. Then, it was about Euronymphing for wild Farmington browns. After that, I went through a wet-fly phase, and then I got into throwing big, articulated streamers. Thereafter, it was about finding waters farther away, ones with fewer fish but bigger ones. All along this personal journey, I went deep down the fly-tying rabbit hole, as I have a personal rule to fish only flies that I’ve tied.

Now, I’m getting more obsessed about Montana (we have family out there) as well as bodies. That’s right: fly-body materials.

I’ve been playing with goose biots, turkey biots, Delaware River Club spectrumized dubbing, stripped quills, and synthetic quill materials. I find some materials and colors can work at certain types of the year, but I’ve yet to find a “magic fly” or to find a consistent pattern.

But I do know that on some slow days, a “different” looking fly often gets a take.

I’m happy report that I got off the waitlist for Concord Outfitters‘ annual Montana trip (write-up here from last year’s). We’ll be fishing private water on ranches, and I’m looking forward to it. It’s giving me an incentive to tie up a bunch of PMD nymphs, emergers, and dries. I can’t wait to get back out there: wild fish, a big sky, and unbelievable sunsets!

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8 thoughts on “Bodies

  1. My only piece of advice is to bring some Usuals. Killed them on the S.Platte one trip! Neither my guide nor apparently the fish had ever seen one! LOL

  2. I really like the look of bodies made with turkey biots. they are a little longer than goose biots and also have a little more “cup” to them so the segmentation is well defined. I have recently purchased them in a few different colors to match some of the common mayfly species. I like to use them on Shane Stalcup’s Baetis Nymph pattern using biot bodies instead of vinyl D-rib.

  3. Keep it simple… thread bodies are great on flies 18 and smaller. The same flies that work for sulfurs in the East generally work for PMDs in the West (some of these bugs are the same species after all). I like emergers that look more like the nymph than the dun (what Gary Borger calls Stage 1 and Stage 2)… floating nymphs and designs like Peter Hayes’ film clinger nymph. And don’t overlook fishing spinner patterns during the hatch as they look like cripples/casualty duns/knocked-down duns… fish often see far more of those than the healthy duns, which usually take off fairly quickly.

    1. Great advice! I like the Borger patterns I found online. Have tied up some Quigleys already and will make some spinners.

  4. I am soooo jealous! Sounds like it will be a great trip. Don’t forget some classic spiders to swing when you get tired of catching fish nymphin’

    1. So funny: I was recently singing your praises. “Drake is an angler who only throws dries and swings wets and streamers. Doesn’t nymph.”

      Not the same without ya. Come on up for some New England sweet water when you can. You can stay at my place. We can have a blog team reunion?

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