With today’s dump of snow many anglers will likely be holed up some place warm – perhaps tying flies or dreaming of days yet to come. A few open streams may see fishable conditions at some point over the long weekend (depending on the rate of snow melt), but for the most part, conditions will not be favorable. For lake anglers, it will be a few weeks yet before the ice comes off the local potholes.
To help inspire those of you who may be tying Chironomid patterns this weekend, I have posted a link to an amazing YouTube video. This video clip is part of the Bugs of the Underworld DVD produced by Ralph and Lisa Cutter. The video was filmed entirely underwater from the trout’s perspective and really shows how a typical chironomid acts as it rises to the surface and emerges in its natural environment.
I don’t know that anyone has come up with a scheme to effectively imitate the wiggling action of the pupa, and in my opinion the size, silhouette, and color of the naturals are far more important than any concessions that would need to be made to match the swimming behavior. The trout’s eye view perspective should give you a few things to ponder as you design new pupa and emerger patterns at the vise.
Fantastic work! A great blog with lots of interesting stuff to read...Glad I found this one. Here is mine: http://bakslengen.wordpress.com/ Check it out if you have the time...Vegard
ReplyDeleteHi Vegard,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kudos. I like the pike flys on your blog - especially the perch pattern. I also fly fish for pike on occasion here in Alberta and I think the perch pattern would work quite well here.
Cheers
Rob
You've a great blog here. If you keep writing it, I promise to keep reading it. I'm new to Alberta, and it is my first summer to try to unlock some of the secrets of the great fly-fishing in Central AB. Your posts are just the ticket!
ReplyDeleteOh..and you've got some fine photography here as well.
QT