Fly 26 - Beadhead Wooly Bugger

Beadhead Wooly Bugger

5x7, soft pastel

Sometimes the name of a fly alone is reason enough for me to paint it.  This fly's name just makes me smile. A Wooly Bugger is another staple when fishing for trout.  When nothing else seems to work, a Wooly Bugger is a go-to fly especially for spring creek trout.

The addition of a bead head over the years helps the fly head sink lower than the tail portion. This fly mimics the crane fly which is prevalent in many spring creeks.  Fish this fly slowly along the bottom, with short jerks, then let it drift downward again in order to work the fish.  The best time of day for this fly is mid-day after the morning hatches have thinned. 

Fly 25 - Muddler Minnow

Muddler Minnow

5x7, soft pastel

The Muddler Minnow...hmm, what to say about this guy.  Well, he's brown...a bit on the drab side...but a great streamer fly (fished wet) primarily used for trout.  This guy mimics a minnow and it is said that brown trout are especially vulnerable to this fly having been known to charge out of an undercut bank to hit the fly like a freight train.  

It's a good idea to use a floating line with the fly streaming three to four inches under the surface.  If you like to float down a river in a raft, this fly can't be beat!

Day 24 - Blue Charm Spey

Blue Charm Spey

5x7, soft pastel

There are many variations of this beautiful Atlantic Salmon Spey fly.  This one caught my eye because of the soft subtle nature of the grey feathers against the gorgeous blues and blue greens.  I just had to try this one out!  

Fly 23 - Pale Morning Dun Mayfly

Pale Morning Dun Mayfly

5x7, soft pastel

The Pale Morning Dun Mayfly is a commonly used fly during mid-summer months when mayflies are most vulnerable to trout.  The elk hair hackles enables the fly to maintain just the right amount of float allowing the fly to hang just below the surface of the water...which is where many trout take advantage of the short stage of a mayfly from emerger to adult.

Fly 22 - Rock Island Featherwing Streamer

Rock Island Featherwing Streamer

5x7, soft pastel

Monte Smith (www.nwflytyer.wordpress.com) created this version of a featherwing streamer...the Rock Island.  These types of flies originated from the Rangeley Lakes region of Maine.  They are attributed to Carrie G. Stevens (c. 1920s) of Upper Dam, Maine, a self taught commercial fly tyer.  Carrie elevated the eastern streamer from a utilitarian tool to an art form as you can see.  To learn more about this and other types of flies check out Monte's website...he knows much more about flies in general than I'll ever know! 

Fly 21 - Orange Flamethrower

Orange Flamethrower

5x9, soft pastel

I've been painting all the flies in this series in a 5x7 format.  However, this Orange Flamethrower just demanded a longer size to accommodate its gorgeous tail.  

The Flamethrower is another tube style salmon fly, this time with a double hook.  I couldn't find my original source for this particular fly...but I know the guys at The Canadian Tube Fly Company could set you up with the supplies to tie this beauty! 

Fly 20 - Yellow Sally Stonefly

Yellow Sally Stonefly

5x7, soft pastel

The metamorphosis from egg to nymph to fly is fascinating.  As shown below (courtesy of Encyclopedia Brittanica).  While the nymph stage is quite long (12 months)...the change from late stage nymph to a fly taking flight is only 24 hours.  As the emerging fly's wings dry out on the surface of the water, they're pretty suseptable to being snatched up by a hungry fish.  Lucky are those who live long enough to take flight!