Tag Archives: winter fly

Wild Trout Streams

Spring is Here

Ice Fishing is coming to a close once again in Northern New Jersey. A fun season with a few memorable catches and of course many fun times that we won’t forget. What can we say, we can be lazy fishermen too! Setup your lines, grab a seat, wait for a flag! Heck, that sounds pretty nice to this angler. However, the season is ending and the trout are waiting for our arrival. So ladies and gentlemen, let’s follow this bloggers lead and get out there and catch some fish please! Opening day in New Jersey isn’t for a few more weeks yet, but that doesn’t deny us the opportunity to get out there and test our lines, flies, and attempt to remember how to shoot a fly. Needless to say, the MKFF crew took to the river and has begun testing the waters for you all. A short bit about my first adventure into the rivers of Northern New Jersey for you all to enjoy and to help get pumped up for the upcoming trout season!!

IMG_1775

Still some snow left on the Earth when i went out, but that just makes me push on harder, wanting, determined to catch a beautiful trout to kick off the Spring (well, upcoming) season. As I walk through the wilderness, I come upon the perfect little nitch of Van Campens Glen. Desolate. Hidden. One of those spots you dream about finding and can only hope to one day see in real life. I set up my 6 wt. fly rod, grab a 22 Bead Head Serendipity, slowly make my way into the water and cast out just above a downed tree upstream. Cast after cast I can see 3 fish checking out my fly, but they just don’t seem to be buying the ‘tasty’ treat I present to them.This in mind, I decide to to change up my fly. On goes a 24 Black Stonefly. First cast with the changed fly really seemed to have piqued their curiosity. Hit after hit the fish can’t seem to choose whether or not this is the meal they want or not! Finally, after much hesitation and false hits, I finally have a taker on the line!! After about a minute or so of a small fight, I have the first fish to the beginning of the Spring season.  A beautiful 15 inch trout on the end of my line and I can do nothing but smile. This is going to be a great season.

Number One
Number One

So begins the new season of fly fishing. Ending Ice fishing with a bang and beginning trout season with a thud? Sounds like the ending and beginning of a kick ass season. Stay tuned for some more fun adventures and awesome fish from the MKFF crew!

Favorite Patterns

The Mickey Finn

1 Comment

As you may have gathered, the ice season ended abruptly in New Jersey with a long mid-winter thaw. Some lakes and ponds still have ice cover though not providing anywhere near what is considered a safe thickness. As a result, part of the MKFF crew headed up to Brant Lake, NY this weekend in search of thicker ice and boy did they locate it!

Cabin Fever weekend, a few of my favorite things.
Cabin Fever weekend, a few of my favorite things.

Dave and I had to hang back here in Frelinghuysen Township; part of our appointed/ elected official duties included posting the boundaries of the new Frelinghuysen Forest Preserve. Fortunately, there was plenty of time to whip up a traditional Brook Trout Streamer whilst listening to Dave strum some new MKFF theme songs on his guitar.

The Pattern

John Alden Knight first designed this fly in the 1930s, named for the infamous drugged drink of the time; it remains a popular and effective bucktail streamer. The Mickey Finn imitates baitfish commonly found in Trout producing streams, the red stripe of bucktail appears like a baitfish’s lateral line to a predator. Similar to the drugged drink, it certainly knocks your prey out; I once had a 20 fish day on stocked Brook Trout with this pattern. The fly can be effective for Salmon, Trout, Steelhead, Bass and even an occasional Pike.

Materials

  1. Mustad 9672; 2-12
  2. UNI-Thread Black 6/0
  3. UNI-Thread Red 6/0
  4. Small Silver Ultra Wire
  5. Large Mylar Tinsel Gold/Silver
  6. Yellow Bucktail
  7. Orange/ Red Bucktail
  8. 1/8” Flat Eyes

Steps

  1. Start the Red thread and build a base near the tail, directly above the barb.

    Step 1 Red Thread
    Step 1 – Start the red thread, build a base for the tail.
  2. Tie your black thread on, one eye‘s length behind the hook eye, lay thread along the shank of hook.

    Step 2 - Start the black thread and create tie in base.
    Step 2 – Start the black thread and create tie in base.
  3. Tie in both the Tinsel and the Ultra Wire at the head; use black thread to layer the length of the shank. Leave red butt end uncovered by black thread.

    Step 3 - Tie in Ultra Wire and Tinsel.
    Step 3 – Tie in Ultra Wire and Tinsel, wrap thread down the shank, locking in Ultra Wire and Tinsel.
  4. Wind the Silver side of the Tinsel flat and tight with a narrow part of each strip overlapping back to the tie in point. Tie off and cut excess.
  5. Wind the ultra wire evenly up the shank in similar fashion, it will provide additional strength to the Tinsel wraps.

    Step 4/5 - Warp Tinsel and Ultra Wire up hook shank, tie off and remove excess.
    Step 4/5 – Warp Tinsel and Ultra Wire up hook shank, tie off and remove excess.
  6. Select a pinch of yellow bucktail, tie in at the base you have created, near the tie in point. Remember to not apply too much pressure to make the butt end of the bucktail flare out. Instead, use multiple loose wraps and create a mound.

    Step 6 - Tie in yellow bucktail.
    Step 6 – Tie in yellow bucktail.
  7. Repeat the same steps completed for the yellow bucktail, this time with the orange. Trim the excess ends of the bucktail off in an upward angle. Add an additional amount of yellow on top of the red. This will create the lateral line effect.

    Step 7 - Add in orange buck tail, use staircase method to layer on thread.
    Step 7 – Add in orange buck tail, use staircase method to layer on thread.
  8. Build up a mound of black thread over the butt ends of the bucktail. Apply some head cement and then add your eyes.

    Finished Mickey Finn, a little light on the yellow thread up top. I will update this picture later in the week once I perfect the pattern.
    Finished Mickey Finn, a little light on the yellow thread up top. I will update this picture later in the week once I perfect the pattern.

How to Use

The Mickey Finn, can be retrieved upstream or down, just don’t use it at a bar, it won’t work on chicks! You can also retrieve across the current with a jerking twitch to imitate baitfish.

Completed Mickey Finn W/O Eyes
Completed Mickey Finn W/O Eyes. Take notice of the lateral line effect created by the layering of bucktail. To a hungry Trout this fly resembles a bait fish.
Colorado

Quick Snowshoe

Jess and I took a quick snowshoe on a trail that followed the Yampa river. It was a great hike and I even got to fish a little.  We hiked over a mile before we hit public water.  I rigged up near a nice slow pool with a big ice ledge.  I pulled out a 14″ rainbow on a size 16 black soft hackle, which I purchased in Paris this past Thanksgiving.  After that hook up, I put the snowshoes back on and we continued to enjoy the rest of the hike.

Fish on!
Fish on!
This guy put up a good fight
This guy put up a good fight
Black Soft Hackle
Black Soft Hackle