Fortunately, Mary has been spending some of that time at the fly-tying table. Working under the tutelage of neighbor and fellow TU chapter member Bob Volkmar, Mary was introduced to a number of flies that work well in Pennsylvania waters. To date her fly assortment includes Egan's Frenchies, Rainbow Warriors Griffiths Gnats, Soft Hackles, Little Black Stone flies, Caddis Larvae, Woolly Buggers, and of course her famous egg patterns.
When it comes to tying flies, quality is deceiving. There's the perfectly-tied fly that almost looks like a work of art. And then there's the fly that has maybe a little more hackle here than there, or perhaps a tail that might look too long or short. Perhaps not perfect in the artistic sense, but in the words of instructor Volkmar, "it'll fish."
Today's weather was about as good as it was going to get for late-January. Temps were in the mid to upper-40 under sunny skies and no wind. Some rain had moved through the previous day, but the West Branch was fishable, with a nice green tint to the water. So about 12:30 I grabbed the 3 Wt and a few of Mary's flies and lit out behind the house to give them a try. Already having a bead head crystal bugger tied on from some previous outing, I tied about 12 inches of 6X tippet and dropped one of Mary's Frenchies. Working at the honey hole for about 20 minutes, I finally placed the flies at the upper end of the pool, and on the drift saw the flash and set the hook. After a brief fight I pulled the 10 inch Brownie to the bank, popped the Frenchie, took a quick snapshot, and released the fish back to the green water for the first trout of the year.
Mission Accomplished. And the lesson: if given the choice, I'll take "it'll fish" any time. Thanks Babe.
Tight lines,
Mikey D Fishing
