Field and Stream - Fly Fishing RSS

Rumble in the Jungle: Catching Huge Arapaimas on the Fly in Guyana

Online Editors — Wed, 23 May 2012 08:48:01 -0400

Field & Stream editor-at-large and FlyTalk blogger Kirk Deeter recently took part in an expedition sponsored by Costa del Mar sunglasses to fish in Guyana, where he became one of the first fly fishermen ever to land an elusive wild arapaima—the world’s largest scaled freshwater fish species.

Click here to learn more about arapaima fishing opportunities in Guyana and the film "Jungle Fish."

Scientists Develop Robot Fish to Improve Pollution Monitoring

Online Editors — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:55:19 -0400

--Chad Love

Landing one of these babies is pretty much a catch-and-release-only proposition. I hear they're not good eating and extremely difficult to fillet. Not to mention the fact that they thrive in some pretty nasty water...

From this story on therepublic.com:
Robot "fish" developed by European scientists to improve pollution monitoring moved from the lab to the sea in a test at the northern Spanish port of Gijon on Tuesday. The developers hope the new technology, which reduces the time it takes to detect a pollutant from weeks to seconds, will sell to port authorities, water companies, aquariums and anyone with an interest in monitoring water quality...The fish, which are 1.5 meters (5 feet) long and currently cost 20,000 pounds ($31,600) each, are designed to swim like real fish and are fitted with sensors to pick up pollutants leaking from ships or undersea pipelines. They swim independently, co-ordinate with each other, and transmit their readings back to a shore station up to a kilometer away.

So, if they can make robot fish to do this, why can't they make one that chases down and takes a lure, then fights like whatever gamefish has been programmed into its brain? Say you've never caught a bluefin tuna and probably won't ever get the chance, because they're doomed -- instead, you could charter a trip to "catch" robot bluefin.

Who knows, maybe in a few years we might not even need real fish in the oceans anymore, what with their annoying and expensive requirements for clean water and a suitable environment. Now we can repeal all our water quality and anti-pollution laws and start cranking out loads of these suckers, 'cause they'll live anywhere...

Winner Announced in Name This Fish Contest

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:51:53 -0400

by Kirk Deeter

Thanks to all you Fly Talk readers who chimed in with guesses on what type of fish this is, where it was caught, and what it ate. To my surprise, many of you nailed the fish right away. It is indeed an arapaima. A good number of you also got the country right. We caught it in the jungle in Guyana, near the Rewa River. But nobody until the very end (and she is a ringer who no doubt heard me talking about this adventure on ESPN radio in Denver Saturday morning) got the fly pattern right.

Believe it or not, on the end of that strand of 80-pound fluorocarbon is a streamer fly that's about seven inches long, and it looks like a peacock bass. So while many folks go to the South American jungle to fish for peacock bass, we learned that to catch arapaima it's good to fish with peacock bass. For the record, the correct answers are: arapaima, Guyana, peacock bass imitation.

Since not everyone had the benefit of listening to Denver radio, however, I'm going to award the prize to smccardell, who got arapaima, the Rewa in Guyana, and suggested a 5" whit fur strip diver (which, with the right cast at the right time, probably would have worked also). Hit me with an email at editor@anglingtrade.com and we'll arrange to get you your prize. And Erica, I'll make an IOU prize for you too, and thank you for listening.

This was part of an expedition sponsored by Costa Del Mar to help develop sport fishing in Guyana. You'll soon be seeing a story here on FieldandStream.com detailing the arapaima adventure. And down the road, you'll see more of this--and a trip Romano and I both took to Guyana's tarpon coast and rivers (yes, that's where the Tenkara tarpon happened)--appearing in Field & Stream magazine.

Video: 20,000 Trout in a Bucket

Online Editors — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:15:37 -0400

by Tim Romano

The title of this post is a little misleading. While in theory these little guys are in a bucket, what you're actually seeing here is 20,000 freshly hatched cut bow trout (a hybrid between a cutthroat and a rainbow) in what's called an egg jar.

This is where the little guys get blown around in freshwater at the hatchery before being let loose inside in small raceways when they get a little bigger and have consumed their egg sacs. After that, they are transferred outside and fed until they're ready to be stocked in a river or lake. I found watching them to be pretty mesmerizing. I hope you do too.

The CatchFeed: 50 Top Photos from Catchbook, Field & Stream's New Social Fishing App

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:43:40 -0400

These 50 photos are our editors' picks for the best shots posted so far by users of our new Catchbook app!

About Catchbook Fishing Reports
Catchbook is a free social fishing app we built for the iPhone to help you share photos of your fish while recording the spots where you caught them. Check out more great fish photos from around the country (and start posting your own catches) by downloading the app from iTunes! Visit fieldandstream.com/catchbook for details on how the app works, and why it'll help you catch more fish.

Catchbook Photo Contest
We're giving away a Columbia PFG Blood and Guts™ Ball Cap, for the best photo posted each week (as chosen by our editors) from now until then end of July. At the end of each month we'll pick our favorite overall shot and run it in the magazine! Each monthly winner will also receive a Columbia Airgill Chill™ Long Sleeve (men) or Ultimate Chill™ Long Sleeve (women). Click here to learn how you can enter this contest. Click here for the official rules.

The Greatest Lesson in Fishing Streamers

Online Editors — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:13:53 -0400

by Kirk Deeter

Most of you who follow FlyTalk might realize by now that Romano and I are both shameless streamer junkies. We'll pound the banks from a boat, trying to turn big fish with blind casts, but we also like to wade and sight-fish streamers in low, clear water. Big flies catch big fish, to be sure. Yet in clear water, you have to make the right presentation for streamers to work well. While I've learned many valuable tips from streamer gurus like Kelly Galloup, who said, "You have to dictate the action, and not wait for something to happen," the greatest streamer lesson I ever learned didn't happen on a trout river, and it didn't even involve a true streamer fly.

I was fishing on Biscayne Bay in Florida with legendary flats guide Bill Curtis about 10 years ago. Bill was on the poling platform and I was standing on the bow, when a big permit that looked like an aluminum trash can lid gliding through skinny water came cruising into view. Without a word spoken by either of us, I locked my eyes on the fish and unfurled what I thought was the perfect cast: A water-loaded beauty that formed a tight loop, rocketed 60 feet through the air, turned the leader over, and plopped just a foot or two ahead of the fish. The crab fly landed exactly on the money, or at least where I wanted it to drop.

The permit didn't spook at first, but as I started making gentle strips, lightly bouncing the fly into the feeding zone, it abruptly finned away.

By the time the fish split, Bill was already climbing off the poling platform, grumbling unmentionables under his breath. Having thought I made the perfect cast, I was crestfallen but willing to rationalize the episode via all I had heard about the notoriously fickle nature of permit. Still, on impulse, I asked aloud, "What in the heck happened? What went wrong?"

Bill looked me straight in the eye and deadpanned, "Fish like that aren't used to bait attacking them."

Then he sat down behind the steering wheel, cranked up the boat motor and didn't say another word. I let it sink in for a moment and then realized that I had been taught the greatest lesson that can ever be learned about catching wily, predatory fish with large flies; by a master in as few words as humanly possible.

Think about it and apply this reasoning to the trout world. Little, finicky trout like to sip helplessly-floating nymphs and dry flies -- they demand to be "spoon fed." But when they get big, they go after other fish. They also get smart, so when something swims toward their mouth, they don't typically eat it.

Learn to drop streamers where trout can see them, and then immediately make those flies look like they're panicked and fleeing. It's a simple concept that's easier said than done. But if you figure that deal out, I guarantee you'll unlock the secret to catching more and bigger trout, in any conditions.

Step-by-Step Photo Instructions on How to Tie "Banksia Bug" Fly

Online Editors — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:47:55 -0400

Tie Talk: Tying the Banksia Bug (Step-by-Step Photos)

Online Editors — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:19:23 -0400

by Tim Romano

Here's another sweet little bug from our friends at flyrecipes.com. It's called the Banksia Bug (formerly known as the Patchouli Pupa) and was created by my friend and warm water fly fishing guru Jay Zimmerman.

"I began tying this fly to imitate the masses of free-living caddis larva in all my home waters here in Colorado and elsewhere in trout streams all over the West.

I have rarely found good commercially available flies that can fill this niche. Its a very productive fly because this particular caddis larva is a notoriously poor swimmer, often getting swept away in the current, making it an easily recognizable food organism and makes up a large portion of a trouts diet," says Jay.

"I have found this pattern to work well in rivers with an abundance of small to medium-size stonefly nymphs leading me to believe my fly is suggestive enough for trout to mistake it for any number of long-bodied aquatic insects as well. With this in mind, I am now using this fly in lakes with equal success! I was hoping it could double as a case maker caddis larva, but have found it works exceptionally well in lakes with a lot of active damselflies."

You can purchase the fly at your favorite fly shop that carries the ump qua brand or follow these instructions and tie it yourself.

Sage Wins Small Company Business Award

Online Editors — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:43:32 -0400

--Martin Leung

Sage Manufacturing, the company behind some of world's finest fly rods, was recently dubbed Seattle Business magazine's Manufacturer of the Year, Small Company.

From this press release:
The May issue of Seattle Business features the awards for 2012 and is the culmination of the publication’s Washington Manufacturing Awards. Each year Seattle Business honors companies whose work results in growing or advancing the manufacturing sector in the state. During an awards ceremony on Thursday night, April 26th, six winners were chosen in different categories. Representatives of roughly 270 manufacturing companies located in the state attended the event.

“At Sage we have been actively investing in our people and processes to ensure that we continue to offer our customers cutting edge technology and cutting edge value while doing our part to secure the future of American manufacturing,” notes Production Manager, Scott Tuchel.

“The quality of competition is revealed by the list of the silver award winners in our category: Pro CNC of Bellingham, maker of energy efficient cars and Cascade Designs of Seattle, a 40 year old outdoor gear manufacturer,” comments President and CEO, Travis Campbell. “This is a fantastic achievement and I would like to congratulate everyone involved.”

Giant Lake Trout on the Fly?

Online Editors — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:28:57 -0400

by Tim Romano

This is a photo of my friend Russ Miller torturing himself with a 9-weight rod and full sinking line on Lake Granby last night. He was casting a double bunny fly that looked like a dead squirrel, so we decided to call it Bernie's Bunny.

After shooting an episode of Hook Shots earlier this spring for giant lake trout on Lake Granby with uber guide Bernie Keefe, he asked if I'd like to come back up and try for the huge fish on a fly. It took me all of about one second to make my decision.

I've actually toyed with the idea for a number of years but was never really sure how to go about it. Landing 30- to 40-inch lake trout on a fly is a feat very few fly anglers have done, especially here in the lower 48. The window of opportunity is very small. You cast a lot for precious few shots at fish, and simply hooking one of these huge fish never ensures you'll land it. Fly anglers might get a couple weeks in the spring and a couple in the fall when these large aggressive fish come up into the shallows to feed and spawn. After that, you better be willing to put down the long stick and start vertical jigging - deep.

We've now gone out twice with Bernie for a couple hours in the evenings to try and land what might arguably be the biggest "trout" most folks have ever landed on a fly rod. We almost accomplished our feat last night with two fish hooked up and five other absolutely huge submarines followed our fly all the way back to the boat. In the end, we simply couldn't close the deal, but we had excellent shots and are going to give it one more try next week before the fish decide to return to the depths.

It was some of the most intense fishing I've done in a long time. My heart in my throat every time a fish would follow. Russ and I chatted on the way home, racking our brains trying to come up with a freshwater fly fishing scenario where one could land a 30- to 40- inch fish that might weigh 25 pounds or more on a fly here in the lower 48. The only thing we could think of were musky and pike, which also are fickle beasts and fish of a thousand casts. What am I missing?

For more specifics on gear and tactics for giant lakers see Russ' post over at Front Range Anglers.

Our 20 Coolest and Strangest Fish Stories

Online Editors — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:05:51 -0400

Tarpon May be Ideal Tenkara Fish

Online Editors — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:19:49 -0400

by Kirk Deeter

Take a close look at this photo Tim Romano took of Oliver White battling a small tarpon. You'll notice something is missing... the reel. That's because there isn't one.

We just came back from a gonzo jungle expedition (in a place I'll tell you about later) where we literally caught hundreds of trout- to salmon-sized tarpon every day. So to make things even more interesting, we decided to catch some on a Tenkara rod (Yamame). We landed over 50 tarpon on Tenkara, the largest weighed about eight pounds.

Now, believe it or not, a juvenile tarpon might be the ideal Tenkara fish. A five-pound bonefish is going to make a straight run and blow the rod apart. A five-pound trout in heavy current is likely going to snap you off (though I did see Chris Hunt land a laker and a northern pike on Tenkara when we were in Saskatchewan together last fall). But a five-pound tarpon almost always goes straight to the air when hooked, so the fight is more like playing yo-yo with a really long fly rod. The take is incredible: See a fish roll, plop a cast in the area with a Deceiver fly or some other small streamer, give a few twitches with the wrist, and bang.

They really should keep a record for the most Tenkara-caught species by one angler. That would impress me far more than some obscure IGFA line class "world record."

I'm also sticking with my point that Tenkara might be the best tool for teaching new anglers fly fishing. One member of our group, Patrick Henry, had never fly fished before. We decided to keep things simple for him: One Tenkara rod and one fly. He caught over three dozen fish that way. I think it's fair to say that he is the first angler on the planet to have his initial fly fishing experience be catching three dozen tarpon on a Tenkara rod.

Fishing skill aside, the location was the main reason behind our Tenkara fest. We found tarpon Shangri-La in jungle creeks that looked liked they were boiling with tarpon, as they splashed and rolled in the black waters. I've never seen anything like it. But you'll have to stay tuned to find out where we were.

Video: Trout Hatchery Feeding Frenzy

Online Editors — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:26:33 -0400

by Tim Romano

Over the last nine months, I've been shooting a little underwater book project with my friend Geoff Mueller. We've seen and done some very interesting stuff, like hanging out with a NOAA biologist in Washington state, drift diving the Green River in Utah and visiting a state run hatchery here in Colorado to learn all about the life stages of trout.

While we were at the hatchery last fall, I decided to stick my camera into a raceway full of smallish rainbow trout right as they were being fed. The ensuing melee was expected as drone stockers fought each other for trout chow, but fun to watch none the less. Enjoy.

The Best F&S Online Record Fish Stories and Photos

Online Editors — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:57:23 -0400

Photo Contest: Name This Fish, Win a Pair of Costa Sunglasses

Online Editors — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:06:20 -0400

by Kirk Deeter

The rules for this contest are simple: Tell us what kind of fish this is, where we caught it and what the fly this fish is chewing on looks like. Yes, this fish ate a fly.

The first commenter, if any, to nail all three answers will win a certificate that can be redeemed for a pair of high performance Costa polarized sunglasses.

I'll announce the answers and the winner on May 21, and give more details on what is a very interesting fish story.

International Nymphing: The Irish Dibbler

Sarah Smith — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:54:08 -0400

by Kirk Deeter

Not all nymph (or wet-fly) fishing should be confined to rivers. Using subsurface patterns for trout on lakes can be deadly. Fourth-generation ghillie (guide) Neil O’Shea recently explained to me why the traditional “dibbling” technique works well in places like Lough Currane in County Kerry. “The peat-rich soil makes these lakes acidic and less hospitable for mayflies,” he said. “So the migratory trout and salmon are window-shopping more than they are keyed in on a specific food source, like an insect hatch. Showing the trout and salmon bright, attractor wet flies with a slow, methodical retrieve will elicit a reaction strike. This is a technique for hooking curious, rather than hungry or aggressive, fish.”

The Rig: Use a 9- or 10-foot 5- to 7-weight rod with a weight-forward floating line—or a sink tip for targeting trout 8 feet or deeper. From the fly line tie a 6-foot 3X leader. This rig presents three flies—two are on dropper tags. From the leader, tie a 3-foot section of 6- to 8-pound mono tippet, leaving a 6-inch dropper tag. Attach another 3-foot section of tippet, again leaving a 6-inch dropper tag. The leader length is roughly 12 feet.

The Flies: Traditionalists will insist on staples like the Red Arse Green Peter, Bibio, and Silver Stoat, but good luck finding those at your local fly shop. Stick with proven patterns: a size 10 Damselfly nymph, followed by a size 14 Prince nymph, and a size 16 Mercer’s Poxyback PMD as the point pattern.

Where It Works: Dibbling is best suited for flat water—preferably in light wind-driven chop on overcast days when the trout are not dialed in on a specific hatch. Work it over structure, off points, in current lines, and especially near weed mats. Try this technique from a belly boat.

How It Works: Make a long, delicate cast and let the flies sink for a few seconds before starting your retrieve. You want to make long, slow, consistent strips (1). Near the end of the strips, lift your rod tip toward the sky so the flies “emerge” to the surface (2). The trout, which will likely have trailed the rig out of curiosity, will grab a bug—just as it reaches the surface—often within short reach of the boat or shoreline. Not all nymph (or wet-fly) fishing should be confined to rivers. Using subsurface patterns for trout on lakes can be deadly.

Fourth-generation ghillie (guide) Neil O’Shea recently explained to me why the traditional “dibbling” technique works well in places like Lough Currane in County Kerry. “The peat-rich soil makes these lakes acidic and less hospitable for mayflies,” he said. “So the migratory trout and salmon are window-shopping more than they are keyed in on a specific food source, like an insect hatch. Showing the trout and salmon bright, attractor wet flies with a slow, methodical retrieve will elicit a reaction strike. This is a technique for hooking curious, rather than hungry or aggressive, fish.”

The Czech Trick

The Spanish Combo

The French Twist

From the April 2012 issue of Field & Stream magazine.

International Nymphing: The Irish Dibbler

Sarah Smith — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:54:08 -0400

by Kirk Deeter

The Czech Trick

The Spanish Combo

The French Twist

From the April 2012 issue of Field & Stream magazine.

International Nymphing: The French Twist

Sarah Smith — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:42:18 -0400

by Kirk Deeter

The French have won six world flyfishing championships by being masters of catching trout in the trickiest, most technically demanding conditions—clear, shallow water and slow-moving currents. When you find trout in these situations, and they are not eating dry flies, the best option is to throw light nymphs on a long, fine leader. The French have devised a rig for this scenario that works better than anything else.

Their twist (literally) is a coiled, two-toned sighter, sometimes called a Curley Q. The sighter is actually at the end of a standard leader, making the total leader system very long—16 feet or more—which can make casting tricky. A deliberately long stroke and wide loop is necessary here. And casts are made upstream rather than working perpendicular to the current, as the Czech tactic requires.

The Rig: Here, the same style of rod used in Czech nymphing works, but you’ll need to chop 5 feet from the tip of the weight-forward floating line. From the line connect an Umpqua 9-foot Power taper leader (butt section at least 2X), followed by the Curley Q.* The length of 5X tippet that extends from the Curley Q should be 2.5 times the water depth. The dropper fly hangs on an 8-inch tag, and the point fly is tied to 5X or 6X tippet 18 to 20 inches below the dropper. *Make a Curley Q: Take a 24-inch section of Jan Siman Bi-Colored Indicator Material (bluequillangler.com) and tightly wrap it around a 3-inch finishing nail. Boil the line-wrapped nail for five minutes, then freeze it for 24 hours. Make perfection loops on both ends.

The Flies: Fish a size 16 (or smaller) tungsten Zebra Midge as the point and a size 18 Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail as the dropper. Egan’s Frenchie is also a great all-around nymph for this tactic.

Where It Works: This rig is ideal in spring creeks and clear tailwaters—water where you know the fish are eating nymphs and emergers, but you think the splash made by a dry fly in a dry-dropper rig would spook your targets.

How It Works: Cast upstream and let the flies drift over your target fish (1). As the flies come downstream, lift the tip of the rod to gather the slack in the line. When a trout takes either fly, the Curley Q will stretch ever so slightly. Set the hook. The long leader makes the cast tricky, requiring a deliberately open loop. After the coil starts to lose its memory, you can refreeze it into form, but once it kinks like a telephone cord, it is ruiné…finis!

The Spanish Combo

The Czech Trick

The Irish Dibbler

From the April 2012 issue of Field & Stream magazine.

International Nymphing: The French Twist

Sarah Smith — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:42:18 -0400

by Kirk Deeter

The Spanish Combo

The Czech Trick

The Irish Dibbler

From the April 2012 issue of Field & Stream magazine.

International Nymphing: The Spanish Combo

Sarah Smith — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:13:44 -0400

by Kirk Deeter

Spanish nymphing blends characteristics of both the Czech and French styles. Like Czech nymphing, you’re using a heavy weighted fly on the point and leading the flies through a run with the rod tip pointed at the water. Like French nymphing, the leader in this technique is very long—15 feet or longer—and rather than feel, you are relying on a sighter that is relatively far from the end of the fly line to tell you when to set the hook.

Spanish flyfishermen created this nymphing technique to help them catch the notoriously elusive fario (brown trout) in Pyrenees mountain streams. They found that the extra-long leader is the key to avoid spooking the fish.

The Rig: The ideal rod for Spanish nymphing is a 10- to 12-foot 3-, 4-, or 5-weight. Use a weight-forward floating line and a 3X to 5X 9-foot tapered leader. Spanish anglers tie a two-tone sighter to the end of the leader. Make the sighter by splicing two 12-inch sections of Sunline Siglon F mono (fishusa.com) together with Uni knots or a Blood knot. Below the sighter, attach 4 feet of 5X tippet and leave an 8-inch dropper tag while adding 2 more feet of 5X for your point fly.

The Flies: Heavy Czech-style flies work best on the point; smaller nymphs on the dropper. As an American variation, try a size 10 Conehead Woolly Bugger on the point and suspend a size 18 Flashback JuJu Baetis on the dropper.

Where It Works: This technique is especially effective in the tailouts of runs, in slow, deep water, and in spots where you have to reach across fast or deep water into a seam where rainbows and browns are holding.

How It Works: Cast at a 45-degree angle upstream (1), then follow the flies with the tip of the rod as they move downstream. With such a long leader, back casting is almost impossible, so lift the rod high at the end of the drift, letting the current load the rod (2), and lob the line back into the target zone. Keep your eyes focused on the sighter and set the hook on the slightest stagger, change of direction, or pause. The key to effective Spanish nymphing is choosing a point fly that is heavy enough to tick the bottom but not so heavy as to hang up on every drift. For that reason, anglers switch point patterns often—usually run by run.

The Czech Trick

The Irish Dibbler

The French Twist

From the April 2012 issue of Field & Stream magazine.

International Nymphing: The Spanish Combo

Sarah Smith — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:13:44 -0400

by Kirk Deeter

The Czech Trick

The Irish Dibbler

The French Twist

From the April 2012 issue of Field & Stream magazine.

Video: The Strangest Fish Ever?

Online Editors — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:45:10 -0400

by Tim Romano

You know I love to share some weirdness on Fly Talk every once in a while that has nothing to do with fly fishing. This is one of those times. You're either gonna love me or be a little grossed out with this one.

Click the video above and check out one of the strangest fish behaviors I've ever heard of. Thanks, BBC and cameraman Richard Fitzpatrick for explaining this one. Enjoy, or maybe not…

Catchbook Contest: Photo of the Week!

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:41:44 -0400

Congratulations to Austin Bockwinkel, whose spring Iowa largemouth bass takes top prize in our weekly Catchbook Photo Contest! Austin gets a PFG Blood and Guts™ Ball Cap from Columbia, and also qualifies to win our monthly prize, a Columbia Airgill Chill™ Long Sleeve fishing shirt and his mug in the pages of our magazine. Click here to learn how you can enter this contest by. Click here for the official rules.

Catchbook is a new fishing app for the iPhone that automatically turns photos of fish you've caught into detailed fishing journal entries that show up on your map, then shares those entries exclusively with trusted friends. Our goal is to help you and your buddies learn more about the spots you fish. You can download the app from iTunes here.

Tie Talk: Tying The Dirty Rat (Step-by-Step Photos)

Online Editors — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:13:59 -0400

by Tim Romano

Despite what it says on its Flyrecipes.com page, I'm pretty sure that this week's Tie Talk bug, The Dirty Rat, is not by Jackie Treehorn. Don't get me wrong, I love the character reference to one of my favorite movies of all time, as well the pattern itself. It IS damn dirty…
As "Jackie Treehorn" says, "One evening while enjoying some Glenfiddich 21 year old Gran Reserva... I noticed a small mouse swimming in my pool. He struggled and fought for dear life, nose barely breaking the surface, legs kicking like bunny. I was inspired by his heroic efforts and chose to create a fly that mimiced his final death dance. Most mouse patterns have the mouse floating on top of the water, while this is great at imitating a mouse which is dead and bloated, I wanted something that would fire up the bass and cause the most vicious of strikes, so my good friends, I present to you... THE DIRTY RAT..."

Click here for step-by-step instructions with photos.

Wild Chef's Best: Fish and Turkey Recipes

Online Editors — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:16:11 -0400