There was a time when highly
detailed quill winged attractor patterns served a trout fly tradition as rich
as the anadromous side of things, & those flies worked well on pre-spawn
trout – & that is the baby in the proverbial bathwater, I think, the fact
that those flies worked very well at certain times of the year. Yet the development
of attractor flies for trout fishing has been mainly truncated since the late
1950’s, as the imitative wave rolled in to sweep away the old wetfly patterns
of Ray Bergman & those who came before us. Sadly, in the process, it even
became tacitly understood (in some circles) that the imitative approach was somehow morally superior to other methods, & that served to diminish an artful
branch of our sport, & a useful, fun approach as well, as any steelheader can tell you.
There is a lot of room for
good lures in our trout fly boxes, as the purpose for them will exist as long as there are trout. And designs meant to be swung (as opposed to dangled under a bobber) will always fill a sporty niche.
Fortunately, savvy, creative anglers serve to show us new directions to take the classic concepts. Hairwing attractors are finding
popularity among those who like to fish flies that do not resemble jigs, & we are seeing designs from both East & West that are simply exquisite. Along with hairwings,
the wingless, low water spider designs popular for sea-run cutthroat & skinny water
steelhead, provide a killing model for trout lure designs. Anywhere trout will strike
a tiny spoon or spinner, they will find a swung & stripped fancy spider irresistible. The elegant LW spider might fill the bill when a larger streamer is just too much.
Green/Blue Spider
Hook: #8-#10 TMC 200R or salmon/steelhead style hook
Thread: black UNI 8/0
Body: copper tag, green tinsel; blue
tinsel; peacock herl
Hackle: golden plover
Flyfish NE Washington with
Steven Bird: http://ucflyfishing.blogspot.com
