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Hendrickson season here on the east coast. As I have found, trout do not always go for the adults on the surface especially early in the season and emerging patterns are more effective. I like to cast down stream, just below the surface. A tip I received was to grease up the fly with floatant like a dry fly as fish become more active and begin to target the surface. Get out there! Hook: BWO 3769, Tiemco TMC 3769 or Mustad 3906B Size 14-16 Thread: 6/0 or 8/0 rusty brown. I used Danvillle 6/0 "$3 Dip" rusty brown Body:  D's...

This fly was the ticket this last weekend on my local streams in the Northeast. With the Quill Gordon hatch around 1:30-2:00 PM, swinging this fly in a size 10 was deadly. Generally no surface action with this hatch and the dry flies stay in the box. Casting down into the current at 45 degrees and mending upstream to get the fly down was the key. Unlike high stickign nymphs which can get boring, there is almost meditative quality to swinging soft hackles downstream.  Hook: Mustad 94840 or Tiemco TMC 100. Size 10-18 Thread: 6/0 or 8/0 Red Rib: Small Copper...

I was in London last fall and picked up some red dyed cock pheasant tail at Farlows, a high-end fly shop in Pall Mall, established in 1840! The clerk stuck up his nose on my suggest of using it to tie nymphs - God forbid. ;) I finally broke it out and tied something with it. I was looking to create a very simple nymph pattern, similar to a Frenchie but with a peacock herl thorax and without a bead. Red Copper John's are one of my "confidence" flies - I figure I tried a red pheasant tail. Lets see...