My Top 7 Streamers

My Top 7 Streamers

(Top-to-Bottom, Left-to-Right)

(Mohair Leech, Hen & Herl, Little Crappie Fly, Firehole, Golden Retriever, Northwest Jack, Ralph's Little Pine)

These seven streamers aren't just what makes up the bulk of my streamer fishing. These 7 are my streamer box. If I want or need to go to streamers, one of these 7 patterns will do the trick.

The Mohair Streamer fishes well on both streams and still-water, and is a standby for most fly fishermen.  I tie it in black, olive, purple and rust.

The Hen-&-Herl is the perfect pattern for eddies and shallow runs.

The Golden Retriever and Little Crappie Fly both fish equally as well as a nymph under and indicator or as a streamer on most any water.

The Firehole and Northwest Jack complete my bucktail stable.

Ralph's Little Pine is by far one of my top streamers, and fishes perfectly tight-lined.

For full tying video's on all 7 patterns visit my video archive:

Ralph's Fly Box Video Archives

Tying the Benton Caddis

Benton Caddis

After observing the primary caddis hatch on a stream just below Benton PA, last season, My goal was to tweak a pattern to replicate the bug from the "fish's eye-view". The result was a blend of 3 patterns. The EHC, CDC & Elk, and the Fluttering Caddis. After a full season of out-fishing my standard caddis patterns, it's here to stay. 

It floats well with durability and gives the perfect footprint on the water. 

The Benton Caddis Recipe

Hook:  #12 Orvis Tactical Dry Fly

Thread:  8/0 Olive-Dun 

Abdomen: Olive CDC

Thorax:  Brown Dry hackle

Wing: Light Elk

My Top 7 Trout Nymphs

My Top 7 Nymphs

(Left-to-Right, Top-to-Bottom)

Valley Caddis, Tactical Caddis, REC, C2C Nymph, Squirrels Nest, BWO Nymph, Green Skittle

I am currently under the process of rebuilding my trout boxes, changing style and sizes in an effort to avoid purchasing another pack. Going slimline where I can, matching box sizes with their places in the Fishpond Lumbar Guide that I'm currently using, etc. With dries, I just can't get myself to use anything but a compartment box. Therefore not much is changing on that aspect. But the nymph boxes (the largest of them) is all changing. And after organizing the layout, I sat back and reflected on which patterns I would take with me, to every water? Not just the hottest pattern on a given water....which ones would I feel well equipped with, if I had to choose across the entire region? 

Weeding out the "water specific" patterns, or patterns that for whatever reason do amazing on a particular water, but don't seem to catch a thing anywhere else, and setting aside eggs and streamers often fished as nymphs, I broke things down to seven patterns. In reality, these are the 7 nymphs that carry the vast majority of my time on the water, season after season. 

Browse the video archive, for tying videos on all 7 patterns.

Nymph Tying Videos

Gills of Spring

Christening the New Profile

Spring is officially here, and the Gills are hungry. The best way to shake off the shack nasties is some time on the water. Tonight, that water was a local pond.  The new Glass....casts like a dream. 

The fish would not take anything moving, unless it was descending. To give them what they wanted, A Foam Butt Caddis was tied on, and on an 18" dropper, a Little Crappie Fly. Twitch it and they left it alone. Just let the rings settle and they took it on the drop.

The Gills of Spring

The perfect way to ring in the new season. Glass and Gills

Went through 6 LCF's. Time to hit the bench. 

The Little Crappie Fly

Shenandoah Brookie

Shenandoah Brookie

Allegheny Brookie

Allegheny Brookie

Tying the Gold Steak & Eggs

Gold Steak & Eggs

The Steak & Eggs tandem is a staple in my box, having proven itself time and again. Normally tied with colored wire and furnace hackle, the Gold Steak uses gold wire and grizzly hackle. Adding the Shrimp Ice-Dub to the egg brings a little more flash to a great set of flies. They are one of my most productive tandem rigs in my box. Especially when you need to get deep fast.

Gold Skittle

Hook:  #10 Caddis Emerger/Scud

Thread:  Olive Dun Uni-thread

Bead: Gold Tungsten

Body: Gold Wire, Peacock Herl & Grizzly Hackle

Ice-Egg

Hook:  #16 Caddis Emerger/Scud

Thread:  70 UTC Flo-Orange

Egg:  Apricot / Steelhead Orange Mcflyfoam

Collar: Shrimp Ice-Dub