19" Mad River Brown August 2010
Caught on a #22 Black Quill Trico Spinner
Above rod: My Tecumseh 7'6" 5wt.
The dog days of summer can prove to be frustrating and tedious to say the least especially if your efforts are put to the test with the dry fly. Early bird catches the trout, long leaders with 6x and 7x tippet, and size 20 and smaller Trico patterns will prove to pay big dividends. The saying “adversity introduces a man to himself” is the moment to moment mantra especially if you happen to see a surface pecking 20 inch brown. Chunky Browns sipping Tricos in 10 inches of clear water in a slow and spooky pool is what gets my heart pumping. This is usually during daybreak so the shadows and contrast are a bit deceiving adding to the level of difficulty. Taking a downstream position with a trico spinner at this time of year early in the morning proves successful, but drop a #16 something or another can clear out an entire pool. Hoppers are a crap shoot because you only have one chance and the big ones are easily spooked in slow shallow meandering runs.
Green Quilled Trico Spinner #22, dun wings,
crisscross dun hackle around thorax, coq de leon tail,
great for visibility in the wee hours
I avoid using white hen wings on my Trico spinner patterns because the flash of white will spook the trout if a false cast happens to break his cone of vision. So I opt for medium dun pullet wings. I also use a parachute pattern for Trico spinners again using a medium dun hackle and a dun turkey flat post for the above reasons. I also like using black or green dyed quill patterns (AK Best Inspired) these seem to give ample flotation for visibility as well as a couple of turns of hackle around the thorax crisscross like the technique Vince Marinaro uses on his Thorax Duns. These simple variations of the Trico can prove deadly especially in low light conditions. Tying these patterns test my patience as much as presenting them but the principle part of catching fish in faith is patience.“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.”
~A. Glasgow