3 Flies for the Week: January 10
We’re back in action! Sorry for lull in activity, once again. We were at the Fly Fishing Show and were quite occupied with the setup and takedown process involved with it. That said, 3 Flies for the Week will now be back to its regularly scheduled program. Aside from the weekend, this week is looking very warm and the flows are high on our tailwaters, so fishing should be incredible. I actually fished Cheesman on Friday and it fished amazing, fish were keying in on eggs, scuds, and midges. Although the slow water had plenty of action, the majority of fish were stacked up in the riffles looking to put their feed on. We didn’t see many risers, aside from the sporadic few, so expect to spend most of your time nymphing. Unfortunately, snowpack isn’t looking very good right now, so I wouldn’t expect flows to remain as high as they have been. So while they are, get in on the action.
#1: Twister Egg - Fluorescent Sunburst sz20
The almighty twister egg has made it back onto the list, and for good reason. This fly is incredible for winter fish looking to pack on some weight with an easy meal. I feel the orange eggs do better in the winter because it offers a more realistic presentation. As I’ve mentioned before, winter fish don’t want to expend as much energy while they’re eating. The water is cold and expending more energy means they have to eat more to make up for the calories burned. So offering a realistic presentation to these fish will make them more confident to eat your offering. On top of the realism, the twister egg has a heavy tungsten bead that allows for minimal use of split shot, which is well known for spooking fish with its heavy splat when hitting the water. I’d be fishing this as my lead fly on a three fly rig with two tiny midges behind it.
If you aren’t familiar with the mercury midge, you should be. This is one of the most realistic midge larva patterns on the market; it’s subtle and sleek, but bold enough to grab a fish’s attention. Midge larvae vary in their coloration, but red is the most common color. With that in mind, many anglers choose to fish red midge larvae patterns and after enough drifts going past them, the fish get used to the same old same old. That’s why Dorsey designed this fly, to differentiate from the other flies out there, but still look like the real deal. Mercury beads, as seen on this fly, are typically seen on midge pupae and mayfly nymph patterns to resemble an emergence bubble. This fly utilizes the mercury bead in a different manner, midge larvae don’t “emerge” and instead transition into their pupae stage while still in the riverbottom. Instead, the mercury bead is used for drawing power on this fly because it’s such a natural presentation. The mercury bead draws in sunlight and can act like a hotspot to separate your fly from the naturals.
Ugh oh, we’re talking about tiny flies. Unfortunately this time of the year is going to require generally smaller flies since midges don’t really get much bigger than a 24. Ideally, fishing a sz26 or 28 would better match the hatch, but the hook up to landing ratio of flies that small is rather low, so we find the sz24s to work much more efficiently. We like the foamie homie because of its natural profile that perfectly imitates an emerging midge pupa. The added bonus with this fly is the small flashy section built into its head. Unlike other midge patterns where the flash is built into the wing or body, this flash is built into its head below the emerging bubble which allows for it to still be super realistic but still able to grab the fish’s eye. The entirety of the fly is also reinforced with a UV epoxy coat that allows it to withstand abuse from the river bottom and the fish’s mouth. Most midge patterns don’t come with this so they fall apart rather fast. Without getting too into this fly, fish it for yourself and see how well it performs.
Best of luck on the water this week and we hope these flies catch a fish or two for ya. All 3 of the flies are available on our website and in the shop. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to Xavier on email at xavier@goldenflyshop.com, or call the shop at 303-330-1292. Thank you!
Leave a comment