Parks Fly Shop New Flies for 2012
New Custom Flies for 2012
We'll try to get photos of these bugs up as soon as possible. We hope to have all tied and ready to go by Memorial Day, earlier for those that we expect to be important pre-runoff and on the private lakes. We realize this looks sort of funky right now, but it'll look right once we get all the pictures slotted in.
Some of these bugs are new designs or changes to our own existing designs, some are modifications of existing patterns, and some are just standard or near-standard bugs we're doing in-house rather than buying from one of our wholesalers.
A note on how we name flies: if it has someone's name ahead of it, it's a fly designed by one of our in-house or local tyers. If it has "PFS" ahead of the name, it's a fly that's recognizable as some sort of standard pattern, but one we tie with several tweaks not available elsewhere. If the fly just has a name, it's a standard pattern we happen to tie in-house rather than buying from some wholesaler.
Feb 5: A few more pics posted today. Others coming as they get tied...
Dry Flies
Wiese's Improved GFA
Without question, these tiny hoppers were our breakout dries last season. Not one Walter tied made it to the bins before heading out the door in a guide box. Similar to a standard GFA, but tied so they resemble a smaller version of the Pookie series hoppers and gussied-up with eye spots and some flash. Available in pink, peach, black sparkle cricket, and yellow, in about that order of importance, all #12. If you take a float with us in 2012 in late August or September, you WILL be using these...
Wiese's Rainbow Parachute
Various rainbow-dubbed flies are rising quickly in popularity, and this medium-sized parachute served well as a top fly in late August and September on floats. The fish most likely take it as either a Mahogany or a Hecuba, but it can even pass as a small hopper in a pinch. This was the top bug on several early fall "mayfly days" on the river. #14-16.
PFS Caddis Cripple (New Colors)
After enjoying excellent success on Caddis Cripples during our (very short) 2011 caddis season, we're going to be stocking them in two new colors: olive and purple. The olive is a great choice during the spring Mother's Day Caddis hatch, while the purple worked well as a morning attractor in the fall. Both #16.
Korn's Wrapped Foam Hopper (New Colors)
We haven't figured out a color combo of this pattern that doesn't work, especially in high flows or rougher sections of river. We're dropping the larger size of each color combo in favor of adding several more colors and simply having Doug tie us more in each color/size, so we don't run out of any. Key in August on float trips and hike-ins into the Black Canyon! Four new color combos, all #10.
PFS Rivergod Emergers
We learned about this fly design after it was featured on the same blog that featured tying instructions for Walter's GFA hopper. These little emerger/cripples float well and resemble Sparkle Duns with damaged (rather than upright) wings. We tie ours with turkey round feather fiber bodies rather than the thread or dubbed bodies of the originals. Available in #16-18 PMD, #18 Gray Baetis, and #20 BWO. All make great choices in flat water hatch situations, dry or slightly sub-surface.
Wiese's Clacka Caddis (New Colors)
Two new colors of Clackas this year, pink for late summer attractor action, and dark olive, for the spring Mother's Day Caddis hatch. Both #14.
Wiese's Palmered CDC & Elk (New Color)
This color of Wally's version of Weilenmann's CDC & Elk serves as an imitation of the summer Hydropsyche caddis and also works as an attractor during caddis or even hopper season. #14.
Nymphs and Soft Hackles
Wiese's Amber Lucent Prince
There's some flies you have in your box that can be expected to sort of work all the time. This isn't one of them. For a month or so when the Yellow Sallies, Golden Stones, and Hydropsyche caddis overlap, THAT's when you want this fly in your box. This was our top fly for the first two weeks of the 2011 float season. We will be experimenting with additional colors this year, as the body material (a tiny sparkle chenille) is very durable and easy to tie with.
PFS Chironomid Pupa
Just our version of a standard emerging lake midge, important on private lake trips in May and June and on hike-ins to Grebe or Cascade Lake in June or July.
Ben's Merrell Lake Bomber Chiro
At first glance this fly looks just like any other Bomber or Snow Cone-style chironomid larva pattern, but the pearl Krystal Flash "rope" used for a rib makes a huge difference in low-visibility situations; the flash glows with a greenish light and is easily visible to the fish. This version of the Bomber outfished all others combined 2-1 on private lake trips from mid-June onward, after the lakes started to take on a greenish hue from all the algae and weeds.
Wiese's Rainbow Prince
Most Rainbow Prince designs are too flashy, in our opinion. This one combines the fish appeal of grizzly hackle, the tan color tones of our area caddis larvae, a hint of shimmering rainbow dubbing for attraction, and the white wings and hint of red at the head known to drive our local cutthroats wild. Change this up when the normal BH Prince or small Bead, Hare, and Copper isn't getting it done. #14-16.
Korn's TNT Green Drake Nymph
Even when you don't see Green Drakes or other large mayflies hatching in the Lamar Drainage, the bugs are still there in the gravel. Fish this one as a dropper under a hopper when you don't see any hatch activity but the fish are looking up a bit. If they won't rise at all, find a deep hole and indicator nymph with this as your heavy fly. #12.
Korn's TNT Baby Golden Stone Nymph
Doug designed this version of the TNT to cover Yellow Sallies. It's especially useful as a dropper nymph or dredged under a stonefly nymph or Woolly Bugger on the Yellowstone. #14-16
Rainbow Soft Hackle
Yet another fly tied with the red-hot rainbow dubbing, this one works great as a dropper behind a dry during caddis season or trailed as a "second chance" fly behind a big streamer. #14.
Streamers
Ben's Jewell Thief
This mashup of the Zonker and the Woolly Bugger proved to be just the ticket early in the season on area lakes, providing a big enough meal to interest lethargic trout in cold water without spooking them. Fish it under an indicator or crawled slow on a slow-sink line. #6 black and #6 olive, both $2.50. You WILL fish these if you hit a private lake with us in May.
PFS Simi-Seal Leech
Doug's color combinations of the Simi-Seal Leech, rainbow and bloody black, are primarily tied for area lakes, either high-elevation park lakes in June or private lakes in the fall, but they are also great changeup streamers on park rivers. Doug's best Slough Creek cutthroat in 2011 ate the black one.