Nine is Never Enough
Each year during the first week of March, I undergo a metamorphosis. Transforming from an argumentative, irritable cabin fevered maniac to the likes of a happy excited child who anxiously awaits Christmas Day. Opening Day of trout season is coming on the second Saturday in April and resembles Christmas in many ways. Both have a Santa, presents and sometimes even snow. My Santa will be dressed in green with a D.E.M. patch on his jacket. His sleigh will be oxygen generating tank truck overflowing with Brook, Brown and Rainbow Trout, presents fresh from the North Pole hatchery. To receive these presents being really good just won’t do, I must be prepared! Many preparations are in order if I’m to have my creel stuffed with these presents.
I begin by checking the calendar for when Easter Sunday occurs. Hopefully it occurs before Opening Day. This year it doesn’t, what a bummer. Just knowing that I cannot fish from sunrise until nightfall on the second day of trout season begins to stress me out. Now I’ll be on edge on the second day and be obligated to arrive home around noon or hopefully just as my family pulls out of the driveway en-route to Easter dinner at my mother’s house after they’ve given me up for lost. Next, I examine my rods for worn and frayed windings and grooved guides. Those in need of repair are meticulously rewound with super glue and matching Mylar tape. The reels are next, after dismantling them I lubricate their innards and polish the drags for silky smooth operation. Then I check the first five hundred yards of backing on each spool for rot, a hatchery breeder shouldn’t take me out beyond that. Each extra spool, all twenty of them are closely examined. They hold every type and color of fly line imaginable. They include a Ninja Turtle Green sinking line that sinks thirty feet in one millisecond, a Neon Smurf Blue floating line that suspends itself one micron above the water’s surface and a bottom dredging Brown Bullhead taper. There’s also a special forty-two and one half-foot Mercury filled shooting head. This head is more fluid than lead core, and if it should break the fish will be poisoned and die, but I can say the place needs to be reclaimed anyway. Next I remove the tangled mass of tippet spools from my Kevlar designer vest that I saw on the TV fly fishing program “Say Yes to the Vest.” At first I’m unsure of what I have as it resembles several miles of tangled Japanese monofilament drift net. After carefully rewinding each spool I once again take an oath that this will never happen again. From the mess, leaders from 0x-1ft. to 12x-24ft. are returned to their individual compartments in my leader wallet. I then remove each fly box from my vest and scrutinize their contents a closely as Scrooge counting his shillings. Each pattern is examined as I think of where and when it will be used and question if I have enough of them. The sixty year old Perrine wet fly boxes, whose contents are about the same age, are normally in order. Boxes with Case Caddis, some made with bird gravel and glue and others with bits of tree bark, leaves, and twigs cemented to the hook always seem to be in ample supply. If only Super Glue was around sixty years ago I could have made a million of these collectors’ items.
Case Caddis
Boxes containing classic Catskill dries, extended tail and standard dry flies, nymphs, streamers, and midges both wet and dry are all accounted for. One box intimidates me. It looks empty but close examination with fifty power reading glasses reveals one dozen #28 twenty-eight black gnats on gold-plated hooks. They’re surely enough to last the season. Hopefully I won’t have to tie one of them on, or worst tie one up. During the inventory any shortcomings are noted and written down so as not to forget. After all, the one fly I forget to tie will be the only fly the trout will want on Opening Day. A check is then made to ensure there’s sufficient quantities of the proper materials and hooks are on hand to tie these “Killers”. If materials must be ordered will they make it in time? Probably not, so I overnight express them. The added expense will be worth the peace of mind. The list of flies to be tied is then placed in the jaws of my fly tying vise for safe keeping, at least here it will not get covered over by the piles of tying materials on my desk or be discarded.
I notice the list is short and has only nine patterns on it, some of only one size. How can this be? I must have overlooked something. For a good many years the list has remained the same length and years of trout fishing has dictated what I really need. The remaining flies fill boxes that stuff my vest and make me look good. They also serve as a safety device. Should I fall in and need to be rescued, I can be easily plucked from the water and brought ashore with an electromagnet. My bulging vest, with the outline of each box clearly distinguishable, identifies me as a real trout fisherman. I sometimes think I should be the one to advertise vests and waders and in such magazines as Fly Fisherperson and Rod and Creel.
As I begin tying the flies on the list I must remember the “Bondorew Law of Fly Tying”. The law states, if you tie any fly, always tie three of them. The first one will probably be lost in a tree, the second lost to a trout leaving you with just one of the right fly. To me, having just one of the right fly will change the way you fish. The fear of losing it will make you more cautious, tighten your casting style, and cause you to fish in places that are easy to fish and probably don’t hold any. With this in mind, always remember to tie at least six of any pattern. This will leave you with three extras to fish with. If your lifelong fishing companion should want one of the right fly point him to the tree that has his in it. Should you stick your one and only killer in a tree, remember to never pull straight down on the leader and line to free it. Just loop some extra fly line around the culprit branch with your rod tip and pull on the looped line. This should break the branch and rescue your prize. If the fly line should break, you probably needed a new one anyway. I always carry a ten inch mini chain saw in the large pouch on the back of my fly vest to expedite such rescue attempts.
Most of the flies on the list are not new. They are variations of standard patterns tied with either different types of materials or slightly different colors. The sacred patterns included on the list are as follows:
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Black Ghost Marabou
Black Ghost Marabou—(as dressed by Joe Adamonis)
Hook: size 4-10, 3x-4xl streamer hook i.e. Eagle Claw Model L-058S, Mustad Model 38941
Tail: Soft Yellow hackle Fibers
Body: Black floss which is more in line with traditional streamer patterns or Black Chenille, Small or medium depending upon hook size and shank length
Ribbing: Silver Tinsel/Mylar Small or medium depending upon hook size& shank length
Wing: White Marabou
Throat(Beard): Soft Yellow hackle fibers
Origin: First tied in 1927 by Herbert L.Welch of Mooselookmeguntic, Maine for Rangely Lake area salmon and squaretail trout.
This fly is a personal favorite. Not only does it catch fish for me but also appeals to my eye. Flies that have a certain eye appeal have always worked well for me over the years. This is one of a few fly patterns that can claim universal acceptance.
Black Marabou
Black Marabou
Hook: size 4-10, 3x-4xl streamer hook
Tail: Soft Yellow hackle Fibers or marabou
Body: Black Chenille, Small or medium depending upon hook size and shank length or
Black floss which is more in line with traditional streamer patterns
Ribbing: Gold Tinsel/Mylar Small or medium depending upon hook size and shank length
Wing: Black Marabou
Topping: None
Throat(Beard): Soft Yellow hackle fibers or marabou
Origin: Unknown – I began tying this pattern in the late 1960s, but can’t recall what inspired me to tie it this way
Cardinelle –As dressed by Alec Stansell (Favorite Flies.com)
The Cardinelle
Hook: size 4-10, 3x-4xl streamer hook—Thread: Fluorescent red or Orange
Body: Fluorescent Cerise or Hot Pink wool /yarn (floss can also be used)
Underwing: Fluorescent Orange or Red Hair
Wing: Cerise or Hot Pink Marabou tied full
Throat(Beard or Collar): Soft Yellow hackle fibers
Origin: Late 1960s Worcester, MA designed by Bill Chiba and popularized by Paul Kukonen
Black Wooly Bugger—I’ve omitted the photo for this pattern because if you don’t know what one looks like then you probably shouldn’t be reading this.
Hook: size 6-10, 3xl streamer hook
Body: Black Chenille or Black Sparkle Chenille
Tail: Black Marabou
Rib/Hackle: Palmered Black Hackle
*** Black is the most popular color however brown and olive are equally effective
Gray Nymph
Gray Nymph
Hook: size 8-12 Std or 1XL Wet Fly hook such as Mustad Model 3906 or 3906B
Tail: Soft, Gray or Bronze blue dun Hackle Fibers
Rib: Optional ->Fine silver wire
Body: Dubbed Muskrat Fur
Hackle: Soft, Gray or Bronze Blue Dun Hackle Collar
Origin: Click Here to see how this pattern came about.
Hare’s Ear Nymph
Hare’s Ear Nymph
Hook: Size 10-14 2XL Rib: Optional ->Fine Gold wire
Tail: Stubby Hare’s Ear Guard
Rib: Optional ->Fine Gold wire
Body: Hare’s ear dubbing– guard hairs and all
Hackle: Gray grouse hackle fiber beard
Origin: 1960s Jim Quick-From his book Fishing the Nymph
Zug Bug (As dressed by Joe Adamonis)
Zug Bug
Hook: Size 10-14 2XL Rib: Optional ->Fine Gold wire
Tail: Peacock sword
Rib: Flat silver tinsel
Body: Peacock Herl
Wing Case: Mallard flank
Hackle: Brown hackle fiber beard
Nearenuf
Nearenuf
Hook: size 12-16 Std or 1XL Dry Fly Hook
Tail: Two or Three stripped Grizzly hackle stems
Body: Stripped Peacock quill
Hackle: Brown and Grizzly Dry Fly hackles mixed
Wing: Lemon Barred Wood Duck
Origin: Late 1960s H.G. Tapply and his Tap’s Tip column in Field & Stream magazine
Black Gnat Midge
Black Gnat Midge
Hook: Size 20/22 Dry Fly Hook-(Turned-up eye best)
Tail: Black hackle fibers
Body: Black Floss–Alternate Black poly
Wing: Gray Mallard
Hackle: Black Neck hackle
While tying each pattern I pause to release the trout it has just caught. I’ve never tied a fly that did not catch at least one lunker while it was in my vise. I’m confident with this selection as they have done well by me over the years, and will continue to ensure that I’ll catch more trout than the average bear in the woods. These nine patterns are my cure all’s, but I must remember that the trout I seek can become very selective, and sometimes will only dine on such gourmet items as; Corn, Velveeta cheese , party marshmallows and cigarette butts. At such times even my Killers won’t work. If you tie these flies , fish them with confidence and leave them on for a while. A fly fished without confidence e is unlikely to catch many fish for one simple reason. It will not be in the water long enough before a different pattern is tied on. Always remember ‘ It’s not the fly but the driver. “
The last item I check is my waders, but this I save for Opening Day. Thirty degree water temperatures have a way of telling you things no other leak test can. . You probably won’t delay repairing them if they need it, and what wife would say “No” to buying a new pair while visiting you in the pneumonia ward. Finally I check that Lava soap and toothpaste are in my vest. Lava soap can be used to remove the sheen from your leader and help it to sink. It will also remove the fishy odor on your hands from the all the trout you have released. Toothpaste can also be used for a leader sink, and to brighten your smile when you return home at the end of a hard day of fishing. You will need a bright smile when you tell your wife, “Let’s not go out tonight, I have a lot of flies to tie for tomorrow”‘ Never let your wife or girlfriend see the list presented here, for she too will know, you really only need nine.
Copyright Ray Bondorew 2016
**** I first drafted this article in the early 1990s. The early version was published without pics in the Rhoddy Fly Rodders newsletter. Each year I’d re-read it and tell myself I should do some proper editing and make it more presentable. This went on for years until just recently when I finally decided to either do something with it or just shelf it for good. To stop procrastinating was a major hurdle for me and if nothing else clearing that hurdle gave me a sense of accomplishment. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it.
