Featured Fly - Iced-Out Pheasnt Tail

This is a fast and simple little fly. I was tying some smaller pheasant tails up for our last New Hampshire trip, to mimic BWO nymphs. This little guy was what came out of the pile of fly tying crap all over my desk. It worked well on Landlocks and Brook Trout. This one should be a great fly for the up and coming winter months.

Materials:

Hook: 2499 SPBL sz. 16-20

Beadhead: Tungsten Bomb Bead - Gold 

Thread: UNI Thread 6/0 - Fl. Fire Orange 

Rib: Ultra Wire - Small - Gold

Body: Ice Dub - Brown/Olive 

Thorax: Ice Dub - Peacock 

Tail/Back: Pheasant Tail - Olive

Step 1: Make a small thread base, just behind the bead.

Step 2: Finish the thread base, tying in the wire as you go back.

Step 3: Making one wrap, secure the pheasant tail, at the bend of the hook.

Step 4: Dub the body with ice dub.

Step 5: Pull the pheasant tail forward, tying in right behind the bead.

Step 6: Wrap the wire forward, securing the pheasant tail and making a nice rib.

Step 7: Cut off extra pheasant tail.

Step 8: Dub the thorax with a small amount of peacock ice dub.

Step 9: Whip fishing and cut off.

Fooled Fish!

M&Ms, Road Trips, and Landlocked Salmon

Last Friday, Doug, Shane, and I closed the shop down around 7pm and head north beginning our 10-hour drive through the night. Over the past year or so, I have been working on a new program with localized travel. Trying to get people excited about destinations that can be driven to. I was talking to our Orvis rep, Doug Bear about it last year, and he loved the idea. He introduced me to the head guide and owners of Lopstick Outfitters in Pittsburg NH, at Somerset last year.

About six months ago they emailed Casey and I about coming up and checking out their operation. A trip to NH for landlocked salmon, yeah we were both in. Well Casey got a last minute call eight days before the trip, his brother was getting married. That’s a whole other story, so Shane got to go along.

Almost running out of gas, because the whole state of Vermont closes at 9pm, a family sized bag of M&Ms, at least three roadside bathroom breaks, and standstill traffic on Rt. 222, we made it to Pittsburg NH with about an hour to take a nap.

Now, on to the fishing, the salmon run was late, just like everything this year, so we didn’t see the numbers of big fish that are normally around this time of year, but we did manage to get into quite a few nice 14 to 18 inch landlocks, and a lot of rainbows, brooks, and a couple browns. We were fishing for three days, day one and three were trout and salmon trip, day two we changed it up a bit and took the bass boat out for pike. With evening temps in the low 30s, it was no surprise that the fishing didn’t really start until about noon. When that sun finally came over the trees, the pike turned their feedbags on!

The third day we fished on our own, and we had great success, with help from our guide, telling us where we should spend most of the day. The fishing was great, there was a trophy landlocked salmon landed and released without a picture (Shane!), a rare moose siting, and a nice little swim (me) to finish the trip strong!

All in all, Lopstick Outfitters knows their fishery and knows how to treat guests well. I would highly recommend, changing your next Montana trip, to a trip to New Hampshire.

Thank you Doug, Bill, and the staff at Lopstick for making up feel at home!

More Photos to come from Shane's camera!