Tale Waters The Voice of the North Arkansas Fly Fishers

August 11, 2020 North Arkansas Fly Fishers Tale Waters

Tying and the Crane Creek – Wild North Arkansas Fly Fishers meetings Muddler Daddy in Southwestern are held on the 3rd Tuesday of each Missouri month. Meetings are held at the Van Matre Senior Center located at 1101 Spring St Mountain Home, AR 72653. Membership meeting starts at 7:00 pm. All members and guests are welcome and encouraged to attend. NAFF Board of Directors’ meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at 1:00 pm 1st Security Bank on 9th St. All members are welcome A Selection of Muddler and encouraged to attend. Daddies Crane Creek is not all that well Visit North Arkansas Fly Fishers Crane flies, known as daddy long- known but is famous for its wild Online at legs in the UK, have been record- McCloud rainbow trout. A couple www.northarkansasflyfisher.org ed in literature some of weeks ago Schuyler Brower and 200 years ago as a species that I made the 2.5 hour drive to trout will avidly take when they are Crane and Crane Creek to check Officers available. it out. President — Dave Boyer (972) 670-2425 There are many species of crane Vice President — Susan Parsons (618) 791-3638 Basically, you drive as if you are Secretary — Patty Lueken ((501) 681-0198 fly, all of which belong to the or- Treasurer — Pat Smith (870) 425-3968 der of Diptera, that is flies with a going to Springfield and then go Directors single pair of flat wings. west on US 160 just north of Conservation — Tommy Hagan (870) 430-2091 Branson. If you set your nav sys- Property — Kevin Boddy (870) - 421-7804 There are both aquatic and terres- tem for the Crane City Park it will Education — Ceil Gasiecki (219) 776-9620 trial species. Albeit both can and Membership — Paul Ashton (870) 425-9230 take you to a parking area right by are of interest to the fish after Past President — Mike Tipton (870) 404-8845 the creek. Crane Creek has three Appd. by Pres. — Danny Barker (870) 424-4110 emergence as a winged fly. Some of you may have observed the or four miles of easily accessible crane fly hatch we see on our riv- water. It is within the State of Mis- ers, most of which are a pale yel- souri’s “Wire Road Conservation Tale Waters is published 2nd Tues- lowy tan color about a size 14 Area” and the state website pro- day of each month. Article deadline is hook. That said we also do see vides a nice downloadable map. 1st Tuesday of the month. larger terrestrial species, and trout Besides the city parks area, the Staff: Mike Tipton & Rita Billbe Contact: take notice. state provides three parking areas [email protected] for convenient ac- In the UK it is the Cont. Pg. 13 Cont. page 2 Page 2 cess. The regulations are for flys and artificial lures only, no soft plastics, and one fish over 18 inches. We brought our lunches because of the COVID-19 situation. There is a Subway in town. In more nor- mal times I would drive up in an afternoon and stay in a motel. A quick Google search found that the nearest motel is in Aurora, about 20 minutes away. Hope, Lori, and 18 inch Brown The local state maintenance guy August President’s turned out to be a fly . rigging, helping her cast an un- Message wieldy rig and watching her indica- He pointed out the fishing would tor was WAY TOO much for a one probably be better in the morning We were fortunate enough to have man operation. After no fish, decid- our Granddaughter, Hope (now and evening when there are hatch- ed I needed help, so I contacted 11), visit from Southern California es. High noon and 95 degrees are John Berry and Lori Sloas. On our for the month of July. She has tied not prime fishing conditions. appointed morning, John operated flies with me since she was three the boat and Lori coached Hope So, how was the fishing? Schuyler years old, so knows Granddad’s one-on-one to great success. Lori and I decided that wet wading passion is fly fishing. She has worked with Hope’s , helped would be the ticket. The wading joined me in fishing here in the her keep her rig untangled, gave was easy. Nowhere did it reach past, but is one who has an aver- pointers with hooking, playing and sion to BUGS. Last year I took her our gonads and the landing a fish. At the end of the to Dry Run Creek; and when a water was cool. The Cont. Pg. 12 morning, she had the biggest fish BUG landed in her lap, she and smile. THAT is what being a screamed and threw her hands Granddad is, finding ways to let the (and rod) up into the air, sending younger generation learn and have the rod to the middle of the creek! fun! The funny thing is, she went through the TU summer camp last year and her favorite part was the As with teaching a spouse, you may hands-on dissection of a trout! not be the best at helping. Call in Weather Cancellation BUGS are bad; but blood and guts for some reinforcements so all can Policy are okay … go figure! enjoy this sport we call fly fishing! NAFF Activities or Meet- Hope is already looking forward to ing will be cancelled or next summer and a return trip. postponed when the This year I tried to take her on the Mountain Home Public White by myself, which proved Tight Lines, Schools Cancel Classes. tough. I took two rods to try and Check KTLO radio web- keep a rig ready for her to fish and Dave Boyer site for school closing one to untangle. Did not figure info. handling the boat, un-tangling, re- Tale Waters Page 3

Fly of the Month smaller cator with a Ruby or Root Beer Wired PT Nymph and midge as a dropper. My only issue Tail: Natural pheasant tail Flymph with it was that it wasn’t a soft (originally, I used Brahma hen sad- hackle. I have had a passion for dle hackle for the tail, but the swinging wet flys and soft hackles pheasant tail fibers proved to be since the mid-sixties; and based on more durable) my success with a GRHE Flymph Abdomen: two Copper Brown during our caddis hatch, I decided wires, one Copper wire. Wire size to create a soft hackle or Flymph varies with hook size as fol- version of the fly. This version has lows, medium wire size for hook exceeded all of my expectations. I sizes 8 & 10, brassie wire size for believe this is because of its versa- hook sizes 12 & 14, and small tility. It can be fished as a nymph wire size for hook sizes 16 & or swung across and downstream A few years back I was standing in 18. as a soft hackle just by mending Jimmy T’s shop and noticed a your line. The point being some Thorax: Arizona Synthetic Dub- spool of copper brown colored days the fish want it on the bot- bing, peacock color Uni-wire. I have never been happy tom and some days they want it with the color of the abdomen on Covert: Whiting Brahma Hen sad- suspended. The Flymph style al- a : too much dle, color, March Brown lows you to fish it either way with black, not enough brown, and had no changing of your line set up. Hackle: Whiting Brahma Hen sad- been looking for a substitute for One other thing about the Flymph dle, color, March Brown the pheasant tail fibers for a num- version is, I always attach the fly to ber of years. The copper brown the leader using a loop knot. I wire looked like the color I had would suggest that when fishing A few notes on tying the nymph. been looking for. I purchased a any fly tied on a jig style hook that couple of spools in different sizes, The three strands of Uni-wire you tie it to your leader using a went home and started experi- should be tied in at the same loop knot. It gives the fly a lot menting with different combina- time, with the copper wire more freedom of movement. Be- tions of wire size and numbers of closest to you; the reason be- low is the pattern for the Wired wires. Eventually, I came up with ing that when the wire is PT Flymph. the below listed combination, and wrapped around the hook have been greatly impressed with shank, it will give a more even the pattern’s effectiveness during looking rib spacing. Wired PT (pheasant tail) Flymph the months of June thru August The wires should be wrapped as on the White River. one, all three wires at one time. Wired PT (pheasant tail) Nymph Use the tying thread to taper the Hook: Mustad 3906B abdomen. It makes for a nicer looking fly. Bead: Copper, Tungsten

Thread: Uni-thread, Camel color, Size 6/0 for hook size 14 and larg- This pattern proved to be very suc- er, 8/0 for hook sizes 16 and cessful when fished under an indi- Page 4

Membership Report Hook: Hogskin Creek CJ600 standard wet fly hook and com- pare its shank length to the tactical A special thank you to two of our Bead: Copper Tungsten hook shank length to get the right members for their inclusion of a Thread: Uni-thread, Camel color size fly. club donation with their member- under abdomen, and Fire Orange ship renewal. at head Size 6/0 for hook sizes14 Magell Candelaria of Grapevine, and larger, 8/0, for hook sizes 16 Any questions or comments please TX and smaller send to [email protected] Phillip Allen of Arp, TX Tail: Natural pheasant tail Fly designed and tied by John Schepp. A further thank you to the July/ Abdomen: two Copper Brown August renewals received this wires, one Copper wire. Wire size month and the past due members varies with hook size as follows, renewing with only a few remain- medium size wire for hook sizes 8 ing overdue. The club roster has & 10, brassie size wire for hook been updated with the corrections sizes 12 & 14, and small size wire sent in by our members and will for hook sizes 16 & 18. be republished the end of the . month. Please check your listing Thorax: Arizona Synthetic Dub- for correctness and let us know if bing, peacock color any updates are needed. Covert: Whiting Brahma Hen sad- Email any corrections to naffmem- dle, color, March Brown [email protected] Hackle: Whiting Brahma Hen sad- Paul Ashton dle, color, March Brown Membership

A few notes on tying the flymph.

1. Use the camel colored thread when tying in the wire and taper- ing the abdomen. If you use the hot orange thread, it will show thru the wire wraps. 2. The same notes that applied to the nymph version also apply to the flymph version

3. The physical dimensions on tactical hooks are all over the board. The standard is there is no standard. I take a Mustad 3906, Page 5

When a Bass Meets a thickness of a human hair. This is trict 2 personnel collected Mussel where the unique part of the approximately 150 bass from Nor- lifecycle and fish come into the fork Lake ranging in size from 6 to Freshwater mussels are considered picture. The female mussel must 10 inches. The bass were trans- one of the most imperiled groups deliver the glochidia to the fish. ported to Quarry Marina and Jor- of animals, with over 75% of all Once attached to a suitable host dan Marina on Norfork Lake species listed as endangered, fish, the glochdium adheres to the where they are infested with glo- threatened, or in need of conserva- skin tissue of the host fish where it chidia from a female mussel. tion actions. Arkansas is home to will remain from 2 to 8 weeks. Once the larvae are pipetted onto 85 species of mussels, of which During this period, the glochidi- the gills of the host fish (top left over half are federally listed or um will transform, similar to a cat- image) they are kept in a system of listed as a Species of Greatest Con- erpillar becoming a butterfly. floating cages. The fish are kept in servation Need. Captive propaga- Once the transformation is com- the cages to allow the larvae to ma- tion is often used to help bolster plete, the juvenile mussel will drop ture and drop off onto the sand populations in game species, such off the fish onto the bottom of the substrate in the bottom of the cage as Largemouth Bass, but it is used river where it will grow to become (bottom right image). After ap- sparingly in the conservation of an adult. During this process, the proximately 5 weeks, the cages are rare species, such as freshwater host fish are unhurt and usually opened and the fish swim away mussels. Currently, the Arkansas unaware of the process. Game and Fish Commission is unharmed leaving behind the juve- collaborating with the US Fish Bass Serve as Lovely Host nile mussels. In the early fall, usu- and Wildlife Service’s Norfork ally October, the cages are raised National Fish Hatchery to propa- to the surface and the juvenile gate freshwater mussels for release mussels are removed to be stocked into various rivers across northern in a river. Over the past three Arkansas. years, our collaborative efforts

Mussel Life History Freshwater mussels have a very unique lifecycle. They are obligate parasites of fishes, meaning they need fish to complete their life cycle. A portion of the female The process to produce juvenile mussel’s gills are used for brooding mussels is very unique and compli- the larvae, called glochidia. Glo- cated involving many steps and chidia are very, very small, with partners. In the spring, AGFC Dis- most being slightly larger than the Page 6 have resulted in over 14,000 mus- River Fishing Report resistant than the other leading sels of 5 species being stocked into brands. The trick to making tip- the Strawberry River, Myatt Creek, pet stronger with the same diame- and War Eagle Creek. ter is to get rid of the micro bub- bles. Cortland achieves this by If you enjoyed this article and extruding the tippet under pres- would like to receive more infor- sure which forces out the bubbles. mation like this than please sign It is a much more expensive pro- up for District 2's Constant Con- cess, but the results are incredible. tact emails. You can do so by click- Next time you are in Bull Shoals, ing on this link (https:// drop by the shop and try to break visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/ Water flows are lower in the o p t i n ? a piece of 5X in half. v=001x98VhqjTlI5FFUKjGc4UMhSp_a mornings at the moment and espe- RdGI4xBQDKeE0OKZA - cially during this cooldown that The lake levels are down on both tDaAAOTt39q8g_u04deZL3sf09rdf7fLSr we are having. Temps in the 50s lakes with Bull Shoals at 685+ and Im3XJiA9TUFxm2TNnaWstHc2IkHfU as of the writing of this report. Norfork down to 569 and some %3D ). Once you've clicked on the Look for 4 units on bull until after change. Not the dramatic drops aforementioned link, please enter noon then look for a ramp up of that we were hoping for! Especially your contact email and sign up for up to 6 or 7 units. The Norfork is on Bull Shoals as that level is only District 2 email list. You can also actually seeing some minimum 10 feet above the top of the flood sign up to receive information flow water during the night for a pool. It looks as though wadable from other fisheries districts, trout few hours but one would have to water is still a few months away. program, and/or stream teams if get up at midnight in order to fish Hopefully, we won’t get hit with interested it. Generation is starting up at fall deluges of water. about 7:00 AM. Girdle Bugs and Sow Bugs. Those Jimmy T. seem to be the hot flies at the mo- ment. As you may recall those two Wishes & Fishes Fly Shop flies came up in last month’s fish- 627 Central Blvd ing report. PO Box 751 Mailing The girdle bug in a size #10 or #8 Bull Shoals, Ar 72619-0751 are on fire at this time. Remem- Shop # 870-445-3848 ber to fish them close to the bank Cell # 870-404-8906 Fishing on rocky structures and set the http://theflyfishing-store.com/ hook at the slightest bounce of your indicator. Feel free to drop a midge or a sow bug from this fly as well. Also working well are gray sow bugs #14s dropped under a SJ Worm and split shotted with a couple of BBs. Fluorocarbon tip- pet which disappears (I use Cortland’s top secret) in the water and is much stronger and abrasive Page 7

Warm Water Fishing “Variety is the Spice of Life”

This is a phrase that I’m sure we’ve all heard at least once in our lives and it can be applied to a countless number of situations! To a Fly Fisher (person) it may be the variety of places one could fish, or the variety of flies that they have in their pack or in this case the variety of fish that can be pur- sued/caught on a fly rod. As many of you know Dally’s Ozark Fly Fisher recently hosted that we have right here in our area ly are like a big family and I mean their annual “All Species Odyssey” and throughout Arkansas. that sincerely. Even though we fly . This is a come from a great variety of back- “catch, photo and release” event The event was a huge success with grounds and most certainly a varie- where the participants try to catch teams catching 20 different species ty of ideologies, we do have a one each of the 30+ designated during the allotted 2 day/15 hours strong common bond! I think species selected for the event. This of fishing time. Most teams stayed more than ever it’s important that list included everything from in the area, taking advantage of we look to expand our “family” by longnose gar to rainbow trout and the warm and cold water fisheries sharing our passion and love of a host of other game and non- that we have right here in our own the outdoors. Whether it’s helping game species as well. Being an “all backyard. Duane Hada and his someone catch their first fish on a water” enthusiast and also because young teammate decided to head fly rod or simply sharing your time I had the pleasure of working with south to the Arkansas River to and knowledge of something as Steve last year for the inaugural take advantage of the wide variety simple as a sowbug or other “cool” tournament, I find this event very of fish that call that river home. critter that lives in a stream. We special. This decision certainly paid off as should never underestimate our Duane and his partner finished A week before the event my ability to make a positive change the tournament in first place! Af- gallbladder (or what was left of it) in someone else’s life!! Since we ter ending day one in the lead decided it needed to be removed truly live in an area with such a with a total of 10 different species, right NOW! Thus the Father/Son variety of outdoor options, our Dawn and Michael Jr. finished the “Team Flywater” became the biggest “challenge” is simply find- tournament with sore feet, lots of Mother/Son duo and honestly I ing someone to share our great memories and a very respect- couldn’t have been more excited! knowledge and time with. able 4th place finish. Dawn and Michael Jr. joined 17 other teams from 4 states, all excit- Being a part of an event like Dal- ed to fish an event that yes, had ly’s All Species Odyssey or Sowbug Michael Schraeder some very nice prizes for the teams Roundup or so many of the other that finished in the top 5. But, events that we have, makes me re- beyond the monetary value of this alize that those of us involved here event, it also highlighted the won- in our fly fishing community, real- derful variety of fish and waters Page 8

Spring River Report is highly recommended to come up and fish thru the week to avoid crowds. The Spring River is a qui- et place during the week. Above dam 3 up into town was heavily stocked with really nice trout. Las- siter walk-in has good trout again. The moss has been thick and heavy this time of year. Fish the open channels. They are watching them. Pic of Hunter Crawford Tight lines and good luck,

Mark Crawford

Water levels are running at 450 cfs., 350 avg., and water clarity has been heavily green tinted. There has still been a lot of rain in the area keeping the river from getting clear but it has dropped over a foot in water level from the spring rainy season. With the water conditions it has been very hard to beat woolly bug- gers for trout. Olive has been the go-to color with brown being very hot after rains. We have tried some hopper dropper action and have got fish on the droppers but not much on top. For the small- mouth, olive skull heads are great and olive woollies with lead eyes, tied Clouser style, and of course crawfish patterns. The smallmouth really like a fast dropping fly and hit a lot of times on the drop. With the Covid crisis the river has been very busy on the weekend. It Page 9

Musings of a Fly Fishing Guide “Fishing Multiple Flies”

Swinging multiple flies is not a new way to fly fish; in fact, anglers in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world have been fish- ing multiple flies for centuries. Setting up and fishing as many as three wet flies—or more—spaced out along a section of leader-tippet was traditional during those days. This style of fishing was popular for both still waters and flowing streams. to polish their casting skills, be- you a leg up on the angler who How many of you fish with more cause the benefits of fishing multi- fishes with only one fly. than one fly attached to your tip- ple flies are overwhelming. Your One day, I was guiding Bob and pet? Many anglers will not fish number of takes will go up, along his girlfriend Mary. I had both fly more than one fly at a time be- with your catch rate. cause they don’t want to spend the rods set up with an indicator and time attaching several flies to their There are several advantages to two tungsten slotted jig nymphs in tippet. They don’t think the effort fishing multiple flies spaced out size #14 and size #16. Both anglers is worth the reward. They believe along your tippet. Fishing a team were into fish immediately. Every- that casting and managing multi- of wet flies or a team of nymphs one was happy, having fun catch- ple flies is more difficult to deal that represent different stages of ing a lot of fish. Bob and Mary with. It is true that, when you add an insect’s life increases the diver- were making this old fly fishing an additional fly, a new hinge sity of your presentation. You can guide look very good! Then, all at point is created, which can lead to dead drift your nymphs or swing once, Bob, who was fishing in the more tangles between the flies and your wet flies to cover different front of the boat, stopped catching leader in the case of poor casting levels of the water column rather fish. Mary, on the other hand, and line management. Adding than just one. Being able to cover continued to catch fish. Bob was- split shot along your leader creates more levels is a great advantage. n’t happy that she was catching another hinge point which can Fishing a colorful attractor pattern more fish than he was, and Mary lead to tangles as well. However, along with different fly sizes and wasn’t helping the situation by bad casting and poor line manage- weights with varied color combina- letting him know how many more ment will lead to tangles even tions is sure to get a fish’s atten- fish she was catching. Paying atten- when fishing with only one fly. If tion. Fish respond to certain trig- tion to detail is one of my stronger you have difficulty controlling gers and seeing multiple food your casts, I recommend that you items coming towards them will learn the Belgian style of casting. often trigger a feeding response. This will allow you to handle and There is no question in my mind manage multiple fly setups. I that fishing multiple flies will give would encourage all fly fishermen Page 10 suits as a fishing guide, so, from combinations are: dry fly/dry fly, od. It allows your flies more free- my distant position in the stern of wet fly/wet fly, hopper/dropper, dom of movement and more flexi- the boat, I happened to notice egg/nymph, San Juan worm/ bility in your setup. It also makes that a fly was missing from Bob’s nymph, nymph/nymph, streamer/ changing flies much easier. tandem fly setup. Bob had only streamer, hopper/hopper, etc. Try Fly fishing with a tandem fly set- been fishing with one fly on his some of these tandem fly combina- up, paired with the Belgian style tippet, which was why he wasn’t tions or put some of your own of casting a team of flies, is a great catching any fish. I asked, “Bob, combinations to good use! what happened to your other fly?” opportunity to hook and land There are also several different more fish. Tip the odds in your He replied, “The top fly was get- leader configurations that can be favor by putting more offerings ting in the way of the bottom fly, used to attach two or more flies to on your line. Add multiple flies to so I took the top fly off. I have it your tippet. The in-line method of your fly-fishing game and you will laying here in the boat tray. Do attaching two flies is one of the see a big difference in your hook- you want it?” more popular and common setups ups and catch rate. you see used on our tail waters in

Arkansas. The in-line system con- I shook my head. “Bob, you are sists of a point fly tied to the Danny Barker fishing a system of flies that work standing line. A smaller dropper Fly Fishing Guide together in unison. When you re- fly, twelve to twenty-four inches in moved one of those flies, you dras- length, is tied off the bend of the tically changed the dynamics of hook of the point fly. Another the system. You aren’t getting to method is to tie on a point fly to the bottom of the water column the standing line, then use the with only one weighted fly nymph hook eye of your point fly to tie on and the nymph is moving way to a smaller dropper fly twelve to fast too be recognized as a food twenty-four inches in length. This item by a fish. Always remember setup is very popular in many west- that your flies are working togeth- ern trout fisheries of the United er, as if they were a team, even States. My favorite setup is the Eu- though you have two individual ropean method where you tie in a flies on your tippet.” four to six-inch tag for attaching a I’m not sure Bob understood what dropper fly. The tag is normally I was telling him, but I tied Bob’s tied fifteen to twenty-five inches top fly back on and he was soon from the end of your standing back into the business of catching line. The point fly would be tied at fish. Of course, Mary commented, the end of your standing line with “Let him fish with only one fly a smaller dropper fly tied on the while I fish with two!” She had a end of your dropper tag. As you great laugh at Bob’s expense. can see, there are several different rigging configurations that can be There are a myriad of combina- used to setup two or more flies. I tions a fly fisher can come up have caught fish on each one of with. Just use your own imagina- these rigging configurations, but tion. Some of the more popular my favorite is the European meth- Page 11

Fly Tying Tip terials without pushing it over the THREAD CONTROL hook shank. Alternatively, as John Thread control is the basis of all suggests, un-twist your thread , no matter the skill level. (Photo #2, lefties go clockwise), The more knowledgeable you are until it is flat and the loop goes of the thread you use, the better straight up (Photo #3) or with fur- ther un-twisting the loop jumps tier you will become. Twist is an Photo 3 issue we all deal with when tying. rearward (Photo #4) allowing you to catch material easily. Another So what, who cares? You should! way to tell which way to un-twist, John Van Derhoof from the Long is let the bobbin holder drop and Beach Casting Club and a Buszek see which way it wants to rotate on recipient (a great tier) is constantly its own. Let it rotate until it stops. dealing with the results/ Of course, the fastest way is to consequences of thread twist: spin it yourself once you know the Tired of fighting with thread that direction. There is a whole lot Photo 4 wants to twist at the wrong time? more to learn using flat or twisted Wraps around the nose of your thread, but twisting/un-twisting is bobbin holder? With flattened a basic technique great tiers use, thread you can make "loose loop" whether you see it on videos or Don’t Forget! wraps that are truly loose loop. By not. Fly Tying that I mean you don't even have to Dave Boyer run the thread up between the Every Friday thumb and forefinger over the top At Dally’s of the material and down between 1:00 to 5:00 the thumb and forefinger. Getting your thread to be exactly where you want it, when you want is a simple matter of counter‑spinning the thread. When you start tying, after your Photo 1 jamb hitch at the eye, you then wrap thread down the hook shank, then back to the front of your hook, When you want to place your tail or other material on, there may be issues! If you leave your thread twisted, the loop/thread wants to jump for- ward (Photo #1) making the pinch wrap (described above by John) the only way you can grab the ma- Photo 2 Page 12

McCloud rainbows are famous for their spookiness. We generally did- n’t see any fish until we cast into a pool and they took off in all direc- tions. In any one pool we could usually get a take on the first or second cast. Not much point spending any time after that. Did we catch anything? No, but we had plenty of hookups. We will be returning! Crane Creek, Crane Mo. About a 2.5 hour drive from Mountain Home. More info at: https:// www.missouritrouthunter.com/ crane-creek.html https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/ discover-nature/places/wire-road- ca

Schuyler Brower Fishes Crane Creek Page 13

gorging on them and neither of us larger crane fly that may be an The Fly. inch in length for the abdomen, had a crane fly pattern in the box. sporting 6 long gangly legs that All l had was a small muddler min- I have many variations of the dad- drive the trout nuts. Their inabil- now. I tied that on, cast it out on dy muddler. Some would say more ity to fly in a wind causes them to the surface, tweaked it; and bang, like a daddy hopper pattern, dead- be windblown and the trout in no time, l had my legal limit of ly for our rivers. 8 fish. I gave it to Arthur and he chase them. This is the standard tying. did the same. It was once common practice to use the live crane flies for the That gave me the idea to tie a fly method of dapping, two flies are that incorporated the elements of Hook…… Longshank 10 1x. impaled by the head, attached to the crane fly with additional attrac- Body……. I use tan hairs ear dub- a short mono leader and to that a tion, the deer hair head. That bing. You can use any natural fur blow line. A rod as long as 20ft would allow for the fly to create dubbing of a tannish gray shade. would be used, held high so as more surface disturbance and at- Do not use synthetic dubbing. the wind catches the blow line. tract the fish, particularly browns. The angler’s skill is to allow the They cannot resist it. Rib………. Fine wire, horsehair, or thread. crane fly to be dapped on and off the water surface. It is deadly, l Legs…….6 single double knotted This is not to say l innovated crane can tell you from experience, and strands of rooster pheasant center fly patterns as such. Before my is still a practice used on the great tail. Or 4 pairs of double strands Irish limestone loughs. Not a time there had been many varia- knotted. practical method to use when ac- tions. Due to the length of the tually casting as we would with a crane fly abdomen which can be as Hackle... brown partridge, hen fly rod, so we use artificial, which much as a size 6 long shank hook, pheasant or hen hackle. if tied right can be pretty darn the fly tying material company of Head…...Fine deer hair. close to the naturals. That said, Veniard in the UK actually sold a you can with practice dap an arti- rubber molded body that was tied Thread…I use Wapsi or Danville’s ficial fly with a regular 10 or 11ft as the extension of the crane fly 6/0 fly rod. abdomen, the legs and hackle tied to the hook. We also used the rub- The closest representation of fish- ber valve tube which we used for First tie your 6 legs. Not easy to ing the crane as seen by some bicycle tire repair. Further, exten- explain here other than form a trout is to use what is called sions were tied using deer hair, on loop of the tail fiber in your left lough style, which as many of you the basis that it made the fly look forefinger and thumb then use a know l practice here with wet flies more realistic, which it does. Per- pair of tweezers to hold the tip of and emergers. More of that later. sonally, l have tried them all and the feather and pull it back The main reason why the daddy have never found an extended through the loop. That forms the came into being was this. I fished body to be an advantage for any knot. You make two knots. Try to often with a well know UK reser- dry fly. In fact l will argue that the make the knots for the 6 legs all at voir angler by the name of Arthur stiffer extension reduced effective equal distance. You can also dou- Cove, now passed on. We were hooking. ble up by using two strands of tail fishing a reservoir and that day fiber, again two knots. (figures 1

100s of crane fly were being and 2). blown across the water. Fish were Page 14

Figure 1 Photo 4 Figure 6 Once you have the length correct, take 3 of the legs draw the rear- Now the tricky part is how much ward to the nearside of the fly hair to use. With practice you will body and take your thread back to know how much to form the head secure them in place. Do the same spin in one go. You will need a for the opposite side. You should hair stacker to shock the hair tips now have 6 trailing legs that are together. Carefully remove from rearward and facing somewhat the stacker and do not disrupt the downward. hair. Hold the hair above the hook so as the hair tips are about ¼ ins If you formed the legs by using Figure 2 extending to the left from the ty- two strands of tail fiber, you Dub the fly body about 3/5th the ing down position (figures 7 and should have 4 paired sets so two hook shank length and rib it 8). If you know how to spin deer sets for each side. (figure 3). Now is the time to wind the hack- le and make sure you leave enough room for the deer hair head. Secure the hackle and form a neat thread bed for the deer hair (figures 5 and 6).

Figure 7 Figure 3 Hold all your legs equally together so as they extend over the hook eye, at least ¾ ins, Take a couple of thread wraps while maintaining tension on the thread behind the hook eye. Now fold back the legs to see how far they are extending Figure 5 rearward and past the fly body (figure 4). If not enough repeat the Figure 8 1st stage and advance the legs fur- ther forward of the eye and repeat. Page 15

hair, then you will know to take in the surface of the water. Short Flys of the Month of two slack turns of thread as you droppers do not work that well as Years Past begin tension; so you cause the the object is to only have the fly hair to rotate around the hook seen by the fish and not the leader shank equally as you continue above or below the fly. with the thread wraps. The above method we would fish My advice to you if you have not lough style for still waters, no dif- mastered this, is to practice on a ferent from the river. Those of you hook, just spinning hair. This fly who have my wet Fly Ways DVD requires a small head unlike a bass will know what we are talking bug type. about here. Once you have the hair spun, se- I can assure you this fly has taken cure the thread and whip finish. many trophy browns on our rivers, Final stage is to trim down the just ask my customers. head of the fly. To do that l use scissors (figure 9). Davy Wotton

Figure 9

Fishing. A Winged Muddler Daddy The more advanced patterns l use as a single dry fly. These are the flies with wings and a palmered body hackle. Present the fly as you would a hopper close to the banks- -or at least in agitated water, such as shoals and riffles. The fly we have just tied l use as my top dropper for wet fly style. That is l would have a tail fly, a mid-fly attached to a dropper; and the daddy as the top dropper, which should be at least 6 ins or more in length. This is needed to allow for the daddy to be animated Page 16

The Economics of Mask and costs of any government inter- censes, proof of insurance, seat Mandates During COVID- vention. It is difficult to estimate belts, airbags, crumple zones, fuel 19 the costs of business closures dur- efficiency levels, car safety stand- By Steve G. Parsons, Ph.D. ing the COVID-19 pandemic in ards, emissions tests, speed limits (excerpt from a law journal arti- part since some reductions in busi- and car-pool only lanes. Similarly, cle, reference citations available ness activity would have occurred life jackets are required in boats, regardless of government man- football and motorcycle helmets dates. However, given the reduc- are required in some states, and Introduction tion in GDP, the expenditures by government restrictions on the Congress, and actions by the Fed- maximum rent you can charge on a Like most economists, I eral Reserve, the cost is trillions of prefer limited government interfer- home exist in some cities. These dollars. requirements have either weak ex- ence in markets, business, and per- sonal affairs. Economics has a Precedents and Analogies for ternality-based justifications, or none at all. short list of potentially-valid ration- ales for government intervention. Mask Mandates However, mask require- One of these is an “externality,” ments have triggered some surpris- which is usually in the form of an There are two categories of ingly emotional reactions. Store external cost. An external cost oc- precedents for requiring the use of employees often suffer the brunt curs when one economic agent masks. The federal Occupation of anti-mask reactions including makes a decision, but that decision Safety and Health Administration broken arms, being punched in the has a negative (cost) on other eco- (OSHA) requires certain occupa- face, or even being shot to death. nomic agents. An example of an tions to wear surgical masks and external cost is pollution, in which other occupations to wear N-95 Mask Effectiveness case government intervention is respirators. There are other gov- potentially valid. An infectious dis- ernment requirements that are par- Research on the effective- ease, such as COVID-19, also has tially comparable to a requirement ness of masks is not new. In 2011, an externality dimension: those in- to wear masks. Smoking bans were a scientific article reviewed 67 oth- fected persons who are not careful based in part upon evidence of the er scientific studies and found that can impose an external cost on health dangers of second-hand “[s]imple and low-cost interven- others they infect. smoke — an external cost — and tions [hand washing and wearing analogies can be made to the masks] would be useful for reduc- Consider the two primary COVID-19 pandemic. Americans ing transmission of epidemic res- categories of government interven- seem to have generally accepted piratory viruses.” tion in the U.S. in response to smoking prohibitions. However, COVID-19: 1) business closures A recent cross-country the externality rationale is much comparison found mask-wearing is and stay-at-home orders; and 2) stronger for COVID-19 than for mandatory mask-wearing. By April highly correlated with low per- second-hand smoke: if you con- capita COVID-19 mortality rates. 6, 2020, 43 states had issued stay-at tract lung cancer from second- -home orders. Moreover, virtually Those countries with high COVID hand smoke, you cannot spread the -19 rates and lower instances of every state had some business clo- cancer to others you come in con- sures, such as for gyms, sporting mask-wearing were: Brazil, Turkey, tact with; moreover, you can see Spain, Italy, the United States, Rus- venues, bars and indoor dining. In who is smoking. contrast, by that point in time, only sia, France, and the United King- seven states had mandated masks Consider just one aspect of dom. Those countries with low in public. modern life for which there is sub- COVID-19 rates but high mask- stantial government intrusion: driv- wearing included: Vietnam, Cam- Good economics also re- ing. Americans have generally ac- bodia, Hong Kong, Thailand, and quires an estimate of the benefits cepted laws requiring driver’s li- Shri Lanka. The United States has Page 17

COVID-19 mortality rates that are and C) an expectation that trans- $3,000 to $6,000. A recent study by fifty times higher than any of these mission was largely via viral parti- Goldman Sachs found that wearing mask-wearing countries. cles on surfaces. However, now masks as a partial substitute for health officials universally suggest business closures could save the In examining the effects of that the public wear a non-medical United States $1 trillion. mask-wearing, it is important to cloth mask when they can’t socially distinguish between the benefits to What are the costs of wear- distance, especially indoors for four the person wearing the mask and ing masks? $10 billion would buy reasons: 1) more evidence of air- the benefits to others around the every American four reusable cloth borne infection; 2) a high propor- person wearing the mask. Several masks. There is some evidence of tion of pre-symptomatic or asymp- recent scientific studies indicate adverse effects from wearing medi- tomatic infectious people; 3) con- that cloth masks provide only cal-grade surgical masks and N-95 tinued shortages of antigen or anti- some protection to the wearer but respirators (for example, head- body tests; and 4) and long delays result in much greater effectiveness aches). However, this literature in processing tests. This is im- in reducing the spread of the virus largely focusses on N-95 respira- portant, because “this will help to others. This asymmetry in pro- tors. There does not appear to be people who may have the virus and tection is due to a mask’s ability to any meaningful scientific evidence do not know it from transmitting it prevent outbound droplets from of any dangers of wearing a non- to others.” Recent scientific evi- becoming aerosolized as micro- medical grade cloth mask unless dence supporting mask-wearing is droplets. one has a pre-existing respiratory voluminous. problem or claustrophobia; I have A recent study in Proceedings Costs and Benefits of Mask evaluated other claims to the con- of the National Academy of Sciences trary and have found they are found that “among all the strate- Mandates based on inapplicable studies, gies for reducing transmission, pseudo-science, or just plain bull. wearing face masks may be the cen- Attempting to quantify the However, one could add another tral variable that determines the benefit of wearing masks is more $50 billion for inconvenience or spread of the virus.” A study re- difficult than simply recognizing other costs. leased on July 19, 2020, traced 139 the strong evidence of their ability patrons exposed to two hair stylists This article began with a to reduce the spread of COVID- (in Springfield MO) who were discussion of externalities as the 19. A model developed by the Uni- COVID-19-positive at the time, possible economic basis for valid versity of Washington’s Institute but the stylists wore masks. None government intervention. Howev- for Health Metrics and Evaluation of the 139 patrons were infected er, to control pollution (an external projected (on July 10) approxi- while four of six close contacts/ cost), economists generally recom- mately 44,800 fewer deaths in the family members for the stylists out- mend a tax equal to the cost of United States by November 1 pro- side of work (where no masks were pollution. This avoids dictating a vided that 95% of the population worn) were infected. Other recent technology or a method of control. wore masks. At that time, a manda- scientific studies had similar con- Sadly, we can’t use such an ap- tory mask mandate was estimated clusions. proach for COVID-19, as there are to be approximately four times over 330 million potential United States health offi- more effective than retaining other “polluters” (infectious people). cials initially did not recommend existing mandates (business re- Moreover, it is obvious that volun- mask-wearing for the general pub- strictions) in terms of controlling tary mask recommendations are lic due to: A) fear of redirecting the spread of COVID-19. An Ar- not very effective in the United supply away from medical profes- kansas model estimates mask wear- States. Polluters (as well as busi- sionals; B) a concern that the pub- ing would cut infection and death nesses and citizens with respect to lic would be more likely to touch rates by 70% and each additional other taxes) don’t have the option their faces while wearing a mask; mask wearer saves the economy Page 18

to voluntarily decide whether they Nymphing Fly Line – pay their taxes. Light and Lean Conclusion Fly fishing with nymphs from a I find government- boat is significantly different from ordered business closures and stay- wade fishing in a stream or small at-home orders far more onerous river. I first started fly fishing for than mandatory mask orders. I esti- trout with nymphs under an indi- mate the cost per life saved via cator back in the 1980s. In those business closures and stay-at-home days, all of my experience was orders may be at least 20 times wade fishing in the streams and greater than mask-wearing. Wear- rivers of Colorado. I dearly loved ing a mask is the epidemiological the sport, especially watching that way to be polite: it is equivalent to indicator dip under the surface of saying “please” and “thank you” the water, or perhaps just pause new method of nymph fishing. and holding the door open for during a drift, both of which someone, all at once. Other than would indicate a take. I never had Fast forwarding to two years ago, I signing your organ donor card, it is the opportunity to nymph fish learned about the “Euro- probably your best chance at sav- from a boat until I retired to nymphing” or “Czech-nymphing” ing someone’s life. Perhaps it is Mountain Home, AR a few years revolution. By then, Danny Bark- time for all Americans to be more ago. I booked a guide trip with er was a good friend of mine. He Danny Barker. His methods for “polite,” and more economically gave me a slightly used spool of presenting nymphs to trout in the rational. Even ignoring public Cortland Competition Mono White River were unfamiliar to health rationales, mask-wearing is Core line specifically designed for me, but equally as captivating as simply the most economically- Euro-nymphing. The line was my prior experience wade fishing. efficient response to COVID-19. much lighter and thinner than my When I took one of his rods in Two teenagers (whose father re- standard GPX. hand equipped with a 16-foot lead- cently died of COVID-19) said: It was almost an extension of my er with dual flies, an indicator and “be pro-American, wear a mask, if leader’s butt section. One of the lots of weight to get the flies down, you just want to be pro-yourself - key advantages cited for the Euro- I was concerned about casting don’t”. nymphing technique over indica- such an ungainly rig. Danny pa- tor fishing is virtual elimination of tiently explained and demonstrat- fly line drag during drifts. That’s ed line management, casting, because in most cases, all of the fly mending, and proper hook setting. line is off the water. Some anglers I managed to catch a good number are so close to the fish that the fly of fish that day, and I was thrilled line barely extends beyond the rod with the results. But my casting tip. The best resource that I have skill wasn’t always pretty. I had a read for Euro-nymphing is Tactical few “line management issues” with Fly Fishing by Devin Olsen. This tangled tippets and flies that re- talented competitive angler told quired reconstruction. I vowed his story about how effective the that day to learn all the nuances of Euro-nymph technique was in re- what it would take to excel at this ducing drag and creating more Page 19

frequent takes. In fact, he states, One version has a braided core. catching success. Are there disad- “No mending is required when The other, which I am using, has a vantages? Yes, there are, but they Euro-nymphing.” The technique full monofilament core for in- can be accommodated. The most and line proved to be a good creased sensitivity. This latter ver- significant issue is that this line is match for nymph fishing on small- sion reportedly tends to coil in a bit more difficult to cast than a er waters such as those found in colder weather. Personally, I have traditional fly line sporting a short- Missouri and the upper Midwest. not encountered any such prob- er taper and more mass towards It was very sensitive to a fish’s lems fishing on Arkansas’ cold the front of the head. A game take, and had very little drag in the winter days. changer to successfully cast the current. competition line is to use a Bel- gian (or oval) cast. Look up videos When fishing the White and I have discovered two distinct ad- on YouTube to learn how to exe- North Fork rivers here in Arkan- vantages fishing with this line. cute this cast. Essentially, you sas, I felt that indicator nymphing Due to its light, somewhat stiff start with a sidearm cast and keep was a better choice than Euro nature, the fly line stays off the the rig constantly moving. As the nymphing. Our tail waters here water for casts out to about 25 line moves behind you, sweep your are too large and deep to approach feet. This means, virtually no line rod in a loop so that your forward the best holding waters clad in drag and little to no mending cast moves to a traditional vertical , especially during the high- needed since a short section of plane. This will prevent the leader water times that we have experi- leader butt above the indicator is from collapsing upon itself and enced for the past two years. But a the only thing in the water. I ra- creating a tangled mess of flies and question loomed in my mind – ther enjoy holding my rod and tippet. Another important factor could I still use the Cortland watching my fellow anglers in the is the rod. I own two 10-foot 5 Competition line to nymph fish boat mending away while I focus weight rods, yet they are signifi- using an indicator rig? Better yet, solely on the indicator and how it cantly different from each other. what about using it from a boat is moving relative to the current. One is a TFO Lefty Kreh model. with that ungainly 16-foot leader Longer casts beyond 25 feet will It has a soft tip and slender base rig? The short answer is – yes you put a short section of the fly line that is well suited to fishing small can, but there are some accommo- on the water. Some mending is steams. But it lacks the power that dations to keep in mind. Another needed for these longer casts but I need to deliver the long leader- question – should you? The an- the drag is much less than with multiple fly rig that we use on the swer to that one may be a matter conventional fly lines. The sec- White River fishing from a boat. of individual choice. As for me, I ond advantage with the light, thin One day, I decided to try this rod like it a lot and plan to continue line is that it develops very little matched with the Cortland Com- using it. belly from the rod tip to the leader petition line. I was fishing with during a drift. A heavier line that my two amigo friends above Cot- forms a belly can actually pull the ter. My shorter casts were success- Let’s take a closer look at the light- indicator rig slowly towards the ful, but as soon as I tried for dis- er, thinner Cortland Competition boat and require the angler to tance, I encountered a “line man- lines. The lines are popular yet make frequent casts. agement issue”. As fate would have a little different design ap- have it, another boat pulled up proach. They have a traditional beside us with our NAFF presi- weight forward taper, yet the front Okay, so these advantages look dent and a couple of other guys I taper is extremely long which acts appealing and I can vouch for fish knew. And there I sat with a tan- like an extension of your leader. Page 20 gled mess of flies and tippet in my Some of the favorites are Rio with the Cortland line catches a hands. It was one of those charac- Grand WF Floating Fly Line, Rio lot of fish. ter-building moments for me. As I InTouch Extreme Indicator line, sighed and gazed up into the heav- and Scientific Anglers Amplitude/ ens, I was reminded of an old say- MPX Taper. The prevailing theme Dave Schisler ing that “humility is good for the for these lines is that they have a soul”. Now then, my other rod is a relatively short front taper, and are 10-foot 5 weight Moonshine Drift- advertised as weighty and powerful er fly rod. This rod has more for casting indicator rigs with ease. backbone than the TFO, and casts Another feature mentioned is ease the competition line and 16-foot of mending, which I believe cus- leader system with ease. It is also tomers would need to do frequent- effective in hooking fish by simply ly with all that line weight and bel- loading the rod and is sensitive ly sag. One line that seems similar enough to feel every movement of to the Cortland Competition line that fish. Needless to say, it has is the Rio Fips Euro Nymph fly become my go-to rod. line. This line is built on a thin diameter and features good sensi-

tivity. Another minor disadvantage for the Cortland Competition line is that it doesn’t float as well as other Fly line selection for indicator lines that feature low density coat- nymphing is a matter of personal ings. I don’t worry much about choice. It seems to me that if we this because there isn’t much line can reduce or eliminate fly line on the surface anyway and an occa- drag ahead of an indicator rig sional mend negates the problem. when fishing from a boat, then we A related issue is that this thin line can attain a convincingly natural has a fairly hard coating. If you drift, improve strike detection, attach leader to fly line with a nail and get more takes. knot as I do, you will need about The industry recommended lines eight wraps to secure it. Stopping that I have listed above offer com- with five or six wraps will result in pelling features for the casting the leader slipping off the fly line. challenge, but are silent on the drag issue. One additional factor worth mentioning is price. All but There are other fly lines out there one of the lines listed above are that are advertised as well suited right at or somewhat north of for nymph fishing with an indica- $100. The Rio Fips Euro Nymph tor. I don’t pretend to be an ex- fly line is listed at $60 and the pert here because I lack deep Cortland Competition Mono knowledge of the design technolo- Core line is $55. They won’t gy, and I haven’t tried fishing with break the bank. They are light and any of these out on the river. lean and I can attest that fishing Page 21

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