The fly survey

By V. Paul Reynolds

A few years back, Larry Keef and I did a fly-in trout fishing weekend to one of his favorite remote ponds. It was my first visit to this particular trout water. We hadn’t been on the pond five minutes when my fishing partner began having some luck. In fact, it was more than “some luck.” He was hooking trout on the surface one right after another.

He must have been holding his mouth right. Thirty minutes went by. Bang, bang, bang for him; crickets for me. I tried an assortment of dries, even a Parachute Adams. Nothing, Nada.

“Say,” Larry,” I said casually. “Whatcha got on there, Bud?”

“Oh, I dunno,” he shrugged, “just some little tattered old muddler thing, I think.”

“Show me,” I insisted.

It was a grayish brown muddler, loaded with deer hair. It didn’t look very tattered to me.

“Huh,” I said, “You got any more of those,” I asked with a slight supplication in my tone.

“Ya, I got a bunch of ‘em here in my vest,” he said pointing to a vest pocket.

Like a dog begging for a bone, only with raised human eyebrows, I said softly, “Can I try one?”

“Cost you five bucks,” he offered with a smirk.

You guessed it. After he let me squirm a minute or so, he dug out a couple of muddlers and handed them over. They worked for me as well as they worked for him. From that moment on, he is no longer Larry, at least not to me. I call him “Muddler Man.”

All of us who trout fish with artificial flies have our favorites, our so-called go-to flies.” What are yours?

A recent survey by the Northwoods Sporting Journal of a dozen seasoned Maine trout fishermen as to their favorite three dry flies and wet flies produced some common denominators, worthy of mention.

The top three dry flies that got the most mention in the survey from these hard core trout fishers were: Hornberg, Muddler and Parachute Adams. The top three wet flies that got the nod were: Black Ghost, Mickey Finn and Hornberg. The Muddler was tied with a Hornberg in popularity.

In a number of instances both the Muddler and the Hornberg were mentioned interchangeably as favorite dry flies and wet flies as well. In other words, fisherman’s choice. Fish those feathery and hairy little artificials either way, wet or dry. There were a couple of wild cards in the fly lineup that I had never heard of and, surprisingly, one very effective wet fly got only one mention: the Maple Syrup, which was the late Millinocket guide Wiggie Robinson’s every day go-to fly.

Bob Mallard, who has written the book(s) literally on trout fishing, cites the “Killer Emerger” as his favorite wet fly, which he created and would not reveal with a photo. Tim Pond camps touts the “Tim Fly” as a favorite dry fly.

What’s the takeaway? Next trout trip make sure your fly wallet includes, in various sizes, Hornbergs, Muddlers and Adams. For good measure, throw in a Mickey Finn, a Black Ghost and some Maple Syrups tied by Patten tyer Alvin Terriault.

Come June, when the hatch is on, I can’t wait to tie on a promising creation given to me at the Orono Sportsman Show by a  member of the Penobscot Fly Fishers. He calls it Trout Muddler.

Tight lines.

The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide and host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network. He has authored three books. Online purchase information is available at www.sportingjournal.com, Outdoor Books.