Since I write a weekly fishing report, I am genuinely interested in what flies are producing trout. I gather my information from a variety of sources. First, there is personal observation. This is my favorite and definitely the most reliable. What worked the last time I was on the river? I also look at the postings on the fly fishing forums. There is a lot of information that can be gleaned from this source. Finally, I talk to every guide or angler that I run into. Whether I see them at the access, on the river or at the fly shop, my first question, after how are you doing, is what is working for you? The one consistent answer from all my sources for what is working on our high water is spaghetti and meatballs. This is the local term for San Juan worms and egg patterns.
Of the two, by far the most productive is the San Juan worm. This is one of my favorite flies and no matter where or when I am fishing; I will try them, at least for a while, every time that I am on the water.
San Juan worms are the easiest fly there is to tie. They are essentially a strip of ultra chenille lashed to a hook. I tie two versions, a low water and a high water. I tie the low water version on the Mustad 37160 hook (English bait hook). This is a heavy wire, wide gapped hook that has an incredible amount of holding power. The hook is so heavy that it sinks like a rock particularly in the larger sizes. I tie them in size eight and sixteen. My favorite colors are worm brown and red, although I tie a few in hot fluorescent pink and cerise. I tie them with ultra chenille. I singe the tips with a cigarette lighter to give them a bit of a taper and to make them more realistic. My friend, Mike Marshall, ties them with thin strips of chamois and has had substantial success with them on the Norfork.
For high water, I tie my San Juan worms on 1/32 ounce jig heads. The heavy weight drives them to the bottom. Since they ride hook point up, they are virtually weed free. This is a major advantage when fishing weed beds and heavy cover. I definitely go to bright colors for high water (red, hot fluorescent pink, cerise, fire orange and chartreuse). Here again, I favor the ultra chenille and I always singe the tips. I have found that the hooks on the jig heads that I use are a bit softer metal and they tend to straighten out when they are caught in snags. I just bend them back into shape with my forceps and continue fishing with them. I do check them from time to time when fishing to ensure that they are proper aligned.
The weak link on San Juan worms is the tying thread. Since the body is lashed to the hook, it is easily snagged and can quickly unravel. You can overcome this to a limited extent by tying a whip finish at both ends of the body. I have also begun tying my San Juan worms with Kevlar thread. This is the material that they make bullet proof vests out of and it is incredibly durable. One way to prolong the life of your worms is to not remove them from the trout with your forceps. I just use my fingers and since I always pinch down the barbs they come out easily.The other hot fly on high water is the egg pattern. Eggs not only are effective on high water but are particularly effective when fishing during or after periods of spawning. Here again I tie two basic types.
The standard is egg yarn lashed to a hook. The trick is in the way you trim them. I tie them in a couple of sizes. The big ones or Kahuna eggs are the size of marbles while my standard eggs are the size of peas. I make them in tan, pink, peach, and orange. I always add a small red dot with a Sharpie. My favorite color is peach. I often use them as a dropper suspended from a twenty four inch piece of tippet tied to the bend of the hook on a San Juan worm.
My favorite egg pattern is the Y2K. This is an egg tied with a bead head. The bead helps them sink. The fly is trimmed into a conical shape. I generally tie them in a combination of yellow and orange. Over the years this has been one of my most productive flies.
If you want to crack the code on fishing high water try spaghetti and meatballs, brightly colored San Juan worms and egg patterns.
John Berry(870) 435-2169berrybrothers@infodash.com
