Roadkill peacock

Teasing rudds, asp or bleaks keeps my fly fish skills sharpened for when I go out for trout in Germany of Ardennes. The facebook page of Flyfishing for coarse fish proved to be another grind stone for this sharpening. A recent post there about the Black & Peacock (with red holo tag) proved very useful yesterday.

After catching a few Rudd on a #24 caenis I changed to the B&P-like fly. It was a #14 hook (off set hook point!), with a roadkill starling hackle, peacock body & a SLF red tag... 

...Nothing happened the first cast, while deeper fish could be seen. So I added some weight on the line (Loon Deep Soft Weight) and stripped the fly a bit quicker....and immediately hooked this nice rudd & a few more.

Hot tub perch!

Some Dutch lowland streams turn into real hot tubs this month (may). That's because of the explosive hatches of mayflies & caenis. Rudd, dace and perch act over here as trout and feed on emergers & shucks.
 
I seduced this perch (and some rudd) with this lead head style mayfly nymph. It is made on a scud hook with a chenille body, CDC, bead & wonder wing. No plant snags with this fly, just fish! I love the true "lead head" design because it keeps the nymph (more) horizontal like a natural.

The only trouble with extending bodies is that you don't hook the quick-thinking and tail nibbling fish! But bigger ones usually do a full contact hook up.

You can find this post also on: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=469964669821915&set=gm.762822490506048&type=1&theater 

Superb whit Monday

Had a great time fly fishing for Dace in a stream in east of The Netherlands. The deadly pattern this day was obviously the #21 dry fly pattern from Ed Engles "Tying Small flies" called the "Roger Hill's Stillborn Midge" (page 71). This USA recipe worked well for the Dutch dace because of the shuck.

The fly is a Griffith's gnat with a shuck (mine from fly rite). This pattern worked well (better than without a shuck). I caught also many Rudd's this day.....feeding on mayfly shucks!