When I first started teaching Michael and Ally how to use flies for fishing, the patterns were cast from a spinning rod using the fly and bubble technique.It is a wonderful method for introducing younger kids to fly fishing In fact, for almost two years, before they ever cast a fly rod individually, “fly and bubble” is what they did…it looks like this:
One may put anywhere from three to six feet of tippet material from the swivel to the fly. In most cases, we kept the tippet length a little shorter than the length of the spinning rod. This technique works in lakes and in rivers. It allows the caster to cover much more territory on the water. Using this system in a river takes some practice…Michael and I have taken and released some very nice Trout using this method on the Lower Owens River…in Little Virginia Lake and Trumbull Lake…it is deadly… explanation video HERE and another complete explanation may be found HERE
Little Virginia Lake at sunset, the BEST time to be on the water… I prefer using Uni knots and Seaguar Tippet or Trouthunter tippet from 3x – 6x depending on the size of the fly pattern and whether it is a Nymph, Soft Hackle or Seal Bugger…
Ally at five, learning how to use a “fly and bubble” along the shoreline at Lake Sabrina…
Michael uses a “Fly & Bubble’ with an Olive Seal Bugger, at the Lone Pine Creek sand trap, Lone Pine, CA…
There are two fly patterns that have consistently worked for me and the kids on a whole host lakes and rivers…they have been around for a very long time… I have two boxes stuffed with these guys and they ALWAYS work…
On the LEFT: Pheasant tail and Brown Partridge…on the RIGHT: Peacock Herl and Gray and White Partridge
Michael took this Alpers Rainbow ( Alpers Rainbows are triploid trout ,trout that have been genetically altered so they can not reproduce ) on Little Virginia using a # 18 Peacock Herl and Partridge…he nailed an even bigger Alpers ten minutes later which I lost, trying to net it…
…in case one was wondering about the stringer…
Here is the PEACOCK HERL and PARTRIDGE:
HOOK: Daiichi 1560 or TMC 5262 #12 – # 18
THREAD: Gordon Griffith 14/0 Sheer, Claret
BODY: 3 – 6 strands of Peacock Herl, twisted around thread
HACKLE: Partridge, gray and white speckled, from the neck ( I over hackle this pattern – it works for me)
As in – right here on Trumbull Lake early in the AM…
HOOK: Daiichi 1560, # 12 -#18 or TMC 5262 # 12 – #18
THREAD: Danville 6/0, # 47, Tobacco Brown
RIB: Fine Gold wire, or Wapsi x-sm Gold
HACKLE: Partridge , speckled brown, lower back
This is one I caught with Michael at Little Virginia Lake on a Peacock Herl and Partridge with my 10′ Scott A2, 7wt. and Tibor Freestone…
These are two simple fly patterns that are easy to tie, for the novice and TROUT CATCHERS of certitude…this guy was caught on a fly rod and #18 Peacock & Partridge…
Ally…says SO…and she ain’t talkin’ about how many we caught and released, on this particular day, on both of the above fly patterns…this one…we ate…
A good combo for the “Fly & Bubble” technique…
PT/TB
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