New Short Essay: Matching the Hatch on the River Styx

[Erik F. Helm]

Enjoy the read all!
https://classicangler.blogspot.com/2020 ... -styx.html

[JabaliHunter]

Thanks- l think I will enjoy reading your ‘blog

[driftless angler]

Amen, brother! Good read, thanks!

[abingram]

Thanks, I needed that. This article reminds me of why I still would rather tye old classics. Barry I need to read more of his stuff from your blog.

[Perry Palin]

Erik,

I have been trout fishing for a long time, and fly fishing for trout for more than 50 years. I grew up trying to match the trout food in the water, and if my flies aren’t always a good match, at least they fool some of the fish.

I develop my own patterns over time, changing them and keeping the changes that the fish favor, and discarding the others, until I have some good flies for my home streams. I think a lot of fishermen who haven’t have much time on the water are looking for instant gratification, and they will use flies without going through the valuable field research. One of my pet peeves is the tier who will throw something together from odds and ends and then advertise the fly as a likely thing before it has been tested with the trout. Yes, I throw things together too, but I test them, and discard them if they don’t catch as many as do my older patterns.

I fish several BWO patterns when the bugs are on the water, preferring a cut wing thorax tie a la Marinaro. Also other mayflies and several sizes and shades of caddis. My favorite searching flies are variants of old soft hackle patterns and nymphs made with natural materials. I have yet to try a red foam thing with blue rubber legs. Maybe I will, someday.

I’m hoping the brook trout and the brown trout in the Styx will take a size 12 soft hackle with a body of red horse mane hair and a furnace hackle from one of my Americauna hens. It works in Wisconsin.

Perry

[Random Casts]

Ok guys, I own about a mile of the real River Styx. Fished it on Opening Day for us last Saturday of April without any sign of rising fish, had to wade since there was no sign of the boatman Charon.

[PlaneOldMike]

That was a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Headed out to christen the first rod I have made today. I’ll surely take the time to maybe what the trout maybe feeding on now. Thank you for those wonderful words sir. I would like to read more.

[Erik F. Helm]

Thanks folks for the kudos. I am glad you enjoyed the read!
I fished today for a couple of hours. Windy and sunny. Black caddis blown off the water here... yet I hooked and landed a foot long fish on my black caddis pattern, and hooked and lost a 14" fish in the same tiny pool. My fly was drowned and twitched. The old traditions still work here in the Driftless, and the fish want the bugs that are on the menu...

[Erik F. Helm]

Ok guys, I own about a mile of the real River Styx. Fished it on Opening Day for us last Saturday of April without any sign of rising fish, had to wade since there was no sign of the boatman Charon.

You have to have a coin to pay him. That is why in Rome you placed a coin or coins on the dead person's closed eyes. Explains the lack of risers...

[Random Casts]

Ok guys, I own about a mile of the real River Styx. Fished it on Opening Day for us last Saturday of April without any sign of rising fish, had to wade since there was no sign of the boatman Charon.

You have to have a coin to pay him. That is why in Rome you placed a coin or coins on the dead person's closed eyes. Explains the lack of risers...

In this day and age you’d think Charon would show up with a Visa machine. Do you think he would take Pay Pal?

Was there again today. Same result but did manage to spook some really big brook and brown trout from under those dogwoods.

Same stream last year.

[Cimarron]

I'll be darned, I had no idea there was a "real" River Styx. Learn something new every day. Thank you.