Delaware Patterns

[fisherboy3]

Heading up to the Big D in early May. Already have Hendrickson cut wing duns, parachute spinners and duns, and emergers. Also same for Blue Quills. Along with those i have x-caddis in apple and brown for apple and grannom caddis. What patterns do you guys like to fish that time of the year? Looking for new patterns to tie and try. Let me know.-Kev

 

[redrockgrizzly]

Depending what time in May, I would also bring some March Browns and sulphers for "just in case."

 

[fisherboy3]

It will be the first week in May. I doubt hatches will be early, most likely on time. But thanks for the info!

 

[Flydoc]

You really have it pretty well covered. The only other thing that I see used sometimes is a Sid Neff caddis, which is a small (18) grey bodied caddis that has a grizzly hackle collar and deer hair down wing. You might also want to have some LaFontaine sparkle mergers with you.

 

[mcwillja]

better have some BWOs too. That hatch can be a masking hatch during the hendricksons.

 

[troutbert]

Flydoc wrote:
You really have it pretty well covered. The only other thing that I see used sometimes is a Sid Neff caddis, which is a small (18) grey bodied caddis that has a grizzly hackle collar and deer hair down wing.

Which came first the Sid Neff caddis, or Al Troth's elk hair caddis?

It's not important, I'm just curious about the history.

 

[fisherboy3]

What size olives, 16 and 18?

 

[afishinado]

I would have some bigger sized olives since you may run into some Drunella aka Cornuta on the D. Most anglers call them "Big Olives" and they run in the 12-14 size range.

Good luck...post pics.

 

[JeffK]

Don't forget plenty of rusty spinners in 16 through 12.

 

[Flydoc]

I found this link on the Sid Neff caddis. Apparently it was mentioned in a book published in the mid-70s.

http://www.suncoastflyfishers.com/PDF/caddis.pdf

 

[troutbert]

Flydoc wrote:
I found this link on the Sid Neff caddis. Apparently it was mentioned in a book published in the mid-70s.

http://www.suncoastflyfishers.com/PDF/caddis.pdf

From another source: "In 1957, Troth designed one of the most definitive dry-fly patterns of all time – the elk hair caddis."

So Al Troth's elk hair caddis came first.

 

[mcwillja]

fisherboy3 wrote:
What size olives, 16 and 18?

yes and sizes 20 down to at least 22. I have seen them smaller but when they are below a size 22 that is a tough hatch to fish. That time of year you should be good with sizes 16,18,20,22. Just be very observant because they are tough to see on the water during the hendrickson hatch. The fish aren't always on them but sometimes that's all they want and it's frutstrating because all you see are hendricksons.

 

[RLeep2]

I had an Erie area TU buddy (who recently passed away at the age of 85..) who used to hang out and fish quite a bit with Sid Neff back in the Bus Grove/Ed Cooper/Ken Sink formative days of TU in Pennsylvania. He said Sid was a real doozy. Excellent fisherman, fly pattern designer and deep thinker of trouty thoughts, but about as eccentric as they come. He said Sid never brought a tent when they would have outings on Kettle, etc. He always rolled out a sleeping bag and slept under the chassis of his Land Rover.

I'll bet Al Troth never did that....

 

[dryflyguy]

RLeep2 wrote:
I had an Erie area TU buddy (who recently passed away at the age of 85..) who used to hang out and fish quite a bit with Sid Neff back in the Bus Grove/Ed Cooper/Ken Sink formative days of TU in Pennsylvania. He said Sid was a real doozy. Excellent fisherman, fly pattern designer and deep thinker of trouty thoughts, but about as eccentric as they come. He said Sid never brought a tent when they would have outings on Kettle, etc. He always rolled out a sleeping bag and slept under the chassis of his Land Rover.

I'll bet Al Troth never did that....

Got a good laugh out of that!
And I've known a lot of people who think I'm crazy for sleeping in the bed of my pickup under a cap.

I had an old fishing buddy who used to string up a hammock between two trees - and sleep under the stars

 

[RLeep2]

>>And I've known a lot of people who think I'm crazy for sleeping in the bed of my pickup under a cap.>>

Sounds perfectly rational to me...

The old Subaru GL and DL wagons (the predecessor of the Kangaroo car...) in the 80's had a back seat that folded down perfectly flush. It gave you 71" of space on a diagonal. I was 69 1/4" long. A sleeping bag, a thin foam exercise mat and a pillow and I was in business. Set the alarm clock on the cooler and put my car keys in my hat right next to the clock. In the morning , you just grab your keys, fall out the back door and jump up front, crank it over, put it in gear, hit the exhilarator and go fish. No monkey dinking around with tents and no wasted time.

I hated wasting time when I could be fishing..