dc410
Well-known member
With the snow stacking up outside ..... what a great day to tie some flies and reminisce about fly fishing adventures of the past. I just don't fish a whole lot of traditional Catskill style dry flies much anymore so it has literally been many, many years since I have tied any of them at all.
I just got the itch to tie a few today and it took me back over 3 decades ago when I was a teenager trying to learn how to tie flies as well as fly fish. Way back then, I only tied two kinds of dry flies - The Adams and the Light Cahill. I tied them in a variety of sizes (usually 12-18) and when a dark colored mayfly was emerging I fished an Adams and when the lighter colored ones came off I went with the Light Cahill trying to match the size as close as I could. Back in the day I tied these flies with some lower quality materials such as a few old Indian necks for hackle, today I'm fortunate to have some better quality materials to tie with.
So as a throwback today, I tied up a few Adams and Light Cahill Catskill style dry flies on size 14 hooks which was generally my favorite size dry fly way back in the day.
I vividly remember a June evening back over 30 years ago fishing the FFO area of the West Branch of the Octararo Creek in southern Lancaster County. As evening approached a lighter colored mayfly started a heavy emergence. With my Shakespeare fiberglass Wonder Rod paired with an old Phleuger reel, I fished the last hour or two of daylight that night until I lost every size 14 or 16 Light Cahill that I had in my box. I ended up catching well over 20 fish as it was one of the heaviest hatches that I had ever witnessed. As I think back to that night today I realize that I had witnessed a very good Sulphur hatch and ensuing spinnerfall that evening. Back then I didn't even know what a Sulphur mayfly was but the Light Cahill pattern stole the show that evening for me as a young, learning flyfisherman. Here are the two patterns (tied in size 14, of course, my favorite size).
I just got the itch to tie a few today and it took me back over 3 decades ago when I was a teenager trying to learn how to tie flies as well as fly fish. Way back then, I only tied two kinds of dry flies - The Adams and the Light Cahill. I tied them in a variety of sizes (usually 12-18) and when a dark colored mayfly was emerging I fished an Adams and when the lighter colored ones came off I went with the Light Cahill trying to match the size as close as I could. Back in the day I tied these flies with some lower quality materials such as a few old Indian necks for hackle, today I'm fortunate to have some better quality materials to tie with.
So as a throwback today, I tied up a few Adams and Light Cahill Catskill style dry flies on size 14 hooks which was generally my favorite size dry fly way back in the day.
I vividly remember a June evening back over 30 years ago fishing the FFO area of the West Branch of the Octararo Creek in southern Lancaster County. As evening approached a lighter colored mayfly started a heavy emergence. With my Shakespeare fiberglass Wonder Rod paired with an old Phleuger reel, I fished the last hour or two of daylight that night until I lost every size 14 or 16 Light Cahill that I had in my box. I ended up catching well over 20 fish as it was one of the heaviest hatches that I had ever witnessed. As I think back to that night today I realize that I had witnessed a very good Sulphur hatch and ensuing spinnerfall that evening. Back then I didn't even know what a Sulphur mayfly was but the Light Cahill pattern stole the show that evening for me as a young, learning flyfisherman. Here are the two patterns (tied in size 14, of course, my favorite size).
