Sulphers on Spring Creek

[ian_brown]

I'll be fishing the Spring Creek Sulpher hatch over Memorial Day. This will be my first Sulpher hatch, and I would appreciate any pattern recommendations.

 

[CaptMatt]

Well, I like parachute style flies. So try this.

Tail: Dun hackle fibers or Fibbets
Abdomen: Orange(ish) superfine dubbing.
Post: White Calf Tail
Hackle: Med Dun Hackle.

It works for me.

 

[shipnfish2006]

I fish duns and comparaduns for the most part up there.

Tie up sizes 14-18, because the dortheas should be in pretty good numbers by then and the invaria and rontundas should still be at it.

Tail: Dun Hackle fibers
Body: 30% Yellow, 30% Cream, 40% Orange superfine dubbing mix, you have to mix it yourself I dont know if the sell any mixtures like that.
Hackle: Medium Dun
I rarely put wings on my sulphurs but if you want to put some medium dun hackle tips in for wings then that should should work well.

For the Comparadun I replace the medium dun hackle with deer hair wings.

Fish pheasant tails before the hatch because they work pretty good at imitating the sulphur nymphs in the stream and a pretty good amount of the fish will be key on the nymphs and emergers.

I dont have a real good emerger pattern, so maybe someone else could help you out with that.

 

[CaptMatt]

I forgot to mention size I like 16. Splits the difference

 

[Van_Cleaver]

Here's a nymph pattern that is deadly during a Sulpher hatch. I think it came from Rick Meyers, who developed it on Young Womans Creek. Tail: wood duck flank (brown Z-lon works as well) abdomen: dark brown dubbing, or pheasant tail. (fine copper wire if you use PT) Wing case: tie in some yellow dubbing with black ostrich on each side. This represents the adult ready to burst from the shuck. I tie it on a nymph hook (go one size higher than the adult) with a small amount of lead in the thorax. Fish this on a short dropper under you favorite pattern. In my experience, it will almost always catch the lions share, usually 10-1 over the dry. An exception was that June night on Spring, when it was cool and drizzling, and the trout took wildly for a couple of hrs. The next evening the nymph went right back to the head of the class. Sorry this isn't a more concise pattern listing: picked this up at a TU meeting many years ago. Now I have to tie a few fresh ones up; one of these evenings I might actually get to fish a hatch!

 

[CaptMatt]

Van_Cleaver wrote:
Here's a nymph pattern that is deadly during a Sulpher hatch. I think it came from Rick Meyers, who developed it on Young Womans Creek. Tail: wood duck flank (brown Z-lon works as well) abdomen: dark brown dubbing, or pheasant tail. (fine copper wire if you use PT) Wing case: tie in some yellow dubbing with black ostrich on each side. This represents the adult ready to burst from the shuck. I tie it on a nymph hook (go one size higher than the adult) with a small amount of lead in the thorax. Fish this on a short dropper under you favorite pattern. In my experience, it will almost always catch the lions share, usually 10-1 over the dry. An exception was that June night on Spring, when it was cool and drizzling, and the trout took wildly for a couple of hrs. The next evening the nymph went right back to the head of the class. Sorry this isn't a more concise pattern listing: picked this up at a TU meeting many years ago. Now I have to tie a few fresh ones up; one of these evenings I might actually get to fish a hatch!

Do you fish that weighted or just drift it towrds the surface?

 

[JackM]

A variation of vancleaver's pattern is to tie the same fly on a curved caddis hook with a parachute "Klinkhammer" style.

 

[Van_Cleaver]

To answer CM's question. I connect the nymph to the bend of the hook of my dun pattern (usually a parachute, use your fav. dry but make sure it is bouyant) with 12-24'' of tippet one size lighter than my dry; 18'' being about average. No additional weight, the fly has a little lead in the thorax. Usually I end up with 5 and 6X flouro. Just fish it like you're dry fly fishing and when the dry slides under..... you know what to do, I'm sure! Sometimes swinging it it a bit at the end works, but most times just a good drift past rising fish will give the dropper plenty of motion. Those mid-drift mends will add some movenment as well. I'm sure you could fish this fly with any nymphing method you choose, but the above method is effective and fun, so I look foward to using it when the Sulphers are on.