Just a short update

So in prep for the BWOs, I've got a dozen Parachute Adamseses in light olive ready to go. For my nymphs, I've also started tying Pheasant Tail nymphs. I absolutely despise tying them, but I'm set on getting better at it. This is the best I could do out of 6 flies today. Not great, but it'll get better. I made poor decisions on the hook and bead combo. It's a size 16, but only a 1x long shank instead of the recommended 2x. I'll skip the bead for the next half-dozen.

Meh. Mediocre, but it'll hunt.

For my emergers, I'm going with an RS2. Versatile and quick to tie, it's an easy decision. It'll also give me an opportunity to work on my dubbing game.

Things are looking pretty good for the weekend. We've had some rain over the past week, temperatures are warming, and we're due for some foul weather on Saturday, which means there's a good chance for a BWO hatch.

In site news, I really need to get on designing a logo so I can do a bit more with social media. I'm also going to re-write the "About" page to provide a bit more detail about myself, my background, and what I'm looking to do this year.

I got a fishing fever, and the only cure is more blue (winged olives)!

An adult BWO (blue winged olive) of the baetis family. (image credit: https://riverrunangling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-19-at-10.37.05-AM-1024x862.png)

Welcome to March! While I haven't seen any BWOs yet, we've seen pretty regular midge hatches as the weather warms. So let's start deep diving!

What do they look like?

Before I start tying, I want to get a good look at what BWOs look like. For that, I'd suggest checking out the TroutNut page on Blue Winged Olives. This is a great starting point for some high resolution pictures of the adults, as well as the earlier life stages. Flipping through some of the local photography, I get the sense that our local BWO duns are more on the yellow side of olive, and the nymphs are more of a dark brown with more lightly colored legs and abdomens.

How do they like to party?

There are countless articles on how to fish a BWO hatch, but for a no-nonsense starter guide, look no further than George Dianiel's 2021 article for Hatch Magazine. In addition, I've heard not to rely on your local stream information peddler to tell you the hatch "is on." Don't rely on hatch charts, either. If there's been some weird weather during the tail end of winter, odds are the BWO hatch will start a bit earlier that year. Also, BWO hatches can be triggered by foul weather, so if there's some rain in the forecast, all the more reason to get out there.

A BWO hatch has trout moving throughout the water column, feeding on nymphs, emergers, and dries. Spring tends to have the larger insects (16-18 in our area) than the fall hatch (20-22). Hatches tend to occur in the early afternoon and last about two to four hours. BWO season tend to stretch into May.

What am I going to tie?

Because hatch can have action throughout the water column, I'll be tying up nymphs, emergers, and dries. For the adult, the answer is easy. I'll be tying the Parachute Adams. I've not spent much time tying parachute-style flies, and being a medium-aged person, I need to be able to see my flies. I'll start with a size 14, but move to 16s once I'm comfortable with the pattern. For materials, I'll use some large saddle hackle fibers for the tail, Semperfli Kapok dubbing in light olive for the body, and Fly Tyer's Dungeon Congo Hair in pink for the parachute, tied with UTC Olive 70D. As a side note: I do want to try a couple flies with a tiny red hotspot right behind the eye of the hook. In some pictures, those eyes can look bright red.

First attempt

Second attempt with red eye hotspot

That's it for tonight. Tomorrow, I'll give a little debrief of my time out on the lake this weekend, and we'll also pick patterns for the BWO nymph and emerger ties.

Tying Leaders - Smallmouth and Carp

Bonefish...here?!

I was invited by a friend to fish a local lake on his boat this weekend. So, in typical ADHD hyperfixation fashion, I started getting ready. Over the past two weeks, the weather has been all over the place, along with the atmospheric pressure. No idea what that does to the fish here, but in Florida, that meant either (1) some of the best fishing you could get into, or (2) a total skunk. No in between. So what am I going to be taking?

The lake is known for having decent smallmouth and crappie, as well as the potential for carp and drum. I could bring my five-weight rod and probably be fine. But we had a short cold snap, I don't know where these fish will be in the water column. It's possible I may need to throw some heavier flies and/or a sink tip. Also, one of the goals I've set this year is to land a big carp. So, the eight-weight is coming along for the ride.

As you can see, I've got a fancy new bonefish line for the carp, which means I've got to tie a set of leaders for it. Always tie two for a backup. I followed the advice of Brian Flechsig of Mad River Outfitters for contact leaders. I added an extra step in the butt and mid sections, which hopefully results in a smoother turnover and landing in the water. It won't matter much for the smallmouth, but I could see it helping with the carp.

Here's the formula I'm going with:

• 36" of 30# Maxima Chameleon (.022 dia.)

• 24" of 20# Maxima Chameleon (.017 dia.)

• 9" of 15# Maxima Chameleon (.015 dia.)

• 9" of 12# Maxima Chameleon (.013 dia.)

• Tippet Ring (2mm)

• 18" of 10# Maxima Ultragreen (.012 dia.)

  • OR 18" of 0x Flourocarbon (.011 dia.)

Usually I tie on the tippet ring while it's still on the swivel snap, but with this thicker line, I had to remove it from the snap before tying it on. So I threaded the ring onto the Ultragreen, formed a loop in my hand, and tied the clinch with the Chameleon, then tied the clinch on the Ultragreen. DO NOT try to hold the tippet ring with a pair of pliers; that will score the ring, which will score your line and result in a break. Once I'm done, I write down the formula on a Post-It (make sure to fold over the sticky bit so it doesn't gunk up your hard work) and store them in these small plastic baggies.

Next up is fly selection. I've got a set of clousers and conehead wooly buggers ready to go, and I plan to tie up some leech patterns tomorrow or Saturday.