Without a doubt, olive or olive and grizzly are the favored color of bugger selection on Blue river. Coming in second place, I would say that black is the next color of choice when fishing a bugger. However, there are times that an olive or olive and grizzly or black bugger couldn't bribe a trout to get on the hook.
I have found, over a good time, that when the trout are refusing the favored colors it is time to try brown. Now, as to why brown sometimes works when other more used colors won't, I do not have a clue. However, with that being said, I am convinced it is usually water color or clarity. In certain water conditions... brown just works.
With this being another non-fishing day, I tied up a couple of brown buggers tonight and am hopeful to try them soon. I like to tie skinny bodied (dubbed body) buggers. I tie the tails different ways including sparse, full, short, and sometimes long (a perfect invitation to tormenting myself with short strikes). I never know which variation is going to work the best and that is part of the chase... keep changing brown bugger patterns with different tails and see what happens.
I was within six miles of the river today, but, still couldn't manage a way to steal borrow the time to get there.
Maybe soon.
Hello again Barry,
ReplyDeleteTry a micro bugger of spun peacock herl tightly wound with a metallic thread of black or copper for durability, tail of hares mask with guard hairs removed and hackled with grizzly, or better, a grizzly saddle dyed ginger variant, with a 1/8" gold bead on a mustad 94831 (2XL dry fly)hook. This takes stocked trout when carp are slow and some very large wild trout also, those often under an indicator. Small buggers just work.
Good luck with yours, Gregg
Believe I have all the ingredients and will tie one tonight. Thanks Gregg!!!
ReplyDeleteBarry,
ReplyDeleteYour site is one of a very few I peruse, much preferring printed material, but my extensive library is troutcentric and aside from a seminal book on carp, and a few magazine articles, I find little carp material. That is how I found you, by chance, searching for anything different for jaded carp in a local pond. Thus The Great White Hope. You are authentic and very honest, very appreciated. I view Mctage's as well. One more, The Global Flyfisher, has been very helpful. This is also where I read an article by Peter Frailey titled "Tying a Better Baby Bugger." (If I remember correctly) If you can find that it may be very helpful to you also as it was to me. I live near some classic Western Tailwaters, and trout are my roots, but I became disallusioned with the antics of other anglers about the same time I discovered carp. So my trout season is much the same as yours, but for a different reason, solitude, as opposed to when trout are available as it seems to be with you. Anyway, keep up the good work, your writings are a breath of fresh air. Tie those tiny buggers!
Best, Gregg
Gregg,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words and I think we are already kindred spirits. I am fascinated by carp as my friend Charlie is. I wish you could meet Charlie... the coolest guy on planet earth and he has become totally dedicated to the pursuit of carp by fly. I'd like for you two to meet and exchange ideas. Charlie's email is innkeeper@sulphurspringsinn.com Please put his email in your address book and send him a message regarding carp by fly. You'll enjoy the conversation. Thank you sir.
Barry
Thank you Barry, I will visit with Charlie, have read of him through you often of course. Great.
ReplyDeleteGregg