Fly Fishing

Well, this post has been appearing more like monthly, or even seasonally. I guess I’ve been too busy out fishing and cabin-hopping! But we’ll see if I can’t get back into writing these…

The “Fly of the Week” this week for the Eagle River is the good ol’ caddis fly. The Caddis is one of the first bugs you learn about as a fly-fisher. They are those light tan (usually) little moths that flit about and are a favorite bug for trout. Our preferred iteration of this productive dry fly is the Peacock Caddis. It is made with made with Elk hair to imitate the wings, and then the peacock herl on the body gives it just a touch of a green sparkle that the trout can’t seem to resist. I carry them in a bunch of sizes and try to match the size to the caddis I’m seeing flying around. Right now I’m usually using a size 14. I run them with a nice attractor fly like a yellow stimulator up front and then occasionally with a smaller mayfly tailing behind. This set up has been working for several weeks straight, even on surrounding rivers like the Roaring Fork, the Frying Pan, and the Colorado. It’s just a great dry fly imitating a great bug.

Fly Fishing

The “Fly of the Week” this week for the Eagle River (which flows through our backyard) is the Pat’s Rubber Leg Nymph, a stonefly imitation by Pat Bennet. Size 8-10. It’s probably my favorite lead fly and I usually have a brown/black one on all year. I am especially excited if I can find one with a tungsten head to give it more weight to get it down deep. It hasn’t really been catching much the last few months but just yesterday the trout started showing interest in this bad boy again. With the spring run off starting, this big bug is a fly the fish can spot! Stoneflies always try to make their way to the bank when they reach adulthood, so fish it deep, and near to the sides of the river. When you start to see the little carcasses of the real thing dotting the stones of the river, you will see why it is such an effective imitation.

Gardening

Today’s garden pest/fly of the week is the Mealy Bug which, although it is super gross, is a common infestor of indoor plants. If I see them, I immediately get the plant outside. If the plant still looks 80% healthy, I will spray the plant with a hard stream of water (either in the sink or with a spray bottle). I’ll repeat as frequently as needed until they are gone. Neem is also effective against these little guys But, if after a few treatments it is no better I will discard the plant. Keep the plant distanced from other plants until you are sure it’s no longer affected. This poor kalanchoe didn’t make it.

Fly Fishing

The “fly of the week” for the Eagle River (which flows through our backyard) is the purple JuJu Beatis. Size 20-22. It’s a great nymph and is especially effective in purple and green. It works well all year but is particularly hot right now! I snagged a stick out of the river today and it was teeming with small wiggly grey-green microscopic worms. Presumably beatis nymphs. So I put on the green juju and immediately landed a pretty brown trout.

Gardening

Today’s garden pest/fly of the week is the White Fly that can commonly infest indoor plants. You might have to zoom in a bit to see them, but they are tiny little white flying insects that are about 1 mm long. To get rid of these, spray the plant with a hard stream of water (either in the sink or with a spray bottle) and keep a close eye on it. Repeat as frequently as needed until they are gone. Keep the plant distanced from other plants until you are sure it’s no longer affected.