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Artistic view of a Male Pteronarcys californica (Pteronarcyidae) (Giant Salmonfly) Stonefly Adult from the Gallatin River in Montana
Salmonflies
Pteronarcys californica

The giant Salmonflies of the Western mountains are legendary for their proclivity to elicit consistent dry-fly action and ferocious strikes.

Dorsal view of a Zapada cinctipes (Nemouridae) (Tiny Winter Black) Stonefly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
Nymphs of this species were fairly common in late-winter kick net samples from the upper Yakima River. Although I could not find a key to species of Zapada nymphs, a revision of the Nemouridae family by Baumann (1975) includes the following helpful sentence: "2 cervical gills on each side of midline, 1 arising inside and 1 outside of lateral cervical sclerites, usually single and elongate, sometimes constricted but with 3 or 4 branches arising beyond gill base in Zapada cinctipes." This specimen clearly has the branches and is within the range of that species.
27" brown trout, my largest ever. It was the sub-dominant fish in its pool. After this, I hooked the bigger one, but I couldn't land it.
Troutnut is a project started in 2003 by salmonid ecologist Jason "Troutnut" Neuswanger to help anglers and fly tyers unabashedly embrace the entomological side of the sport. Learn more about Troutnut or support the project for an enhanced experience here.

Dbinmt
Montana

Posts: 2
Dbinmt on Mar 5, 2010March 5th, 2010, 7:20 am EST
Anybody experienced in tying Thunder Creek flies? Any tips? They look good for salmon smolt imitations, but the book doesn't show any specific salmon smolt patterns.
db
Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Mar 5, 2010March 5th, 2010, 9:48 am EST
Hey would you please tie me up half a dozen, two each of the rainbow, brown, and brook, #8 would be nice. Pretty flies, takes practice to tie them well. Never saw them for sale anywhere and never actually saw one except for the couple I tried to tie.

Seriously though since your from MT why do you want to imitate salmon smolt patterns? I'm not aware of any fishery in MT that have salmon except maybe some lakes with kokanee.

There is some info on the Fulsher series of flies on pages 12, 42, 178-181 of Joe Bates "Streamer Fly Tying & Fly Fishing." (First edition)

Here are a couple of links of interest;

http://www.chartingnature.com/books.cfm?book=B16829

http://flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/071105fotw.php



Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Gutcutter
Gutcutter's profile picture
Pennsylvania

Posts: 470
Gutcutter on Mar 5, 2010March 5th, 2010, 10:04 am EST
i love to tye these.
first wrap the hook with a flash material (i use twisted krystal flash. this is very optional but i like a little flash under the bucktail. leave a lot of room for the head. tie in the bottom color bucktail and then the top color. these are tied in reverse. measure the length of the overall minnow and that you are trying to imitate and leave enough left over to account for a head. use less bucktail than you think you need. whip finish. now restart a red thread at the back part of the future "head", then pull first the top bucktail over and the bottom bucktail under and finish the fly with as few wraps as possible to make a nice transition between the head and body. it is a bit tricky to do this but it makes for a neater head and slimmer profile if you do them both at the same time instead of separate.
i have also tied a bunch of glass minnows for saltwater and have used various synthetics. polar fibre works well.
again - use half of the material that you think you need.
i like to epoxy the head and then when dry, add a stick-on eye before coating with sally hansen polish. VERY thin layer of 5 min epoxy. i use a motorized wheel to rotate the fly so i can tie a bunch at once and then epoxy them at the same time - much less labor intensive that way.
hope this helps.
how do the rest of you tie them or are you all clouser guys?
gut
All men who fish may in turn be divided into two parts: those who fish for trout and those who don't. Trout fishermen are a race apart: they are a dedicated crew- indolent, improvident, and quietly mad.

-Robert Traver, Trout Madness
Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Mar 5, 2010March 5th, 2010, 10:23 am EST
Hey Tony,

Since you tie them I'd like a couple for my display. I can say my friend Mr. Cutter tied them.

"are you all clouser guys?" Clousers For Ever is my motto! I have at least another 150 in another box like this one and 200 more in other boxes.


Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Gutcutter
Gutcutter's profile picture
Pennsylvania

Posts: 470
Gutcutter on Mar 5, 2010March 5th, 2010, 10:48 am EST
matt
i will put it on my "to do" list. i usually only streamer fish for trout in the fall. they work great for smallies, too.
once i finish up with about a doz each 26 28 30 midges for this spring. i'm just about done spinning up small and large olives, paralepts, male and female hendrickson, QG, march brown, trico and slate drakes. still need to tye the midges plus a few dozen more big and little sulphurs as well as cahills. it's a good thing i usually don't fish the green drakes! then i'm done and can tie you some thunder creeks. i haven't even started my tarpon flies, but i'm pretty well stocked with those already and probably will only tye a dozen or so tarpon bunnies and shrimp.
tony
All men who fish may in turn be divided into two parts: those who fish for trout and those who don't. Trout fishermen are a race apart: they are a dedicated crew- indolent, improvident, and quietly mad.

-Robert Traver, Trout Madness
Patcrisci
Lagrangeville, NY

Posts: 119
Patcrisci on Mar 8, 2010March 8th, 2010, 9:42 am EST
guys, i do like fishing streamers once in a blue moon and my arsenal is rather limited. I only tie/carry/fish a few patterns. Black Nose Dace, Muddler Minnow, The Llama, an olive Matuka and a no name bucktail streamer with a wing of olive, yellow and white bucktail. The Muddler is my first choice when I reach for a baitfish imitation cuz it has been the most productive for me. I carry in size 4 down to 12. Any one else fish streamers and which are your go to patterns?
Pat Crisci
Lakesidefli
Lakesidefli's profile picture
Posts: 1
Lakesidefli on Mar 12, 2020March 12th, 2020, 9:47 am EDT
Love streamers!
Kat @ Lakesideflies
Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Mar 13, 2020March 13th, 2020, 1:59 am EDT
Lakeside,

Do you love streamers because you catch a lot of big trout or because you are plugging your web site to sell them?
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Fishingkris
Fishingkris's profile picture
Chiang Mai

Posts: 1
Fishingkris on Mar 25, 2020March 25th, 2020, 2:33 pm EDT
Streamers are one of my favorite choice of flies also.

Been using this tying guide when doing the Thunder Creek


Ashley_69
Ashley_69's profile picture
delta bc

Posts: 1
Ashley_69 on Mar 26, 2020March 26th, 2020, 1:22 pm EDT
i have seen some of the best trout there. really nice fish. i am a total trout nut. i am single and in your area boys. call me (604) 940-0655
Ashley out
Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Mar 28, 2020March 28th, 2020, 3:13 am EDT
Ashley_69 wrote;

i have seen some of the best trout there. really nice fish. i am a total trout nut. i am single and in your area boys. call me (604)
940-0655


What in the world is this post about? Solicitation for trout hanky panky?

Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Falsifly
Falsifly's profile picture
Hayward, WI.

Posts: 660
Falsifly on Mar 29, 2020March 29th, 2020, 12:23 am EDT
What in the world is this post about? Solicitation for trout hanky panky?


Matt, why don't you call and find out then let us all know.
Falsifly
When asked what I just caught that monster on I showed him. He put on his magnifiers and said, "I can't believe they can see that."
Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Mar 31, 2020March 31st, 2020, 3:07 am EDT
Since there was no response forthcoming I'm assuming I am correct in my comment about it is likely someone offering something other than fly fishing services.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Tomlove007
Tomlove007's profile picture
uk

Posts: 1
Tomlove007 on Jun 12, 2020June 12th, 2020, 4:45 pm EDT
please let me know if you got it, i am very interested in it, too,thanks!

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