Within a few more days it will be official, spring will arrive! Not that some of us will give up chasing chrome native steelhead, in a few more days, but the official pursuit of those beautiful native Redsides will commence! With the thoughts of dropping river levels during those wet/snowy wonderful (?) winter days, I was busy tying up my favorite pattern, the Comparadun. I use a variety of materials and colors for the body from super fine dubbing to goose or turkey quill bodies. The wing is usually deer hair or bleached elk hair. I use moose hair for the tail to provide extra flotation. I use Alec Jackson’s North-Country Trout Fly Hooks Size 9.
I got the word from the guys at HareLine there might be a something else I should consider; Synthetic Quill Body Wrap. Using natural quills for fly bodies is sometimes not the easiest process. The synthetic body material gives you much more in length to handle and it looks like the real quill body.
As with any quill body you have to coat it with a thin layer to prevent the dentures of those wild Redsides and Cutthroats from tearing it to shreds! I have found a thin layer of Clear Cure Goo Hydro gives you a tough coating for a mighty fine looking fly. I look forward to complaining how my fly gets torn up because too many fish chose to pursue it.
The Quill Body Wrap comes in a good variety of colors and let’s not forget: red Synthetic Quill Body Wrap is a good bet for Choronomids! The ice off is coming…? Ok, maybe in weeks verses days? Get out there and enjoy the coming spring!
LV
