Had a nice float down the Roaring Fork with Agent Newell yesterday. We managed to scare up our share on a tough fishing day with some cutting edge new baetis patterns. This time of year is a great time to get a look at what new tricks have been spit from your buddies vise. The winter is not as long in the central Rockies as some people may think, but it's long enough to restock the boxes. You don't have to be a thread spinner to fill spaces in that box though.
I found over $80 of flies on hats i will never wear again. I have no idea how much i saved by cutting apart spent bugs for the hook and bead, but it was significant. Bugs migrate to the lid of old fishing hats for many different reasons but research has shown they are rarely put back in the game. Maybe that old Lime Wulff has great sentimental value because Bill Perry tied it back in the 80's. Maybe it was a Lawson imitation that rocked on the Henrys Fork, an old Bergman salmon fly or a K Streamer Zim gave you on a once in a life time float. I once trudged around the country with 3 real ugly Caddis stuck in my hat just because Fran Betters tied them in the Adirondack Mountains. I was never going to use them, I was just in hope his legend would leak through into my forehead. Either way most of these retired veterans become treasures to be talked about, not used again.
Honest to goodness I filled over 40 slots in a CF box with good bugs that thought they were lost forever. Now they are free to work again and maybe retire with dignity.............in a tree
