Thank you for the kind words. I am truly humbled. Ever since I came up with this pattern a month ago, I have been fishing the dye out of it. Our rivers are now at summer time lows and it looks like we’ll be having the worst drought in years. I’ve already started tying them to smaller hooks requiring me to change the tie just so it will ride up right. The original flies you see in the beginning of this thread are 3.5 inches long and weigh about 4 grams. I’m trying to get them at 2 inches and 2 grams right now. Also, I am not able to use sink tips, but a floating line with enough leader will still get pretty deep. I’m also working on placement of the hook. The trailer or stinger hook may be to far back. I am getting these brown racing stripes in my waders from these freight train like hits during the swing. But I believe they are hitting what they interpret as the meat of the tail. To alleviate this, I am using a shorter stinger or leaving the hook intact and not use a stinger. I’ve enclosed a photo of this fly. This photo is what I had planned on using in the saltwater off the west coast here chasing Salmon. This fly is constantly changing as I adapt to changing conditions in our rivers. Saltwater will add a whole other dimension this spring. Looking forward to dragging it deep along a rocky beach and see what pops up. When I get some more tied up, I will post some pics.
Matt
