Yes on the fluoro tippets! I've been going with heavier and heavier tippet strength over the past few years and haven't found the "ceiling" yet. 2x is now what I use for just about everything in lake fishing. No more breaking off fish and many fewer tangles in the leader. BTW - your two-tone nymph was killer this trip. I probably caught over 30 fish on one fly that was my point fly fished deep. I changed up to several other options for a bottom fly but the two-tone never went back in the box!
I've never found a situation where I've needed less than 4x. And that's only for flies18 and smaller. Most of the places I fish you don't want less than8 lb anyway unless you want to be constantly wondering what keeps breaking you off.
I know just where to find fermented grains. Any grain you want, I would gladly provide for the tutelage. Barley, check....Wheat, check....rice, check....rye (my favorite), check...potato, check...cabbage, check....honey, check.
Two tone nymph = Most aquatic nymphs are lighter colored on the underside that I have seen! These are from a stomach pumped - large rainbow from a eastside lake.
Nice looking bug troutpocket, can you post a recipe! I think that may be the ticket down here someday.
Hook: Tiemco 2302 or Daiichi 1560 #10-12 Bead: black, 1/8 or 7/64th Tail: Pheasant tail fibers Body: Fine & Dry dubbing, color: hare's ear shell back: pheasant tail fibers from the tail Rib: fine red wire Thorax: Brown squirrel dubbing spun in dubbing loop and pulled back like a soft hackle.
I agree on the stronger tippets. I also lose less flies on a poor backcast that cracks like a whip sending your streamer to the depths. However sometimes find myself worrying about snagging up. On a 2X tippet you may be putting your fly line in jeopardy. Unless its summer time and then you are going in after it. On a recent trip to Nevada I had to go in after a snag about 5 ft under water in a freezing river thats a little sketchy. I guess it just depends on the situation.
My experience with switching to 2x is that I bend out hooks. Also my hookup-to-landing ratio for sticks has increased dramatically
Do you dub the body first then tie the tail in and lay over the dubbing? or do you tie the tail fibers in, lift out of the way and dub then lay them back down and tie them off in the front before wrapping with wire?
The latter. Tail first, pull back the remaining fibers, dub body, pull the shell back forward, rib with wire, dub thorax, tie off and done.
