Every year fly tiers from around the world reinvent the wheel with new patterns from midges to full on Herring baitfish patterns. Usually these new patterns are the same old ones with new materials that dazzle the minds of anglers and tiers alike. We seem to forget that some things are meant to catch fishermen and others to catch fish. Ask any long time fishing guide and they will tell you that, only every once and a while does anything come out that is a game changer, then the fish get used to it and we need another, this cycle takes about 5-7 years. Those on it at the beginning run it the longest the followers the shortest. The Pats stone is one of recent times, hardly works compared to it abilities in the beginning.

Then there’s the other stuff, the patterns that keep on working and some even better after a longer time, like we forget to fish them, all caught up in the NEW craze of things…Every bug has its antiques, Daves Hopper, Parachute Adams, Royal Wulff, Hairs ear you name it has had its primetime and back again, for those keeping track.

This season is no exception, earlier I drug up an actual 30 year old Grey Comparadun. This season I have found myself using the old school stuff more than ever and this week its about the Lafontaine Sparkle Caddis, “god rest his soul” we will forever be in grateful for Gary and his tireless effort to figure out what was going on under the surface. This one here is actually tied with original LaFontaine’s yarn I bought from him personally back in the late 70’s I have about 8 of the colors but I like the brown , Grey and Apple green best.

Although the Yakima River is not know for numbers of huge rainbows we sure have a lot of fun fishing to the medium well educated ones with a bit of history at the end of the string..;)

Thanks for subscribing, Jeff

For those of you needing a little fish porn: