[GR8LAKES FLYER]

Hello friends
I just returned from my fall salar hunt , spent one glorious week with my Spey Brothers chasing salmo salar ... fish all day , tie all night :smokin:

One of my goals in 2014 was to re-store my faith in the hair-wing fly . This trip was a perfect opportunity to do so . So many timely classic hair-wings that are very popular with local anglers on the Margaree . But it wasn't a local favorite that re-stored my faith , it was a fly that was shown here by Marty .

Here is the actual fly that was used



Here's the pattern:

Hook: Bartleet #2-#10 (#6 shown)
Tag: Silver tinsel and Flo. Flame single strand floss (I cross-rib all my tags with X-Fine silver wire - shown)
Body: 4 peacock herls twisted into a rope
Rib: Silver tinsel (I used silver twist on this one)
Under-Wing: 4-6 strands of Mirage Accent Flash (can use pearl Krystal flash)
Wing: White bucktail (can also use polar bear or arctic fox)
Collar: Brown hen
Cheeks: JC nails
Head: Black

I tie this with a tag of silver , flo. green and flo. flame like the Undertaker . Flo. green as a single colour would work or orange or red .
I always use an under-lay of silver tinsel under the floss , really makes it POP !!
You will notice that I also add a X-Fine cross-rib to the floss tag . It really adds sparkle and protects the floss from the fish's teeth or from swinging the fly all day long .
A pet-peeve is having a floss tag shred and end up as a trailer .

These were the tools , the Burkie and Perfect are brother Jim's and the Meiser and Olson are mine .



This was the pool ... the Snag Pool . The photo was taken while working down from the Long Pool (my favorite water on the Margaree)



This was the result , a 14-16lb angry buck . Once hooked , it kind of stayed in place violently shaking his head . Then it ran towards me resulting in a frantic reeling in of line !! Still not knowing the size of fish , I wondered what took my fly .... then he jumped , straight up , head shaking and tail flailing !! Three things I remember .... the pull , the sound of the Olson screaming and my heart beat keeping rhythm with each click of the pawl :hihi:



Check out the yap on this guy !!



So a big thanks to Marty for showcasing the Undercoach !! It has re-stored my faith in the hair-wing fly


Mike

 

[SLSS]

Congrats Mike!

 

[DitchDigger]

Good on Ya Mike: Nice when it comes together. Great lookin buck!

Phil

 

[Draggerman]

Nice tools, fly, fish and pics,the Snag is my favorite and my buddy Wayne's,also ,it hasn,t held fish early as much as it once did but still is where I head for,also you will always find" Cosseboomboom"-David,there as it is one of his also

 

[sinktip]

Great post Mike.

 

[peter-s-c]

Love those hairwings and that's a very nice looking fly. The fish is OK too

 

[Back Eddy]

Great Post Mike

Was the usual cast of characters with upu on the trip???

 

[shotgunner]

Wow Mike.. good for you :smokin: White wings somewhat scarce on the Salar pools. Great looking tie. BRILLIANT beast! Thanks for posting.

B

 

[GR8LAKES FLYER]

Thanks guys

Forbes , I heard that the Snag was not producing many fish this year , same as Long . We did see fish showing days prior to me hooking up with this buck . Jim did get both of his grilse at Long as well .
Never met Dave before , but I'm sure he was one of the gentlemen we chatted with . Made a new friend this year , Adam is his name , from Halifax , he has a cottage just above Lower Tomkins . A great guy , very friendly and willing to share some knowledge about the river , mainly Lower Tomkins .

Swinging the Lower Tomkins pool below the island



True colors on Lower Tomkins




Mike

 

[GR8LAKES FLYER]

Was the usual cast of characters with upu on the trip???

Negative . Alan was the only veteran this year , a valued member of the posse for sure

Nic as been sick all year , not being able to work or fish at all
I pray that he gets better soon .

And that Miller guy is going through a mid-life crisis ... he's 18 again and has morphed into a skater-dude ..... :chuckle::chuckle:

The lads were missed ....

Peter , after all our emails exchanged from years past , does it not make sense that I have adapted your "hydro-dynamic" style to my hair-wings ??
A killer look , I agree and the proof is in this thread , this style works my friend :smokin:

I agree , not too often you will see a "white-winged" salmon fly swung in the pool . Very few anglers choose the white wing . Black Bear and Fox are the choice materials to use , followed by squirrel . Even Polar Bear is not seen as much as one would think on the river .


Mike

 

[LCH]

Nice. Great job and no small feat with a challenging fishery in challenging times.

Larry

 

[DavidLReidBamboo]

Awesome post, Mike ............

 

[pork]

Beautiful! Love the pics, Mike!

 

[MZilliox]

Wow, stunner of a fish. They sure looks like big browns when colored like that...

 

[borderfly]

Awesome post, great pics wishing I was there!

 

[xgolfman]

Well done Mike!!!

I've been trying some new hooks and tieing more hairs myself...love that pattern..almost a steelhead coachman in a way but with the hackle in front and JC ?

 

[GR8LAKES FLYER]

Nice. Great job and no small feat with a challenging fishery in challenging times.

Larry

Thanks Larry
Even with all the studies and reports being published , it still shocks me that some anglers continue to kill these beautiful fish .
With the added stress of Greenland now re-opening the commercial salmon fishery , I fear the worst is yet to come
It was pretty sad when I hooked into three Stripers down in the tidal areas ... another bad mistake on the part of the DFO !!

Actually Matt , Alan hooked and landed a nice sized brown trout in the Gillis Island Pool ... a newly found run that has the potential to become another favorite stretch of water ..... gorgeous !!

Gillis Island Pool


Mike

 

[GR8LAKES FLYER]

Well done Mike!!!

I've been trying some new hooks and tieing more hairs myself...love that pattern..almost a steelhead coachman in a way but with the hackle in front and JC ?

Exactly that Paul .
I have some really nice soft hackles from John , a bit lighter at the base of the feather , so it gives a two-toned look to the hackle collar .
Typically , salmon wets (hair-wings) have the collar wound on after the wing is tied in , giving them a sleek appearance . It also aids in the sinking of the fly and adds more contrast up front . Salmo Salar loves contrast :smokin:
I put JC nails on most every fly that I tie ... if not for the fish , it's for me ... helps boost my confidence .


Mike

 

[Black Zonky]

Beauty of a fish, Mike.

 

[gt05254]

Life is good, Mike! Nicely done on all counts.
Gary