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Some of our favourite fly patterns for Western Cape Streams
Compar-ant.
Much of our focus in designing flies for these streams is on small and simple, "underdressed" flies. Sparsity of tying seems to greatly increase the acceptance by the fish.
This extremely simple flying ant pattern is deadly when the real things are on the water. Tied in sizes #18 and #20 it is even pretty visible most of the time. It is often a case of "when there are ants on the water" "fish an ant or go home"..
Black Goose Biot Micro Caddis
These streams see multiple hatches of microcaddis during the season, most often black ones. This pattern has been adapted over time to replace the previously used feather slip wings with goose biots. It has proved simply deadly. There are weeks or even months when we use little else. The real caddis flies hang about for a long time on the rocks and the fish know all about them. Sparsity is again a feature, the fish seem to prefer them that way.
Black Poly Wing Spun Dun
Black flies are the most tricky to see on the water, but on occasion the fish will have nothing else, and then this pattern really comes into its own. Generally we fish it with a second fly which helps us to follow the fly's movement on the stream. It has proven to be a superb variation on occasions when small black mayflies or even midges are on the water.
Instant Caddis.
Again small size and paucity of design feature here. With modern floatants and tiny hooks it is amazing how little material one requires to float a fly. Here the most basic version of Al Troth's famous Elk Hair Caddis, sporting no abdominal hackle provides superb fishing particularly later in the season when water levels are low and tiny and delicate flies are the business.
Poly Wing Spun Dun Olive
To many fly tiers and anglers these dreadfully simple and sparse flies look too simplistic to work, but they do. It seems that the trout on our catch and release waters have become skittish about over dressed patterns and the lightness and sparcity of this, one of our standard upwing patterns seems to be just the ticket. Sure we fish Parachute Adams as well, but this is the go to fly when the fish get picky. We carry it in a variety of colours and in sizes down to #20.
Spun Dun
This could very well be the best upwing dry fly pattern in the world. Simple, inexpensive to manufacture, high floating, sparse and delicate. An absolutely killer mayfly or even midge pattern. Stripped of almost all unnecessary bulk and frequently with only a thread body and split or hackle fibre wings it is our standard upwing pattern for almost all occasions. A great search pattern as well as for targeting specific fish.
These streams see multiple hatches of microcaddis during the season, most often black ones but sometimes the tan is more prevalent. This is simply a colour variation of our black micro caddis, we use it less often but when the tan caddis are on the water it performs exceptionally well. Tied in sizes from #18 to #22
The comparadun patterns started a revolution of fly tying, thanks to Caucci and Nastasi and their Comparhatch publications. No longer limited to Halfordian and Catskill ties, fly anglers opened a pandora's box of new ways to tie dry flies. Today we tend towards the spun duns, really just variations of this pattern but faster to tie and slightly better floating. But still a classic pattern and always in our fly boxes
I have been "snookered" by more than one spinner fall, trouble is that the spinners end up in the slack water on the edges and the fish have all the time in the world to look at them. This variation using the foam used to damp sound under laminate flooring seems to provide a great wing, floatation that avoids the need of hackle and a mottled light pattern consistent with mayfly wing veination.. in short it works, at least more of the time than some patterns.
Even I can't come up with something simpler than this pattern, it could be anything, emerger, drowned midge, nymph, who knows. But fished in the film to tricky fish it often breaks the spell and results in a hookup. Simply thread or wire body and a brushed out hair thorax. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the fish seem to find this simple pattern very attractive.
Pretty much a winged version of the pattern above, tied on a curved hook. Netwinged midges can provide problematic hatches for the angler, although like anything , this pattern doesn't alway work, it is a worthwhile addition to the armoury. Fished in the film it can prove deadly.
Simply a "hotspot post" variation of my favourite biot caddis, slighty over hackled it provides better visual contact for the angler. If the fish start to "come short" though it is time to switch back to the more subdued pattern.
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