09-24 REELLIFE digital - Flipbook - Page 15
gear
The Best Fly Ever Made By
Mike Carey
Strip, strip, strip… the
intermediate sinking fly line
passed through my fingers
in three-inch increments.
Varying the retrieve,
sometimes fast, slower,
pausing and resuming my
retrieve, I floated along in
my belly tube, taking in
all the remote mountain
lake had to offer. A treelined shore, snow-covered
mountains for a backdrop,
and not another soul in
sight.
Suddenly the line came
to a hard stop, jerking my
rod forward, the frantic
pulling of another chunky
rainbow signaled “fish on”.
Catching up my line to the
reel, I played the healthy
native trout to me, sliding
the knotless net under
her belly. The glistening
distinctive markings of the
bow glowed vibrantly in
the evening light. Gently
removing my barbless
fly, I cradled the tired fish
while it rested. In a few
moments, the rainbow
impatiently strained against
the confines of the net,
eager to return to the cool
depths of the lake. Safely
recovered, I tilted the net
and watched the fish dart
away, a splash of cold water
in my face as if to say, “I
won’t be fooled again!”.
If you had just one fly in
your arsenal to catch trout,
what would you pick? The
hardcore anglers of course
will dismiss this question as
irrelevant and silly.
Fly fishing is all about
matching the hatch,
and there are literally
hundreds of variations of
flies – dry, wet, nymph,
the possibilities could fill
up several tackle boxes.
Picking one sounds like a
fool’s errand, doesn’t it?
Well, I will cast my vote
and be that fool. Drum roll,
please…
My favorite, go to fly is – the
venerable Wooley Bugger.
Was that your choice as
well?
