early season Dragon Lake fly patterns

[Pat AV]

Hey folks, I will be on Dragon first week of May this year (insert snide remarks about how slow the ice is melting  )

I have been on the vise tying up some chrominids and was wondering if any of you guys had some early season go to chrominids for Dragon? Any other flies that I should start stocking up on?

What are some good color combos for the area?

Thanks for the help and hopefully I will see some of you on an ice free Dragon come early may   

[johnk]

[Rick]

Nice bug john, what do you call it??? 

[Pat AV]

Yes, very nice John thank you!

Is that just a thread body?

looks like fine silver wire rib and a bit of antron on both ends?

[johnk]

Strangely enough the pattern is called "Dragon Special". I guess I should post the recipe:

Hook: Mustad C49S #12
Tail : Z-Lon
Body: Light Ginger SpanFlex(over white thread)
Rib  : UTC X-Fine Silver Wire
Thorax: UTC 70 Rust thread
Bead: 7/64 Silver Tungsten
Gills: White Uni-Stretch

Pat, if you can't find any light ginger spanflex as it may be discontinued PM your address to me and I'll shoot off a couple pieces in the mail.

[Pat AV]

Thanks John, I will look for the span flex. I am stoked to tie a few up soon!

[johnk]

Here's another one for you, Pat. This one is best tied on Mustad C49S #12 for early spring.



Recipe

Hook: C49S #12
Bead: 7/64 Copper
Gills:  White Uni-Stretch
Underbody: Red Holographic Flashabou
Rib:  UTC Small Copper Wire
Body: Rainy's Reddish Brown Stretch Flex

Some of my Bellingham customers dubbed this fly "The Coppertop".
The pattern is most effective when the rib is put over the underbody and under the stretch flex. Depending on how much you stretch/overlap the stretch flex will dictate how much red shines through. Have fun with it!

[Pat AV]

Thanks again John! I will tie up a few and let you know how it goes.

Pat

[Chauchey]

Recently I was convinced by a local legend to visit this lake.  I was wondering if it would be better to go before or after turnover?  I ask this because I always thought before was the best, but I went to White and was told by a local that its very slow there until after turnover.  Is this the norm for larger lakes(greater then 150 hectars)?

[johnk]

With big lakes you have to run and gun a bit to find where the fish are most active. I enjoy fishing pre-turnover and I don't think the lake size affects the behaviour of trout. Some times finding what the trout are targetting is the puzzle. As soon as the ice comes off the juvenile waterboatmen become active and before turnover bloodworms and dragonfly nymphs are migrating back to shallow water. Leeches are probably the pattern fished most often during pre-turnover conditions but you have to prepared to change and adapt.

[Chauchey]

This season I spent a signifigant amount of time on this lake.  The fishing was easily the most challenging I'd ever experienced(weather and catch count wise) but it met the criteria of the type of lake I wanted to fish this season, and in some way's it exceeded.  My best pattern on this lake(starting about a week after turnover) was...

C53S #10
Micro Squirrel Zonker - Olive
Dubbed underbody, tied down with wire.

Most of the time it was too windy to fish chronies effectively during the day.  Although I did try.