The Ignorant Angler

Last week it was time for another quick road trip.  Wanting to check out the brown drake hatch, I tried to get to Silver Creek earlier.  They came and went.  I didn't.
So, another good looking weather window opened.  An opportunity to chase clear water, do a little camping.  My tent erecting skills needed the practice.
The best thing about Silver Creek is getting there at sunrise and listening to the birds.  I love watching the hills and valley light up with the first morning rays.  Besides, what else is a guy supposed to do when he gets up at 4:30 and drinks all of the coffee?




First morning.  Blue-winged olives.  A smattering of PMD's.  There was a flight of what looked to be white miller caddis like those seen on the Firehole in Yellowstone.

Fish?  Loads of little ones.  Most chased the white miller.  A few on the olive.  Best fish of the morning was a brown that mouthed a small rainbow.  One credible brown ate the olive but it came loose when it rolled and I couldn't …

I tied a few of these a couple of weeks ago.  Not sure what I ended up with.  It's nothing unique, just another soft hackle, something that I rarely fish.  But, if a person intends to fish the Firehole, they'd better have some soft hackles.  No hatch?  Soft hackle.  It's the law.  I checked the Park regulations.  I'm kidding of course.
Regardless, the intent here was to imitate some stage of the white miller caddis.  It's pretty simple.  A blob of antron for a shuck, roughly wrapped thread body, hare-tron thorax, partridge hackle.  Do soft hackles have shucks?  Maybe it would be better fished as an emerger?  With a dab of floatant, maybe even as a PMD cripple?  Or, maybe it's just another fly tying disaster gone awry....