Mike,
I'll throw in my two cents worth.
I fish low-water steelhead flies tied on lightwire spey hooks. My
favorite patterns are: Freight Train; Purple Peril, Purple Spey, and
Streetwalker. I have great faith in these flies, which is 90% of
choosing which fly to use.
But apart from that, I love tying them, I love casting a dryline, and
I love grease-lining. I believe that I have picked the one school of
steelheading, that for me, offers nothing but sheer fishing elegance,
both single and two-handed. I'm fairly certain that I don't catch as
many steelhead as others using other methods but I definitely love
every steelhead I catch.
Leland.
>Mike,
>The popularity of the stonefly is probably due to its use as a
>heavily-weighted nymph fished under a large strike indicator. This is a
>technique that gained great popularity on the North Umpqua and which has
>recently led to changes in the regulations there effectively outlawing it.
>It's an effective means of getting the fly down deep in areas where other
>techniques won't. I hope the mere mention of it doesn't start one of those
>endless arguments about what is and isn't fly fishing. Personally, I don't
>find it a very attractive or satisfying way to fish. By the way, weighted
>flies remain illegal on the North Fork of the Stilly until October
>fifteenth.
