"Maybe so, but I have flies older than you"

[T.J. Clarke]

35 years ago I bought large sculpin flies mail order from Cabella's.  Been in the fly box ever since and don't think I've ever been lucky with them.  Sad to admit, I know.  The other day just for the heck of it, tried one at the spring hole, Bennett.  Yep, caught one in calf deep water.   Better late than never.  Hooks still seem good, but I should upgrade.  Got a hoot out of that one fish, and made the day.  

[BilletHead]

1 hour ago, T.J. Clarke said:

35 years ago I bought large sculpin flies mail order from Cabella's.  Been in the fly box ever since and don't think I've ever been lucky with them.  Sad to admit, I know.  The other day just for the heck of it, tried one at the spring hole, Bennett.  Yep, caught one in calf deep water.   Better late than never.  Hooks still seem good, but I should upgrade.  Got a hoot out of that one fish, and made the day.  

    Post a picture of the fly please!

[T.J. Clarke]

[fishinwrench]

Original Muddler

Better, and simpler to tie with a strip of fur behind the head. 👍 

The original is sexy and has that old school appeal.....but honestly it's never been a staple of mine. 

I never could decide if WINGS TOGETHER or WINGS SPLAYED were best..... because I just never could catch enough fish on them either way.

The fur strip version though......OMG! So many fish !   

[BilletHead]

            Bingo @fishinwrench    Makes a good hopper Imitation fishing as a dry.  Thanks @T.J. Clarke for posting.

[nomolites]

I fished a small muddler(14) in a rock slide lake up in the Rockies in southern CO while on an elk hunt and there were some beautiful large(3-4#) cutthroat that thought that thing was a freshwater shrimp.  Best day fly fishing for trout I’ve experienced; have not had that kind of response to one since then.

Mike

[tjm]

1 hour ago, BilletHead said:

Makes a good hopper Imitation fishing as a dry. 

That's a good way to fish them. The Hornberg used to be my best hopper pattern. I never like either of those patterns as streamers.

As to old flies, I posted a picture here of some tiny stillwater flies that I last used in 1984 that are still in one of my boxes. I have deer hair mouse and a purple snaky thing with big eyes that I bought near Cotter Ar. in 1986 because the clerk at the fly shop said they were Dave Whitlock's, neither of them have been used a half dozen times, but the mouse is getting ratty from age.

[trythisonemv]

3 hours ago, BilletHead said:

            Bingo @fishinwrench    Makes a good hopper Imitation fishing as a dry.  Thanks @T.J. Clarke for posting.

Crane creek rainbows love the muddler as a dry fly @billethead 

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, trythisonemv said:

4 hours ago, BilletHead said:

 

Crane creek rainbows love the muddler as a dry fly

There are much better, and easier to tie, grasshopper patterns. 🙂

[BilletHead]

8 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

There are much better, and easier to tie, grasshopper patterns. 🙂

         Believe me I know that. We go through allot of those out West. Me like the uses of high floating foam!