Monkey Faced Louise

[eknapp]

very good info guys....I've only been fly fishing for 6/7 months, trying to learn as much as I can.  

[slabseeker]

Sorry I'm not much of a fly fisherman so I can't add anything. I thought it might be a thread about old girlfriends.  Still interesting though....

[tjm]

The way that Carey Special was in the books I had it would have appeared to be more of a streamer because the hackle was called out to be pheasant rump and the long soft fibers would blend with the tail. I found an image of that on FAOL. 

Story about the fly's invention there too. I've seen it listed as pheasant saddle too, but as I said before variations on this type fly are endless. The availability of feathers leads to substitution. And time or location  can change what is used or preferred.

[tjm]

On 11/5/2025 at 9:09 PM, fishinwrench said:

little lt.olive & peacock Ice Dub pattern

I'd say that's a caddis pattern and should produce anywhere caddis are present. I guess as a generality tailless wets would all resemble caddis if in the right size range. I'd  have to cast that one up and across in fast pocket water and let it tumble with the current, leading it with the rod, kinda like euronymphing.  Of course it could also be taken as a fry or as a terrestrial or who knows what fish think.  

I seldom swing wet flies, just don't have that bait fisher's kind of patience, More often than not I fish these flies pretty much like a spinner or spoon, often casting beyond or behind the suspected lie and retrieving with short strips or hand twist. Diagonally up or down or straight across.  Occasionally  casting the fly within the fish's vision and letting it sink with no line movement and after a moment or two  give it a couple of six inch strips then a pause. Sometimes I get to repeat this strip and pause. 

If I am trying to swing  a fly, it will get a time to sink and then an up steam mend to bring it back up in the water column, (essentially Lessingring's lift where the current forces the fly up against the line tension) and after a moment or two a downstream mend will allow the fly to sink again. I might repeat that a few times. To make full long swing from across to dangle,  like I read about, is just beyond my ability to stay focused. 

I also cast these wingless wets several feet upstream of visible trout so that the fly has time to fully sink  below the fish before reaching  the fish and then tension the line to cause the fly to rise and cross in front of the fish.  Again a variation on  Lessingring's methods. His book "Art of Tying the Wet Fly & Fishing the Flymph" was one of my primary text books back in the '70s. Recommended reading if you can find it in a library. Because it's been out print for a while the price has become a bit high. Another highly recommended book on wets is by Dave Hughes "Wet Flies" and it is offered on Kindle as well as being readily available in print editions. 

[Flysmallie]

2 hours ago, tjm said:

I seldom swing wet flies, just don't have that bait fisher's kind of patience

Then I must not do it right because there is no patience needed. I don’t swing in big open water unless it’s a tailwater. And I rarely fish those. 

[tjm]

6 hours ago, Flysmallie said:

 I must not do it right because there is no patience needed.

I'm sure you are doing it just fine. 

I've been around enough people to know  that my definition of "very patient" is way shorter than most other people's. So perhaps we have different interpretations of what constitutes patience. Or perhaps I'm doing the swing wrong, I've never seen it demonstrated.  Perhaps my ADD is   higher than yours. I'm good for about 10-15' of swing or or that many seconds, whichever comes first. If the stream is narrow enough and fast enough, I can get a full sweep, before the need to "do something" kicks in. The reason that I quit spinning tackle all those years ago was because of the time lost reeling in line after the lure passed the productive water, I had no patience for that, with the fly rod that  line can be rolled or flicked  right back to the starting point when there is still 20, 30, or 40' of line out.  

But, I'm posting way too much on your thread, thanks for showing us your flies and that is great photography. 

 

[Flysmallie]

15 hours ago, tjm said:

 

But, I'm posting way too much on your thread, thanks for showing us your flies and that is great photography. 

 

Not at all. Good conversation. My fishing skills were honed standing on the trolling motor of a bass boat firing off casts with a half ounce spinner bait. That’s my patience level. 
 

Mostly self taught fly fisherman, though I have learned a ton by fishing with real fly fisherman. My soft hackle swing is going to be really small. I’m going to put it where I think a fish is. I have no patience for a big cast, long drift, on flat water. Hit the head, hit the tail, hit the seams, move on. 

[tjm]

All that reel cranking, all that time loading and unloading a boat, driving miles from where the fish are to find a ramp, boating from ramp to fishing area and back  are things that I don't have patience for, but I can fish the same pool or run for hours or until it seems that I've caught most all of the fish in it at least once. I can fish the next hole on another day. Perhaps patience is expressed in different ways. 

 

[fishinwrench]

10 hours ago, Flysmallie said:

My fishing skills were honed standing on the trolling motor of a bass boat firing off casts with a half ounce spinner bait. That’s my patience level

 

Think of swinging a soft hackle as if you are fan casting a crankbait/spinnerbait over a flat.   Just quickly cover the water.  Pay no attention to the location of any current breaks, weedbeds, deeper holes, ect.    Just methodically cover the water, all of it,  and just see how often you get surprised.  👍