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The Deerfly
By Bill
Ludlow Mesa, AZ
(Top View)
It had been a hard
day fishing. My neoprene waders were too hot for the ankle deep
water I was standing
in, and I felt as drenched as if I had fallen in. Springtime
hatches
had been over for
months and the cutthroats in this Oregon coastal stream wanted
nothing to do with my
attractor patterns. A deerfly buzzed overhead interrupting my
concentration and
causing me to miss the only strike I’d had for hours.
“Ouch!” He bit
me on the back of the
neck! I swatted him and watched him float downstream into the
riffles. Much to my
surprise, he disappeared with a splash! I searched through my
“odd
box” and found a
deerfly pattern left over from my last Michigan vacation. That
fly
pattern turned my
fishing around. I caught and released a dozen bright trout over
the
next few hours until
dusk set in.
Most of us have
encountered the pesky deerfly along trout streams or lakes, but
few
anglers have fished
an imitation of these bothersome insects. While not an abundant
trout food, the
deerfly is such a buggy looking creature that trout find it hard
to resist.
Since that day on a
small Oregon stream, I have reacquainted myself with this highly
effective pattern. It
has proven itself on many streams across North America and has
earned a permanent
spot in my dry fly box.
The deerfly is not
a true aquatic insect. It is a member of the order Diptera and
part of
the Tabinidae family
which also includes horseflies. It has a fat black body with
yellow-green
iridescent markings. The wings have a distinctive brownish black
barring
and lie over the back
in a flat V shape. Adult females suck blood from large mammals
while males prefer
plant juices. Eggs are laid in clusters on leaves of emergent
plants
just above waterline
on cold water lakes and streams. It’s larvae feed on small
aquatic
insects. Adults
emerge May through August across North America.
I was first
introduced to a deerfly imitation by Jack Schweigert of
“Jack’s Rod and Fly
Shop” in
Roscommon, Michigan. It was a cold and rainy day so I decided to
visit some
fly shops and drill
the locals for information. After a lengthy tour of his shop,
Jack
showed me his
favorite brook trout fly, the “Lake Erie King.” He told
me it imitated the
deerfly and believed
it originated somewhere in Pennsylvania. I purchased a few, and
the next day while
fishing the Au Sable south branch I caught dozens of brookies on
them during a
Blue-Winged Olive hatch.
I spent many a
rainy day over the next few summers in Jack’s fly shop
learning about
local patterns and
admiring the interesting things he collected over the years. I
still have
some of the
“Super Strength” double tapered leaders and “Dry
Fly Dope” he produced
for over 50 years in
the workshop behind the store. Jack’s catalog, printed in
the
1960’s, lists
the Lake Erie King under the category of Special Dry Flies. Most
flies listed
under this heading
were local patterns that have been long forgotten. The
Borcher’s
Special is the only
one still found in most northern Michigan fly shops. I’m
sorry to say
that both Jack and
his shop have long since passed on along with a part of Michigan
flyfishing history.
The deerfly has
proven successful in many regions of the country. While fishing
Clark’s
Creek in central
Pennsylvania one day, I was having a frustrating time with little
success. It was
mid-summer and the water was low and clear. Trout spooked from my
hoppers and only gave
midges and a glance before refusing them. I became
increasingly
irritated after seeing so many trout with so little success. I
paused along the
stream to watch an
old gentleman with a bamboo rod casting gracefully onto a slow
stretch of water.
Many trout were visible but none were taking. We commented on the
condition of the
stream and our mutual lack of success. When he stopped for a
rest, we
talked some more and
pondered our fly selections. He pointed to my deerflies and
wondered if I had
tried them yet. I had not considered using them on such selective
trout, but I handed
him one and wished him luck. While heading downstream I tied one
on also. My first
cast with the deerfly brought an unexpected response. A trout
traveled
six feet to engulf
the fly! This action was repeated several times that day. I met
my new
friend again while
walking back to my car. He smiled and told me of his similar
success.
The deerfly had once
again made the difference between a day spent fishing and a
great day of fishing.
As daytime mayfly
and caddisfly hatches dwindle in midsummer many anglers switch to
terrestrial patterns
such as grasshoppers, beetles, and ants. This is the time of year
to
fish the deerfly.
Fish it as you would any other dry fly searching pattern. Cast
upstream
into riffles and
pockets, or at the head of a pool. Don’t overlook areas of
cover along the
banks. The rise is
often dramatic as a trout rushes to take the fly.
Although the real
deerfly has no tail, I have modified the original Lake Erie King
pattern
by adding a short
tail of stiff moose body hair fibers for stability and I have
substituted
grizzly hen hackle
tips for rooster to give a better silhouette. The peacock herl
body
closely matches the
color of the natural fly while mixed brown and grizzly hackle
helps
give an overall buggy
appearance.
When tying this
pattern, the tail should be secured first. It should be slightly
shorter than
the length of the
hook shank. Wrap the body next using three or four strands of
peacock herl. The
grizzly hen hackle tip wings should be tied in a flat V over the
body
extending about
halfway down the length of the tail. Brown and grizzly hackle
complete
the fly along with a
small head of olive thread. The hackle should be tied fairly
short,
never extending
beyond 1 1/4 times the hook gap. This allows the fly to float
down in
the surface film.
The Deerfly
Hook: Standard dry
fly #14 o#16
Thread: 6/0 olive
Tail: Moose body hair
Body: Peacock Herl
Wing: Grizzly hen
hackle tips
Hackle: Brown and
grizzly mixed
The Deerfly may
not be the best fly you will ever fish, but I can vouch for its
effectiveness in many
situations. Few patterns have such a buggy appearance. I now
try it often when no
hatches are visible. Next time you are bitten by a deerfly while
fishing, don’t
curse it, why not tie on an imitation and make the best of it.
You may be
pleasantly surprised
by the results.
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