The Daytripper is tieing for ’08 and I haven’t even tasted Eggnog yet

I figured I was safe, neatly tucked away on the bottom left margin of the Daytripper’s Blog was the “Tying for 2008” entry. Like all great procrastinators I assumed he wouldn’t dare increment it until February, minimum.

Now he’s ahead of us and we’re playing “catch up.”

Brownlining is hell on flies, nymphs mostly, and my nymph stash has been getting augmented regularly. It’s part and parcel of the smallmouth fishing on the Little Stinking – I tie a dozen and leave six on tree limbs trying for that tight cast against the underbrush. Naturally the one cast that gets in close is traveling at 150 mph and blows hell out of whatever I thought lived there..

The concussion alone teaches them fish a lesson.

Prodded by Alex, I cracked open the dry fly box to see what’s missing and found a lot of work for this winter. I should be able to stay abreast of Daytripper, as all of my small dries, rough water caddis, and cripples have been sorely used.

Pale Morning Dun Cripple (Hat Creek, Fall River)I was introduced to Bob Quigley’s “cripples” years ago when he lived near Fall River, one of those rare fly tiers whose creations are both graceful and practical, flies that fool fish rather than fishermen.

The theory is simple, tie the rear half of the fly in the colors of the nymph, and the front half in the colors of the adult. Grease the front portion only, and the fly will lay “arse down” at an angle simulating an emerger.

I use them interchangeably with the adult dry fly, they work well as the mature imitation in hatch conditions, and in many cases, work better. Any traditional mayfly dry can be adapted to the “cripple” style, just by adding the appropriate nymph coloration.

I had heard that the idea came when he was eyeballing a semi-destroyed Humpy, that may be myth, it was the prevailing story of the time.

Emerger patterns can be frustrating to fish, many rely on the bug being partially sunken, while effective as an imitation it’s difficult to see. Cripple wings are cocked forward at a 45 degree angle intentionally, as the rear portion sinks down into the surface film, the wing rises to the vertical position allowing the angler to retain the traditional dry fly profile, enhancing the flies visibility.

This’ll give you something to keep pace with the Daytripper, he’s got seven done – where’s yours?

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8 thoughts on “The Daytripper is tieing for ’08 and I haven’t even tasted Eggnog yet

  1. The Day Tripper

    Make that 10!

    I’ve seen pictures of the Quigley Cripples but didn’t know that they had a particular name for them until now. I think I just learned something!

    I bet those work great. I don’t tie any duns without a trailing shuck, I wonder if I would be better off tying my dries on 1X short hooks to kind of hybridize between a trialing shuck type dun, and a Quigley type dun.

  2. TCWriter

    I knew that Daytripper guy was trouble.

    As for the Quigleys, they’ve become my go-to fly for BWO hatches. In Ed Engle’s “Tying Small Flies” book he mentions the South Platte Quigley — a specific BWO variant that’s so easy to tie, even a writer can do it…

  3. Don

    The Quigley cripple has been my secret fly for many years, thanks for letting the cat outta the bag.

    In 1974, I was camped on the Pit River and needed some flies real bad. So I drove to Rick’s Lodge on Fall River and asked Quigley if he had any nymphs for the Pit. Bob went into the bar and came out with a dozen nymphs. I sure wish I’d put one away instaed of using them all up thru the years. Best dang Pit River nymph I’ve ever fished.

  4. Don

    It was black, that’s all I remember for sure. Of course, it could have been a dark dark purple or some color that appeared to be black to me.

    I think it was weighted, I think it had grey goose biots for the tails (two), and I think it had two trimed grey goose biots (very short) on top of the hook at the head.

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