Topwater Streamer

Topwater - dry flies - are perhaps the most fun fly fishing there is. To trout hunters it usually means a small fly with a body, hackle collar and tail the fly is so light the surface tension of the water alone creates the resistance needed to keep the fly perched high and dry. There are hundreds of versions. The adams, shown here is a classic, and probably the single most popular dry fly.

There are other types I have learned. In the Southeast floating streamers solicit top water bites from Bass, bluegill and inshore species. This is perhaps more fun. Instead of getting a good drift you work on getting good action by stripping in the fly. Short strips, sometimes just a twitch and waiting often works. Watching a fish rise from out of site and track a fly is great. I sure don't know why, it just is.

Over the weekend I fished some ponds. It was blistering hot and fishing was slow. My most dependable fly is a not to attractive pattern I threw together after watching the banks of ponds loaded with thousands of tadpoles.
TADPOLE FLY
Hook: size #1 - #8 long shaft hook of no particular brand or model.
1. Simply tie in black marabou tail. add a small amount of krystal flash is you like.
2. Tie on one or two layers of foam, depending on hook size.
3. Wrap some black krystal chenile over the foam.
Its basically a floating woolly bugger with foam sparkle. It's like the spooky shad shown here, but black, and I don't bother with eyes on this. Yes, I know I wrote at length about being and eye believer, but this is a tadpole pattern. Eyes just aren't prominent with those fellas. Gills either. Alright I am not totally consistent.