Busy... but optimistic...

I've not been able to post as much as I'd planned... yet.  Work, winter storms and life just have been challenging.  So a quick one today and hopefully I can get back to more posts in the future.

I have hit the water a little - with little luck and very leaky waders.  That's now fixed and some time opened for me this weekend... I'm hopefull that tomorrow I can get out for a few hours.  That said, I anticipate about 4000 guys on the water since we only have one stream that's legitimately fishible here in MA right now and it's going to be a beautiful day around 50 degrees and sunny... So be it, a few hours near the water fishing or watching others fish is worth while!

I have been tying.  I'm trying to settle on what I want to tie up for a prize.  My sister in law is in charge of several national parks in the south east, and they are doing a raffle... She asked me to tie up some flies for the raffle.  That's a fun thing to do - but, as is the case for an eclectic tyer like me... picking flies is tough.  I'm leaning to a few red fish flies since the event will be near Hilton Head SC, but I also want to do some classic married wing wet flies since, well, they are just pretty... and a few flymphs as well.  Ideas are welcome!

On that note, here's a pic of some recent ties - from left to right: Ausable Ugly, a Telico Nymph variation I like (top) a squirrel and orange streamer, a sunburst flymph...

 Starting bottom left: a married wing wet I thought would be a nice combo - grey/orange/yellow, a dark sunburst flymph (pink back half v orange and no orange dubbing), a few caddis pupa, an olive wet (which also works well in the film if olives are coming off or other dark mayflies are coming off) and a hackle-less picket pin - great little fly that sinks a bit faster than the classic picket pin.

 Thinking of sunny warm days... A thunder creek streamer shortly before...

 This nice brookie attacked it last May on the east branch of the swift river here in MA.

Have a super weekend!