I was lucky enough to tie flies next to Rich Strolis at Partridge Days at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum earlier this month.
Rich made a name for himself while guiding on the great trout rivers of western Connecticut, close to his hometown of Russell, Massachusetts. He’s become one of the leaders of the modern streamer fly movement, targeting large fish with large flies.
It’s challenging to design a fly that’s big enough to tempt a big fish while remaining easy to cast and resistant to getting the tail wrapped around the hook. The fly shown here is a rough draft of one of Rich’s current flies, the Pike Dart. He usually adds either a head or an eye of some sort, but he had to run off to give a presentation on streamer fishing.
It’s a great-looking fly with a smart design – a body made from an EP Fibers dubbing brush gives the fly a nice fat profile and keeps the tail away from the bend of the hook. Here’s a video showing how it’s tied.
Rich ties this fly anywhere from 7 to 9 inches long, in various colors, to catch pike. He said he would consider this one a Trout Dart, but I think it would be a great peanut bunker imitation for striped bass. (The larger ones would obviously be good striper flies too.)
Rich has a book coning out January 1: Catching Shadows: Tying Flies for the Toughest Fish and Strategies for Fishing Them, by Stackpole Books. I’m looking forward to reading it.
The Fly Line 