While fly fishing in my home waters in the rivers and streams of the Pennsylvania Blue Mountains, it doesn’t take long to notice the ever present Black Nose Dace in the shallows, under overhanging banks and numerous in just about every deep pool. While fishing the traditional black nose dace streamer I caught some of these minnows in a net to study it’s characteristics and colors in bright sunlight. Some have a deep pearl flash on the scales. I set out to tie a dace pattern that would more closely match this natural minnow that is plentiful just about everywhere that you find trout. Thus the Blue Mountain Dace. With its raccoon ring tail cut straight, black bear, white and brown deer fur under a mallard tied flat in the Maine flatwing streamer tradition. This fly has become the most productive streamer that I use. A good searching pattern, it draws larger trout out of their hiding places to give chase. The pearl mirage tinsel is colorful in sunlight and has the right amount of attraction to catch even the more finicky wild brown trout. I tie this streamer with a wider body and more fur for the high water in springtime and sparse for the lower clear water of mid summer and winter. The eyes are optional and add an extra hot spot to this minnow replica. I like to tie a strip of lead straight under the hook shank to get the fly down quickly to the trouts feeding zone and also to assure that the streamer swims upright in the water. The mallard tied flat gives it natural darting and bobbing action in the current. This traditional style fly has been fished all over North America including the Rockies, New England and Maine and has taken rainbow and brook trout in British Columbia.
-Fred Klein
You can follow Fred’s tying on Instagram @grizzlykingfly.
Also do yourself a favor and check out Fred’s classic fly gallery on his website:
https://www.grizzlykingfly.com/classic-fly-gallery
Dressing:
Hook: Partridge Heritage Streamer size 8 – 9x long
Thread: Body olive, head black 8/0
Tag: Silver Tinsel
Body: Pearl Mirage
Ribbing Gold flat tinsel
Tail: Raccoon tail black ring fur, trimmed straight
Belly: White bucktail
Wing: Mallard Flank flatwing, over brown bucktail, over black bear
Eyes painted with carrot and black acrylic (optional)
