Tombstone Hero

I thought this would be a good time to write an update. Things always get slow, content wise, around this time of year, but I have been extremely busy.  First of all, Vampire Sheep Hair is in full swing now and on sale right now at J.Stockard Fly Fishing. This would be a good time to check it out, if you haven’t already.

Second, there is a fly I have been tying, fishing, and testing like crazy. I am calling it the Tombstone Hero. Basically because the head is gray and the flat part reminds me of a tombstone. Which is right down FrankenFly’s alley! Anyway, this might not be the most beautiful fly you have ever seen, but it sure is fun to fish.

This style of fly is more of a pusher/diver. You have probably heard of a slider or slider/diver. Sliders are types of flies that skim or skate across the top of the water. Pushers, which you don’t hear about as often, don’t skate on top, instead, they push the water in front of them and cause a disturbance that attract fish.

The Tombstone Hero will also go under water when stripped and float back up to the surface. This is another way it attracts fish. The other part about this fly that is interesting is tying it on your line and what that does to the action. If I tie it on using a Uni Knot which cinches up tight to the hook eye, it pushes water while on top and then when you strip it, dives down and comes back up. When I tie the fly on using a non-slip loop knot, this allows the fly to do some true action. What I get when I strip it in on top of the water is almost a walk the dog action, moving side to side, which is very nice. The fly will continue to dive if stripped quickly to get it swimming under the water.

So to me, this is very cool and gives you multiple ways to attract fish.

-Paul