[stonehanz]

my first real post.. dont know if this is where to put this but here goes..
early october and the fish should be turning on, right.. ??? well i could see them, in the shallow shoals, obviously feeding on something, but they were extremely selective..must be shrimp, i deduced, but they would only give a tap or 2... but no real takes. :wallbash: finally in desperation i went into the shallows and scraped a sample of whatever i could find on the reeds... I fully expected to find shrimp, maybe a caddis larvae or 2,a dragon or 3, and maybe a damsel. but i must say i was very surprised to find completely and totally damselfly nymphs, probably half grown, and as pale as a ghost... like , i mean, transparent. so afetr tying on a tan 52 buick and a tan damsel,size 10, got into some serious trout. unfortunately the weather became overwelming . so i had to pack up and bail. but have come home and invented what i call a ghost damsel for just such an occasion. try it this weekend and let you know how it goes. by the way , a stomach sample showed tiny shrimp and white snails..

 

[professori]

I was on a lake one time when the trout were behaving the same way. After trying everything in the box I tied on a marabou damsel in a light tan (actually almost a champagne) and the trout hammered it. The whole weekend that was the only thing they would take. And some people ask if trout really do care what colour you are using. I always have a couple of these champagne damsel in m box now.

 

[Royal_Coachman]

Welcome to the obssesion :happy: Pale damsels can be a very effective stillwater pattern

Some info from Phil Rowley's site; http://www.flycraftangling.com/entomology_dam.html

"Don't think that damsel activity focuses upon their emergence. Immature damsels are available year round in numerous quantities they are a regular sight laboring from one hiding spot to the next. Foraging during the fall trout stuff themselves with the immature members of next years hatch. At this time of the year simple, tiny size 10 or smaller damsel patterns work wonders."

Here are some trying instructions for a good damsel pattern "Georgi's Damsel"

http://www.ospreyflyfishers.com/Patterns/Georgi%20Damsel%20.pdf

:beerchug:

-RC