Tom Fulk Time.

[Dave Westburg]

Every labor day it's time to take my 7' 5 weight Tom Fulk bamboo rod to the Washington stream he named it after. The water had a little glacial tinge this year but that didn't stop the cutts from looking up.


Best flies were a size 12 black beetle, size 14 royal wulff and size 12 letort hopper.


Only saw a couple other hikers and no other anglers. There are some secret places still.

 

[TDub]

Nice! That looks like good water and fish.

 

[krusty]

Great photos! Even the vintage flybox (Perrine I believe?) is a consistent element! Quite a few of mine have resided under logjams and on lake bottoms for decades.

 

[Doublebluff]

Wonderful! Thanks for posting.

 

[Dave Westburg]

Great photos! Even the vintage flybox (Perrine I believe?) is a consistent element! Quite a few of mine have resided under logjams for decades.

I have my share of small Perrines but this box is an old Wheatley Silmalloy. It measures 2 1/2" by 3 1/2" and is a perfect small stream pocket box. I put soft hackles, hares ear nymphs and killer bugs in the clips and some pocket water dries (letort hopper, beetles, renegades, adams, royal wulffs and dry caddis in the compartments.

 

[Tim Cottage]

I have my share of small Perrines but this box is an old Wheatley Silmalloy. It measures 2 1/2" by 3 1/2" and is a perfect small stream pocket box. I put soft hackles, hares ear nymphs and killer bugs in the clips and some pocket water dries (letort hopper, beetles, renegades, adams, royal wulffs and dry caddis in the compartments.
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Its nice to see Killer Bugs in someone's box. How productive are you finding them to be?

 

[Dave Westburg]

Tim, I don't fish my killer bugs too much so can't say. Most of my river and creek fishing is dries or swinging soft hackles. There were a few deep pools on the water I fished which would have been great to run a killer bug through but I'm not too keen to fish weighted nymphs on a 7' bamboo fly rod. How have they done for you?

 

[Tim Cottage]

I haven't fished them either. A number of years ago there was a great debate about the specific dubbing used on the originals.

 

[Matt B]

I haven't fished them either. A number of years ago there was a great debate about the specific dubbing used on the originals.

Me neither. A very fishy friend whom I haven’t talked to in a while highly recommended them, with a special dubbing with some kind of metallic element.

 

[Dave Westburg]

Me neither. A very fishy friend whom I haven’t talked to in a while highly recommended them, with a special dubbing with some kind of metallic element.

Frank Sawyer who invented the Killer Bug insisted that the only material you could use for the body was Chadwicks 477 nylon/wool which was sold on cards. Chadwicks 477 is brownish/grey with a little bit a pink. It darkens when fished because you tie it over a red or copper underwire. Chadwicks went out of business and disputes have raged ever since over what to use. I purchased some genuine Chadwicks 477 on ebay for too much money. Several fly shops sell Chadwicks 477 substitutes. I defy you to tell me which of the killer bugs below are tied with genuine Chadwicks 477 and which aren't.

A genuine killerbug is tied only with wire and wool. No thread. Works best with really fine copper or red wire. I think Sawyer used very very fine telephone wire.

 

[Divad]

@Dave Westburg I have enjoyed Tristan’s colors over at FlyTyingYarn.com and would bet some of his come very close too. Also reasonably priced