The Joy of Fishing Stewarts Spiders

[DOUGSDEN]

Dearest Friends,
In the last couple of outings to the pond, I have rediscovered the sheer joy of fishing and catching fish on Mr. Stewarts scantly clad spiders. I opened my orange wet fly box to try something different for a change and almost covered over by some other bolder patterns were a few spiders in black (my favorite) and blue dun in size 14's and 16's. For some reason, I did not have any brown (or red as Stewart would have called them) patterns at all. I will have to work on that soon. After all, they are a terribly difficult and time consuming pattern to tie (just kidding).
I knotted on a size 14 blue dun and flicked it out onto the water and it was immediately picked off by a 7" bluegill which made some decent power runs before coming to hand. The fun did not stop there. By the end of the evening 6 more were slid onto the grass and quickly admired and released. This was wet fly fishing at it's finest and the spiders were gobbled up in big, splashy rises. Black was also tried at the end of my evenings fishing but they did not envoke the barn burner rises that the blue dun did. I think this was due to the mood the fish were in and the lessening daylight (the gloaming). The blue dun pattern seemed to stick out just a bit more than the black although this is usually not the case. For me, just about any black colored pattern does really well until it's just to dark to see anymore.
Yes, I have been fishing more and tying less these past weeks but I think I will make it a point to load my wet fly box soon with some of the most famous spiders of all time!
What has been your favorite "go to" pattern lately?
I wish I could fish with all of you at some point in my career.....I have fished with some but not all that I want to!
Pal Doug

[Old Hat]

Fine post Doug. There is something almost miraculous about the simple effectiveness of Stewart's Spiders. I think a lot of people pass them up simply because they are not all that exciting to tie. Wrap it all around and there you go. Not only that, but they don't look like much when you are done tying one. When a fish is hauled in on a Stewart's Spider, I don't feel like I have accomplished a whole lot in the mimicry realm. But, intact, that is what they are a perfect mimicry of a lot of foodstuff. As far as color goes, I once had a great flyfisher, older gentleman from a club tell me when asked what size and color fly should I use... "all you need is a little black one and a little brown one." As far as he was concerned color didn't matter a whole lot and neither did the pattern. I think he was right to some extent. A guy could probably fish that way his whole life and be pretty happy about his catch. As a tier that does take some of the fun out of it though. I haven't ever fought bluegills on a fly before. We don't have a lot of places to fish for them around here. I sure remember them as good little fighters though when I used to catch them growing up gear fishing the lakes of Northern Idaho. I have a resurgence of tying the Cal's Bird Nest of late. I put together a dubbing box with all the original mixes that Mr. Bird used for his Bird' Nest patterns and have been tying and fishing those. I prefer them to a hares ear. They are another great mimicker that resembles a lot of food and are very simple to tie. Proportions are a bit odd compared to most soft hackles but a very effective pattern.

[DOUGSDEN]

Carl,
Very interesting return. What amazes me with the Stewart Spiders is how universal their appeal! I usually try one or two where ever I happen to light and they produce almost everytime! I have had a great career in catching bluegill but not too many trout. Just the opposite of you and other fellow trouters here on the forum. I love'm! They have been a great test lab for me over the years on many great patterns that I have "borrowed" from other tyers (o.k., stolen...that seems so harsh). Big bluegills are nearly impossible to catch most of the time. I luck onto one every once in a while. They have a whole different set of traits and habits not unlike big trout. Nearly every big B.G. that I have taken has been deep, over the edge, below the crowds of juvenile fish, down deeper than a wet fly, flymph, or spider can reasonably reach. Yes, I have had to go get them with a weighted nymph! That is a whole new game as well. I am hopelessly linked to the little ones up on top within reach of the above mentioned classics. I guess we all live for the strike and I like what wets can do to satisfy that need!
I think I will dig a little deeper into my boxes and hopefully discover some more hidden classics. I will try and keep you posted on these results and share the joy that they bring....just like the famous spiders that we all love!
From the waters edge,
Doug