BWO Series Videos and The Bug Book by Paul Weamer Book Review
Series Overview Intro
In this new video series, I hope to teach you about the major hatches of the Eastern United States and how to select flies to best represent those bugs. The thinking with these videos is that I wanted to not only show tiers how to imitate these insects, but also to teach every angler about my thinking in approaching each hatch and how bug behavior can impact fish behavior. After working for TCO for over a decade now, I have seen what troubles most anglers in selecting flies for a given hatch and my hope is that these videos will provide some insight into my process and hopefully provide some new information to help you be more successful on the water. With that, check out the first set of videos in this group of videos, The Blue Winged Olive Series. Please let me know what you think of the videos and what else you would like to see us doing.
-Lenny Gliwa
The Bug Book by Paul Weamer
In August 2012, I moved to State College, Pennsylvania to attend The Pennsylvania State University. Over the previous three or so years, I had been working weekends for TCO Fly Shop at our Bryn Mawr location throughout high school. Upon moving to this Mecca of Eastern trout fishing, I began working part time at our State College location with two of the best fly anglers I have ever met. The store manager, Paul Weamer, an author with numerous published works and years of experience fishing throughout Pennsylvania and more recently, the Upper Delaware system of New York, was insanely quick witted and seemed to know more about aquatic insects and how trout interacted with them than anyone I had ever met. The other, George Daniel, a quiet, competitive angler who had fished around the world and student of the famous Joe Humphreys, had an ability to absorb and retain information at a frightening rate, but always remained humble and open to new ideas. I was incredibly lucky to spend years working with both of those intelligent men and anglers, and I am forever grateful for the invaluable lessons I learned from each of them, both in fishing and life. Fast forward to the present and both of those men have gone on to do incredible things in fly fishing, writing numerous books and dozens upon dozens of articles between them, teaching anglers of all skill sets from across the globe about this pursuit we all love. Weamer’s most recent book, The Bug Book, is a culmination of years of work, countless hours of observation, and a tireless pursuit to learn more about bugs, trout, and how they are so intrinsically linked.Weamer is, in my opinion, one of the foremost authorities on technical dry fly fishing for selective trout. The man literally wrote the book on fishing the Upper Delaware system (among many others) and is arguably the best fishing entomologist in the country. Over the years of working for and fishing with him, Weamer has taught me most of what I know about trout stream aquatic insects and how to best represent them with our artificial offerings. The Bug Book is a wealth of knowledge and does a fantastic job of disseminating information in a very easy to learn manner. His writing bridges the gap between technical entomology and years of hard earned fishing knowledge. Not only will this book help you identify bugs and make you a better entomologist, but more importantly, it will help make you a better trout angler. From importance charts that not only teach an angler what bugs fish really care about, but also which stages matter the most, to recommendations on when to fish a parachute dry fly versus a comparadun, Weamer helps to take the guesswork out of one of the most complex parts of fly fishing. The bug identification photographs are incredible (another of Paul’s many talents) and the breakdowns of how insect habitats impact trout behavior make this book a necessity for every serious trout angler from East Coast to West Coast. I would highly recommend picking up a copy of The Bug Book and seeing for yourself just how much more there is to learn about trout stream aquatic insects and the fish that we all love to chase.
To both Paul and George,
Thank you
How to tie the Cinnamon Toast Nymph
Cinnamon Toast Baetis Nymph
Kevin Compton is a well known fly tier who has consistently created flies that are both beautiful and functional. A perfect example of this would be his Cinnamon Toast nymph. I was introduced to this fly a number of years ago and it has definitely earned a place in my boxes. While I usually fish this fly heavily during our early Blue Winged Olive hatches here in the Mid-Atlantic, this fly has been a consistent year round producer for me as a generic mayfly imitation as well. It can be tied in a range of sizes, but I usually fish them from size 14 down to size 18. The original was tied on a traditional barbless nymph hook like an Umpqua C200, but I usually fish this pattern on a jig hook like the Umpqua C400 or the Orvis Tactical Jig. This slender bodied mayfly nymph has been a killer for me and I think it will be a great addition to your boxes as well. Check out the materials list below and be sure to stop by your local TCO, give us a call, or shop with us online for these materials and all your fly fishing and tying needs.
Lenny Gliwa
lenny@tcoflyfishing.com
Cinnamon Toast Baetis Nymph
Hook: TCO-403BL Jig Hook sz. 16
Bead: Slotted Tungsten 7/64” 2.8mm Copper
Thread: UTC 70 Brown Olive
Tail: Coq de Leon Medium Pardo
Body: Condor Substitute dyed Olive Brown
(Turkey Biot Quills are a fantastic more readily available substitute)
Rib: Small Copper Wire
Dubbing: Jan Siman Peacock Bronze
(Pheasant Tail Ice Dub is a great substitute)
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