Caffeinated Fly!

by Les Albjerg
(Caldwell, ID)

I must give credit to Chris Stewart for this fly. It has been years ago that I used a coffee bean to make a fly. This is a much better fly than the old one. One of my other passions is high quality coffee. I have been a coffee roaster for 35 years, so yesterday morning when I was roasting, I pulled some beans that seemed good for making a coffee bean fly.

They work! Getting trout to rise in the colder weather is difficult. I went to my favorite winter spot, Wilson Springs and caught 3 trout and had 2 other hits in a half hour!

This is a very simple fly to make. I used a carving knife to clean out the fold in the bean. I went through my hooks and found the size 12 Hends BL 321 seems to be the right size. The quality of the European competition hooks is on par with the Japanese hooks. I used medium CA glue and accelerant to speed up the drying process. A small gold spectra dubbing on top helps my old eyes see the fly better, and the fish don't see it. Almost as easy to tie as the overhand worm! I am sure the planters think that it is a food pellet. Give them a try! Oh the hi-vis dubbing was Chris' idea too! Thanks Chris!

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.

We've all had situations where seriously chewed up flies kept catching fish after fish after fish. It is no sin to tie flies that come off the vise looking seriously chewed up.