The Good
This summer George and I had the opportunity to fish with Richard Garfield, an independent guide based in Wilmington, NY and owner of Fly Fish the Adirondacks for over 20 years. I wanted to fish with Rich after coming across the Ausable Ugly fly pattern while researching Adirondack flies last winter. I had tied a dozen or so over the winter, but had this idea not to fish with them until I could spend a day on the water with the pattern’s creator.
We met Rich at six in the morning. It had been raining steadily since the previous evening. Everything had become saturated overnight, and it was not looking like it was going to lighten up at any point in the morning.
We discussed options and expectations for the day, then George and I decided to try a small stream that Rich said had a good mix of brook and brown trout. After a drive through the North County, we parked along a non-descript road, from which Rich led us through the woods to get to the stream.
Before we entered the stream, Rich asked, once we were in the stream, to remain within the stream bed and to be careful to not step on any of the riparian vegetation, showing that he is a steward as much as he is a guide.
We fished upstream hitting pockets and the banks with dry flies, and drifted nymphs through the deeper and faster runs. Our dry flies included: Usuals, Haystacks, Ausable Bombers, various Wulffs, Caddis, Stimulators, Micro Chubbies, and Grumpy Frumpies, among others. A little ways up the stream, Rich asked why we hired him. I told him it was because of the Ugly. Upon hearing this reason Rich pulled out a size eight Ugly from his stash. That fly became the dedicated nymph for the rest of the day.
Rich had us try a run underneath significant low overhanging branches from multiple trees with the Ugly. After a number of casts that turned up nothing, I asked Rich to show us how it was done. Rich accepted, got in position and proceeded to make a targeted cast, letting Ugly drift down, retrieving the line with a figure-eight technique. Rich proceeded with a second cast, and on the retrieve hooked and brought in the nicest brook trout of the day. George and I alternated prospecting everywhere that looked fishy. We caught countless fish ranging from 5” brook trout to 14” brown trout. It was a very productive day.
The Bad
The constant rain made it necessary to change flies frequently. No amount of fly shake could counteract the precipitation and humidity we were experiencing. During one of these fly changes, Rich saw me holding my compartment box over the water while selecting my next fly and said that holding an open compartment box over the stream was quite risky and noting that he had seen several fly boxes lost to the swift current over the years. I acknowledged his warning and agreed that I was living dangerously, but continued to make all of my fly changes this way for the rest of the day.
In the last thirty minutes of our trip, I paused to change to a fresh dry fly once again. I moved to close the box and next thing I knew, it left my hand tumbling toward the torrent below along with 90% of my dry flies. I recovered the box, but the vast majority of my flies were washed away as the water rushed in, lifted them out of the compartments, and carried them off down stream, presumably into the mouths of trout lying in wait.
George joked that I educated the stream, suggesting that my unintentioned buffet would teach a thing or two to the all too eager trout. In reality it was I that received an education from the river. With my new honorary degree in humility, I am reassessing my method for carrying dry flies on the water. Rich said I was playing with fire. I didn’t listen. And I got burned. The moral of the story… Listen to your guide.
The [Ausable] Ugly
Our time spent with Rich was an enjoyable day of fishing and shooting the breeze. Rich is an unpretentious guide who is willing to teach and share his knowledge of the region, which made for a memorable trip. George and I enjoyed our time with Rich, and fishing a new stream.
Rich graciously critiqued the Ausable Uglies I tied. He showed me where I could improve the pattern the next time I tied them, and gave me two of his for reference. His observations and suggestions included:
- Bead: A tungsten bead is best and necessary. A 4mm bead for a size 8 hook works well. (We were fishing a size 8 throughout the day. The heavy bead allowed the fly to get down quickly with all its dubbing and hackle, even in faster currents.)
- Tail: The tail should be about the hook shank in length. (Or twice the length than what I had tied.)
- Dubbing: Generously apply to the dubbing to the thread in a loose noodle. When wrapping it around the hook shank, it should not be wrapped too tightly. This will ensure better results when picking out the dubbing later on.
- Hackle: Selecting a very soft and mangy hackle is important. This will create the most movement, softer hackles will undulate more in the water. Avoid stiff hackles. Rich said he will even use hackles mangled, or that others might even avoid using.
Overall the pattern wants to be soft and chewy. He named it the Ugly for a reason. We fished it dead drift, with little jigs, and stripped it like a streamer. It is an incredibly versatile fly and I have used it to great success on multiple occasions this summer on other streams. Rich also said that he uses it fishing for Great Lakes steelhead, something that I will try this fall and winter.
If you find your way up in the northern part of the Adirondacks, near Wilmington and Lake Placid, I recommend getting in touch with Rich. He offers trips for both warm water and cold water species, small streams, and has access to some private water. He can be reached through his website: https://flyfishtheadirondacks.com/.
