Future Fanatic
Nirvana
This is a story that appeared in my local paper, "The Daily Star" out of Oneonta, NY. It seemed fitting for today's weather up here, and I know that there are some AuSable River fans that frequent the board. Fran Betters seems like a living legend of sorts. The link to the article is:
http://www.thedailystar.com/sports/2004/05/28/spbrock.html
Friday, May 28, 2004
One good way to spend a rainy day
Outdoors Column By Rick Brockway
This must be typical weather in the northeast for the end of May, or I just take my vacation in the wrong places at the wrong time. Rain! It seems to never end.
Last year, we went to Montana to fish the big trout streams of the west and the rivers were 15 feet above flood stage. I just can't win.
My wife, Pat, and I spent last week on the AuSable River near Lake Placid and it rained the entire week, except for a day and a half. Just when I figured out how and where to catch those elusive trout, four inches of rain raised the river to a torrent. The river came up five feet, so there was no possible way to fish, let alone kayak.
At times like that, you have to come up with alternative plans. We browsed the shops of Lake Placid and came up with something to pass the time as the rains continued to fall. We spent hours putting together a jigsaw puzzle of a beautiful mountain scene with a moose wading in a mountain lake. That was as close as we could get to the great outdoors.
Actually, we spent a very enjoyable couple of hours at the Adirondack Sport Shop in Wilmington one afternoon. This fly fishing shop is unique because of the man who owns it. Fran Betters, the old sage of the AuSable, sits there more than 12 hours a day tying trout flies and dispensing wisdom.
Betters, now in his 70s, grew up along the river banks and has spent his entire life fishing that famous stream. Over the years, he has probably caught more big trout from the AuSable than any other man alive. He can tell you what flies are hatching and how to fish every pool, deep run or set of rapids in the river.
The rains pounded upon the roof as we discussed his famous creation, the AuSable Wulff. This trout fly pattern was created one September day some 40 years ago. Ironically, it had been raining for a couple of days when it was made.
Since the river started to rise and get a little off-color, Betters decided he needed a fly that would float well in the swift water and would be highly visible to the fisherman, as well as the trout below. By basing his new pattern on an old standard — the Adams — he knew it would catch fish. But the changes he employed made all the difference.
Betters made his dry fly with white hair wings — thus a Wulff pattern, named after the famous fly-tier and fisherman Lee Wulff. The white, calf-hair wings gave the fly greater buoyancy and visibility. It floated higher among the rocks and through the rifts of the mighty river.
For the body of the fly, he selected some rusty-orange opossum hair. The color of this material was a virtual match to the bodies of many of the may flies and stonefly nymphs that live all over the Adirondack waters. Betters theorized that the minerals in the mountain waters gave the insects that hint of color, so why not use it on his fly.
The barred hair of an old woodchuck became the tail of his new creation. It, too, had great floating qualities in addition to the look Betters wanted to achieve. Like the Adams, he wound a combination of brown and grizzly hackles around the fly, finishing it with a fluorescent-orange head.
The next day, that was the only fly that he took out on the river to fish. To his surprise, the river was higher and darker than he had expected, but he carefully waded into the swift-moving water. After a couple of false casts, the tiny fly gently landed on the fast water between a couple of gray, granite boulders. It bounced along in the current and through the foam before being sucked down by a large brown trout. The rest of the day was much of the same.
Betters landed a particularly large number of good fish in difficult fishing conditions.. The fly worked and remains the same today. Many fisherman claim that the AuSable Wulff is the best dry fly ever.
Betters has developed several more great fly patterns, like the Haystack and the Usual. He's also authored 14 books on fishing and fly-tying, as well as a fly-fishing mystery novel. He has become a living legend on the famous AuSable River.
It sure was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.
Rick Brockway writes a weekly outdoors column for The Daily Star. E-mail him at brockway@dmcom.net.
http://www.thedailystar.com/sports/2004/05/28/spbrock.html
Friday, May 28, 2004
One good way to spend a rainy day
Outdoors Column By Rick Brockway
This must be typical weather in the northeast for the end of May, or I just take my vacation in the wrong places at the wrong time. Rain! It seems to never end.
Last year, we went to Montana to fish the big trout streams of the west and the rivers were 15 feet above flood stage. I just can't win.
My wife, Pat, and I spent last week on the AuSable River near Lake Placid and it rained the entire week, except for a day and a half. Just when I figured out how and where to catch those elusive trout, four inches of rain raised the river to a torrent. The river came up five feet, so there was no possible way to fish, let alone kayak.
At times like that, you have to come up with alternative plans. We browsed the shops of Lake Placid and came up with something to pass the time as the rains continued to fall. We spent hours putting together a jigsaw puzzle of a beautiful mountain scene with a moose wading in a mountain lake. That was as close as we could get to the great outdoors.
Actually, we spent a very enjoyable couple of hours at the Adirondack Sport Shop in Wilmington one afternoon. This fly fishing shop is unique because of the man who owns it. Fran Betters, the old sage of the AuSable, sits there more than 12 hours a day tying trout flies and dispensing wisdom.
Betters, now in his 70s, grew up along the river banks and has spent his entire life fishing that famous stream. Over the years, he has probably caught more big trout from the AuSable than any other man alive. He can tell you what flies are hatching and how to fish every pool, deep run or set of rapids in the river.
The rains pounded upon the roof as we discussed his famous creation, the AuSable Wulff. This trout fly pattern was created one September day some 40 years ago. Ironically, it had been raining for a couple of days when it was made.
Since the river started to rise and get a little off-color, Betters decided he needed a fly that would float well in the swift water and would be highly visible to the fisherman, as well as the trout below. By basing his new pattern on an old standard — the Adams — he knew it would catch fish. But the changes he employed made all the difference.
Betters made his dry fly with white hair wings — thus a Wulff pattern, named after the famous fly-tier and fisherman Lee Wulff. The white, calf-hair wings gave the fly greater buoyancy and visibility. It floated higher among the rocks and through the rifts of the mighty river.
For the body of the fly, he selected some rusty-orange opossum hair. The color of this material was a virtual match to the bodies of many of the may flies and stonefly nymphs that live all over the Adirondack waters. Betters theorized that the minerals in the mountain waters gave the insects that hint of color, so why not use it on his fly.
The barred hair of an old woodchuck became the tail of his new creation. It, too, had great floating qualities in addition to the look Betters wanted to achieve. Like the Adams, he wound a combination of brown and grizzly hackles around the fly, finishing it with a fluorescent-orange head.
The next day, that was the only fly that he took out on the river to fish. To his surprise, the river was higher and darker than he had expected, but he carefully waded into the swift-moving water. After a couple of false casts, the tiny fly gently landed on the fast water between a couple of gray, granite boulders. It bounced along in the current and through the foam before being sucked down by a large brown trout. The rest of the day was much of the same.
Betters landed a particularly large number of good fish in difficult fishing conditions.. The fly worked and remains the same today. Many fisherman claim that the AuSable Wulff is the best dry fly ever.
Betters has developed several more great fly patterns, like the Haystack and the Usual. He's also authored 14 books on fishing and fly-tying, as well as a fly-fishing mystery novel. He has become a living legend on the famous AuSable River.
It sure was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.
Rick Brockway writes a weekly outdoors column for The Daily Star. E-mail him at brockway@dmcom.net.
. Ask him what fly they're biting, and he'll always say "Ausable Wulff" 
