WHIZKID STONEFLY - TINY TUESDAY

I have been fly fishing with hand-tied flies since I was a baby biologist....we're talking nearly 70 years. I am totally self-taught. Don't fish as much as I used to because time is the issue...and I've caught enough fish. Now, it's all about photography which has been my other passion.....for nearly 70 years.  

I started with a Kodak Brownie making photos for a 4-H project. Got hooked on pix shooting for the high school yearbook and newspaper.....used a 4x5 Graflex and learned to shoot sports hyperfocal. Graduated to 35mm with a Pentax Spotmatic. Have also had various Canons, Nikons and Minoltas. Still have the Minolta X-700. Marvelous unit. Did all my own processing of B&W and color transparencies.

Graduated to digital with a Nikon D2 and learned to appreciate having instant feedback when shooting sports for the local news. It was eye opening to know I had some good stuff before I left the field. And I was deeply appreciative of not having to pour noxious chemicals down the drain. I am now a Nikon Pro and make my living shooting action sports and race cars. I still spend hours processing but on the computer as opposed to the darkroom. It's much better....I can stop whenever I want and pick up later at exactly the spot I left off. Life is good.

Back to the fly. There's an interesting story to this fly's name. It is a variation of the fly called a Whiz Kid. My friend Mark designed it and was working on a good name for it. We were fishing the Mecan River near Wautoma, WI some time back when nature called and he had to move into the trees to relieve himself. Locals call it "taking a whiz."  He let the fly trail behind in the water and in the middle of the process a nice trout hit the fly. Somehow, he finished up and managed to land the trout as well...and instantly christened the fly the Whiz Kid.

This Stonefly variation is tied in Trude style and is a really great floater in nervous water.

Best in Large.