I received an e-mail note asking about the high stick nymph method and flies used by Ted Fay and discussed under another topic as high sticking.... In answering the question, I re-read the materials I've accumulated on this subject over the years, bringing back some great memories....


For those unfamiliar with the method/flies, the original 6 patterns of what has become known as Ted Fay Flies was, apparently, Ted Towendolly. His flies caught the eye of Ted Fay who made them famous while guiding the upper Sacramento, McCloud and Trinity Rivers. Ted added the next 3 patterns, himself.... A friend/guide who worked for Ted Fay was Joe Kimsey who added 4 patterns to the list of 13 flies for "high sticking". The method for which these flies were designed was described under the other topic area....

I first used the method during the mid '70s in both the Upper Sacramento and McCloud Rivers during the fall.... Being much more confident in my wading abilities, then, I would routinely wade to near the depth of my armpits and make an upstream cast (sort of a flop), hold the rod up and guide the flies around rocks into the deepest holes I could find. Had many double hook-ups and some very nice fish..... Afterwards, we would camp out at Castle Crags, cook up a planked steak over the camp fire, fry up some potatoes/onions and make a pot of strong coffee..... MMM, MMM Dessert was Brandy in the coffee.... After the light from the fire went down, we could shine a flashlight out into a big field adjacent to the campsite and watch the glowing eyes of deer feeding in the deep grass....

If you're interested in any of the flies/method, one of the articles was written by Chip O'Brien for California Fly Fisher (the December 1996 issue). In the article, Chip describes the method and lists the patterns in addition to some history. Of course, there're other publications and books containing this info as well. All good reading....