THE
RED & BLACK
NIGHT FLY

THE FLY was originally designed for use in shallow water at night, particularly when trout are prowling the lake shores looking for frogs. Despite its generous tail, trout rarely come short at the fly, but seem to take the lot with enthusiasm. It is equally effective in rivers as Robert tells in The Truth About Trout.

I well remember the second cast I made with the first pattern I tied. I shot the fly out into the dark along a lake shore close to some rushes. It landed with a 'splat' in about a foot of water, and was followed by a hard pull from a good fish which I landed, well hooked in the 'scissors'. The fly must have dropped right in front of the trout, and been taken instantly.

This is not surprising, since at night brown trout will often move into the shallow water along lake shores where they will lie quite still, close to reed clumps where the frogs chirp. Should a frog leave the clump and enter the water a slash and a swirl shows that a trout's ambush has succeeded. A big Night Fly landing close to a tussock usually triggers a quick take from any trout waiting there.

If there is no response I like to retrieve it slowly, just sort of sneaking it along around the tussocks. Should this style fail it pays to hold the rod tip high and reef the fly in as fast as possible. I have often heard a brown trout chopping feverishly at this big, skating fly before hooking itself.


DRESSING
Hook: No.6 or 8 long shank.
Tail: Black hair from a brush-possum tail.
Body: Two large cock-hackles, one dyed bright red, one dyed black.
Silk: Black Naples.

The Night Fly fishes somewhat higher in the water than the Sunset fly, usually being dressed on a No.8 long shank hook and having a body made from two cock saddle hackles. The tail is black possum-tail hair and should be dressed fairly generously. The rear hackle is red, the front hackle black. Both are big hackles and as many turns as possible are wound on the hook.

The hackles should not be tied with a backward slope as in the Sunset Fly but should merely be sloped back with the fingers since the hackles and the possum-hair tail are meant to produce a buoyant fly.

SUMMARY
* Whip hook from eye to bend with silk.
* Tie in generous bunch of possum tail hair.
* Tie in red-dyed cock hackle, wind on as many turns as possible.
* Slope the hackle fibres slightly backward with the fingers.
* Tie in black cock-hackle as close as possible to the red one. Wind on as many turns as you can, sloping the hackle fibres with the fingers.
* Finish with a neat head.

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