I've been fishing these simplified Woolly Bugger style flies for our local coho for many years now. With the wide variety of glitzy synthetic chenille that graces the walls of our little fly shop, the combinations can be truly limitless. Our fall clear water coho certainly show a fondness for various shades of green from a drab olive to a day-glow chartreuse. Sometimes, however, they don't.
We've learned over the seasons that it pays to hit the coho back channels, sloughs and rivers armed with a variety of patterns. Even your go-to fly that can do no wrong will be good for a handful of fish most days and then like clockwork the fish completely shut off, until you find that next ace in the hole. The Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) is just one of those change up patterns that make things happen when old faithful stops punching the clock. This one remained nameless in the box for eons until one fine fall day, chuckling over another gut-busting article in The Onion, good old Mr. Autumn Man inspired a moniker that seemed to fit perfectly with the color scheme of the PSL. Tie up a few and give them a shot on your next coho adventure. Be sure to thank Mr. Autumn Man as you reflect on your peaceful promenade into a favorite backwater as the twigs and acorns crunch pleasurably beneath your boots.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe:
Hook: #6-8 Tiemco TMC 5263
Bead: 5/32" Fl. Orange Bead
Thread: 140 Denier White Ultra Thread
Tail: White Bloodquill Marabou, Fl. Orange Barred Predator Wrap, Lateral Scale
Body: UV Copper Polar Chenille
The Confluence Beer Pairing: We are blessed to have a number of thoughtful customers who periodically bring us beer to try and for that are eternally grateful. This month's beer pairing is one of those. While we could have run with any number of seasonal pumpkin beers to compliment the Pumpkin Spice Latte, most of them are kind of nasty and we're well above putting our taste buds through that rigmarole. So after lengthy debate, grab yourself a cold sixer of Fremont's award-winning Field to Ferment fresh hop pale ale and enjoy. To the kind soul who insisted we'd like it and brought some by, you know who you are and know us well.