Rocky River Chapter
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Catskill Sunrise - George Fleszar
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April Sweepstakes are launching 04.16.21 !
New chances to support your chapter and the projects we support. These funds will go toward initiatives like Trout in the Classroom, Casting Carolinas, restoration projects like the Davidson River Enhancement and youth development projects including Rivercourse.
These are excellent and unique items that all of us would enjoy. Choose one or all of the items in the windows below and select MORE INFO and you will be taken to the
ENTRIES page. You can continue to choose more items or more entries all month.
These are your chances to help RRTU and get some cool merch 
Push the Watch Me button below to see the latest Rocky River Trout Unlimited/Waving Dog production. This is epic and an amazing collection of history along with current events on one of the North Carolina signature streams and the results of Trout Unlimited chapters working with agencies to a common goal of enhancing and improving the stream and resulting benefit to trout habitat.
Our Thanks to Jim Smalley for tireless effort and the excellent production. The reviews have started coming in :
Thank you for producing A Century Overdue: DRHEP. You have skillfully woven together a video that captures several storylines; Davidson River history, government/nonprofit partnership, TU Chapter cooperation, and the value of stream restoration. The result is a video that will be used for years to come in communicating the TU message. Since I have been a TU member, one of my most enduring observations, is the incredible scope and excellence of talent found within the TU membership. Your production of A Century Overdue: DRHEP is perhaps the best example of my observation. I would have never imagined that within RRTU, there you were, and you graciously donated many hours of your time and skills to make this video the stellar product that it is. I really can’t thank you enough. Sincerely, Jim Rumbough President, Pisgah Chapter |
exclusive Rocky River divided, hinged cap fly puck
Rocky River Store
Late last year we launched a store for your access to RRTU items while at the same time contributing directly to our Conservation projects like the Davidson River Enhancement Project. The funds will also go toward our Outreach programs like the immensely successful and important Trout in the Classroom.
Please continue to peruse the store as we are adding items as often as practical. 
Southern Appalachian Fly Patterns - color index
Watch This !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We Are Trout Unlimited
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Coachman Variant
Fly of the Month 04.21 - Coachman Variant
The origin of the variant fly pattern design is believed to be New England or possibly the Catskills. The specific origin is unknown. Variants are thought of primarily as a catskill fly pattern with an oversized, very bushy hackle and typically without the wings. These variant fly patterns provide a longer lasting and easy to see surface drift. The Cream, Dun and Gray Fox variants are all tied in this manner and are very productive when you need a cream, dun, or gray fox mayfly in rougher waters.
However, in the Southern Appalachians, ole’ timers tended to change a known fly pattern with a new twist and they called their new fly pattern a variant of the original fly pattern. There are at least two (2) unique Southern Appalachian variants, the Adams Variant and the Coachman Variant. The uniqueness comes from utilizing a brightly colored ostrich herl band for part of the body. The most well known example is the Adams Variant with the body changed to a yellow ostrich herl band between a fore and aft [Adams} hackle of brown and grizzly, mixed. Both variants are presented by Roger Lowe, Cashier, North Carolina in his book: Roger Lowe's Fly Pattern Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains.
Coachman Variant
The very well known Royal Coachman that originated in the UK was a favorite of the ole’ timers of the Southern Appalachians. This wet fly pattern was used to catch our native brookies long before dry fly patterns caught on in the late-1800s to early-1900s. It was pretty much replaced by the Royal Coachman Dry Fly and soon after by the even better floating, hair wing style Royal Wulff (or Wulff Royal as an ole’ timer would call it).
The Coachman Variant is tied by simply replacing the red floss band with an orange ostrich herl band on the Royal Coachman Dry Fly. Yes, ORANGE! The bright orange body makes it a good attractor in Southern Appalachian streams and especially remote headwaters. Orange is not as well utilized as yellow in our local waters. However, we have found that orange is an excellent change of color and highly visible when fishing for trout that do not seem to respond to fly patterns that they may have become accustomed to seeing.
These variants, using an ostrich herl banded body, appear to be a Southern Appalachian innovation! Typical of the creative Southern Appalachian fly tyers, when brightly colored, dyed ostrich herl was discovered or available, variations of other highly productive fly patterns soon emerged. Per Roger Lowe and by many accounts both the Adams Variant and the Coachman Variant are believed to have originated locally in the Southern Appalachians.
Coachman Variant
Fly of the Month 04.21
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
The origin of the variant fly pattern design is believed to be New England or possibly the Catskills. The specific origin is unknown. Variants are thought of primarily as a catskill fly pattern with an oversized, very bushy hackle and typically without the wings. These variant fly patterns provide a longer lasting and easy to see surface drift. The Cream, Dun and Gray Fox variants are all tied in this manner and are very productive when you need a cream, dun, or gray fox mayfly in rougher waters.
However, in the Southern Appalachians, ole’ timers tended to change a known fly pattern with a new twist and they called their new fly pattern a variant of the original fly pattern. There are at least two (2) unique Southern Appalachian variants, the Adams Variant and the Coachman Variant. The uniqueness comes from utilizing a brightly colored ostrich herl band for part of the body. The most well known example is the Adams Variant with the body changed to a yellow ostrich herl band between a fore and aft [Adams} hackle of brown and grizzly, mixed. Both variants are presented by Roger Lowe, Cashier, North Carolina in his book: Roger Lowe's Fly Pattern Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains.
Coachman Variant
The very well known Royal Coachman that originated in the UK was a favorite of the ole’ timers of the Southern Appalachians. This wet fly pattern was used to catch our native brookies long before dry fly patterns caught on in the late-1800s to early-1900s. It was pretty much replaced by the Royal Coachman Dry Fly and soon after by the even better floating, hair wing style Royal Wulff (or Wulff Royal as an ole’ timer would call it).
The Coachman Variant is tied by simply replacing the red floss band with an orange ostrich herl band on the Royal Coachman Dry Fly. Yes, ORANGE! The bright orange body makes it a good attractor in Southern Appalachian streams and especially remote headwaters. Orange is not as well utilized as yellow in our local waters. However, we have found that orange is an excellent change of color and highly visible when fishing for trout that do not seem to respond to fly patterns that they may have become accustomed to seeing.
These variants, using an ostrich herl banded body, appear to be a Southern Appalachian innovation! Typical of the creative Southern Appalachian fly tyers, when brightly colored, dyed ostrich herl was discovered or available, variations of other highly productive fly patterns soon emerged. Per Roger Lowe and by many accounts both the Adams Variant and the Coachman Variant are believed to have originated locally in the Southern Appalachians.
Coachman Variant
Fly of the Month 04.21
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
