Goldilocks
The Goldilocks fly started off as a #16 soft hackle fly about 3 or 4 years ago.
The inspiration for this fly was a little fly the Czech fly fishers use o the stillwaters, called a “Small Black”. One night I tied a couple of Small Blacks for a still water session, but we all know how it goes, when sitting behind the vise, sooner or later the boredom crept in and the inspiration started to flow to create or tie something new.
The #16 become a #10, then a bead followed, a bigger and longer hook followed, about 2 hours later, I had about 15 or 20 flies, in different sizes and lengths etc.
The bottom line was that it was the scruffiest, scrawniest bunch of flies I had in my hand.
What the heck I thought, can’t waste all the hooks and time on all the flies and not try it at all.
I placed all these ugly, scrawny flies in the fly box for a session on Lakenvlei. After 2 hours of no takes, I tied one of the final products of the night onto the point of the tippet. Cast after cast it produced fish. Was this pure fluke or the fly, I changed the fly to another pattern, nothing for the next hour. Back to the Goldilocks, fish on. This pattern repeated itself for the next 2 or 3 trips to Lakenvlei and another couple of still waters.
That year the fly one the Western Province still water trails for me. Matt Rich (Fish Wisperer) was sitting with me on the boat for one session. He can describe the frustration, watching fish after fish coming out on a fly, that he had no idea of what it was. The Goldilocks later won him the session on Lakenvlei, at the Nationals. This year again, the Goldilocks again was the fly that produced the fish for me on Lakenvlei, winning the Western Province Still water Trails. This time Theron Cillie, was sitting with me on the boat, tearing his hair out.
After 3 or 4 years, the Goldilocks have proved itself time and again, in numerous waters and competitions. As Matt Rich said, it have developed a bit of a cult following in the Cape.
Recipe:
Hook: #6 or #8 – 4XL long shank hook.
Bead: 3 or 4mm Tungsten bead, GOLD
Thread: Black
Tail: Soft Marabou
Ribbing: Copper Wire
Body dubbing: Hends Fluoro Orange LIGHT
Ribbing hackle: Black soft hen body.
Head: Artificial peacock dubbing
Step 1: Put tungsten bead on and tie in Black Marabou for the tail
Step 2: Tie in copper wire
Step 3: Apply Fluoro Orange very loose onto the thread.
Step 4: Wrap forward with fairly open wrappings, but leave 1,5mm for “head dubbing” behind the bead.
Step 5: Tie in the hen hackle and wind backwards and tie off with copper wire.
Step 6: Counter rib with copper wire to behind the bead and tie off copper wire with thread.
Step 7: Apply Artificial peacock dubbing and whip finish behind the bead.
Step 8: VIGOURSLY BRUSH OUT WITH VELCRO
Step 9: Brush this scruffy looking thing back with the Velcro.
Voila: The Goldilocks.
It is basically a soft hackle and woolly bugger combined.
When stripped very fast, the body is very thin and trim. Long strips, and you have this pulsating moving.
When moving the fly, the color of the dubbing plays an important role, the shimmer thru the hackle, which provides an enticing color moving illusion.
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