Hugh
Hartsell
Tennessee
Hugh is a long time trout
fisherman, who grew up in East Tennessee in the edge of the Great Smoky
Mountains, and began his fly fishing adventure when he was 10 years old.
Through the years, he has fished many streams in East Tennessee, North Carolina,
Florida, and many streams in the Yellowstone National Park.
At the age of 14, he learned to tie flies and has taken training from a number of well-known tiers and instructors across the country.
Almost 4 years ago (1999) Hugh and Carolyn met and were soon after married. They have been a team ever since, fly fishing, fly tying, and going to different shows across the country to broaden their expertise together.
About the time the couple met, Hugh began a fly tying business called "Mossy Creek Trout Flies" and, with about 13 months left to early retirement, the two are starting a fly shop and guide service near the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Hugh and Carolyn will team together to help beginning fly fishers in the Smoky Mountains and East Tennessee.
These flies focus on many of the naturals found in and around the Smokies and East Tennessee.
Select One of Hugh's Flies:
Camp Creek Giant Yellow Mayfly-Yellow Drake
Be sure to visit our on-line store at
http://www.flytyingworld.com/angling/index.html
for your tying needs.
Tier: Hugh Hartsell
Hook:
Mustad 94831 size 8 to 10.
Thread: Uni-Thread 8/0 white, olive or black.
Tail: Three fibers splayed and divided of moose mane body hair.
Ribbing: Optional.
Abdomen: Lt. Cahill Superfine dubbing.
Thorax: Small black section.
Wings: Many choices - White hen neck feathers tied upright and colored with green and black Prisma colors.
Hackle: Several choices - White-silver badger-golden badger. This fly is a mixture of white and silver badger.
This is a beautiful fly and draws a crowd on Beaver Dam Creek (NC) when it begins hatching. Trout love them.
Select Another Fly:
Camp Creek Giant Yellow Mayfly-Yellow Drake
Return to Hugh's Introduction.
Tier: Hugh Hartsell
Hook: Mustad
94831 size 8 to 10.
Thread: Uni-Thread 8/0 yellow.
Tail: Rooster saddle barbs dyed yellow.
Abdomen: X-Flies tube bodiz, yellow or cream.
Abdomen/Thorax: Yellow Superfine dubbing tied in to connect and cover tube body all the way to hook eye.
Wings: Saddle hackle trimmed and tied in.
Hackle: Yellow saddle hackle three wraps behind and two wraps in front of wings.
This largest and most beautiful of mayflies is difficult to see in large numbers, but Camp Creek and especially Tellico River have good numbers. You will forget about fishing for a few minutes when you see it because it is so large and beautiful.
Select Another Fly:
Camp Creek Giant Yellow Mayfly-Yellow Drake
Return to Hugh's Introduction.
Tier: Hugh Hartsell
This version is tied parachute style as the Cutter Caddis.
Hook:
Mustad 94831 size 8-10.
Thread: Uni-Thread 8/0 med. brown or rusty brown.
Abdomen: Rusty brown or march brown or sulfur orange.
Thorax: Same.
Ribbing: Gold or golden brown wire.
Hackle: Cree or lt. ginger saddle hackle.
Wing: Med. brown deer or elk hair.
This fly is commonly seen on Little River in the Elkmont Campgrounds (NC) during the month of October where it is drawn to lantern light when hatching after dark.
Select Another Fly:
Camp Creek Giant Yellow Mayfly-Yellow Drake
Return to Hugh's Introduction.
Tier: Hugh Hartsell
Hook:
Mustad 94831.
Thread: Uni-Thread 8/0 olive.
Tail: Black rooster hackle barbs.
Ribbing: Spirit River olive stripped hackle quills.
Abdomen: Wapsi Superfine ilive dubbing.
Thorax: Same.
Wings: Calf tails in white or black tied parachute style.
Hackle: Black rooster hackle tied parachute style.
This fly is
especially common to the South Holston River (TN) tailwaters in the winter.
You can see good hatches coming off as the water begins to drop when power
generation has ceased.
Select Another Fly:
Camp Creek Giant Yellow Mayfly-Yellow Drake
Return to Hugh's Introduction.
Tier: Hugh Hartsell
Hook: Mustad
94831 size 12 to 14.
Thread: Uni-Thread 8/0 light Cahill.
Tail: Light ginger or cream hackle barbs.
Ribbing: Spirit River stripped quills, light Cahill.
Abdomen: Wapsi Superfine dubbing, light Cahill.
Thorax: Same.
Wings: Lemon wood duck feathers tied upright and divided.
Hackle: Lt. cream or lt. ginger saddle hackle.
This fly can be
found all through the Smokies and it is commonly mistaken for sulfurs. The
ones seen on the Holston (TN) are large and almost white. We begin seeing
them early in the season at the time the crane fly hatches.
The fly at right is called West Prong Lt. Cahill. The bottom picture is a Parachute Lt. Cahill.
Select Another Fly:
Camp Creek Giant Yellow Mayfly-Yellow Drake
Return to Hugh's Introduction.
Tier: Hugh Hartsell
Hook:
Mustad 9672 size #12 or #14.
Weight: 10 to 15 wraps of .01 wt. lead wire.
Tail: Three 1" inch long spears of peacock herl tied in and trimmed to 1/4" inch.
Abdomen: Black Polypro yarn tied in at hook bend and wrapped to hook eye.
Ribbing: Black ostrich herl wrapped in thru the thorax and trimmed.
Shellback/Abdomen: White moose mane tied in at hook bend then wrapped in segments to thorax.
Wingcase Strip: Butt end of peacock herl tied in back of thorax.
Wingcase: Section of Crow feather tied in at the thorax and brought forward to hook eye.
Legs: Black hackle feather trimmed in a "V" and tied in beard style.
This fly is found heavily in the waters of Beaver Dam Creek, Little River, Camp Creek, Tellico River, and Hiwassee Rivers in the North Carolina and Tennessee area.
Select Another Fly:
Camp Creek Giant Yellow Mayfly-Yellow Drake
Return to Hugh's Introduction.
Tier: Hugh Hartsell
Hook: Mustad
94831 size 8 to 10.
Thread: Ini-Thread 8/0 olive.
Tail: Three fibers divided and splayed moose body hair.
Abdomen: Olive Wapsi Superfine dubbing.
Ribbing: Three pheasant tail barbs tied and wrapped to the thorax and then another section of dubbing tied very fine and wide to give a splotchy appearance.
Wings: Two olive India hen neck feathers tied in upright.
Hackle: Same olive rooster hackle tied in 3 behind and 2 in front.
These big flies start hatching in May in the section known as the Gorge on Paint Creek (NC). It is a big fly and a mouth full for the trout on this small creek.
Select Another Fly:
Camp Creek Giant Yellow Mayfly-Yellow Drake
Return to Hugh's Introduction.
Tier: Hugh Hartsel
Hook: Mustad 94831 size #14 to #18.
Thread: Uni-Thread 8/0 Lt. Cahill.
Tail: Lt. ginger rooster hackle.
Ribbing: Spirit River stripped quill - sulfur.
Abdomen: Wapsi Superfine - sulfur orange dubbing.
Wing: Turkey flats in florescent colors tied parachute.
Thorax: Same as abdomen.
Hackle: Cream rooster hackle.
This fly is common on the South Holston River (TN) most of the year and is an excellent choice fished with a dropper nymph under it.
Select Another Fly:
Camp Creek Giant Yellow Mayfly-Yellow Drake
Return to Hugh's Introduction.
Tier: Hugh Hartsell
Hook: Mustad wet fly or caddis, size 12 to 16.
Thread: Uni-Thread 8/0 Yellow.
Abdomen: Wapsi yellow rabbit dubbing.
Thorax: One strand of peacock herl wrapped six turns.
Hackle: Starling wing feather, bleached and colored, trimmed on 1 side, 1-1/2 turns tied in.
This fly has been a part of Tennessee and North Carolina since white man first settles in the area. Tying it with the original feathers is now illegal but the Starling makes a good substitute.
Probably no other
fly is a popular on the Tennessee side of the Smokies. It was one of the
first flies I learned to tie at age 14, and it has held it's popularity.
Select Another Fly:
Camp Creek Giant Yellow Mayfly-Yellow Drake
Return to Hugh's Introduction.
Be sure to visit our on-line store at
http://www.flytyingworld.com/angling/index.html
for your tying needs.