Foam Daddies have fast become a common sight in UK large stocked reservoirs, more some for me, the Daddy Hog. It’s no great secret how successful foam daddy patterns have become and they are now an essential weapon to have in the competition anglers armoury. Knowing how productive this pattern can be on the large reservoirs I was keen to give it more of a swim over the 2018 season on my local Hill Lochs. These untamed systems are home to wild brown trout that are not easily fooled but when they do commit they are often lighting fast and extremely aggressive.
I normally use the daddies on a floating line so I can pitch them out quickly to rising trout or fish them dry for a while before stroking them back. However, these patterns are just as happy on a midge tip line pulled back erratically just under the surface. This tactic is sometimes the preferred option if it’s extremely windy or if the trout are just not fully committing to the pattern sitting on the surface.
Both the Brown and Orange foam daddies from Fulling Mill have been a favourite with the local anglers for a few seasons and I was well aware of the fish pulling powers of this pattern, however, it was more the Daddy Hog I was interested in. As a pattern it ticks all the right boxes for me, how can the wild brown trout resist? Check it out here.
My first trip out with the Daddy Hog was to Loch Skyline, this water always feels mysterious to me, I think it’s due to the dark deep water just of the bank. I set up with a floating line and a three fly cast. I put the Daddy Hog on the top dropper followed by a claret and black hopper which will sit dry for a short time before retrieved back. It’s always worth checking tight in on these Hill Lochs as often trout will sit a foot of the bank. This trip was no exception and I was soon into some great quality fish just of the bank. On this occasion, the fish were even coming up in pairs to investigate the fly as it pushed through the water. So to cut a long story short the Daddy Hog was excellent on this outing and throughout the 2018 season catching about 80% of all my wild fish.
So why is it such a great pattern? For me it doesn’t have to be fished in September when the natural daddy long legs are hatching. The pattern excels right through the season. I believe it’s not just a great daddy representation but will also represent patterns like sedges and even buzzer in the smaller sizes. The Daddy Hog will sit dry for as long as you leave it out there which is often the way the trout like it. However, they also like it pulled through the surface layers. Its large profile really displaces water which seems to bring out the aggressive nature of these wild brown trout. The Daddy Hog almost always elicits the first interest in the cast, whether it’s taken directly or a fish moves to it then drops back and grabs a following fly. In 2019 I’ll certainly be using the foam daddies more often and in particular the Daddy Hog. I’d like to challenge the pattern further and possibly catch some fresh sea trout on it… Fingers crossed.
Written by Kevin Porteous of FNFlyFishing
Here’s another great article on How to fish Daddy Long Legs