Trout With Lemon, Butter And Parsley

Trout With Lemon, Butter And Parsley

- Gordon Hamersley

I trundled through a wet spot as Ineared the shallow end of the lake and noticed the early skunk cabbage were just beginning to show their purple heads above the short, lime green understory. I had my fly rod and a small box of newly tied flies. I was headed to a favorite spot for the first casts of the year.

In the distance what sounded like asmall outboard engine started with slow beats, seemed to pick up speed and then abruptly halted after a six-second staccato drum roll. But I wasn’t fooled. I knew it was a grouse drumming on a log not far away.

I’d shot a partridge near here last November and saved some neck feathers for trout flies. The last few evenings had been spent tying soft hackled flies with the delicate feathers from the bird. When wet, the fibers undulate in the water, making the flies appear buggy and alive.

I love their simplicity, and the grouse feather colors are a study in camouflaged contrast. Most importantly, they catch hungry, early season trout.