Deryn LaCombe Streamer Collection 2014

Deryn LaCombe Streamers

Hopefully the satallite relay is working today for Deryn. He's currently bobbing around parts unknown in a nuclear submarine serving in the U.S. Navy. Deryn has been tying streamers for decades and runs a commercial tying venture called Squaretail Flies, which he hopes to turn into a small flyshop once he retires from service.

In his 35 plus years at the vise and on the water, Deryn has developed a wave of streamer designs to meet his requirements on the water.

The Brookie King is Deryn's solution for a simpler brook trout imitation. The streamer is stripped down streamer that just covers the bases for young trout ready to spawn. The wing is a string grizzly love highlighted with an orange body and finished off with white and silver. This has been a great pattern for fall.

The Glacier Smelt and Smeltacular are two of Deryn's patterns for fishing Maine's rivers. The Glacier Smelt was originally tied with white silver pheasant, but once the blue became commercially available, it was switched. The Smeltacular is a beautiful imitation and Deryn sometime ties it with pink hackle fibers set between the wing to give a sublet glow under the mallard shoulder. Either way, it is a spectacular streamer.

The Triple D or D's Delicious Dace is a great pattern to have in a wallet when the dace are running thick in their spawning colours late in May and into June. It has been a killer on the Kennebago and Cupsuptic rivers in Northern Maine.

Katahdin Black Bear is a nice dark streamer that makes good use of black bear hair in the wing. When nothing else seems to be producing hits, this pattern has been a saving grace. This is a personal favourite of Deryn's, and the pattern has been a good ally to have in the boat.

Lucky Penny is one that Deryn has been fishing for many years. The original versions used furnace hackles and were relatively good fishing streamers. Deryn made a change later on to fiery brown hackle wings which made the pattern even more potent. The copper and orange is a common sight in the tackle used in Maine which led Deryn to try it represented in a streamer.

The Wendigo is a favourite of Deryn's. He created the fly with the intention of a hellfire look. The name comes from the cannibalistic Algonquin spirit, a half human half demon creature. It was said that people who took part in cannibalism were at particular risk at becoming a wendigo. A fitting name for any piscavore that tackles the streamer.

Bryan's Lady and George's Memory are streamers tied in tribute. Bryan's Lady is an adaptation of the Pink Lady which uses copper to accent the orange present in the streamer. The fly works well in Moosehead lake, tied as a tandem streamer, where copper and orange give the fisherman an unfair advantage. George's Memory is tied for two of Deryn's major influences in fishing, his grandfather and uncle, both Georges.

Deryn is a proud submariner and Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy. When Deryn received his Anchors back in 2011, he decided to tie the fly to commemorate the milestone. The colours in the fly represent the dress uniform, blue for the uniform, gold for anchors, silver for the submarine warfare pin and white for his shirt. The fly represents the Blue and Gold of the U.S. Navy beautifully and radiates the pride Deryn feels.

Let's hope that Deryn can bring his vise into the submarine to help pass the down hours.

Thanks Deryn for sharing your streamers with us.

Click the images below for larger images and fly recipes.