"I like to swing soft hackle flies and that is a killer tactic on my home water, the North Platte River, where I guided part-time for over forty years. I don’t really like the tailwater at Grey Reef though I guided there a lot. I much prefer the upper river where swinging a soft hackle will almost always take fish.
A few years back I was looking for a soft hackle that might feature Hemingway’s Bug Flesh and I tied up the Lucky Charm.
Last year (2020) I was fishing the Miracle Mile on the North Platte River. I spotted a large brown trout holding in a riffle. I was sure the fish would take a Lucky Charm and on the first cast I saw the fish open his mouth and take the fly.
The brown ran out into some fast water but I knew I could land the fish on 4X tippet which is almost impossible to break and I trusted my knots. After a few minutes I brought the fish near enough to land. I measured the beautiful fish at 24 inches and took a picture before releasing him and it was a him.
The Lucky Charm was indeed a lucky charm."
- Signature Tyer Eric Pettine
