Someone once asked me about the origin of the "Coffee Bean" fly. This is what I came up with...
There is a particular strain of Coho Salmon that run annually up Starbuck Creek north of Seattle. This is a tributary on the Snogosqualmish River.
While most salmon run up rivers solely to reproduce, this particular strain, due in large part to the effluent discharged from the Starbucks Coffee plant up there, also run for another reason. You see, these fish have a caffeine jones, they can't get enough of that smooth brew that flows into the creek. The true prize for these fish is when they actually get their lips on a whole bean that has washed down the drain in the plant - ergo the "Coffee Bean" fly.
One day during a coffee break, several of the workers in the plant were looking out over the creek when one of them noticed a bean wash out of the discharge pipe. It was immediately inhaled by a large coho. This was the all it took to establish the "Starbuck Employees Fly Fishing Club." They meet every Thursday during the run to fish for these nervous coho.
But, you see, these workers are privy to information that you cannot attain without much hard work. They know what beans are being processed at the plant on any given day. These coho have become extremely selective over the years and will only take the flavor of the day. The only way you can get this information is to become a Starbucks zombie by visiting a local shop each and every day. Once you intimately know the daily cycles of the "Brew of the Day," you can start working on the production cycles. This is trial and error work. You have to fish the creek often, using different versions of the coffee bean fly, collecting data, until you can figure out how many days it takes from production until the coffee hits the shelves. It will cost you a fortune coffee purchases, and also many sleepless nights.
For what it's worth, here's the pattern:
Hook: #8 dry fly
Dubbing: One "Brew of the Day" coffee bean
Super Glue
If you feel you're up to it, there is public access about a 1/4 mile below the plant.
