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Fly Fishing Patterns

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Mickey Finn
Mickey Finn
By John van Vliet

 

Mickey Finn

"One classic, but still popular and effective, bucktail pattern is the Mickey Finn. Designed by John Alden Knight in the 1930s, it was named for the infamous drugged drink.

A streamer is designed to imitate a baitfish rather than an insect. Traditional streamers have hackle-feather wings that extend back, or "stream," over the body of the fly.

The Mickey Finn is an excellent baitfish imitation. The red stripe of bucktail resembles the lateral line of a small minnow or trout. This fly can be extremely productive for salmon, trout, steelhead, bass and even pike.


Materials

Hook:  Mustad 9672; 2-12.

Thread:  Black 3/0.

Weight:  (optional) Fine lead wire.

Ribbing:  Oval silver tinsel.

Body:  Flat silver tinsel.

Hackle:  Yellow and red bucktail, or calf tail.

Tying Steps:

1. Tie in a four-inch length of oval silver tinsel ribbing on top of hook shank, starting thread just behind hook eye and wrapping back to bend to secure tinsel.

2. Wind thread forward again to tie-in point behind hook eye. Tie in a 6-inch length of flat silver tinsel body material.

3. Wrap flat tinsel back to bend of hook. Each wrap should touch prevous wrap so there are no gaps.

4. Reverse direction and wrap tinsel forward to tie-in point, overlapping first layer. Secure with several turns of thread.

5. Wrap ribbing on hook, starting near bend, and wrap forward.

6. Cut a small bundle of yellow bucktail, and another of red. Comb out underfur with dubbing needle.

7. Stack bucktail fibers to align tips. Divide yellow bucktail into two equal bundles.

8. Measure first bundle to approximately 1 1/2 times hook-shank length.

9. Tie in first bundle of yellow bucktail with several soft loops. Apply moderate thread tension for first few warps, then increase tension for several more wraps. If you are having problems getting bucktail to stay on top of hook, reduce amount of bucktail

10. Trim butt ends of bucktail at an upward angle, as shown; then wrap thread forward to cover tapered ends.

11. Measure bundle of red bucktail to same length as first yellow bundle and place it directly on top of yellow bundle. Tie in as in steps 9 and 10.

12. Measure second bundle of yellow to same length as first and tie in as in steps 9 and 10. Whip finish and apply head cement.

13. Eyes are not traditional of this fly, but painted eyes can be added for an extra touch.

How to fish the Mickey Finn:

This streamer can be retrieved upstream or down, or across the current with a jerky, twitching retrieve to simulate a baitfish. ~ John van Vliet

Credits: From the Art of Fly Tying by John van Vliet, published by Cowles Creative Publishing. We greatly appreciate use permission.

 

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Sam's L-Eye-Bee
Created by Craig E. "Sam" Blevins
By Warren Patterson

Upon the request of some of the members on FAOL, I have been asked to submit Sam�s bass popper and the following is a short history of the popper as quoted from Flyfishing & Tying Journal, Summer 2002:

"The L-Eye-Bee was first tied back in 1988 as a bream or bluegill and sunfish fly. When I tested it at Lake Guntersville, a TVA Lake on the Tennessee River in Alabama, I made ten casts and caught ten largemouth bass. I said, "Well, I�ll be a sun-of-a-gun!" Hence the name L-Eye-Bee."

Materials List, Sam's L-Eye-Bee"

    Hook: Mustad 9674, size 8, Straight-Eye Streamer.

    Thread: Danville�s 6/0 Fly Master, Black.

    Tail: 6 strands Rainbow/Pearl Krystal Flash; marabou, fluorescent fire orange, fluorescent chartreuse, and brown.

    Head: Live Body, yellow 3/8� diameter, with black �� diameter (sliced thin), with plastic movable doll eyes (5mm) all glued together with cyanoacrylate adhesive (warning: use extreme caution when handling this adhesive, it is an eye irritant and will bond skin instantly.)

    Thorax: Red rooster saddle hackle, palmered.

The above is the material that Sam used. As with all fly tying, I feel you can substitute if you do not have what the pattern calls for, and in this case I did not have all that he recommended and for that I apologize. I did not have the foam in 3/8" but I did have it in 1/2" which I used for this demonstration. I increased the hook size to a #6 since my foam was larger. I did not have the doll eyes he recommended so I used white fabric paint with a dot of black fabric paint for the eyes.

Step 1

    1. Pre-assemble head: cut 3/8" diameter yellow foam into a cylinder approximately 3/8" wide (I only had 1/2" foam for this); cut 1/4" diameter black foam into cylinders approximately 1/16" thick; glue doll eyes to black cylinders (I used white and black fabric paint); let dry and then glue black 1/4" cylinders with eyes to sides of yellow 3/8" cylinders. Let dry. When heads are assembled and dry, cut a slot 3/4 of the way through the yellow cylinder to allow for placement on the hook.

    Step 2

    2. Do a thread base with your tying thread and attach 3-4 strands of Pearl Krystal Flash at tail tie-in point above barb of hook. Length of Krystal Flash about 3/4" behind bend of hook.

    Step 3

    3. Tie in orange, chartreuse and brown marabou separately with approximately ten turns of thread. Place orange marabou below hook shank, chartreuse and brown above hook shank.

    Step 4

    4. Wrap thread tightly toward hook eye to secure all butt ends of marabou and build a smooth transition ramp toward hook eye. Tie off and whip finish.

    Step 5

    5. Attach head to hook just behind eye, glue, clamp and let dry.

    Step 5

    6. Attach thread behind head and tie in red rooster saddle hackle. Palmer hackle and tie off. Whip finish behind head. Trim off head below hook shank to maximize hooking ability.

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Knudson White Streamer
By John Shewey, OR
Originated by Al Knudson

Al Knudson ranked among the very first steelhead anglers to enjoy consistent success taking winter steelhead on flies. He was also among the first to use over-sized�-huge by 1930s standards�flies that could tempt the elusive winter fish into giving chase. Better known for his Knudson Spider and Knudson Cutthroat patterns, this pioneering angler lived in Everett, Washington for a time before moving to southern Oregon in 1929 amid reports of superb fly angling on the Rogue and North Umpqua rivers. He eventually moved back to Everett and his beloved Washington rivers. Knudson's large streamer patterns are as deadly today as any modern over-sized streamers, but little known among modern anglers

Materials, Knudson White Streamer:

    Hook: Heavy wire, sizes 2-2/0.

    Tag: Small or medium silver oval tinsel.

    Tail: Red hackle fibers.

    Body: Large silver oval tinsel over an underbody of floss.

    Throat: Orange hackle fibers.

    Wing: 4 or 6 large white hackles.

    Cheeks: Jungle cock (optional).

    Head: Black.

Method, Knudson White Streamer:

    Step 1

      1. On large hooks, use single-strand floss (Flat Waxed Nylon, UNI-Cord, or 210 Denier) as a tying thread. At the front of the hook, just behind the return-loop eye, attach a length of small or medium-size silver oval tinsel and bind it down along the entire length of the shank. When you reach that portion of the shank that will be occupied by the tag, make certain that the material is bound down firmly to the hook shank with thread wraps placed close together as shown.

      Step 2

      2. Fold the tinsel firmly over itself and make 8 to 10 turns to form the tag. Tie off the end of the tag securely and do not clip away the excess.

      Step 3

      3. Make the tail from a dense bundle of bright red hackle fibers, and then wind the thread forward to the front of the hook, binding down the end of the tinsel used for the tag. At the front attach a long piece of large silver oval tinsel.

      Step 4

      4. Wrap back toward the base of the tail, binding down the oval tinsel along the shank.

      Step 5

      5. Reverse direction and return to the front, forming a fairly thick, even underbody. Use overlapping wraps as needed to create a uniform diameter to the underbody.

      Step 6

      6. Continue using the thread to create a smooth, uniform-diameter underbody until you reach the front.

      Step 7

      7. Now burnish the thread underbody, rubbing away the ridges and uneven spots in the thread work...

      Step 8

      8. Wrap the large oval tinsel forward, forming a tinsel body. Add one or more layers of cement or varnish.

      Step 9

      9. Once the varnish dries, switch to a small-diameter black thread and add a dense throat of long orange hackle fibers.

      Step 10

      10. Take 4 to 6 wide, webby white saddle hackles and measure them against the fly's body. These hackles should extend back almost twice the length of the hook shank. Match the feathers with the glossy sides facing outwards, 2 or 3 feathers on the left, and 2 or 3 on the right. Strip away the unneeded fibers from the feathers and tie them in all at once atop the head of the fly. After securing the wing so it cannot shift positions, feed the hackle stems through the eye of the hook.

      Step 11

      11. Fold the hackles' stems sharply backward and bind them down with thread to secure them in place.

      Step 12

      12. Clip away the excess stem portions and build up a fairly large, tapered head.

      ~ John Shewey

      Credit: This fly is one of many in the book Steelhead Flies by John Shewey. A well written and researched book, with hundreds of sharp color photos, including step by step instructions. Published by Frank Amato Publications, in both Spiral Hardbound and Hardbound. $49.94 US.

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Eastern Green Drake
By Marty Bartholomew


 

Materials:

    Hook: 2X dry fly, size 10 Tiemco 2312.

    Thread: Black 6/0, Danville.

    Tail: Micro Fibetts, dun.

    Body: Aussie Possum dubbing, cream.

    Wing: Grizzly hen back, dyed olive.

    Hackle: 1 Ginger, 1 grizzly, and 1 grizzly dyed olive...

Start thread at the front of the hook and wrap back to the 1/2 point making a smooth thread base. Move thread forward to the 5/8 point. Take care with proportions on this fly, as it is a 2X long hook.

Prepare two grizzly hen back feathers, dyed olive, by putting the concave sides of the feathers together. Make sure the tips are even. Measure the wing to a full hook shank length. Switch hands and trim butt ends of the feathers.

Tie in wing at the 5/8 point of the hook with the tips towards the back of the hook being tied in this way keeps the wing from slanting forward; you always want mayfly wings to cant back in their more natural position. Pull the wing forward and make a few wraps of thread behind the wing to stand it up.

Form a dubbing ball at the back of the hook so the tails can be split.

Measure ten micro fibbets to a full hook shank length. Trim the butt ends, tie in at the 1/4 point on top of the hook and make a few tight wraps back. Use a fingernail to stand the fibbets up so they can be counted and split evenly. Position 5 fibbets on each side of the hook and wrap them up against the dubbing ball to produce a 90 degree split of the tails.

Dub the body to the 1/2 point.

Size and prepare one ginger, one grizzley dryed olive, and one drizzly dry-fly quality hackle. Tie in hackles behind the wing with the concave sides away from you.

Wrap the two grizzly hackles first and at the same time. Making a half or even a full wrap of the hackle before you attach the hackle pliers will aid in getting the hackles to wrap together. A good pair of hackle pliers helps considerably. Dorin Teardrop hackle pliers are Ken's favorite. Secure hackles. Now wrap the ginger hackle. Weave it through the other hackles as you wrap it forward. Use this third hackle to tweak the wing into position if need be. Secure hackle.

Dub a small cream head and whip finish. Mark the back of the abdomen with a black permanent marker. You and I both know the fish are not going to see these marks, but let's face it, if there was a fly with markings on it and another without, which one would you buy?

Depending on the type of water you plan on fishing, a V can be trimmed on the bottom side of the hackle to let the fly ride more flush in the water. Flat, smooth water types would be ideal for this method. The fly should be left with its full hackle when fishing in riffles and faster water types.

This pattern can be modified slightly to make a very passable Coffin Fly, which is a green drake spinner. Omit the hen back wind, use over-sized dark grizzly and dark ginger hackle, use white dubbing instead of the cream dubbing used on the dun, and simply trim the bottom and top of the hackle so it flies flat on the water. ~ Marty Bartholomew

Credits: The Eastern Green Drake is an excerpt from Marty's terrific book, Tying Flies Like a Pro.

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Black Woolly Worm
Tied and Photographed by Peter Frailey, text by Gary Soucie

Like the basic black dress, the Black Woolly Worm is at home almost anywhere and is rarely a bad choice. (Just as chic women accessorize their "little black dresses" with colorful scarves, fancy belts, single-rope pearl necklaces, or gem-studded pins, so do fashion conscious fly tiers dress up their basic Black Woolly Worms with red tails, silver ribs, shiny bead heads, or other fish-attracting fillips.)

Materials List: Black Woolly Worm

    Hook: 2X- or 3X-long, standard to 2X-heavy wet-fly, sizes 2 to 16, say (6 to 1 2 being the sizes most often cited).

    Thread: Black, in a size appropriate to the hook: 8/0 for sizes smaller than 16, say, 3/0 for a size 4 or larger, 6/0 for most sizes.

    Tail: Red or grizzly hackle fibers or point(s), a quill slip, or a short tuft of red yarn; some tiers consider the tail optional in a standard Woolly Worm2

    Body: Black chenille�fine, medium, or large, to suit the hook.

    Hackle: Long grizzly hen hackle�neck or saddle, your choice � palmered the length of the body, with the dull underside of the feather facing forward and the barbs angled forward.

    Head: Tying thread, tied fairly large; cement, varnish, lacquer, fingernail polish, or other protective coating is optional.

Tying Instructions: Black Woolly Worm

    In the photo sequence that follows, the body color has been changed to make the tying steps more easily visible.

    1. Tie on behind the eye of the hook and lay the tail material�if used�along the top of the shank and wrap the thread down to the bend, binding the tail material to the shank to form a smooth underbody.

    2. Strip one end of the chenille by pinching and pulling the fuzzy stuff away with the nails of your thumb and forefinger, exposing about 1/4 inch of the string core.

    3. Tie in the stripped end of the chenille at the bend, with the rest of the chenille hanging back behind the rear of the hook.

    4. Prepare the hackle feather by stroking most of the barbs perpendicular to the hackle's center stem, then trim the feather square at its tip, leaving a small triangle.

    5. Trap the aft-facing hackle feather (its dull, concave side facing up) by its triangular tip to the top of the hook at the rear of the shank, just ahead of the tied-in body material. Wrap the thread back up the shank in neat, close spirals, forming a thread base that will keep materials from slipping around on the slippery steel shank.

    6. Holding the hackle up and out of the way, take one wrap of chenille behind the hackle.

    7. Wrap the chenille forward in close spirals, each abutting the preceding wrap without overlapping it. Just behind the eye, tie off the chenille and clip the excess. Be sure to leave enough room between the chenille and the hook eye to tie off the hackle and build a head in step 8.

    8. Wind the hackle forward in evenly spaced, close, open spirals. Wrap with the shiny, convex side of the feather toward the rear, if you want most of the hackle barbs to angle forward. (Seven turns are traditional, but Charlie Brooks liked to use just five turns for a sparser look. When in doubt, opt for the fewer number of turns.) When you reach the front of the body, secure the hackle with three or four tight wraps, and clip the excess feather. It's a good idea to anchor the hackle with a half hitch or two before clipping the excess. Build a neat, smooth, rather large head (larger than for most trout flies) with the tying thread. Whip-finish or use three half hitches. Clip the excess thread and - if you wish, it's not altogether necessary - apply a drop of head cement ("lacquer") to the thread. Once the head cement has dried, go out and catch a fish! ~ Peter Frailey


Credits: Excerpt from Woolly Wisdom, By Gary Soucie, published by Frank Amato Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 82112, Portland Oregon 97282; Phone: 503-653-8108



Edited by varmintcaller
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Blue-Wing Olive
By Dave Hughes

Endless color and size variations of the traditional hackled style have been tied. You should start with a few that cover the repeated color themes of natural mayflies. Don't hesitate, however, to tie others if you find yourself fishing over hatches that fall outside the most common color spectrum.

Blue-Wing Olive Materials:

    Hook: Standard dry fly. 1X fine, size 12 to 20.

    Thread: Olive 6/0 or 8/0.

    Wings: Mallard wing feathers sections or hen hackle tips.

    Tail: Blue dun hackle fibers.

    Body: Olive fur or synthetic dubbing.

    Hackle: Blue dun.

Instructions Blue-Wing Olive

    1. Fix hook in vise and layer front half with thread. Select matching primary or secondary wing feathers from the right and left wings of a mallard or teal. Clip segments from each that are the width of the gap of the hook. Pair these together with their tips aligned and flared away from each other. If you're using hen hackle tips, pair them back to back, and strip excess fuzzy fibers from the bases of the stems.

    2. Measure the paired feather sections the length of the hook shank, and hold them over the shank one-quarter the shank length behind the eye, with the tips forward. Pinch them tightly with your thumb and forefinger. Work thread up between the wing quill and your thumb on one side, over the wings, and down between your forefinger on the other side. Draw your thread straight down, to compress the feather sections to the top of the hook. Take one or two thread turns to lock them in place.

    3. Take several turns of thread back over the butts to secure the wings, and clip the excess butts on a slant. Hold the wings upright and take several turns of thread in front of them to prop them in position. If necessary, take one or two figure eight turns between the wings to seperate them. This will not usually be needed. Wrap thread over the wing butts and to the bend of the hook.

    4. Measure eight to twelve stiff hackle fibers the length of the hook, and tie them in at the bend of the hook. They should be straight, and gathered, not splayed. Twist a fine skein of dubbing to the thread, and wind a neatly tapered body forward to the base of the wing.

    5. Tie in a hackle with fibers the length of two hook gaps. Secure the hackle stem to the hook eye, and clip the excess. Wrap three to four turns of hackle behind the wings, four to five in front. For a more classical sparse tie, use just three turns on each side of the wings. Tie off the tip and clip the excess. Form a neat thread with a minimum number of thread turns. Whip finish and clip the thread.

    6. The traditional tie, when set on a tabletop, should perch on the tip of its tail and its hackle points, with the hook held just off the table. It will be quite an attractive apparatus to you, if properly tied, and will attract a surprising number of trout. It's shape captures perfectly that of the natural mayfly dun emerging and floating on slightly rough to very rough water.

Credits: From Matching Mayflies by Dave Hughes, published by Frank Amato Publications. We appreciate use permission.


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Spectra Streamer
Copy and photos by Barry Ord Clarke

This is a quick, easy and realistic method for tying patterns to represent any bait fish with a slim streamlined body, such as stickle backs and sand eels. I suggest that if buying the material Ghost fibre you only require white, as this can be coloured with waterproof felt pens to any colour that you may require. In the pattern illustrated I have used a Partridge Sebastien Rat carp hook. The short curved shank, wide gape and in-turned point balance the pattern well and creates a fine bait fish movement when fished. All this said, any other salt water streamer hook can also be used.

The softex head coating that I have also used in this pattern is an excellent material as it still remains soft to the touch after drying, but this can also be replaced by clear Silicone, melt glue and epoxy. This pattern and material is well worth experimenting with, if you vary the colour combination and size, you can cover just about any pattern for imitating bait fish.

Materials List:

    Hook:   Sebastien Rat Carp Z2005SR #6.

    Thread:   Clear mono.

    Body:   Roman Moser Ghost Fibre (White) silver mobile (or substitute).

    Gill Covers:   Orange floss.

    Eyes:   Prisma tape eyes.

    Head:   Softex coating.

    Colour:   Waterproof felt markers.

Instructions - Spectra Streamer:

    1. Attach the clear mono tying thread to the hook and run along the shank until the mono hangs plum with the hook point.

    2. Tie in a bunch of white ghost fibre about half way down the straight part of the hook shank. When you remove a bunch of ghost fibre from it�s hank, you separate the amount and length that you require. Now holding the hank in one hand, take hold of the bunch you have selected with the finger and thumb of your other hand and PULL. The fibres will pull away from each other into a fine tapered tail. If you find this difficult you can also use dubbing brush to achieve the same effect.

    3. Top the white ghost fibre under body with a few strands of mobile or crystal hair. This will add a little sparkle to the pattern.

    4. Pull another bunch of ghost fibre (about 1/3rd the amount used for the under body) and colour it blue with a waterproof felt marker. The best way to colour ghost fibre with felt markers is: Place a sheet of paper on the table and lie the ghost fibre on it with the tapered end pointing away from you. Hold the ghost fibre in place by placing your thumb on the end to be tied in, now with your marker make single stokes beginning at your thumb and moving away from you. Once you have done one side turn over the fibre and repeat on the other side. Tie this in on top of the mobile, about 5 mm longer than the white fibre.

    5. Take a length of floss 30 cm long and fold it 4 times, cut off the ends and roll in between finger and thumb to mix the fibres. Now you can cut this into two equal lengths and tie in as shown each side of the head to form the gill covers.

    6. Pull yet another bunch of ghost fibre about the same amount as the last one and colour this dark green. Tie in on top of the blue fibre about 2 mm longer that the blue.

    7. Finish off with a good tight half hitch knot so the mono thread doesn�t slip, and attach the prisma eyes.

    8. Before you apply the softex or epoxy whichever you use, comb all the fibres in the fly with a dubbing comb. This will blend the three layers and colours together creating a more realistic body. Now you can cover the head with your chosen medium.

    9. The finished spectra streamer, a real killer not just for sea trout but all predatory fish. ~ Barry Ord Clarke

    Credits: This fly is from a collection of flies produced for the Partridge of Redditch Limited website. We thank them for use permission.

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Elk-Hair Caddis

From The Art of Fly Tying:

Quote

  • Hook - TMC 100; 10-20
  • Thread - Tan 6/0
  • Body - Tan rabbit dubbing
  • Hackle - Ginger, palmered
  • Wing - Tan elk hair

Here are a couple of examples:

TasunkaWitko - Chinook, Montana

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Brassie

From The Art of Fly Tying:

Quote

  • Hook - TMC 200R; 10-18
  • Thread - Black 6/0
  • Body - Copper wire
  • Thorax - Gray muskrat dubbing, with guard hairs

Here is an example:

the brassie can also be weighted:



Edited by TasunkaWitko
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Natant Nylon Nymph
By Jim Schollmeyer and Ted Leeson

Though this design lacks the buoyance of the Goddard/Clarke Suspender Midge Pupa, it is easy to tie with readily available materials. Like all Charles Brooks patterns, this is a simple, no-nonsense fly that catches trout. It can be adapted to match a variety of mayfly species.

Materials for the Natant Nylon Nymph:

    Originator: Charles Brooks.

    Hook: 2XL dry-fly hook, #8 - #18.

    Thread: Brown 8/0.

    Tail: Mottled brown hen hackle.

    Body: Brown wool yarn.

    Ribbing: Gold wire.

    Suspender pod: Ball of tan poly dubbing wrapped in nylon stocking mesh.

    Legs: Mottled brown hen hackle.

Tying Instruction for the Natant Nylon Nymph:

Step 1

Step 1: Wrap a thread foundation over the front half of the hook shank, and position the thread 1/4 of a shank-length behind the eye. Roll a pinch of poly dubbing between thumb and forefinger to produce a firm, but not tightly compressed, ball about 1/2 the hook gap in diameter. Center the ball in a square of nylon stocking material.

Step 2

Step 2: Draw the stocking material around the dubbing to form a pouch. Don't compress the dubbing too tightly inside the nylon or the buoyancy of the suspender pod will be reduced. Mount the suspender pod as shown... Wrap the thread to the tailing point.

Step 3

Step 3: Align and strip a bundle of hackle fibers. Mount them atop the shank to form a tail about one hook-gap in length. Secure the ribbing atop the tail-mounting wraps. Tie in a length of wool yarn atop the rib-mounting wraps.

Step 4

Step 4: Twist the yarn tightly (clockwise when viewed from above), and wrap forward to produce a segmented body. Wrap the yarn to the rear base of the nylon, then under the pod, and continue wrapping ahead of the pod. Stop about 6-7 thread-wraps' distance behind the hook eye. Tie off and clip the yarn.

Step 5

Step 5: Counter-rib the entire length of the body. Secure and clip the ribbing at the front of the yarn.

Step 6

Step 6: Mount the legs...Bind and clip the excess. Form the head of the fly and whip finish.

Step 7

Finished fly. ~Jim Schollmeyer and Ted Leeson

Credits: The Natant Nylon Nymph is from Tying Emergers, published by Frank Amato Publications, (2004). The variety and number of nymphs is mind boggling. Everything you ever wanted to know about nymphs and how to tie them is in it. ~ DLB

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R.A.G. Fly
By Terry Hayden, Victoria, Australia

If it wasn't for Rich Lewis and his connection to friend Terry Hayden, we may not have found this unique fly. Rich talked Terry into sending it.

The R.A.G. Fly (Rough As Guts) is a pattern that is very simple to make and the most effective bait fish fly that I have used. It is a distortion of a fly called the "Shaggy Dog," which was developed by Peter Coulson in Melbourne and so far, I have caught 27 species on this version, including Queenfish, Barramundi, Longtail Tuna, Coral Trout, Mangrove Jack, Golden Trevally and GT's.

It works whilst sinking as well as when being stripped due to the fact that the fibres pulse as the fly sinks. It is best used with a fast sinking line, which enables it to be fished at any chosen depth.

I make the fly on 2/0 & 4/0 "34007" Mustad hooks mainly, but there is no reason that it cannot be made bigger or smaller.

Materials: R.A.G. Fly

    Hook: 2/0 & 4/0 "34007" Mustad shown.

    Tail, body and wing: White Tiewell "Belly Shine" US version use Angel Hair.

    Eyes: Stick on.

Tying Instructions: R.A.G.

    1. Bind some thread the length of the shank of the hook to the bend.

    2. Select a full length of White Tiewell "Belly Shine" the required thickness to make the fly. I make them almost exclusively in white but have used gold and green quite successfully.

    Stagger the end of the material by laying it on the bench and pulling the ends, so that it is no longer square. Place it on the bend to the required tail length and wind the thread around the hook three times loosely and then pull tight allowing the material to settle around the hook.

    3. Bind in and cut off the "Bellyshine". Whip finish at this stage. Wind the thread forward a third of the way along the shank.

    4. Reverse the "Bellyshine" so that you have the other staggered end of the material and repeat the above process ensuring that the material is shorter than the previous lay and all the way around the hook. Bind in and whip finish again.

    5. Move along the hook again and repeat process.

    6. Wind the thread to the eye of the hook and this time tie the material on the top of the hook at the required length. Separate the material and pull it under the eye and tie off.

    7. Cut material off and finish the binding and then cut the thread.

    8. Trim the fly to shape with a pair of scissors. Fit flat stick on eyes. Epoxy over the eyes with a couple of layers of epoxy.

NOTE: It is important to lay three sections of fibre along the hook to maintain the shape. If you only do 2 sections, then the fly will look very sparse in the center.

If you are not happy with a plain white fly, then purchase a permanent Texta (permanent markers) in green, black, blue and red and you will be able to change the fly to suit fishing conditions, but I have found that it is unnecessary to use them 99% of the time. ~ Terry Hayden

About Terry:

Terry is a man of many talents, with a great enthusiam for fishing, both fresh and saltwater. He is the owner (and only employee) of Hayden Fly Reels. Check out his website at: www.flyreels.com.au ~ dlb




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Simple Streamers

Little Rainbow Trout Streamer and Dace

By Al Campbell


If you've been trying to keep up with this series to this point, it's very important that you learn the patterns or procedures used in the next two weeks of tying. What you learn here will help you tie the flies coming up in a couple of weeks. There's nothing particularly hard about these flies, but there are a few tricks that will be helpful later.

Streamer flies are capable of catching just about everything that swims and has fins. They imitate small minnows and such, and that's what a vast majority of fish eat when the opportunity presents itself. Even little fish will pounce all over a streamer that's small enough to fit in it's mouth.

The first fly this week is one that has caught many different types of fish for me. They range from a 32 inch brown trout, caught in the Missouri river in Montana, to many four pound plus smallmouth bass caught in South Dakota. A few walleyes and a pile of northern pike round out the selection.

As usual, you have the option to modify, fine tune, or adjust the pattern to suit your needs. In fact, I tie a whole series of little trout streamers designed to look similar to juvenile trout in the many forms they appear.

The idea here is to represent the fish in a basic form rather than an exacting imitation. Many times that works better than having a fly that looks exactly like what a minnow looks like to our eyes. Fish see things differently than we do, and many times it's better to have flies that are more general in appearance than the exact representations you sometimes see in books and magazines or in fly shops.

You'll notice I'm using a different type of mylar tubing than you usually find in a fly shop. I like the looks of multi-colored tubing, and I found that craft shops usually carry a good selection of the multi-colored stuff I'm using here. The color of the tubing is part of the allure of the fly, so it's a good idea to have a good selection on hand. Experiment a little to find the colors that excite your local fish.

List of materials: Little Rainbow Trout Streamer

  • Hook: Any straight-eyed streamer hook that's 2X long or longer. Sizes 1 to 12.

  • Thread: Red monocord and black monocord, 3/0.

  • Body: Mylar tubing. Select colors to match the natural color of the minnow you want to imitate. For the Little Rainbow Trout, I'm using red and silver mylar tubing.

  • Wing: A mix of white calf tail, red dyed squirrel tail and green dyed squirrel tail. Again, select colors that match the natural you wish to imitate.

  • Eyes: None, or if you like, you can paint some on in red or yellow.

  • Tying steps:

  • 1. Start the red thread and wrap it back to the bend of the hook. If you want to add weight, wrap lead wire on first, then tie it down with the thread. A drop of super glue is always a good idea to hold the lead firmly in place.

  • 2. Cut a piece of red and silver mylar tubing a little shorter than the hook shank and slip it over the hook as shown.

  • 3. Using loose wraps of thread, start tying the mylar tubing down to the hook. As soon as you have it secure, tighten the thread and finish covering the ends of the tubing with thread.

  • 4. If you know how to whip finish by hand, you can use that to tie off the red thread. If not, make a loop of fine monofilament and wrap over it six to ten times with the tying thread. Hold the tying thread in place with your finger, trim the thread and put the end of the thread into the monofilament loop. Pull the loop through, under the thread wraps you just made and cinch it tight. This is the same knot a whip finish creates. Trim the tag end of the tying thread.

  • 5. Start the black thread behind the hook eye.

  • 6. Make several loose wraps of thread over the end of the mylar tubing, then slide the tubing forward to tighten it. Now cinch the thread fairly tight.

  • 7. Finish tying the end of the tubing down to the hook.

  • 8. Select a small bunch or white calf tail hair and tie it in so that the tips extend just past the bend of the hook.

  • 9. If the calf tail hair wants to lay too flat on the hook, you can resolve this problem by making one wrap of thread behind the hair then pull the thread forward until the hair is at the right angle.

  • 10. Make a couple of extra wraps of thread around the hook to secure the hair in place.

  • 11. Tie a small bunch of dyed red squirrel tail hair directly on top of the calf tail hair.

  • 12. Tie a slightly larger bunch of dyed green squirrel tail hair directly on top of the red hair.

  • 13. Make a smooth head with your thread, whip finish, trim the thread and cement liberally on the head and base of the wing.

    Dace minnows are common to just about any stream on our continent. Actually, the procedures used to tie this next fly can be used to tie just about any minnow streamer. Mix and match the body, wing and hackle colors to match the natural minnow you want to imitate.

    List of materials: Al's Dace Streamer

  • Hook: Any straight-eyed streamer hook that's 2X long or longer. Sizes 1 to 12.

  • Thread: Red flat waxed nylon (single strand floss that has been waxed) and black monocord, 3/0.

  • Body: Mylar tubing. Select the colors to match the natural color of the minnow you want to imitate. For Al's Dace, I'm using black and silver mylar tubing.

  • Wing: Two furnace hackles, married to each other. (To marry materials, you work them together by hand before you tie them to the hook. In the case of hackles, face them together, curvature in, and work them together until they form one wing. A light shot of hair spray from a pump type spray bottle will help hold the wing materials together.)

  • Hackle: Any soft hackle. I'm using a soft Cree hackle from a cheap imported neck. (Here's a good use for those cheap necks you bought because you thought they would save you money, only to discover they don't work very well on dry flies.)

  • Eyes: None, or if you like, you can paint some on in red or yellow.

  • Tying steps:

  • 1. Start the red thread and wrap it back to the bend of the hook. If you wish to add weight, wrap lead wire on first, then tie it down with the thread. A drop of super glue is always a good idea to hold the lead firmly in place.

  • 2. Cut a piece of black and silver mylar tubing a little shorter than the hook shank and slip it over the hook as shown.

  • 3. Using loose wraps of thread, start tying the mylar tubing down to the hook. As soon as you have it secure, tighten the thread and finish covering the ends of the tubing with thread. Whip finish the same way you did in the last fly. Trim the tag end of the tying thread.

  • 4. Start the black thread behind the hook eye and tie the front end of the tubing down like you did in the last fly.

  • 5. Marry two hackle feathers together making sure the tips are even and the curvature of the feathers is to the middle of the wing so the feathers will stay together. Tie them in to form a single wing as shown. If the feathers want to twist on the hook, use a pinch wrap to secure them. (A pinch wrap is performed by holding the feathers with the back parts of the pads of your fingers near where the thread will be wrapped. Make one or two very loose wraps of thread around the wing, then roll your fingers forward over the thread and pinch the thread and wing materials as you cinch the thread. This will allow the wing to be pulled down into place without rolling or twisting. This is also the method used to secure quill wings to the hook.)

  • 6. Select a soft hackle feather and tie it to the hook in front of the wing, curvature down and back.

  • 7. Wrap the hackle in front of the wing as shown.

  • 8. Pull the hackle back and wrap over it with the thread to hold it back in a swept position. Form a smooth head, whip finish, trim the thread and cement liberally. Your finished fly should look something like this.

  • In case you wondered why I saved these simple flies to this late point in the series, I want the procedures to be fresh in your mind when we get to the flies that are coming up in a few weeks. They will be a little more complex, and will use multiple materials and married materials in the wings. For now, get creative and tie up a selection of streamers in your favorite colors.

     
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    Dry Flies

    Lesson 2 - Royal Wulff

    Lee Wulff as most Fly fishers and Tyers know was one of the more innovative and influential Fly fishers and Tyers of the 20th Century. The effects of his studies and work will effect what we do for a great many years to come. The Wulff series of flies I guess would have to be his more recognizable and enduring patterns to this day. Lee developed only three of the many Wulff's that followed. His first was the Royal Wulff, which is his adaptation of the Royal Coachman. His twist was using a white Deer hair tail and white Deer tail divided wings. The pattern can be scaled up for Salmon or down for Trout.

    Lee's two other Wulff style flies are the White Wulff and the Grey Wulff. The White Wulff is a very bright fly since it is tied with all cream-colored materials. The Grey Wulff reminds me of an Adams on steroids. No dainty Adams this though!

    These flies are tied very full for big water yet, are at home on more quiet waters too.

    Dan Bailey designed The Grizzly Wulff, The Blond Wulff and, The Black Wulff. Francis Betters designed the Ausable Wulff. I am sure there are other Tyers who have tinkered with Lee's pattern too.

    I selected the Royal Wulff to show the tying steps even though Al Campbell also shows the Royal Wulff in his tying series here at FAOL. I am presenting this version because I do it slightly different than Al shows and, it is generally tied much fuller for Salmon fishing. I suggest you check out Al's version to get another perspective on the same pattern.

    You would think patterns that Lee Wulff developed would be well documented due to all of the things Lee wrote and taught during his lifetime. They are in fact but there is still incorrect information out there in books and magazines. I hope I do not add to it but risking that, I offer the following dressing and information.

    During my research doing this series, I have necessarily read quite a few books to try to offer you accurate information as best I can. When I decided to do the Royal Wulff as one of the step patterns, I noticed that at least four books in my library have the tailing material as at least four different kinds of hair! The wings also list a couple different ones as I note in the recipe below. Some of the tailing materials include Deer hair (which used here), Moose, Elk, white bucktail, calf tail and more.

    I believe the original hair was Deer but I could be wrong. I use Deer because it is very buoyant and these flies are typically used in rough water where maximum flotation is a plus.

    So, let's get tying!

    Royal Wulff by Lee Wulff
    Tied by Ronn Lucas, Sr.

      Hook: Light wire of choice, I used Partridge Single Wilson.

      Thread: Black.

      Tail: White Deer hair or white calf tail.

      Body: Rear 1/3 herl, next 1/3 red floss, next 1/3 herl.

      Hackle: Brown, very heavy.

      Wing: White Deer hair or white calf tail. I used white calf body.

      Instructions: Royal Wulff

      1. Lay down a tight thread base on which to secure the wings. This will help keep the wings from rotating. Take a pretty good size bunch of wing material, in this case calf body just because it is much easier to stack than the tail. Remove the short under fur and stack. Using the EHC wing technique, secure the bundle of wing material to the hook shank a fairly good distance from the hook eye. The wing should be situated in the middle of the hackle on the completed fly. Be sure to leave enough for the wings when they are stood up. While holding the butts of the wing above the hook shank, trim them at an angle as shown. This will help provide a nice taper to the body. Note that I trimmed it a little steeper than I should have. Yes, I goof up on occasion!

      2. Lift the wing and crimp the front base with a fingernail and lay down a little thread to help prop the wing up.

      3. Separate the wing into two equal bunches and do a couple figure 8 turns of thread between them to separate them. Take two or three tight turns around one of the wings base and run the thread through the butts as shown to pull the wing up and into position. Do the same to the other wing and lay a couple turns around the thread turns in the butt.

      4. Advance the thread in tight flat turns to the rear of the hook ending at the beginning of the bend.

      5. Stack a fairly good size bunch of Deer hair for the tail, cut the butts at a slight angle. Leave the tie in area on the tail butts the same width that the herl will be. This will leave a bare hook for the floss section to be on to make a very smooth body section. If you prefer, you can tie in the tail butts behind the tapered wing butts and bind them all the way to the rear of the fly. This method is a little harder to get a smooth floss section but, not too hard.

      6. Attach a bunch of herl by their tips and form a thread loop.

      7. Advance the thread. Twist the herl and thread loop rather tightly but not so tight that the herl tips break.

      8. Wrap a couple turns of the herl "rope," tie off and trim. Note; if the Deer hair tail had flared more than you wanted, you can take one loose turn of herl over the tail to "bind" it a bit. Advance the thread in flat close turns to the rear of the wing.

      9. Apply the red floss and trim waste. I made two trips to the rear of the floss section and back to the front to build up the body and hold the color a little better than once. You could even lay a bed of flat silver tinsel under the floss to really brighten it up and retain the color when wet.

      10. Apply another herl component as you did at the rear of the fly, tie off and trim.

      11. Attach two (or three if you prefer) hackles convex sides together. Advance the thread to the front of the ly but not too close to the eye. Or, you can tie one hackle on each side as I did here.

      12. Advance both hackles, one at a time, tie off, trim and apply the head. You see here that it is possible to get a tiny head even when using fairly bulky neck hackles if you just use two turns to hold each in place plus the whip finish. This is one reason I use the UNI-Thread 8/0, it doesn't build bulk like larger threads.


      White Wulff


      Grey Wulff


      Royal Wulff

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      "1,000 Legged Worm"


      By Richard Taylor
       

      Fished a small mountain stream last year and wasn't having too much luck. Saw a small trout slide under a big rock as I tried to sneak up on a little pool. Couldn't entice it out with anything and was about to move on when I spied a "1,000 Legged Worm" crawling near the pool. Decided to pitch it in and see if there was any reaction. As soon as it came even with the protruding edge of the rock, the trout shot out of there, snatched the worm and returned to it's rocky lair before I could hardly blink. A little further upstream, found another worm, and repeated the scene with the same results. Filed that away for future use and the attached creation is the result of my poor attempt at an imitation "1,000 Legged Worm." Just finished yesterday; so, will have to give it a test and see how it does as soon as we get some rain in my area.

      Materials 1,000 Legged Worm

        Hook: Tiemco@ - TMC 9395 - Size #8 Streamer - Straight eye - 3X Heavy, 4X Long, Forged, bronze.

        Thread: Gudebrod@ - 6/0 - Dark Yellow.

        Body: Chenille, bright yellow.

        Legs: Dry fly hackle, Med. dyed dun, Size #18.

        Coloring Pen: FabricMate@ - Chisel Tip - Brown (Pigment fabric dye - Permanent after 24 hrs.)

      1. Place hook in vise and wrap thread front to back twice.

      2. Tie in chenille at back, advance thread to the hook eye, wrap chenille to just behind hook eye and tie off.

      3. Return thread to bend and tie in hackle, advance thread to hook eye, wrap hackle to just behind hook eye using two wraps of the hackle in each section and try to place it between the wraps of the chenille.

      4. Tie off a small head of thread just behind the hook eye.

      5. Scissor trim the hackle from the top and bottom of the fly so that the remaining hackle protrudes from only the sides creating the multiple legs.

      6. Color the top of the trimmed chenille with the brown pen and a little bit down on each side.

      The finished fly should approximate the size and coloring of the "1,000 Legged Worm" that I saw that day. ~ Dick Taylor aka Grn Mt

      Molon Labe "Come take Them"






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      Marabou Damsel Nymph
      By Al Campbell
       


      If you live near a lake or slow moving stream, you likely see damsel flies and maybe dragon flies near your home. These are aquatic insects too. In lakes, they make up a large part of the diet of insects the fish eat. In fact, you might be surprised at how important they are.


      During the summer of 1997, several biologists from South Dakota completed a project of identifying the food sources of the major game fish in a sampling of local lakes. What they found should open the eyes of many local fishermen. You would do well to pay attention to their findings as well.

      For the months of June, July and August, the most common item in the stomachs of trout, bass (small mouth and largemouth), walleye and panfish like crappie, perch and bluegills was a mix of adult and nymph damsel and dragon flies. Yes, I said walleyes. And, the nymphs were still prominent in stomach samplings during the spring, fall and winter months. Reason enough for me to fish a damsel or dragon fly nymph on the local lakes.


      Even the biologists were surprised that fish noted as minnow eaters like walleyes, crappie and largemouth bass were eating more nymphs than minnows. Another thing that caught their attention was the number of northern pike that had a fairly large percentage of damsel and dragon fly nymphs in their stomachs. Seems these fish are opportunistic too.

      Why not? Dragon and damsel flies live in the weeds and grow to meal sized treats fairly fast. Fish like to look for food in the weeds, so why wouldn�t they eat the most common big nymph in their dining room? Maybe the pike think of them as desert?

      With this in mind, maybe it�s a good idea to have a few imitations of these two treats in your fly box. You might be surprised at how easy they are to tie. It only takes a few materials to do the job.

      Before we get to the tying steps, it has been brought to my attention that there is a web site that has hook conversion charts and fly patterns that you might enjoy looking at. As you learn the basic techniques of each style of fly, you might enjoy trying a few others in the same category that use the same techniques. When you have a moment, check out this site.

      Now, to the nymph patterns you panfishermen have been looking for.

      List of materials: Marabou Damsel:

    • Hook: Nymph, 1xlong; Mustad 9671, Tiemco 5262 or 200R, Eagle Claw L063 or equivalent. Size 10 to 18.

    • Thread: Gudebrod 3/0 black, brown or olive, or equivalent.

    • Thorax: Marabou, same as body.

    • Rib: Clear Angler�s Choice Body Stuff, midge Larva Lace, V-Rib or equivalent.


    • Wing Case: Strip of fibers from a turkey tail feather or pheasant tail feather. If you want some flash, you can use pearl tinsel for a wing case.

    • Eyes: Pearl or black plastic craft bead string, brass bead chain or melted monofiliment.

      Tying steps:

    • 1. Start thread and tie rib material to the hook.


    • 2. Attach a pair of eyes to the front of the hook using a figure 8 wrap. (If the eyes turn a little on the hook, you can straighten them out by hand before you continue.)

      Note the size of the eyes!

      Make plenty of wraps to ensure the eyes stay firmly in place. A drop of super glue will help hold the eyes in place.


    • 3. Attach a small bunch of marabou to the hook, tying it down to the place where the body will end (approximately 1/3 hook shank length back from the eye). It should extend beyond the hook bend about half the length of the hook shank. You can either tie it down where the body will end (see picture) or tie it down from the eyes to that point, whichever is easier for you. I usually use the thread tie down point as a visual reference for body dimensions, thus I tie it in where the thorax begins.


    • 4. Wrap the ribbing material forward creating even segments, tie off at the place where the thorax will start.


    • 5. Tie the marabou down to behind the eyes if you haven�t done this already.


    • 6. Tie down the wing case material at the back of the thorax area.


    • 7.Wrap the remaining marabou in the thorax area, using as much of it as you can to create a full, thick thorax.


    • 8.Tie the marabou off behind the eyes and trim the excess.


    • 9. Pull the wing case material over the thorax and tie down behind the eyes with four to six wraps of thread.


    • 10. Pull the wing case material over and between the eyes and tie it down at the hook eye.


    • 11. Trim the wing case material, create a smooth thread finish, whip finish and cement the thread. Using an old tooth brush, brush the marabou thorax gently to fluff it out.


    • 12. Your finished fly should look like this.


      I use marabou for this fly because it �breathes� so well in the water. If you wish, dyed ostrich herl will work the same way. Or, if you want to vary it a little, maybe ostrich herl for the thorax and marabou for the body? It�s your fly, experiment a little and find the style you like.


      Dragon fly nymphs are fatter than damsel fly nymphs. You can use this pattern though by wrapping a fat underbody of yarn, similar in color to your marabou, after you attach the eyes and rib, but before you attach the marabou. The rest of the tying steps remain the same except trimming the tail (dragon nymphs have very short tails). I leave the tail a little long and trim it on the lake after I catch a dragon nymph in a nymph net, just to be sure of dimensions. Hey, the fish don�t seem to mind if you don�t trim it as long as it�s about the same size as the natural.

      Have you noticed how much your skills are improving? It�s easy if you practice a little. Have fun with damsel and dragon nymphs this week. Next week we shift gears again. (Shhhh, it�s a secret.) You�ll need to have that dry fly hackle then.

      See ya next week. ~ Al Campbell


    • Edited by TasunkaWitko
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      Tailwater and Spring Creek Favorites

      By Al Campbell


      If you live in an area that has spring creeks or tailwaters, you likely live in an area that has scuds. You also are likely to have a lot of midges in the streams, especially in fall, winter and spring. Unless you�re a dry fly purist, you�ll want to have a few of these goodies in you fly box.

      Before we start on the flies, it would be a good idea to discuss dubbing a minute. Dubbing is what we call the stuff you twist around the thread to make fly bodies. We�ve already used some pre-packaged dubbing, but we haven�t created any of our own. It�s easy to create your own dubbing though. All you need is a coffee grinder or a blender and some fur or yarn. You might also find a little good dubbing in your clothes dryer screen after you wash a throw rug or wool coat or sweater. Just remember, cotton is not a good type of dubbing.

      If you set out to make your own dubbing, first you need some raw materials. Macram� yarn, sparkle type knitting yarns, animal under furs, carpet yarns, poly yarn, dacron, antron and rayon all make good dubbing materials. For fine dubbing, the under fur of some animals is a good choice. Mink, beaver, muskrat, opossum and rabbit fit this category. For coarse dubbing, yarns (especially the course type), short hairs from the ears, feet and face of certain animals, antron, krystal flash and wool are good sources.

      Experiment a little and you�ll open up a whole new arena of materials you can use in your tying. A good example of what I�m talking about is the scud pattern we�ll tie this week. The dubbing is a coarse macram� yarn I cut into short pieces (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch) and toss in the blender and mix with sparkle yarn from the fabric store. I keep adding yarns until I have the right color and texture blend for what I want to tie. Stop by a few yard sales for an old blender and some macram� or knitting yarns and give it a try.

      On to this week�s flies.

      Scuds are not flies but rather crustaceans of the amphipod family. Their closest relatives are beach fleas you might find on the coast somewhere, but they belong to the broad family of crustaceans that includes crayfish, lobsters, sowbugs, crabs and shrimp. They are often called freshwater shrimp because they resemble shrimp in many ways. If you care to count, (the fish never do) they have seven pairs of legs and swim with a short, jerky sideways motion.

      Scuds are important to the fisherman because they provide a large part of the fish�s diet in waters where they are abundant. In some cases, the fish feed almost exclusively on scuds. Since that�s the case, scuds should be one of the patterns in your fly box.

      List of materials:

    • Hook: Scud hook - Tiemco 2487, 2457; Eagle Claw L055, L056; Mustad 80250BR; Daichi 1130. Sizes 12 to 20.

    • Back: Scud back, Body stretch, plastic bag, latex glove, or any similar material.

    • Dubbing: Any commercial or homemade coarse dubbing, color to match the natural in your area (most range from olive or tan to bright orange or pink, but some are so light they look gray).

    • Rib - Copper or gold wire.

    • Thread - 3/0 or 6/0, color to match dubbing color.

      Tying steps:

    • 1. Start the thread and tie down the back material around the bend of the hook. (If you use plastic bags or latex gloves, cut the strips to about 1/4 inch wide.)


    • Tie the ribbing wire to the same point as the back material.


    • 3. Dub a body of coarse dubbing. (This is one time you don�t need to twist the dubbing too tight around the thread.)


    • 4. Stretch the back material over the dubbing, tie off behind the hook eye and trim. Be sure to keep the back on top of the fly.


    • 5. Wrap the ribbing wire around the body to form even segments. Tie off the wire and trim it behind the hook eye. Build a head with the thread, whip finish and trim.


    • 6. Use a needle to pick out some of the dubbing from the underside of the fly. (This will form the legs of the scud.)


    • 7. Trim the legs even with the hook point.


    • 8. Cement the head. I like to cement the body too, by soaking cement up under the back material from the sides.


    • You�ll find other scud patterns in books and magazines, and in the �fly of the week� archives here on FAOL. If you fish spring creeks, tailwaters or lakes that are fed by these sources, you need a few scud patterns in your fly box.

      Another insect that�s common to these types of water is the midge. We looked at a midge emerger a couple of weeks ago. Another form of the life cycle of midges is the larva. This small worm-like larva is often called a blood worm because it is often blood red in color. In certain waters and at certain times of the year, fish feed almost exclusively on this tiny larva.

      Many flies have been designed to imitate the midge larva; the most famous of these is the brassie. The lace larva is another. I�d like to say I designed this fly, and I may have (I�ve been tying this one for 15 years now), but it is so easy, it�s likely others have tied some version of it before me. No matter who tied the first one, it�s the best midge larva imitation I�ve used; a consistent producer on the Bighorn River and in South Dakota tailwaters.

      List of materials:

      Mustad 94840 and Tiemco 200r
    • Hook: Dry fly or nymph - Tiemco 100, 200; Mustad 94840, 80050BR; Eagle Claw L061B, L052; Daichi 1190, 1270. Sizes 16 to 24.

    • Body: Small clear tubing (midge Larva-Lace, small V-Rib, small Liqui-Lace, Anglers Choice Body Stuff or any similar stretchy, small tubing or lace).

    • Thread: 6/0, 8/0 or 10/0 (I like Gudebrod for its strength). Color to match the natural in your water, usually red, orange, olive, gray or black. It�s a good idea to tie a variety of colors and sizes. The thread color will give the fly its color.

    • Collar: Coarse sparkle dubbing, color to match the thread.

      Tying steps:

    • 1. Start thread and tie down lace to the hook bend. Be sure to cover the hook and lace with thread, it�s what gives the fly its color.


    • 2. Wrap the lace tightly to just behind the hook eye.


    • 3. Tie off and trim.


    • 4. Dub a collar of coarse dubbing. Don�t make it too big, just enough to fill in over the thread that tied the lace off.


    • 5. Whip finish, trim thread and cement.


      In rivers or streams, fish this fly near the bottom by adding lead putty or a small split shot to your leader near the tippet knot. In lakes, fish it near weed beds suspended below a strike indicator.

      Midges are so plentiful, even the largest trout will feed on them. To most, it seems strange that any large fish would zero in on such a small meal, but if you�ve ever eaten popcorn shrimp you know how small things can add up to a mighty big meal. And so it is with midges; they are so plentiful, they add up to a large meal and are the mainstay of many fish throughout the year.


      See ya next week. ~ Al Campbell


    • Edited by TasunkaWitko
      TasunkaWitko - Chinook, Montana

      Helfen, Wehren, Heilen
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