Match the Hatch

This is basically the same #14 sowbug pattern from the previous

blog post compared to the sowbugs that the trout were eating

in Arkansas last month. This fly is about 15-20 fish old and 

pretty beat up, but still fairly close to the actual sowbug.

Sowbug

Recipe

Hook - #14 Nymph

Thread - Uni-thread 8/0 (Camel)

Tail - Teal Flank

Body - SLF Enhancer (White, Brown, and Black)

Shell Back - Scud Back (Clear)

Rib - Mono Thread (Clear)

Black and White Wet Fly

Recipe

Hook - #14 Wet Fly

Thread - Uni-thread 8/0 (Black)

Tail - Golden Pheasant Tippet

Body - Danville Floss (Black)

Rib - Small Tinsel (Silver)

Throat - Hen Saddle (Black)

Wing - Duck Quill (White)

Hot Spey Fly

Hot Spey Fly. My own design.

Pheasant Tail Nymph

Recipe

Hook - #16 Nymph

Thread - Uni-Thread 8/0 (Camel)

Tail - Pheasant

Body - Pheasant Tail (Natural)

Rib - Small Copper Wire

Thorax - Ice Dubbing (Peacock)

Wing Case - Pheasant Tail

Legs - Pheasant Tail

Head - 1/32 Copper Bead

Scenes from Sowbug

The Sowbug Roundup

The Sowbug Roundup is this weekend in Mountain Home, AR.

Click HERE for details. This is one of my favorite

events to demonstrate in and probably the largest

fly tying event in the US. Lots of great tyers; lots

of nice people; and lots of great fishing.

Mccaw Mayfly

Mccaw Mayfly

Recipe

Hook - #16 Dry Fly

Thread - Uni-Thread 8/0 (White)

Tail - Microfibbets (Dun)

Body - Natural Stripped Mccaw Quill - Clear Cure Goo

Hackle - Dry Fly Hackle (Lt. Blue Dunn)

Wings - Duck (Dyed White)

Mustad Hooks - #28, #26 Treble, and #32

This unique Mustad Souvenir was given to me by Steve Tagami and 

Reid McKinstry from Mustad at the Bassmasters Classic last month.  It 

is approximately 30 years old and was a neat promotional item that

Mustad used at that time. Comparison to the eye of a normal size sewing

 needle shows how small that Size 32 hook really is. Thank you to Mustad hooks! 

Hipps Popper

Hipps Popper. Click HERE for a previous Hipps Popper 

that I tied and more information on how to tie one.

Red and Blue Stimulator

Red and Blue Stimulator. Basic stimulator dry fly

pattern tied with nontraditional colors.

Recipe

Hook - #10 Dry

Thread - Uni-Thread 8/0 (Camel)

Tail - Elk Hair

Body - African Goat (Red)

Hackle - Keough Rooster Saddle (Brown and Grizzly)

Wing - Elk Hair

Thorax - Antron Dubbing (Blue)

Winter Fish

Haven't posted any fish pictures lately. These 

are a few from different outings this winter.

For more fish pictures, click HERE.

McPhail Caddis Pupa

McPhail Caddis Pupa. One of my favorite patterns to tie 

and a good fishing pattern. Stocking up for Spring time fishing.

Recipe

Hook - Umpqua #12 Scud

Thread - Uni-Thread 8/0 (Camel)

Body - Uni-Yarn (Yellow) and Scud Back (Brown)

Legs - Hungarian Partridge

Thorax - African Goat (Brown) 

Shell Back - Scud Back (Brown)

Horns - Golden Pheasant Tail

Eyes - Burned monofilament

Spitting Spider

Spitting Spider. #6 hook. 

Recipe

Hook - Umpqua #12 Scud

Thread - Uni-Thread 6/0 (Black)

Body - Deer hair (Natural) with Clear Cure Goo

Legs - 30 lb and 12 lb mono

All other parts hand colored.

Keough Hackles

At the Fly Fishing Show in Winston-Salem, Bill Keough challenged me to 
tie any multi-colored flies that I wanted to with some dyed hen hackle feathers
 that he gave me. The hair wing and spey salmon flies below are what I came up 

with. The hair wings are squirrel on the first one, deer on the second one, and the spey
fly is bronze mallard. Thanks to Keough Hackles for the nice rooster and hen saddles.

Hot Hammer

Hot Hammer

Recipe

Hook - Umpqua #12 Scud

Thread - Uni-Thread 8/0 (Fire Orange)

Tail and Antenna - Silly Legs (Fire Tip)

Body - Uni-Yarn (Chartreuse and Chinese Red)

Hackle - Soft Grizzly Hackle (Dyed Yellow)

Legs - Hen Saddle (Dyed Orange)

Thorax - Angora Goat (Orange)

Wing Case - Golden Pheasant Tippet (Dyed Red and Coated with CCG)

Bead - 3mm Brass (Gold)

Winston-Salem Fly Fishing Show

 

Looking forward to demonstrating at the Winston-Salem

Fly Fishing Show this weekend. Click HERE for more details.

Here are a few pictures from last year's show:

 

Red Quill Dry Fly

Red Quill Dry Fly

Recipe

Hook - #16 Dry Fly

Thread - Uni-Thread 8/0 (Camel)

Tail - Rooster Hackle (Brown)

Body - Porcupine Quill (Dyed Red) - Clear Cure Goo

Hackle - Dry Fly Hackle (Natural Brown)

Wings - Duck (Dyed White)

Durham Ranger

Durham Ranger.

Arctic Shad

Artic Shad

Recipe

Hook - Allen #8 Streamer

Thread - Uni-Thread 8/0 (Chartreuse)

Body - Arctic Fox (Hand colored); Flash (Magic Pearl)

Head - Flymen Fishing Co. Fish Skill™ Baitfish Head (Silver)

Elk Hair Caddis

Elk Hair Caddis. #14 hook.

Recipe

Hook - Umpqua #14 Dry Fly

Thread - Uni-Thread 8/0 (Camel)

Body - Wapsi Superfine Dry Fly (Olive)

Hackle - Whiting Micro-Saddle (Brown)

Wings - Elk Hair (Natural)

Improved Yellowhammer

Improved Yellowhammer Nymph

Recipe

Hook - Umpqua #12 Scud

Thread - Uni-Thread 8/0 (Camel)

Tail and Antenna - Round Rubber (Black)

Body - Uni-Yarn (Yellow)

Hackle - Soft Grizzly Hackle (Dyed Yellow)

Legs - Ring-necked Pheasant Body Feathers

Thorax - Rabbit Dubbing (Light Yellow)

Wing Case - Turkey Tail (Coated with Clear Cure Goo)

Bead - 3mm Brass (Black Nickel)

Clouser Minnows

Clouser Minnows. These are smaller versions on #8 hooks, 

but they can be tied on any size hook you choose. All you 

have to do is adjust the proportions of the materials used. 

I like to tie down less of the buck tail to the hook 

shank on the back than the original version does. 

Recipe

Hook - #8 Streamer

Thread - Uni-Thread 6/0 (any color to match the fly)

Body - Buck tail (any two colors you choose)

Flash - Mirror Flash (Pearl)

Eyes - Allen 3.2mm Brass Barbell (Black Nickel)

Black Ghost

Black Ghost. #6 hook.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas ...

Christmas Tree Fly.

Recipe

Hook - #6 Streamer

Trunk - Marabou (Brown)

Tree - Deer Body Hair (Green)

Ornaments - Silver Tinsel; Pearl Tinsel;

Peacock Tinsel; Bead Chain

Star - Crystal Flash

Latex Caddis Pupa

Latex Caddis Pupa. My own design.

Recipe

Hook - Umpqua #12 Scud

Thread - Uni-Thread 8/0 (Camel)

Body - Latex (cut in strip and hand colored Brown and Yellow)

Legs - Hungarian Partridge

Thorax - African Goat (Brown)

Shell Back - Latex (hand colored Brown)

Horns - Golden Pheasant Tail

Eyes - Burned monofilament

Hipps Popper

Hipps Popper. I tied this based on the design developed by 

Anthony Hipps. The body of the fly is formed with strips of

basic 2mm closed cell craft foam and is not prefabricated like

many other poppers. Click HERE for a NC Wildlife Magazine

article that provides more detail on how this fly is tied.

The body is hand painted however you want it to be, and 

rubber legs, hackle, and feathers can be chosen to taste.

Hi Vis Parachute Adams

Hi Vis Parachute Adams. #14 hook.

Recipe

Hook - Umpqua #14 Dry

Thread - Uni-Thread 8/0 (Camel)

Tail - Grizzly Hackle Fibers

Body - Wapsi Superfine Dry Fly Dubbing (Adams Grey)

Post - Hi Float Vis (Hot Pink)

Hackle - Whiting Dry Fly (Grizzly)

Wolf Spider

Wolf Spider. #12 hook. 

Recipe

Hook - Umpqua #12 Scud

Thread - Uni-Thread 6/0 (Black)

Body - Deer hair (Natural) with Clear Cure Goo

Legs - 30 lb and 12 lb mono

All other parts hand colored.

Colorful Brown Trout

This brown trout was not as big as it seems in the photo because 

of the camera angle, but it was still a good size fish. Caught a

couple of months ago on a simple #14 sowbug pattern similar to

the one pictured below (but tied with a more realistic variation).

Free Fly Tying Demonstrations at Little River Outfitters

Thanks to Byron Begley, Daniel Drake, and Dan Munger for inviting me to be a demonstration fly tyer in their fly shop on January 17, 2015. Little River Outfitters offers FREE fly tying demonstrations every Saturday beginning this coming weekend and through the end of February. If you are in the Townsend, TN area on any Saturday this Winter, stop by to visit one of the best fly shops in the U.S. and also take advantage of the free fly tying demonstrations. 

Click HERE for more details and the weekly schedule of tyers.

Extended Body Mayfly (Wallywing Technique)

Extended Woven Body Mayfly with Wallywings. #14 hook. 
Same extended body method as used in previous blog post 
except both wings are formed with a single grizzly
hackle feather by using the Wallywing technique .

Recipe

Hook - Umpqua #14 Dry

Thread - Uni-Tread 8/0 (Black)

Underbody and Tail - Moose Mane

Body - Cross Stitch Floss (Yellow and Tan)

Thorax - Antron Dubbing (Yellow)

Legs - Whiting Hackle (Cream)

Wings - Whiting Hackle (Grizzly)