Before we get started, just a word of warning to you beginner and intermediate tiers — everything about this pattern is fairly easy to tie except for the final couple of steps. In terms of skill building, however, I believe that these difficult steps are absolutely worth learning and practicing.

My fascination with the pattern started a couple of years ago when I was invited to do a Tie-Off, against none other than legendary fly tier and guide Davy Wotton, at the Sowbug Roundup in Mountain Home, Arkansas. I stressed and practiced tying this fly, the Welsh March Brown, for a good four months before heading south for the Roundup. Up until the event, I was setting the wings correctly only about 50% of the time.

On the day of the Tie-Off, the fly tying gods were apparently shining down on me, and I set the wing about as well as I possibly could. By applause reaction from the crowd, the competition was declared a draw, about the best result I could ever imagine.

Since then, I’ve continued not only tying the pattern but fishing it as well, and I’m pretty happy with the results of both. I like to fish it in a tandem rig, usually behind a rather floaty parachute-style fly. Cast upstream and slightly across, the March Brown drifts in the surface film or just below it, while the parachute acts as an indicator. What’s sort of remarkable to me is how often I’ll get a take on the March Brown at the end of a drift, just as I’m beginning to re-cast. I kind of get the feeling that trout will track the fly for a while as it dead drifts but the slight pull, right before a re-cast, triggers them to take. That’s my theory anyway.

In terms of tying, the only material that can be a little difficult to get a hold of are a matched set of hen pheasant wings. If you know of any bird hunters, they can be an excellent source. Although other materials, like mottled turkey, can be substituted, I think that hen pheasant has just the right markings, length and foldability. It’s important to use the leading edge from the secondary feathers of the wing as opposed to the primary feathers, where the fibers are too short, or any of the trailing fibers on the wings, which although long, are generally too soft.

This Welsh March Brown may not be your cup of tea to tie or to fish but, preparing and setting the hen pheasant slip wing is a skill that is well worth learning, and can be translated to a whole slew of wet fly patterns. Not to worry if the wings don’t set perfectly, as the fly should still fish well. A special thanks to Davy Wotton for suggesting this pattern for the Tie-Off, as learning it and tying it has definitely made me a better tier.

About the Author:

Tim Flagler is a leading fly-tying instructor, appears at tying shows across the United States, and guides anglers to fly-angling destinations around the world. To learn more, visit tightlinevideo.com. Tim and his wife, Joan, live in New Jersey.

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Although I call this fly a Micro Egg-Sucking Leech, I’m not exactly sure trout mistake it for a leech. Instead, they may simply believe it is one of any number of living things — and living things mean protein, and protein provides the energy trout need for survival. This leech can be viewed as a mash-up of four very effective fly patterns: Landon Mayer’s Mini Leech, Pat’s Rubber Legs, a basic egg fly, and maybe a bit of Frenchie thrown in for good measure. For whatever reason, the combination simply works — especially during the winter months.

A Pat’s Rubber Legs stonefly nymph ranks among the most effective flies ever conceived. I tie a slew of variations of the original, and all seem to work. The one thing these variations have in common is variegated coffee-and-black chenille, which gives them a mottles appearance. I’m convinced that this mottled coloration is the key to the fly’s effectiveness. Having experimented with other color combinations and materials, I’ve found that they work as well, as long as they can be combined to produce something with a mottled look. On this fly, that look is achieved by twisting two differently colored strands of Fulling Mill Ultra Dry Yard together — first furling them to form the tail, then wrapping them to form the body.

The orange bead serves two functions, weight being the most obvious. Because the fly is tied on a jig hook with a slotted tungsten bead, it sinks fast and gets down to where trout like to be — quickly. Also, because Ultra Dry Yarn is slightly buoyant, the fly tends to ride in a nearly horizontal manner — not quite like a balances leech, but close.

The bead’s second function, since it’s orange, is either to imitate an egg or simply to draw the trout’s attention — who knows? But orange beads certainly seem to work, again, particularly in winter. The orange dubbing behind the bead helps to cover up unsightly thread wraps and gives the fly a Frenchie look, which is always a good thing.

Fishing the Micro Egg-Sucking Leech is much like fishing any other nymph, whether you’re using it below an indicator or Euro-nymphing. Cast upstream, allow the fly to get to depth, and aim for as drag-free a drift as possible. The slight difference comes at the end of your drift: stop the rod to allow the fly to slowly rise in the water column. It’s remarkable how many takes I get just before I’m about to recast.

The Micro Egg-Sucking Leech can be tied in a variety of color combinations. I tend to go darker for flies used during the colder months and lighter for warmer months. Materials other than Ultra Dry Yarn — but similar to it — can certainly be used. But the translucency and slight buoyancy of Ultra Dry Yarn make it a really good choice.

Tim Flagler is a leading fly-tying instructor, appears at tying shows across the United States, and guides anglers to fly-angling destinations around the world. To learn more, visit tightlinevideo.com. Tim and his wife, Joan, live in New Jersey.

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Whether you love them or hate them, it’s hard to deny the effectiveness of perdigon-style flies for catching trout. As I understand it, these patterns were developed in Spain—perdigón is Spanish for “pellet”—popularized in France, and spread across the globe through international fly-fishing competitions. The effectiveness of perdigon patterns makes them popular, especially when fishing fast water. The designs generally employ tungsten beads, which help the flies sink quickly, and slim, varnished bodies that offer less resistance as they sink and move through the water. Most perdigon flies also have a hot spot. In addition, these patterns are exceptionally durable, require only a few materials, and can resemble a wide variety of aquatic macroinvertebrates during spring, which can be frustrating.

Although the Jig Napoleon is certainly perfectly suited to Euro nymphing techniques, it also fishes well beneath a floating indicator or in smaller sizes trailing a dry fly that floats well. This particular perdigon-style fly is called the Jig Napoleon. How it got its name, I’m not really sure, but it has been around for a while. I became aware of it, however, only this past spring while fishing in Patagonia. Most of the guides carried them, and these flies outproduced virtually all other subsurface flies used by our group. Depending on water conditions, we fished sizes 12, 14, and 16 in several different color combinations. All of them worked extremely well. I, for one, was sold and have been tying and using them here in the U.S. ever since.

The reason perdigons sink so fast is that they’re very heavy, and I’ve added lead-free round-wire wraps behind the bead to really get the fly down. A coating of UV resin over the entire body streamlines the fly, which further contributes to its sink rate, in addition to making it incredibly durable. By changing the colors of the underbody and the hotspot collar behind the head, tiers can produce Jig Napoleons to suit a wide variety of needs. The color combination shown here is definitely my favorite, but one with a darker abdomen and a fluorescent-green collar is a close second. I have a sneaking suspicion that it does a good job of imitating a cased caddis.

On all variations, I like a band of black thread behind the hotspot collar, as it seems to tie everything together and may—or may not—represent a wing case. The UV-resin coating should be fairly thin, yet thick enough to fill in between the wire-rib wraps.

This version of the Jig Napoleon is a bit simpler than the original, mainly because I have replaced the quill body with a mylar body topped with a wire rib. The quill body looks great, but pre-stripped quills can be costly and have a nasty tendency to break during tying, which can be frustrating.

Tim Flagler was this publication’s Fly Tyer of the Year in 2022. He is a leading fly-tying instructor, appears at tying shows across the U.S., and guides anglers to fly-fishing destinations worldwide. To learn more, visit tightlinevideo.com. Tim and his wife, Joan, live in New Jersey.

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The tail of the fly is straightforward—just a few fibers from a wood duck flank feather, because wood duck always looks good. The polypropylene wing is unique in that it is furled, which greatly increases its stiffness. In addition, it’s anchored at two points on the hook shank, making it far less likely to spin. Because the polypropylene fibers are contained until the very end, they can’t get tangled when wrapping the hackle.

The body of the fly is also quite unique. It employs two complementary yet contrasting colors of dubbing—here, Kapok. Rather than simply blending the colors, they’re twisted together, with one color forming each strand of a dubbing loop. The result is a mottled body that looks incredibly lifelike. The markings are small, but I believe trout see them and register that nearly all living things are similarly mottled. And if it’s living, it’s protein—thus nutritionally available to them.

The hackle-as-post treatment is also a bit different: It’s wound up the post rather than down. The hackle tip is tied off on the post above the hackle wraps, and the final whip-finish is performed there as well. After a drop of head cement is applied to these thread wraps, the adhesive will wick down the post and secure the somewhat delicate hackle stem.

This wrapping and tying method has several advantages. First, it leaves the body of the fly—the part that trout see best—extremely clean. Second, it leaves the hook eye completely unobstructed. In addition, though subtle, the method allows the hackle feather to be wrapped so that the concave feather barbs face downward. The advantage here is that the hackle points touch the water’s surface in a manner similar to a natural mayfly’s legs. Surface tension supports these hackle points, helping the fly stay on the water’s surface better than hackle points that curve upward.

Recipe:
Hook: Lightning Strike DF1 dry fly hook in size 14.
Thread: Semperfli Classic Waxed 12/0 in tan.
Tail: 8-10 wood duck fibers. Post: White polypropylene floating yarn.
Body color 1: Semperfli Kapok dubbing in danica.
Body color 2: Semperfli Kapok dubbing in light brown.
Thorax: Semperfli Kapok dubbing in light brown.
Hackle: Light brown grizzly hackle to match body color.

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Detailed instructions for tying a CDC and Elk Caddis. This is part of a series of Tim Flagler’s collaboration with Fly Tyer Magazine. Check out his article about the fly in the Spring 2025 issue of Fly Tyer Magazine.

Recipe:
Hook: Lightning Strike DF1 dry fly hook, size 16.
Thread: Semperfli Classic Waxed, 12/0, tan.
Body/legs: CDC feather.
Wing/head: Deer hair.

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For far too many years I believed that fishing streamers during the winter months was basically a fool’s errand. Nearly everything that I was told or read, suggested that trout would only take precisely drifted, subsurface patterns or diminutive midge imitations fished on, or near, the water’s surface. Boy, was I wrong. Yes, trout tend to be more lethargic during the winter months and don’t eat as aggressively. But, here’s the deal, even on the darkest and coldest of winter nights, they’re out in the river or stream, paddling their little fins off. Such activity demands fuel, and fuel for trout comes in the form of protein. In simplest terms, they have to eat to survive, no matter what month of the year.

The realization that I could effectively fish streamers during the winter came quite by accident, one February evening, several years ago. I had recently purchased a wonderful little 10.5 foot, 4 weight trout spey set-up and was really dying to give it a try. So, down to my local river I went, tied on a Squirrel and Herl Bugger just to have something on the end of my line, performed a less-than-stellar snap T and let the Skagit head carry the light sink tip, a few feet of tippet and the fly downstream and across. The fly swung only about six feet before I felt a bump then, as it approached the dangle, a full take followed by a somewhat less than spirited battle. I quickly released the 14” rainbow, kind of perturbed that it had interrupted my casting practice with the new rod. As I continued casting, I got several more bumps and landed a couple more fish. It was only when I got home and I was warming myself in front of the wood stove, that I truly realized how well I had done fishing streamers near dark in the winter, it really was an eye-opener.

This pattern, the Black and Blue Bugger, is a slightly modified version of the Squirrel and Herl Bugger I was throwing that February evening. It’s sort of half Woolly Bugger and half Zonker. Blue has always been one of my favorite colors to incorporate into winter fly patterns, be they nymphs, emergers or dries. Here, the Grizzly Saddle Hackle dyed blue provides a nice contrast with the darker pine squirrel back and tail, thus imitating the darker back and lighter belly of nearly all baitfish. Why would a trout chase down a baitfish during winter? Well, probably because a baitfish provides them with a heck of a lot more protein than even a few hundred midge larvae.

I know many of you are going to ask about weight with this fly and suggest a bead or conehead, or even wire wraps around the hook shank. I have tried it with weight incorporated but feel it performs much better without. With a single-hand rod, I fish it at the end of a sinking poly leader, either 3” or 5” per second. With a two-handed trout spey set-up, I fish it off a sinking tip with only about three feet of 2X tippet. In both instances, I believe the fly behaves in a more neutrally buoyant manner, just as normal baitfish do.

Recipe:

Hook: Lightning Strike SN3, size 10.
Thread: UTC 70 Denier, black.
Back/tail: Pine squirrel zonker strip, black.
Body: Chenille, black, medium.
Hackle: Grizzly rooster saddle hackle feather, dyed fluorescent blue.

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We here in the Eastern United States are fortunate in that we have really good Isonychia hatches. It’s a shame many regions of North America do not. Iso’s, as they’re known for short, are also called Slate Drakes, Mahogany Duns or Leadwing Coachmen.

Rarely do Iso’s produce blanket hatches. They, instead, prefer to dribble off in less than significant numbers during the evening and well into dark. The great thing though is this takes place over many months. Here in New Jersey, we’ll start seeing Iso’s as early as late May and sometimes they’re still around well into November. Because of this, trout seem to get accustomed to them being available and readily take them in all stages of development, throughout much of this period.

Isonychia nymphs generally emerge by first migrating to the shore, then crawling out onto rocks, where the winged adult emerges from its nymphal shuck. These nymphs are remarkable swimmers and use a kind of butterfly kick to propel themselves through the water. At times, they even resemble small minnows. This is why swung soft hackles and wets can be so effective. Dead-drift nymphing works well, fishing dun and spinner imitations is always fun and visual, but swung or stripped flies like soft hackles are a great way to change things up.

Weightless soft hackle flies like this one, swung downstream and across, can produce truly aggressive takes. Of course weighted or bead head versions will also work, but I greatly prefer the weightless variety. If I need to get the fly down a little deeper, I’ll hang it off an intermediate, 3” per second or 5” per second poly leader. To me, the weightless versions of the fly present more naturally as they’re almost neutrally buoyant, just like the naturals.

This particular pattern, although definitely more suggestive than imitative, checks a lot of boxes. Pheasant tail fibers give it a short, feathery tail similar to the three tails found on the natural nymphs. A kind of rusty maroon-colored abdomen, segmented by a gold wire rib, adds a touch of attractive shimmer and realism. While perhaps not essential, a white stripe down the center of the fly’s back looks like the one found on many naturals. Peacock herl is used for the thorax because, in my estimation, it gives the illusion of movement and life with its iridescence. I prefer a soft hackle collar that’s well-marked, and with more fibers than on most soft hackle flies. I want the trout to view it as a meal, not just a light snack.

Wet flies and soft hackles seem to be making a comeback after decades of relegation to dusty, back row fly bins. Under certain conditions, they can be incredibly effective but, almost more importantly, they’re exceptionally relaxing and satisfying to fish. In addition, they possess a grace and elegance that’s lacking in many modern fly patterns. Of course, that’s just my opinion, yours may differ.

Recipe
Hook: Nymph hook, here, Fulling Mill 5085, size 12.
Thread: UTC 70 Denier, brown.
Rib: Small gold Ultra wire.
Tail: 6-8 pheasant tail fibers, dyed chocolate brown.
Dorsal stripe: UTC 140 Denier, white or white floss.
Abdomen: Fine & Dry Isonychia-colored dubbing.
Thorax: Peacock herl, 3-4 strands.
Collar: Hen feather, mottled brown.

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Take a quick tour of master fly tyer Tim Flagler’s fly tying bench.

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For two weeks every summer at the end of July/beginning of August, I host trips with good friends Tim and Joanne Linehan, of Linehan Outfitting, on the Kootenai River in far northwest Montana.

The Kootenai is a tailwater and, at that time, spring run-off releases from the dam are usually over with, resulting in rather consistent flows. As a result, the resident redband rainbows, westslope cutthroat, and all the cutbows in between, move into their regular lies and begin feeding in a more predictable manner, making for excellent fishing.

This is oftentimes the beginning of terrestrial season, in other words, hoppers, beetles and ants. Great PMD hatches are also quite dependable at this time. Over the last couple of years however, it has been the nocturnal stoneflies that have really stolen the show. Although it’s rare to see the winged adults, the remnant nymphal shucks are a dead giveaway that the hatch is on. Even without the winged adults on the water’s surface, the trout respond very well during the day to imitations of them.

First and foremost among these adult stonefly imitations is Will Dornan’s Water Walker. The pattern can be tied in a vast variety of colors and works well in sizes 6 all the way down to a 12. They float incredibly just great and, because of their thin, kind of flappy wings and long spindly legs, cause quite the commotion on the water’s surface. Natural drifts, punctuated by occasional short strips, will coax even bottom-huggers into making the trip to the water’s surface where they usually waffle, rather than sip, the Water Walker.

A fair bit goes into tying each Water Walker, so I like to make them as durable as possible. This includes adding some superglue or head cement at many of the tying stages. The body and wings of Water Walkers can be created from hook gap-width strips of standard 2mm craft foam and thin Razor foam. I’ve found, however, that foam cutters, like those from River Road Creations, usually result in cleaner, more consistent-looking flies and, used in conjunction with their press, make these cutters last all but indefinitely. The presses are a little pricey, but if you tie a lot of foam  f body flies, are well worth the investment.

Recipe:
Hook: Lightning Strike SN3, size 10.
Thread: UTC 140, hopper yellow.
Underbody: Ice Dub, golden brown.
Optional: River Road Creations medium-sized Chernobyl body cutter.
Body: 2mm craft foam, tan.
Adhesive #1: Fly Tyer’s Z-Ment.
Legs: Barred, round rubber, medium, mud brown/black.
Overwing: Razor foam, translucent white, .5mm.
Underwing: Krystal flash, root beer.
Indicator: Razor foam, Opaque yellow, 1mm.
Adhesive #2: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Hardener.

I can’t imagine fishing the Kootenai during the summer or early fall without at least a couple dozen of Will Dornan’s Water Walkers at the ready. Tan with a gold or pink underbody, and black with either a purple or red underbody, are my two favorite color combinations. And, if I was to choose only one size, it would probably be a 10. Water Walkers can be fished alone or in tandem, if regulations allow, with other flies. They’re floaty enough to hold up a fairly heavy nymph dropper. And they work well with a smaller dry fly, such as a PMD or Purple Haze Parachute towed behind them. It’s a good idea to use heavier tippet with Water Walkers, say 3 or 4x, as takes are often extremely aggressive.

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Detailed instructions for building a tapered thread body as on a Zebra Midge.

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