I’m not sure the fly tying or fly fishing world really needs another October caddis pupa imitation, but I’m particularly fond of this one, and it’s been working quite well for me this fall, especially since waters have cooled down a bit.

Recipe:
Hook: 3X-heavy nymph hook (here, a Fulling Mill 5115), size 10.
Thread: Dark brown, 8/0 or 70 Denier.
Rib: Copper brown Ultra Wire, small.
Back: Brown Antron yarn.
Abdomen: Amber Sow & Scud dubbing.
Wingcase: Brown Antron yarn.
Thorax: Pheasant Tail Ice Dub.
Beard: Burnt-orange Brahma Hen chickabou feather.

The post October Caddis Pupa appeared first on Fly Tyer.

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.

The post Isonychia Soft Hackle appeared first on Fly Tyer.

A quick and simple, semi realistic pattern to imitate the Mysis shrimp. Ranging from 0.5 to 25 mm long with a slender transparent body. Despite its small size, the Mysis is a very important food item in both lakes and salt water. Heres a few good techniques for getting it right!

The post The Mysis Shrimp appeared first on Fly Tyer.

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

The post My Fly Tying Bench appeared first on Fly Tyer.

The Fat Albert really needs no introduction in the fly tying world as it’s been a mainstream pattern for many many years. Developed by Brent Taylor in Missouri, it’s designed to imitate almost any terrestrial bug that has a fat profile and a lot of legs. 

Materials

Hook: TMC 2302 Caddis and Terrestrials – 8
Thread: UTC Ultrathread 140 Denier – Dark Brown
Body: Fly Tying Foam – 2mm – Brown
Body: Fly Tying Foam – 2mm – Tan
Wing: EP Trigger Point Int’l Fibers – White
Indicator: EP Trigger Point Int’l Fibers – UV Green
Legs: Life-Flex Spandex Material – Tan

The post Fat Albert appeared first on Fly Tyer.

These past couple of years, here in the Mid-Atlantic, the light cahills have been one of the premier hatches. For me anyway, they are the last major hatch before waters warm up so much to the point where I can no longer conscientiously catch and release trout. Prior to the hatch, trout readily feed on light cahill nymphs trying to make it to the water’s surface and on emergers struggling in the surface film. Of course, they’re extremely fond of the winged adults riding on top of the water. When egg-laden Spinners return to the water to deposit those eggs is when the fun really starts. After the eggs are deposited, the Spinners at the very end of their life cycle fall spent on the water’s surface, and the trout go absolutely nuts for such an easy meal. I use this parachute-style light cahill pattern to imitate nearly all of the insect’s life cycle, save for the nymphal stage.

Recipe:
Hook: Dry fly hook (here a Lightning Strike DF1), size 14.
Thread: White Semperfli Classic Waxed, 12/0.
Wingpost: White polypropylene floating yarn.
Tail: Woodduck flank feather.
Body: Light Cahill-colored Superfine dubbing.
Hackle: Cream-colored cape hackle.

The post Light Cahill Parachute appeared first on Fly Tyer.

The Llano Bug, from what I was told, was designed and developed for a river called the Llano River. It was, at one time, one of the most popular rivers to fish in Texas and still holds some good sport fishing opportunities. It was designed by Kevin Hutchinson, and he made a great pattern!

Many flies were developed for fishing that river specifically, and a few of them became popular for fishing other waters around the United States, and the rest of Texas especially. The Llano Bug is probably one of the more popular fly creations that came from that river. It’s a very versatile terrestrial pattern that is relatively easy and quick to tie. It floats like a cork, and is durable. Add a little floatant and it will hold up some heavy weighted nymphs.

This fly is great for targeting bass and sunfish on rivers and lakes. I was able to catch quite a few sunfish on my last trip to the Guadalupe River that runs between Austin and San Antonio with this fly. I definitely recommend giving this fly a try. It can mimic grasshoppers, crickets and even spiders. It floats high and sits very nicely in the water to attract even the most wary trout and bass. Bluegill and other sunfish love this thing also, but it’s durable enough to be able to withstand many nibbles from these little sharp tooth bait stealers. Use this fly as an indicator, or as is just to dry fly fish.

The post The Llano Bug appeared first on Fly Tyer.

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.

The post Water Walker appeared first on Fly Tyer.

by Tim Flagler

 Super Simple Cicada
          Hook: Bomber hook (here an Ahrex HR418), size 4.
          Thread: Black, 6/0 or 140-denier or heavier.
          Underbody: Black rabbit-fur dubbing.
          Adhesive #1: Superglue (here, Fly Tyers Z-Ment).
          Body: Black and orange 2mm foam.
          Legs: Orange black-barred round-rubber legs, medium.
          Underwing: Pearl Krystal Flash.
          Adhesive #2: Superglue (here, Fly Tyers Z-Ment).
          Wing: Tan deer-body hair, cleaned and stacked.
          Hot spot: Orange 2mm foam.
          Thread cover: Black rabbit-fur dubbing.
          Adhesive: Head cement (here, Sally Hansen Hard-As-Nails).
          Tools: Foam-body cutter, spray adhesive, whip-finish tool, bodkin.

The post Super Simple Cicada appeared first on Fly Tyer.

Cased caddis larvae are abundant in many rivers and  streams and are an excellent food source for trout of all persuasions. For an insect in its larval state that lives underwater and is attached to rocks on the stream bottom, they’re remarkable engineers, as they’re able to create protective houses using nothing more than fine adhesive filaments spit from their mouths, and leaves, sticks, and sediment collected from the stream bed. And yes, trout do eat them, case and all. The fly you see here, as simple as it is, does an incredible job of imitating a cased caddis larva.

Recipe:  
Hook: 3X-strong, black nickel barbless hook (here, a Fulling Mill FM5105), size 16. Thread/Head: Fluorescent chartreuse, 8/0 or 140-denier.
Case/Body: Pheasant-tail fibers.

The post Cased Caddis Larva appeared first on Fly Tyer.