Fly Patterns

The Black Dog

Home » Fly Patterns » The Black Dog The Black Dog By Maxwell MacPherson, Jr. It seems of value to trace the historical changes that a particular fly went through from its original conception down to what it appears like today. My favorite fly, which is a real beauty by anyone's standards, is "The Black...

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Wooley Bugger

Home » Fly Patterns » Wooley Bugger Wooley Bugger Tied by Jack Soape For Our First Fly Swap Jack Soape of Texas, provided his version of the Wooley Bugger. It should be noted that the swap first came about because of Jack's interest in such an event. This young man, who is presently in Grade...

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Quinchat’s Glimmer

Home » Fly Patterns » Quinchat’s Glimmer Quinchat's Glimmer Tied by Dennis Bertram for our first Fly Swap. HOOK: TMC100, Size 12 THREAD: 0/6 Black TAIL & BODY: 6 Strands of Pheasant Tail FLASH BAND: Small Gold Holographic Tinsel SOFT HACKLE: Small Gray Feathers From Neck of Hungarian Partridge Tie in tail at bend of...

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Reed Buck Emerger

Home » Fly Patterns » Reed Buck Emerger Reed Buck Emerger Tied by Byard Miller for our first fly swap. The Reed Buck Emerger is an impressionistic fly intended to be fished in the surface film. If floatant is used, it should ONLY be applied to the wing so that the fly will ride low...

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Furry Crawdad

Home » Fly Patterns » Furry Crawdad Furry Crawdad Tied by Roger Cotner for our first fly swap. History & Acknowledgements Bass love crawdads! Al Rockwood of Flies For Michigan, developed the Furry Crawdad in 1990 based on patterns found in Dick Stewart's Bass Flies. This pattern originated with Walter Siegried, with a nod to...

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Annie’s Midge Emerger

Home » Fly Patterns » Annie’s Midge Emerger Annie's Midge Emerger Tied by Michael Hawkins for our first fly swap. Annie's midge is named after my 7 year old daughter, she is my flyfishing and fly tying buddy. Anyone that has not experienced tying with a seven year old in their lap is missing one...

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Harry Foam Beetle

Home » Fly Patterns » Harry Foam Beetle Harry Foam Beetle Tied by Jack Miller for our first fly swap. Jack Miller tied up an awesome looking foam beetle. I loved the finished fly, and hope you will too. This one sure looks like it could be productive for all sorts of fish. His tying...

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Dark Olive Matuka

Home » Fly Patterns » Dark Olive Matuka Dark Olive Matuka Tied By Jerry Young for our first ever fly swap. Jerry's Notes and Instructions: Jerry used this in February, 1999 in the high Andes of Chile. On those overcast days, when the fish weren't active, this fly helped as an attractor. TYING INSTRUCTIONS HOOK:...

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Turkey Tail Nymph

Home » Fly Patterns » Turkey Tail Nymph Turkey Tail Nymph Tied by Larry Medina for our first ever fly swap. Larry's Notes and Instructions: TYING INSTRUCTIONS HOOK: TMC 5262 #14 THREAD: Gudebrod 6/0 Black WEIGHT: 30 gauge Red Enameled Copper Wire TAIL: Tips from a Mottled Turkey Tail Feather ABDOMEN: Six fibers from same...

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Murray’s Hellgrammite

Home » Fly Patterns » Murray’s Hellgrammite Murray's Hellgrammite Tied by Robert Ott for our first ever fly swap. Robert's Notes and Instructions: History & Acknowledgements MATERIAL & TYING INSTRUCTIONS HOOK: Mustad 9672 or Tiemco 5262 Size 4-10 THREAD: Black 3/0 Prewaxed Monocord WEIGHT: Lead Wire BODY: Black Chenille EXTENDED BODY: Black Ostrich Herl RIBBING:...

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Mini-Brown

Home » Fly Patterns » Mini-Brown Mini-Brown Tied by Peter Charles for our first ever fly swap. Peter relates that this productive fly was originally an "embarrasing mistake" for him. His original intention was to tie up a Professor, but ended with what he has called a Mini-Brown. It almost never made it to the...

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Midnight Blue

Home » Fly Patterns » Midnight Blue Midnight Blue Tied by Monte Smith for our first ever fly swap. Monte's Notes and Instructions: HOOK: TMC 200 or Mustad 80500BR, #8 HEAD: 8/0 Paradise Blue Glass Bead TAIL: Black Marabou With One Strand Smolt Blue Krystal Flash Each Side BODY: 3-4 black Ostrich Herls RIB: 2...

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Asquam Smelt

Home » Fly Patterns » Asquam Smelt Asquam Smelt Tied By Paul Minickeillo Paul's Notes and Instructions: This streamer pattern was, as far as I know first tied by Bob Ferri of Dudley Brook Fly Company. Bob had given me the streamer, which I had carried around for many years before using it. This has...

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Bead Head Prince Nymph

Home » Fly Patterns » Bead Head Prince Nymph Bead Head Prince Nymph Tied By Rich McGaughey Rich's Notes and Instructions: TYING INSTRUCTIONS HOOK: Size 12 THREAD: Black HEAD: Gold or Brass Bead BODY: Peacock Hurl RIBBING: Gold Tinsel TAIL: Brown Goose Biots WING: White Goose Biot HACKLE: Brown Folded From Hen Very Light Lead...

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Flightless Black Adams

Home » Fly Patterns » Flightless Black Adams Flightless Black Adams Tied by Bob VanAmburg four our second fly swap. Bob's Notes and Instructions: This fly is very simple, so simple that I was reluctant to offer it as part of a swap, but did so because it has so many great memories and is...

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Double Bead Peacock Herl Nymph

Home » Fly Patterns » Double Bead Peacock Herl Nymph Double Bead Peacock Herl Nymph Tied by Mike Hawkins for our second fly swap. Mike's Notes and Instructions: This fly works seems equally well with trout and bream. The simple design and material makes its fast and easy to tie. The key to this fly...

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Muddler Minnow

Home » Fly Patterns » Muddler Minnow Muddler Minnow Tied by Barry Gardner for our second fly swap. Barry's Notes and Instructions: Size 6 to 10 (Size 8 recommended in a shorter shank hook, 3x or 4x) Turkey Feathers (Wing) Squirrel Tail Deer Hair (preferrably from the neck and back) Flat Gold Tinsel Options Can...

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Wood Special

Home » Fly Patterns » Wood Special Wood Special Tied by H. D. Britton for our second fly swap. Doug's Notes and Instructions: The fly Wood Special is a good ice out fly, trolled behind a doger it is very effective. TYING INSTRUCTIONS HOOK: Size 4 Streamer hook THREAD: Black TAIL: Golden Pheasant Tippet BODY:...

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Cats Whiskers

Home » Fly Patterns » Cats Whiskers Cats Whiskers A great pattern not only for flyfishing for bass, but also effective on steelhead, brown trout, and salmon. According to Ian James' Fumbling With A Flyrod, "this fly was first tied in 1985 by David Train as a still-water rainbow trout fly for use in English...

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Bead Head Nymph By Jack Soape

Home » Fly Patterns » Bead Head Nymph By Jack Soape Bead Head Nymph By Jack Soape - Uni Products Swap Jack's Notes and Instructions: HOOK: Mustad 3399 BODY: Peacock Herl HEADS: Hot Head Bead any color TAIL: Floss, 3/0 thread or arton to match bead THREAD: Black 6/0 or any color matching tail and

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Clan Chief Variant

Home » Fly Patterns » Clan Chief Variant Clan Chief Variant Tied by Graeme Callander for our Uni-Products Swap. Graeme's Notes and Instructions: HOOK: Kamasan B170 Size 10 THREAD: UNI 6/0 Wine TAIL: Glo-Brite Flourescent Floss Yellow 10 and Red 4 BUTT: Gold Tinsel RIB: Gold Wire BODY: Claret SLF HACKLE: Black and Claret Cock...

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Yellow Humpy

Home » Fly Patterns » Yellow Humpy Yellow Humpy Tied By Aaron Cheatham for our Uni-Products Fly Swap. Aaron's Notes and Instructions: This is a hard fly to tie. Describing the tying procedure is equally difficult so take a look at different books that have corresponding pictures to help. The method I used to tie...

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Hi Vis Foam Beetle

Home » Fly Patterns » Hi Vis Foam Beetle Hi Vis Foam Beetle Tied by Bill Brothers for our Uni-Products Fly Swap. Bill's Notes and Instructions: This fly was tied in response to the fish repeatedly hitting my bright foam strike indicator. It can be fished alone or with a nymph or ant dropper. HOOK:...

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Glow Bug Hopper

Home » Fly Patterns » Glow Bug Hopper Glow Bug Hopper Tied by Mark Donahue for our Uni-Products Fly Swap. Mark's Notes and Instructions: For fly tyers that fish the Great Lakes' Tributaries, Glow Yarn or Glow Bug Yarn is a common fly tying material. This bright synthetic is the main ingredient used to tie...

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Adams Caddis

Home » Fly Patterns » Adams Caddis Adams Caddis Tied by Anthony Sincaglia for our Uni-Products Fly Swap. Anthony's Notes and Instructions: For fly tyers that fish the Great Lakes' Tributaries, Glow Yarn or Glow Bug Yarn is a common fly tying material. This bright synthetic is the main ingredient used to tie many egg...

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Neon Pheasant Tail Nymph

Home » Fly Patterns » Neon Pheasant Tail Nymph Neon Pheasant Tail Nymph Tied by Mike Clarke for our Uni-Products Fly Swap. Mike's Notes and Instructions: THREAD: Black or Brown 6 or 8 HOOK: Any Nymph Size 12 to 18 TAIL: Pheasant Tail Fibers ABDOMEN: Vinyl Ribbing or Tubing small or fine UNDER AB: Krystal...

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H & L Variant

Home » Fly Patterns » H & L Variant H & L Variant Tied by Mike Hawkins for our Uni-Products Fly Swap. Michael's Notes and Instructions: According to Craig Mathews and John Juracek in their book Fly Patterns of Yellowstone there are guides and fishermen that think that the H & L Variant or "Ike's...

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Sow Bug

Home » Fly Patterns » Sow Bug Sow Bug "What did you catch them on?" Answer is always "The sow bug." Tied By Mike Hawkins Mike is no stranger to the About fly swaps and has enthusiastically participated in every one thus far. This time around, Mike's submission was the Sow Bug, which he wrote,...

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Mohair Leech

Home » Fly Patterns » Mohair Leech Mohair Leech Fishing lakes and ponds? Give this fly a try. The second featured fly of our fourth fly swap, which was sponsored by Tim at Yagers Flys is from Tim Stewart. The Mohair Leech, which is very simple to tie, is also very effective on lakes and...

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Bubble Boy Emerger

Home » Fly Patterns » Bubble Boy Emerger Bubble Boy Emerger Monte says the trout find this Callibaetis pattern irrisistable. Tied By Monte Smith The third featured fly of our fourth fly swap, which was sponsored by Tim at Yagers Flys is from Monte Smith. "I developed the Bubble Boy while working to create a...

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Hex Strip Nymph

Home » Fly Patterns » Hex Strip Nymph Hex Strip Nymph This nymph, based on Gary Borger's Strip Nymph, is one of Jim Carravallah's favorites when fishing murky lakes. Probably would work very well fishing bass in river pockets, too. The fourth featured fly of our fourth fly swap, which was sponsored by Tim at...

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Chernobyl Stonefly

Home » Fly Patterns » Chernobyl Stonefly Chernobyl Stonefly Complex in appearance, this fly is actually quite easy to tie, according to fly swapper Bob VanAmburg. For warm-water and bass anglers, it's very effective. The fourth featured fly of our fourth fly swap, which was sponsored by Tim at Yagers Flys is from Bob VanAmburg....

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Big Joe’s Crayfish Fly Pattern

Home » Fly Patterns » Big Joe’s Crayfish Fly Pattern Big Joe's Crayfish Tied By Ian Colin James Ian Colin James Says: "I created this fly in 1982 when I needed a realistic pattern for fishing smallmouth in gin clear water. "In smaller sizes it will take carp, crappies, rockbass, redhorse, brown trout, rainbows and...

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No Name Nymph By Ian Colin James

Home » Fly Patterns » No Name Nymph By Ian Colin James No Name Nymph By Ian Colin James Ian James' cross between a hare's ear nymph and tailless stonefly. Pattern: Ian Says: "I created this cross between a hare's ear nymph and a tailess stonefly nymph in 1980. I think it works because of...

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The Puke Fly

Home » Fly Patterns » The Puke Fly The Puke Fly By Ian Colin James 4 year old Willie McLennan invented this, according to Ian James. Great for pike, bass, and more. Pattern: Ian Says: "Created by Willie McLennan, age 4, in 1993, this is a great fly for bass, carp, drum and redhorse. He...

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The Muncher By Ian Colin James

Home » Fly Patterns » The Muncher By Ian Colin James The Muncher By Ian Colin James Another great fly from the box of Ian James. This fly says "eat me." Another great pattern from Ian James, a very skilled and creative fly tyer in London, Ontario. According to James, this pattern is "based on...

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The Blue Thunder

Home » Fly Patterns » The Blue Thunder The Blue Thunder Winter and spring steelhead pattern. Ian James provides us with his step by step tying instructions for the 'Blue Thunder'. Yes, you're right - it doesn't have a bit of blue in it, but you'll see why when you read Ian's notes. The Pattern...

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Body-Fur Flies

Home » Fly Patterns » Body-Fur Flies Body-Fur Flies Want to be on the winning side of a 100% sure thing? Try this! By John Guldin Very few statements can be made with 100% certainty in life or, more importantly, in fly fishing. But, this is one: Big Fish Eat Little Fish! This basic statement...

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Tying The Copper and Orange Buzzer

Home » Fly Patterns » Tying The Copper and Orange Buzzer Copper & Orange Buzzer Fly Looking for a great trout nymph pattern? Ian James provides step by step tying instructions for this pattern, which is well known on both sides of the Atlantic for its fish producing abilities. It's also simple to tie. The...

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Ian’s Brass Ass

Home » Fly Patterns » Ian’s Brass Ass Ian's Brass Ass By Ian Colin Jamies It's one of the top selling flies at Orvis. Not bad for a colour blind Scotsman with fingers like a bag of hot dogs. The Brass Ass was developed for fishing off the breakwalls along the Gt Lakes for steelhead...

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Japanese Beetle Fly – With Coffee Beans

Home » Fly Patterns » Japanese Beetle Fly – With Coffee Beans Japanese Beetle Fly Looking for something that will bring the worst out in trout? There's a silver lining to the cloud of Japanese Beetle infestations in some parts of the country. Grab a cup of coffee and learn to create a great imitation...

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Softex Spawn Egg Fly Pattern

Home » Fly Patterns » Softex Spawn Egg Fly Pattern Softex Spawn Egg Fly Pattern A spawn pattern set apart from the rest By Jason Akl In the everlasting search for the perfect egg fly to drift this upcoming spring; one fly has set itself apart from all the rest. The soft touch spawn pattern...

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Simple Spey Fly Patterns

Home » Fly Patterns » Simple Spey Fly Patterns Simple Spey Fly Patterns If you are looking for a new late season fly pattern to chase after that lunker spawning steelhead and bewildered browns then this might just be the article you have been waiting for. By Jason Akl Simple Orange Spey Fly If you...

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The Flopper (Fallen Hopper)

Home » Fly Patterns » The Flopper (Fallen Hopper) The Flopper (Fallen Hopper) Fly Pattern Nothing beats splashing around with robust hopper patterns. By Jason Akl With the end of winter only a few months away, a sense of urgency swells in the minds of most serious fly tiers. Choosing what patterns one is going...

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The Rabid Prince

Home » Fly Patterns » The Rabid Prince The Rabid Prince To this day in fly fishing there is probably an un-recordable amount of fly variations on this prince pattern, and the rabid prince is just one of these variations that has worked for me on many different occasions. Maybe it is the shiny bead-head...

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The Malteser

Home » Fly Patterns » The Malteser The Malteser Fly Pattern Thinking "outside the box" when it comes to fly tying sometimes pays off By Ian Scott Thinking "outside of the box." Sometimes, folks will think you are crazy. Ah well - if it means only a small part of time experimenting, why not think...

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Quinchat’s Glass Eyed Glimmer

Home » Fly Patterns » Quinchat’s Glass Eyed Glimmer Quinchat's Glass Eyed Glimmer Fly Pattern Some years ago, Dennis Bertram participated in a fly swap at About Fly Fishing and sent along his "Quinchat's Glimmer." I've found this pattern successful at times on Grand River Brown Trout in riffle water. Since then, Dennis has come...

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