Floss San Juan Worm

Posted on March 4th, 2021

This is my version of the Floss San Juan Worm (Sexi Worm, Flexi Worm, Flexi Floss Worm, etc.). This is an excellent pattern for low, clear water. In my neck of the woods, it works well on the Paradise Valley spring creeks in late winter and early spring.

Hook: #14-18 scud.

Bead: Gold brass to match hook size.

Thread: 8/0 red or to match body color. Other good colors are pink, worm brown, and red/black/brown.

Head: Red Flexi-Floss or similar spandex “leg” material, tied in front of the bead.

Tail: Same as head, tied in behind the bead and wrapped down the shank.

Body: Micro Tubing to match body color. Use “midge” tubing on #14.

Body Coating: Head cement, optional.

Trout Crack Fly Tying Video

Posted on March 4th, 2021

It’s pink season here in Montana. We tend to fish pink/rainbow scud and sowbug patterns in late winter and spring, not least because such patterns have a lot of crossover with eggs and in any case are a big mouthful for trout putting the feedbags on after a long winter. This one is a variation on the popular Arkansas sowbug pattern, the Trout Crack.

Hook: #14-18 scud.

Thread #1: Fluorescent fire orange 8/0.

Thread #2 (Rib): Fine mono thread (or old 5X-6X tippet).

Body: Dubbing blend of a couple colors of pink Ice Dub, perhaps some pink acrylic, and rainbow Wapsi Sow-Scud. The precise material isn’t important. Simply make a blend of rainbow Sow-Scud with some reflective/flashy pink dubbing.

Wing Case: Pink Midge Tubing or D-Rib.

Dornan’s Water Walker Fly Tying Video

Posted on March 4th, 2021

Will Dornan’s Water Walker is a red-hot hopper/stonefly/attractor dry pattern in the Rocky Mountain West, probably the single hottest pattern in this category in the Bozeman and Livingston Montana area in 2019. In many respects, it functions as a “less chubby Chubby Chernobyl” that attracts trout that have seen one too many big fluffy hoppers, yet is still buoyant enough to float a nymph and is visible to anglers fishing from drift boats.

This “Micro Peanut” version worked better than any other for me on guided trips in 2019, and was my second-best or third-best hopper pattern overall. It worked particularly well in the month of August.

Hook: Kumoto K100W, #12-16.

Thread: 6/0 light brown.

Underbody: Whitlock’s SLF Blend, brownstone color.

Body: 2mm foam strip, mustard color.

Legs: MFC barred sili-legs, size small, amber color.

Underwing: 6-8 strands of rootbeer midge Krystal Flash.

Overwing: 1/2 or 1mm razor foam, tan or cream color.