Parachute Midge Emerger
Posted on March 4th, 2021 in Fly Tying Tutorials, Fly Tying Videos
Parachute Midge Emerger
Fish this one during afternoon midge hatches on Yellowstone area rivers, particularly in the winter and early spring. When doing this, look for slow walking-speed seams with foam. Fish this bug behind a more-buoyant and visible dry. I prefer #16 Purple Hazy Cripples or Trudes. The latter actually look like midge clusters due to the peacock body, particularly when skies are gray so the wing appears to be a buzz of movement over the fly.
You can also tie the pattern larger to serve as a dry chironomid in lakes. Fish it solo then, or even run a tiny beadhead under it on a short dropper.
This is a good one to tie for the late winter midges we often see in the afternoons. Quick too!
Recipe
Hook: #18-22 short shank dry fly (use #12-16 for chironomids in lakes).
Thread: 10/0 black. Change color to match the overall body color of the midges you’re imitating
Wing Post: White Widow’s Web or similar hydrophobic (poly) yarn.
Rib: Pearl Midge Krystal Flash.
Body: Fine black dubbing, or color to match your local midges.
Hackle: Grizzly, 3-4 turns on smaller sizes and 4-5 turns for chironomids.
Mayer’s Mini Leech
Posted on March 4th, 2021 in Fly Tying Tutorials, Fly Tying Videos
Mayer’s Mini Leech and Discussion of New Fly Design
This one is a little different. I first tie a basic leech pattern, Mayer’s Mini Leech, then go through the steps I’ve taken to develop this basic idea into a different pattern imitating a small sculpin. This is the process I typically follow when designing new patterns, and I thought viewers might be interested in my mindset as I work out a new fly.
Here’s the basic pattern recipe:
Hook: 1x short, 1x strong scud, #12-16.
Bead (optional): Black or copper brass or tungsten to match hook size.
Thread: 6/0 or 8/0 to match overall fly color.
Underbody/Flash: One strand of Flashabou doubled back on itself at tie in, then wrapped forward. Good colors can match the wing or contrast it: olive, red, brown, etc.
Wing: Pine squirrel strip in leech, baitfish, or flesh colors. Good colors include: olive, black, rust, chocolate, wine, purple, tan, and gray.
Head: Single strand of ostrich herl to match wing.
I am still working out the sculpin derived from this fly (and don’t know if it will work), so no recipe for that one just yet.
Fishing Tips
In lakes, fish the fly either twitched or drifted under an indicator, or with a slow retrieve on a sink-tip line. In rivers, it can work dead-drifted under a large dry fly like a foam hopper, or as part of a nymph rig. Don’t hesitate to fish the pattern behind a larger streamer as your “second chance fly.”
Willy’s Pip (Easy Midge Pupa) Fly Tying Video
Posted on March 4th, 2021 in Fly Tying Tutorials, Fly Tying Videos
Intro to the Willy’s Pip, an Easy Midge Pupa
This simple midge is one of my (Walter’s) favorite flies when I go back to fish the Ozarks tailwaters and spring creeks between November and April. The extended furled body creates a profile similar to the classic Brassie, but with a great deal of movement and a different “look.” The first two-foot trout I ever caught came on one of these, on upper Lake Taneycomo in Missouri (it’s really a river there).
In addition to working well as an easy midge pupa, the technique used to create the abdomen is also good for caddis pupae, extended body stonefly dries like my Prom Queen, and even leech tails. Any relatively straight, limp fiber, yarn, or braid can work with this technique.
Recipe
Hook: Scud, #18-22
Bead: Tiny brass or tungsten, if desired. I usually do not include one.
Thread: 8/0 or smaller black or to match abdomen.
Abdomen: Red Uni-Thread, furled. Other good colors include cream, olive, tan, black, or one of the various flashy “midge threads.”
Thorax/Head: Peacock herl or Ice Dub.