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.
Centered Hi-Viz Parachute Ant
Posted on March 4th, 2021
The Centered Hi-Viz Parachute Ant is a parachute ant variation with the parachute post and hackle moved to the middle of the hook shank, for a thinner head section on the fly and better balance on the water. It’s our #2 ant on float trips, both in this color combination and red and black with a March Brown-dyed grizzly hackle.
Hook: Standard dry fly, #12-18.
Thread: 8/0 to match front body segment. Here, rusty-brown Uni.
Head and Abdomen: Fine acrylic dubbing. Here rusty brown acrylic yarn chopped up in a coffee grinder. Other good colors are a red head with a black abdomen, all black, or all medium brown.
Parachute Post: Hi-viz Para Post Wing, Widow’s Web, or similar.
Hackle: Dry fly saddle oversized by about one hook size. On this cinnamon version, use brown. On red/black, use March Brown-dyed grizzly.
Center Segment: Tiny tuft of UV Ice Dub, regular Ice Dub, Polar Dub, SLF, or any similar bright, flashy dubbing wrapped around the hook shank at the base of the parachute post. Here, UV cinnamon Ice Dub.
Cinnamon Flying Ant – Fly Tying Video
Posted on March 4th, 2021
Cinnamon Flying Ant
This is an excellent bug on the Yellowstone in August and early September and does double duty as a caddis or even (due to its rusty appearance) a mayfly emerger.
Hook: Standard dry, #14-18.
Thread: 8/0 rusty brown.
Head and Abdomen: Rusty brown acrylic dubbing. Here, it’s just craft yarn chopped up in a blender, but use whatever you like.
Wing: Light tan Widow’s Web or similar hydrophobic synthetic, tied in vee-style. You can also use white.
Hackle: Badger, 4-6 turns. You can also use brown, grizzly-brown, etc.