Trout Fly Tying Page
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Bead heads...literally. Beads from the sewing and fabric stores can be just right and very reasonably priced. |
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Some new flies
I don't see how a person can be really expert at fly fishing if he/she doesn't learn how to tie flies. The freedom to explore the subtleties of what a Trout or Steelhead, or Salmon will or will not "eat," is greatly enhanced by being able to control the look of your fly in its entirety.
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These boxes are only a fraction of the total I have at my disposal on any given day on the water. It obviously increases my flexibility to have nearly unlimited choices of what fly to tie on next. But, I have to admit there are times I grow tired of endlessly tying on fly after fly, and merely fish with what seems to be working the best, and leave the experimenting for another day. For me choices are the freedom I seek.
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I have far more flies tied than I will ever fish in a
life time, but that isn't the point is it. (And yes, I'm still working on getting my wife to understand that isn't the point.) Although she does understand I like what I do and she supports me in it. I, in return support her anyway I can. That is the exchange in a marriage that works out over the years. She truly admires my expertise at my "hobby" and would expect no less of me than I am capable. |
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I try to balance any box of flies with a few of everything so when I'm on a particular water I am not faced with having to go back to the pick-up to get the "other box of flies" I left behind. I used to leave them at home, but now I bring every box in a large duffel bag. I hate not having the exact right fly for the day. |
I'm not putting down factory tied flies at all. In fact some are so well tied and so innovative I imitate them, and don't quite measure up. But, what I lack in production tying expertise, I make up for in being able to tie subtle variations, of my own flies. I can thereby improve my designs over the years. If I find a pattern needs to be changed slightly, to continue working as well as it did 10 years ago... I can do it. Or, I think of a new idea... I can put it into the physical universe within hours. I remember an idea for a new fly occurring me one Sunday morning, while lying in bed. After I got up, I tied the fly, and was on the water in 2 hours trying it out. Successfully, I might add. That is the reward, and confidence that comes from, "knowing you know your stuff." I find it very valuable. Competence gives you a kind of dignity that can't be found in any other way.
Dry Flies section
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These terrestrials have been a fun project this winter. A foam body helps keep them on top, and the wiggly legs adds motion even in still water. |
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They seem to work fine as Grasshoppers and Fall Caddis as well as some hatches of Stone flies. |
Parachute wing Mayfly
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Parachute Wing May Flies I also learn new techniques that influences my overall ability, and a new generation of flies are born with the increased ability. The most memorable example of that was the year I learned to tie Parachute winged dry flies. It radically changed my fly boxes the next year, and dramatically improved my catching ability. Parachute winged flies, in my opinion, are far more realistic, stable, durable, and castable than other winging methods for dry flies. They float better than thorax versions too. |
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Tying instructions: (I am assuming you have some skill with the basics of tying flies. If not, there are many good books that will give you step by step procedures on how to accomplish these instructions. If you become confused, you probably are attempting a technique without the earlier basics that are necessary to the total picture. It is also possible you have misunderstood a term I have used. Nothing causes more confusion than that. Again, refer back to a basic book on fly tying to find the actual meaning of the term.) |
Hook: 16 to 12 Dry fly hook. (or smaller if you want) Thread: Match body dubbing color, or Black. Tail: Tailing material of choice. (I use synthetic paint brush bristles that are sharpened on one end, available either at a artist supply store, or fly tying materials dealer.) Body: Dubbing of choice to match your observation of naturals. Also quill bodies are fine although heavier, and don't float quite as well. Wing: Calf hair, or rump feather, or synthetic fibers, or CDC feather, or Elk or Deer hair, or what ever winging material you are comfortable with. Tied in as a post. Attach the tail. Tie the winging material in as a post. Dub the complete body, (both sides of the post wing.) Then hackle the post with 3 or 4 horizontal turns, with a hackle a few sizes too large for a traditional dry. This is a great use for those necks and saddles that are devoid of size 18's, 16's, and 14's (hackles) now, but are still well stocked with 12's and 10's! Attach the 1 1/2" hackle butt up on the post slightly. (Some materials need a tiny drop of tying cement applied to the base of the post before the hackle is wrapped). Wrap 3 or 4 turns of hackle, and tie off by pulling the barbules at the front of the fly back out of the way. Whip finish a head and tie off. Push the post back to the front, and straighten, and apply a very small drop of tying cement to the middle of the winging material, without getting any on the hackles. It helps keep the hackle from sliding up the post, which is the major problem with Parachute flies. |
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Blue Winged Olive (BWO) extended body variation (I first saw the extended body idea in a magazine article some years ago. I don't remember the authors name, or even which magazine it was, but thanks) New technology has also made large changes in the look of my flies over the years. A new winging material I discovered the year after the Parachute style wings, gave the next generation of my Mayfly's a great new look on the water. (I'm trying not to use brand names so visit your fly tying dealer and look over the winging materials.) |
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Tying instructions: BWO (Blue Winged Olive) May Fly, foam extended body. Hook: Size 16 to 10 Dry fly. Thread: Match the foam color and dubbing or black. (use strong thick thread) Wings: Blue/Gray winging material. Extended body: Tied separately on a needle. (Closed cell) Foam, purchase as white 1/8 inch strips, and colored with water proof pens, either greeny brown (Olive) or browny gray. I find 2 or 3 pens layered, give a better color than one. The foam is folded into about a 1/4" long section and tied in with the right length of tailing material, at the sharp end of the needle. The tying thread is wrapped loosely back to the tip of the tail, and forward again, encasing the tailing inside the fold of the foam. To keep the tailing material from pulling out, fold it in an "S" when securing it at the tie down point. Whip finish and slide off the needle. Body (on hook shank): Gray to Olive dubbing or your choice to match the foam. Tying instructions: With this fly, it is important to lay down a base of thread, as an anchor for the extended body. If you don't the extended body slips around and around the hook shank. Very frustrating. Attach the extended body and tail, to the mid point of the hook. Secure it well with tight wraps! (I use a strong tying thread for these extended bodies.) Tilt the extended body section upward with many wraps of thread under it. It should point upward at about 45 degrees. (see photo) Cut out winging material. I fold the material so two wings are cut at once. I use a scissors freehand, or Mayfly wing burner silhouette, as a guide. However you go about it, make a reasonable silhouette of 2 May Fly wings attached at the base. (Don't get hung up in exactness here on your first ones. You can trim to shape and size, after the fly is done.) Tie the winging material in as a parachute post. Dub the body , incorporating the extended body into the dubbed body smoothly. Hackle horizontally, around the wing post with an oversized hackle, 3 or 4 turns. Tie off the hackle and whip finish the head. Open the wings, and apply a tinny drop of tying cement between them... Not much or the fly gets heavy and stiff. Once you get this fly right it is wonderful. It floats very well, and has a great look on the water. |
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PMD extended body, w/ Hackle wrapped under the extended tail. |
PMD extended body Parachute w/ hackle tied under tail section. This changes the attitude (angle) of the fly on the water. Experiment. Sometimes this helps to get the tail up out of the water at a better angle. It is especially useful to have the tail up, if the hatch seems to be traveling long distances on the water before actually flying off. How long a Mayfly stays on the surface varies depending on species of Mayfly hatching and temperature. Some times they are gone almost instantly upon breaking through the surface film, and sometimes they float for long distances. The latter situation is when the tail up out of the water is a great advantage. Watch a real Mayfly float along someday, and you'll see why. |
Step by step series of captured stills from a video I took of myself tying this fly. Forgive the missing few.
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Attach thread on the tapered part of the needle. It will slide off easier. 5 or 6 wraps and trim the thread. |
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Fold the 1/8 inch closed cell foam into about a 1/4 inch section. Tie it firmly to the tie down spot where the thread is. 3 or 4 turns is sufficient. Trim foam. (I color the foam prior to tying in, and touch up the finished fly, with waterproof pens.) |
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Attach the tailing material firmly( 3 or 4 bristles) and move left fingers back as start to loosely wrap thread toward the tip of the tail. (to the left) |
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Loosely wrap the thread back to the tie down point, cross hatching the previous wraps. Too tight and it doesn't look realistic, and too loose and the tail comes apart on the first fish. |
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Notice tailing material angles upward. |
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Whip finish or half hitch at tie down point to keep your thread from unraveling as you move the body from the needle. |
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Trim tying thread, remove the body, and set it aside while you put the hook in the vise. (Or, you can tie a dozen bodies , then attach them all later.) |
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Lay a base of thread on the bare hook starting at the head and going back to slightly rear of the mid point. Attach the body at this point of the hook. Wrap it in firmly and stand the attached body up at an angle of about 45 degrees. Wrap under the rear of the body until it is firmly in place. Cut the winging material into right sized wings. Attach the winging material to the midpoint of the hook. Dub the body, smoothly from the attached section to the head. |
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Select a slightly over sized hackle. (Grizzly always seems the best for the over all color, but you could experiment with your preferences.) |
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Strip the barbules from the hackle stem about a 1/4 inch. Tie the hackle on the body with the butt of the hackle extended up the winging material post about 1/8th inch. (On larger versions a few wraps around the post help secure the hackle.) |
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Wrap 3 or 4 turns horizontally around the wing post. Keep the hackle as far down the post as possible. |
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End the wrapping with the tip of the hackle going toward the front of the fly. Grab all the barbules going forward and pull tem back out of the way, and tie off the hackle. |
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Trim the remaining hackle tip. |
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Pull back the barbules again, and whip finish the head. |
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Straighten the wings and hackles forward again, and separate the wings. A tinny drop of tying cement between the open wings will keep them in place and keep the hackle from climbing the wing post. |
Caddis
 Deer Hair Caddis |
The Elk Hair Caddis is one of the first flies I learned to tie. I remember clearly, palmering a hackle through the green dubbing of the body, and wrapping that with a copper wire, and stacking the Elk hair and tying it on for a head and wing all in one move. I was amazed at how clever that move was. It is very enlightening to follow the steps of the designer of a fly, and realize his economy of steps and efficiency getting the product. To me it is amazing that two people can be in such good communication via such a weird route. But many times I have understood exactly why a fly's designer builds the fly the way he does. It is very good to recognize that another "Being" created the fly. It didn't just happen. Nothing just happens. People create things. I admire creativity a lot. |
My first Caddis were were a bit crude, as I learned the fly tying craft. But, those first flies took fish on both sides of the mountains (Eastern Washington and Western Washington). Getting the proportions right, entailed doing it over and over and over. Finally it happened, and I got a fly from my vice that looked exactly like the one in the book! What a fun evening it was! My wife was politely enthusiastic about the offered insect imitation, although a bit puzzled by my exhilaration over a fake bug! She still doesn't fully duplicate the love of the sport and all it's subtle nuances. But to me the richness of the history of fly fishing alone is humbling. I have a sense of being on the time track of fly fishing, as a player. I am not an observer or a spectator, of the sport. I contribute to it.
 Caddis emerger |
Sometimes the trout will move on this version of Caddis fished in the surface film, before they will move on a high floating Elk Hair Caddis. Experience has probably taught the fish that, many time the Caddis that is about to take off, if it is floating high. It is a waste of time for the trout to start up from the lie, only to have the fly disappear, after he/she has expended energy. They sometimes are more confident, if the fly is still in the water some what, and therefore vulnerable. Other times it makes no difference at all. Also, you can trim these flies while on the water, to get a look that works for that day and that situation. |
 Elk Hair Caddis |
It is the color of the natural Elk hair that makes this version good. It, many times, duplicates the dull gray of the natural fly closer than the tan of Deer hair. You can also buy died Elk hair in about any color your want. Tie variations from size 16 to 6 to cover all hatches. Experiment with the silhouette of the wing. Longer? Shorter? Fuller...etc. I saw a great looking Caddis emerger recently, with a very sparse Elk hair wing and exaggerated thorax. I'll try it. |
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These new Caddis
versions are very effective.
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The Beadhead Caddis is a must have on many waters. |
There are many other dry flies in my boxes, but this page is getting too long already!
Nymphs section
 Chronimid, black w/ light segmenting and white gills. Rough dubbed thorax. |
Another fly that I've mentioned in this web site is the Chronimid. They are the most abundant insect in many lakes I frequent. They can vary in size from a 1/8 of an inch (and probably smaller), to over an inch. Many times I present them as emergers or pre-emergers. What I mean is, I fish them near the surface, and in the surface film. The fish are expecting them there sometimes, it seems. Other times however, the fish are keyed in on taking them as they leave the bottom, or are foraging near the bottom, and you will only get takes, way down near the bottom. This is more difficult fishing, because the fly will hang on vegetation etc. |
 Beadhead Chronimid |
Beadheads were introduced a few years ago, and they revolutionized the nymph fisherman's fly box. It was an ingenious way to get a nymph down in the faster water of streams, and yet have the look of the natural phenomena of trapped air at the head of the insect. I had great days with a bead head Hares Ear nymphs, soon after the idea hit the market. Now it seems the fish are somewhat conditioned to the bead heads...Or I am, one of the other. In any case the fish don't seem as hot for them as they once were. That is part of the evolution of technology. You have to stay on the crest of the wave to some degree. |
 Bead head Caddis Pupa |
A Bead head Caddis, fished well in the Deschutes (in Oregon), is very effective on very difficult fish. I've had wonderful evenings fishing fast water with short little casts, getting my nymph down to where the fish were. The trout would be holding and feeding in a few feet of fast water, and you could be within 6 feet of them, and neither of you would know it. It also takes repeated drifts to get one to move on your fly. I suspect it is a phenomena of the fish having a very short and narrow feeding lane. If your fly isn't in exactly the right place at the right time, he ignores it. After all the water is moving at 8 to 10 mph! You wouldn't expend energy to walk over to the next block to get a hamburger, if the same hamburger was going to come to your front door any second! The trick is, you have to be on the ball and ready because the hamburger is moving by your house very fast. You have to jump out and grab it aggressively! And they do! |
 X- legs Nymph |
Who knows why trout eat this fly. Probably because it looks buggy, and reminds them of a Stone fly Nymph. |
 Nymph |
This is a generic Mayfly Nymph that will catch fish. I tie it now with less tail. This one was probably tied 8 years ago. The smaller tail lets the fly sink in the water column faster. |
Stone fly Nymph |
I tie a few Kauffman Stones, and as well as some of the more exotic varieties of Nymphs, but this simple fly usually does as well with a lot less time at the bench. However, I've had some very rewarding evenings at the bench tying complex nymphs just for the fun of it. So, sometimes time spent is not a deterrent. It boils down to doing what you find fun and rewarding. |
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The classic "Brassy" is sometimes hard to beat. And a new variation that works very well in Caddis waters. |
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Chronimids can come in all shapes and sixes and colors. They are all very thinly tied. Very sparse is best, and a hard discipline to learn. |
Tying flies also keeps the sport active in times off the water. Some evenings I just feel like creating with my materials and spend some hours at the vise. Other times I go for months without tying anything. After all, I have many hundreds of flies tied, and in my boxes, ready to go... Far more than I will ever get to fish. Tying is done for pleasure, and replacing the favorites that "worked last year."
So I hope this has inspired you to take up tying or motivated some new ideas for you.
Copyright 1998 - 2008. Larry Bruning. All rights reserved. All pictures and text in this site are the property of Larry Bruning. You may not use the pictures or text, for any purpose except your own viewing pleasure, without written permission from me.
BWO extended body Parachute w/ new winging material
