Paul's April 2025 Fly of the Month

 Goeben's Goblin

Hook: Heavy Nymph Hook, Size #12.

Thread: Black 6/0 Thread.

Bead: Orange Silver Lined 4.0 mm Glass Bead.

Tail: 8-10 Furnace Hen Fibers. 

Body: Chartreuse Ultra Micro Chenille.

Collar/Hackle: Furnace Hen Feather.

This fly comes from fellow HFFA member Bill Goeben.  Bill is one of the most experienced fly fishermen and tyers that I know. He’s also one of the best fly-tying instructors out there.  This is one of his ‘go to’ flies in the spring.  With its Halloween colors, I’ve named it the Goblin.  Fish it like any other wet fly.

To tie this fly, debarb your hook.  Next, place your Orange Bead on it and place it in the vice.  Start your thread behind the bead and make 8-10 securing wraps. Cut off the tag end and bring your thread down your hook shank to the bend.  Tie in 8-10 Hen Furnace Fibers.   They should extend approximately a hook gap length from the hook shank.  Once secured, tie in your Chartreuse Ultra Micro Chenille at the tail tie in point.  Bring your thread down the hook shank and leave it behind the bead.

With your Chenille, make touching wraps up the hook shank to create the body of the fly.  Tie it off behind the bead with a few securing wraps.  Cut off the excess Chenille.  Prepare a Hen Furnace Hackle for your Collar.  Strip the excess hackle fibers from the base of the feather and tie it in behind the bead. Next, with hackle pliers, make 2-3 wraps behind the bead. Tie the Hackle off and clip off the excess feather tip.  Whip finish your fly and apply head cement if you desire.

 If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of The Month I can be reached at pdinice@frontier.com .

Paul's March 2025 Bonus Fly of the Month

 CDC Hendrickson Emerger

Hook:  Partridge SLP Size #12 or preferred curved emerger/nymph hook.

Thread:  Uni 8/0 Tan, Brown, or Wood Duck.

Shuck:  Dark Brown or Dark Dun Zylon, Antron, or Shuck Yarn.

Rib:  Copper wire. 

Body:  Turkey Tail Herl.

Post/Wing:  Dark Dun CDC.

Thorax:  Super Fine Hendrickson Pink Dubbing.

***This pattern can be modified to mimic any hatch by simply changing the dubbing color, post color, and/or shuck color.  Also when downsizing this fly for other hatches you may want to use Pheasant Tail Fibers for the body.

To tie this fly, start your thread a little behind the hook eye.  Lay down a thread base extending to the hook point.  Prepare your CDC wing.  For a size #12 fly use 4 CDC plums.  Align the tips of the feathers and tie them in with the tips extending over the hook eye.  They should extend about a hook gap length past the eye.  After 4-5 secure wraps, cut off the butt ends and wrap over what remains to form a smooth body base.  Continue wrapping down the bend so that you can tie in your Zylon or Antron Shuck.  After tying your shuck in, trim itso that it’s a hook gap in length.  At your shuck ‘tie-in’ point, tie in your Copper wire rib.  At the same tie in point tie in a few Turkey Tail Fibers.  Wrap your Turkey Fibers forward so that it remains flat and thin to create the body of the fly.  Leave a hook-eye space behind your wing, tie it off and remove the butt ends.  Next, make spiral wraps up the hook shank with your Copper Wire Rib.  Tie it off and ‘helicopter’ off the excess.

 Now, pull your wing back and with a series of wraps in front of it, affix it remains upright.  With your thread behind the wing, create a dubbing noddle with Hendrickson Dubbing.  Wrap in back and in front of your wing to create a thorax for your fly.  Whip finish your fly and your done. 

Dette Flies has a great video on how to tie this fly below:

If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of The Month I can be reached at pdinice@frontier.com .

Paul's March 2025 Fly of the Month

 Coyote Micro Dace

Hook:  Size #8 - #12 4X Long Streamer Hook.

Thread:  Black 6/0.

Body:  Silver or Holographic Silver Tinsel.

Belly:  White Bucktail.

Wing:  Coyote Fur over Black Bucktail.

Head:  Black Thread coated with Head Cement, Hard As Nails, or UV Resin.

While many fly fishers out there have concentrated on tying large articulated streamers in search of big trout, personally I’ve taken a different approach, tying and fishing smaller ones.  Many times, tied on a jig hook.  This fly is more of a traditional ‘New England’ type streamer.  Just tied on smaller size hooks.  I think the reason I’ve gone with smaller streamers is that it’s easy to fish them with small changes to my ‘euro-rigs’ on a lighter rod. 

To tie this fly, start your thread an eye length or two behind the eye and wrap back down to the bend.  Bring your thread back up to the tie in point.  You are now ready to tie in your Silver Tinsel body. Tie it in at your initial ‘tie-in’ point, wrap down to the bend, then back up to the ‘tie-in’ point.  Now make touching wraps up the hook shank.  Tie it off and cut off the butt end.  Traditional New England streamers are tied this way so that an even and slender body is created.

Next, prepare a small bunch of White Bucktail for your belly. The belly and wing materials should be on the sparser side.  Do not overdress this fly. To tie in the belly, invert the fly if you have a rotary vice, or do it manually. Tie it in under/behind the eye. It should extend approximately 2 hook gap lengths behind the bend.  Once secured you can cut off the butt end of the belly. Invert your fly again and tie in a small bunch of Black Bucktail for the first layer of your wing.  It should mirror the lower belly that you just tied in. Once affixed you can clip off the butt end and ‘clean up’ the fly head with thread wraps. 

Finally, prepare a bunch of Coyote Fur for your top wing.  Again, don’t overdress your fly.  The Coyote should have a mix of long guard hair as well as some under fur. Tie it in on top of your Black wing. Cut off the butt end and create a nice little head on the fly with your black thread. Whip finish it, cut your thread, and finish the head with head cement or UV resin. Your fly is done. One final note here. You could substitute other natural furs for the top wing, but I really love using coyote.  It not as stiff as Bucktail or as flaccid as squirrel.  Coyote has the perfect mix of stiffness and movement that makes this streamer attractive to fish.

Savage Flies has a great video on how to tie this fly below:

If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of The Month I can be reached at pdinice@frontier.com .

Paul's February 2025 Fly of the Month

 Grass Monkey

Hook:  Mustad 34007 Size #1.

Thread:  Black 8/0.

Eyes:  Medium Bead Chain or Nickle Dumbbell eyes.

Body:  Regular Size Estaz Tan Chenille.

Wing:  Olive Green or Tan Craft fur with stripes marked with a Permanent  Marker.

Flash:  Two strands of Gold Krystal Flash on each side of the wing.

Top Wing/Head:  Deer Hair with spun Head.

Why post this fly for the Fly of the Month since it was originally created for warm water species, like redfish, in southern waters?  I’ve posted it because it’s a great ‘Cross Over’ fly that works well for stripers.  It’s very similar to ‘kwan’ flies in that it can imitate a shrimp, a crab, or even a bait fish.  I’ve caught stripers on it.  Given it to friends that have fished Florida & Puerto Rico, and they caught a wide variety of species on it. 

To tie this fly, debarb your hook and place it in your vice.  You are going to mount your bead chain or dumbbell eyes approximately 1/3 down the hook shank.  Use

‘cris cross’ and figure 8 wraps to secure it to the hook.  I like to place a drop or two of UV Resin on my wraps to secure it firmly to the hook shank.  Next, bring your thread all the way back to the bend.  Tie in your Estaz Tan Chenille.  Palmer the Estaz forward with touching wraps, stroking the fibers backwards as you go.  Tie it off behind the eyes and cut off the excess. 

Now invert your fly in the vice.  Prepare a pencil size clump of Craft Fur for your wing.  Tie it in front of the eyes with securing wraps.  Smooth out the base taking into account tying in some Deer Hair for the top wing.  Using a magic marker, bar the Craft Fur wing.  Next, on each side of the Craft Fur Wing, tie in 2 pieces of Crystal Flash.  They should extend at least to the tip of the wing.  Prepare a chunk of Deer Hair fibers for your Top Wing.  Clip it from the hide and strip out the guard hairs and short fibers.  The Top Deer Hair wing should extend at least to the hook point.  Hold it in place on top of the Craft Hair wing.  Take 2 loose wraps and then tightly pull down to flair the butt end of the Deer Hair.  Wrap through your butts a few times with your thread.  Pull all the butts rearward and make some securing wraps in front of the deer hair.  Whip finish the fly.  While holding your Deer tips down, Trim down the butt ends of the Deer Hair to create a small circular head.  I add a drop of head cement to my Deer Hair head for extra durability. 

Trident Fly Fishing has a great video on how to tie this fly below:

If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of The Month I can be reached at pdinice@frontier.com .

Paul's January 2025 Bonus Fly of the Month

 Isonychia Wet Fly

Hook:  Fulling Mill 5085 Nymph Hook, Size #12.

Thread:  UTC Brown or Wood Duck 70 denier.

Rib:  Small Gold Ultra Wire.

Tail:  6-8 Pheasant Tail Fibers.

Dorsal Stripe:  White UTC 140 Denier Thread or White Floss.

Abdomen:  Isonychia-colored Dubbing.

Thorax:  Peacock herl 3-4 strands.

Collar:  Hen Feather, mottled brown.

If you’re a fly-fisherman here in CT, you should carry a ‘life cycle’ of Iso patterns in your fly box.  Why?  Because it’s a big fly and can be found on the water from late spring to mid fall.  How big is this fly?  Usually around a size #12 to #14.  I’ve previously featured Iso flies by Preston Jennings as the ‘Fly of the Month’.  This pattern is a variation of his flies. 

To tie this fly, debarb your hook and place it in the vice.  Start your thread with securing wraps a ‘hook eye’s length’ behind the hook eye.  Cut off the butt end of your thread.  Tie in your Gold Wire Rib and make touching wraps rearward.  Wrap down to the bend of the hook.  Next, advance your thread to the original ‘tie in’ point of your thread.  Prepare a half dozen or so Pheasant Tail Fibers for your tail.  The tips should be evenly aligned.  Tie them in for your tail.  They should be approximately a hook gap in length.   Bind them down on top of the hook shank wrapping rearward.  Once secured bring your thread up to the mid-point of the hook shank. 

Tie in your White Thread Dorsal Stripe.  Wrap your rearward to secure it, making sure you keep it on top of the hook shank.  Next, dub a slim Dubbing Noodle of your Iso Dubbing.  Dub the body up the hook shank to your initial tie in point.  Next, pull your white thread over the top of the body and secure it with a few wraps.  Cut off the excess thread.  Next, make open spiral wraps up the body with your Wire Ribbing to create a segmented body.  Tie it down and ‘helicopter’ off the wire.

Next, tie in 3-4 strands of peacock herl for your thorax.  Take 3-4 turns around the hook shank.  Remember to leave room for your Collar/Hen Hackle.  Secure it with a couple wraps of thread and cut off the excess.  Next, prepare your mottled brown hen hackle for your Collar.  Ideally, the fibers on the hen feather should be approximately a hook shank in length.  Strip off the lower fibers on the feather stem.  Holding the tip of the feather in 1 hand, strip the lower fibers rearward.  Snip off the tip of the feather and then tie it in right behind the eye of the hook.  Take 2 wraps of your hackle and secure it behind the eye.  Anchor the stem behind the eye.  Snip off the excess stem.  Make a few more wraps to preen back any forward pointing fibers.  Whip finish your fly.  Apply some head cement if you desire.   

Tightlinevideo has a great instructional video below: 

 If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of The Month I can be reached at pdinice@frontier.com .

Paul's January 2025 Fly of the Month

 Dirty Hipster Nymph

Hook:  Ahrex FW555 or Jig hook of choice Size #14

Bead:  Mottled Brown Slotted Tungsten Bead or Bead of Choice.

Weight:  (Optional) .015 lead free wire.

Tail:  Brown Hen Feather Fibers.

Hot Spot:  Orange or Red Glow Brite Floss or Thread.  Then coated with ‘Bone Dry’ UV Resin.

Thread:  140 Denier Thread in Olive or Brown or Wood Duck.

Rib/Flash:  Small Pearlescent Tinsel or Krystal Flash.

Body:  Hare’s Ear Dubbing.

Legs: Rubber. Legs.

Collar:  Mix of Dark Antron & Hare’s Ear Dubbing.

The Dirty Hipster was originally tied by a gentleman named John Newbury.  It is really a version of a Hare’s Ear Nymph on steroids. It has a ‘Hot Spot’, Flash, and rubber legs to help induce strikes.  You can tie it with various colors of Hare’s Ear.  It’s one of my favorite subsurface ‘Attractor/Searching’ patterns. 

To tie this fly, debarb your hook, place your bead on it, and put the fly in the vice.  Next, take a length of lead-free wire and make 10-12 touching wraps around the hook shank.  Push it up against your bead.  Start your thread behind the wire wraps to lock it in place.  Cover your wraps with thread leaving your thread down near the bend.  Tie in 3-4” of Floss.  I like to put my hot spot just below the hook shank under where my tail will be placed.  Once you create your hotspot, cut off the butt end of the floss and coat the ‘Hot Spot’ with UV Resin.  I like to use ‘Bone Dry’ for this.  Next, take 8-10 Brown Hen Fibers and tie it in for your tail.  It should be approximately a hook gap in length.  Next, tie in your Pearlescent Tinsel or Krystal Flash.

Now, create a thin Dubbing Noodle of Hare’s Ear, color of choice.  Dub a thin body leaving a small space behind the bead for your Legs & Collar.  Tie off your Dubbing Noodle and prepare 2 pieces of Rubber Legs for your nymph.  They should be at least 2” in length.  They will be trimmed when the fly is finished.  Tie them in at the mid-point, behind the bead, on each side of the nymph.  Adjust them so that they form a symmetrical X on the fly.  Next, dub a small noodle of Dark Antron & Hare’s Ear Dubbing.  With your noodle, take a wrap behind the legs, in the middle of the legs, and in front of the legs to form a dark collar.  Whip-finish your fly behind the bead.  Now trim your legs to form a symmetrical X.  I trim the rear legs so that they are in line with the length of the tail.  The front legs should be trimmed so that they are slightly shorter.  Your fly is finished.

Below is a video from The Fly Smith/ties flies on how to tie the Dirty Hipster:

If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of The Month I can be reached at pdinice@frontier.com .

Paul's December 2024 Bonus Fly of the Month

 Polecat Panfish Fly

Hook:  Mustad 3906b or Nymph Hook of preference Size #6 - #12.

Thread:  Black 6/0.

Weight:  (optional) .015 Lead Wire, 15 to 20 wraps.

Tail:  Black Marabou.

Legs:  Round Rubber Legs.

Under Body:  Wrapped Medium Yellow Chenille.

Fly Back:  Large Black Chenille.

I love fishing for ‘pan’ fish.  Its a lot of action and fun, and you can really hone in on your casting and ‘setting’ skills.  When you don’t have much time or want to travel far, head to your local pond and get away from it all.

To tie this fly, crush down the barb and place your hook in the vice.  If you want to weight your fly, take 15-20 wraps of wire around the hook shank, centering the wraps in the center of the hook shank.  Now start your thread behind the eye, take some securing wraps and then wrap down & over the lead wraps to the bend of the hook.  Wrap back and forth over the lead wraps.  End your thread back down at the bend.  Prepare a tuft of Black Marabou for your tail.  Preen and stroke the Marabou fibers back and tie it in at the bend.  Use spiral wraps up the hook shank to secure the fibers to the hook shank.  End behind the eye and cut off the butt end of the Marabou. 

Bring your thread back down to the bend to tie in your body.  Tie in a strand of Black Chenille.  Over that tie in a strand of Yellow Chenille.  When tying in these strands I strip off some of the material from the center core.  Next, bring your thread to the half-way point of the hook shank.  You are going to tie in your Rubber legs.  There will be a pair of legs on each side of the fly.  Take 2 strands of Rubber legs approximately 1 ½” long and secure them to the top of the hook shank with 2-3 wraps.  Now adjust the legs so that you have a pair on each side of the hook shank forming a ‘V’ on each side.  Now wrap your Yellow Chenille up the hook shank, wrapping it behind, in the middle, and in front of the legs all the way to the hook eye.  Tie off your Yellow Chenille and cut off the butt end.  Bring your Black Chenille over the top of the hook shank to create your ‘fly back’.  Tie it off at the eye of the hook and cut off the butt end.  Create a small head, whip finish, and apply a drop of head cement. 

 Dressed Irons has a great video on how to tie this fly below: 

If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of The Month I can be reached at pdinice@frontier.com .