This is a great
attractor dry fly pattern. It originated
from the NY Catskill area. It floats
like a cork and is easy to see on the water.
It’s also a very easy tie. Some
tie this fly without a tail. Others use
a hackle tip for the tail. I prefer to
use Hackle Fibers for the tail, similar to what you find on a traditional dry
fly.
Begin by placing
your hook in the vice. Start your thread
behind the eye and make touching wraps down the hook shank to the bend. Cut off the butt end of the thread. Next, prepare your tail fibers. Take 8-10 fibers for your tail and tie them
in at the bend. They should extend
beyond the bend approximately 1 hook shank in length. To keep the body smooth, I wrap the fibers up
the hook shank and stop behind the eye, then cut off the butt ends. Bring your thread back down to the bend.
Prepare your Size 14
Brown Hackle for the rear 2/3rds of the fly. Tie it in with the dull side facing forward
(towards the eye). Wrap you hackle
2/3rds up the hook shank (leaving the last 1/3rd for your White Hackle). Tie it off and clip off the excess. Prepare
your White Hackle. When you tie it in do
so with the shiny side facing towards the eye.
Once secured wrap if forward stroking the fibers back as you go. Tie it off behind the eye, clip off the
excess hackle, and whip finish your fly.
You're done.
East Rosebud Fly & Tackle as 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
.
Antenna:
Round
White, Brown, Black or Orange Rubber Hackle.
Abdomen:Woven Black & Yellow Chenille.
Throrax:Black Chenille.
Hackle:Grizzly, Brown or Black saddle hackle.
This
nymph is a big piece of meat that represents Stone Flies.When trout hit it they clobber it!What’s also unique about this fly is that you
weave the Abdomen with 2 colors of Chenille.The key to weaving this fly is to apply ‘equal’ pressure on the Black
& Yellow Chenille to keep the Yellow on the bottom of the fly and the Black
on the top of the fly.
To
start this fly, de-barb your hook and place it in the vice.Take your lead wire and make touching wraps
from the point of the hook shank to 2 ‘eye’ lengths behind the eye.You’re pretty much wrapping lead down most of
the hook shank.When fishing this fly
you want to make sure it gets down in the water column.The naturals crawl along the stream/riverbed.
Start
your thread behind the eye and secure the front part of your lead wraps.Wrap over the lead and secure the rear
portion of your lead wraps.Essentially,
you’re creating thread damns behind both sides of the lead wraps.With the thread behind the eye of the hook,
tie in 2 pieces of rubber hackle to represent the Antenna.They should extend beyond the eye
approximately ¾’s length of the hook shank.Next bring your thread to the rear and tie in your 2 pieces of
Tail.They should be the same length as
the Antenna.Bring your thread to the
middle of the hook shank and tie in your Black Chenille on the ‘far’ side of
the hook.Wrap down to the bend to
secure it on the hook.Bring your thread
back up to the mid-point of the hook shank and repeat the process with your
Yellow Chenille on the ‘near’ side of the hook.
Bring
your thread up to the 2/3rds point of your hook shank.The length from the bend to the thread tie
down point represents the length of your Abdomen.Begin weaving your Abdomen by taking your
Black Chenille and placing it over the hook shank.Take your Yellow Chenille and place it under
the hook shank then over the Black Chenille on the other side of the hook
shank.Now place your Yellow Chenille
under the hook shank, and the Black Chenille over the hook shank.Now place your Yellow Chenille over the Black
and back under the hook shank.The key
is to apply steady pressure to keep the Yellow Chenille on the bottom and the
Black Chenille on top.Weave the body up
to the thread ‘tie in’ point.Tie off
both colors of Chenille on top of the hook shank.Now, only cut off the Yellow Chenille.
You
are now going tie in your Brown Hackle for your legs.Size it so that the legs proportionately suit
bbthe size of the nymph.Tie it in by the base of the feather on top
of the hook shank.Now wrap your Black
Chenille forward and back creating a broader Thorax than your Abdomen.Tie it off an eye length behind the eye.Next, palmer your hackle forward making spiral
wraps up the Thorax.Tie it off behind
the eye.Cut off the butt end and finish
the fly by creating a thread head behind the eye.Whip finish the fly and apply some 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 .
Thread: 140 Denier or 6/0, Black
(for head) & Red (for rear tie in point).
Weight: .020 or .025 Lead Wire or Lead Free Wire.
Body: Medium Silver or Pearl Mylar Tubing with cotton core.
Back & Tail: Rabbit Zonker Strip in color of choice.
Saddle Hackle/Collar:
Red Saddle Hackle or color of choice.
Head: Black Thread.
Adhesive: Head
Cement or UV Cure Resin.
Zonkers are a staple in my fly box. You can tie them in any color. Some Fly Tyers use different body materials. I’ve chosen to tie my Zonker here in a
‘Classic’ style with Mylar Tubing for the body.
Been doing them that way for years.
To tie this fly, place your hook in the vice. Take your Wire and take 8-15 wraps on the
hook shank. ‘Helicopter’ off the butt
ends. Position the lead at ‘mid-shank’
on the hook. Start your red thread on
the hook and wrap over the lead securing it in place. Bring your thread down to near the bend of
the hook over the barb. Noe prepare your
Mylar Tubing with cotton core. Cut it to
a length a hook shank and a half in length.
Pull out the cotton core. Now
slide it onto the hook shank and let it extend beyond the bend by letting the
end of it fray. You can help it fray
with a bodkin or the points of your scissors.
The frayed end should extend about a hook gap length beyond the
bend. Pinch the end with your left hand
and secure the tubing to the hook shank with 6-8 tight wraps of your
thread. Now half hitch it and apply a
drop or two of head cement or UV resin to lock it down.
Align your Rabbit strip on top of the hook shank. Again, it should be approximately a hook
shank and a half in length. I usually
tie mine to extend a little further than the frayed end of the Mylar
Tubing. Preen the Rabbit strip hairs apart
to create a tie in point. Take 8-10 securing wraps with your thread. Lift the rabbit strip and take some securing
wraps in front of the tie in point. To
lock it in place you can half hitch your thread over the Zonker and hook shank
or apply a drop of UV resin. I do
both. Cut off the butt end of your Red
Thread. Sweep the excess Rabbit strip
reward.
Next, squeeze and push the Mylar Tubing up over the
eye. Trim it even with the eye. Pull your Tubing back a little bit and start
your black thread behind the eye of the hook.
Once secure cut off the butt end.
Push the Tubing forward and secure it with wraps of thread behind the
eye. Trim the excess Mylar strands with your
scissors and create an even & flat thread base for your hackle and
head. Take your saddle hackle and strip
off the webby fibers. The hackle fibers
should be just under a hook shank in length.
Tie it on to the body head with the shiny side of the feather facing you. Cut off the butt end and place your thread in
the middle of the head. Sweep he hackle
fibers rearward and take 3-4 wraps around the hook shank. Secure the hackle with 3 wraps of your thread
and snipe off the excess. Take a few
more thread wraps to sweep your Collar back.
Bring your Rabbit strip forward. Like you did at the rear, part the hair
fibers to create a tie in point at the head.
Now take wraps to secure your Rabbit strip to the hook shank. Cut the excess Rabbit strip off at an angle
in line with the hook eye. Cover the butt end with thread wraps creating a tapered
head. Whip finish the fly, cut off the
butt end of your thread, and apply Head Cement or UV Resin.
Tightlinevideo has a great instructional 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 .
Tail:3 strands ofAmber or Root Beer Krystal Flash.
Body:Amber or Brown Ultra Wire.
Under Body:Tan or Brown Ostrich Herl.
Thorax:Peacock Ice Dub.
This is a great subsurface fly that can imitate caddis and
some mayflies. To tie this fly place
your bead on the hook and hook in the vice.
At the hook mid-point tie in your strands of Amber Krystal Flash for
your tail. You’re going to wrap back
mid-way down the bend. The tail strands
should extend about ½ the hook shank. Next,
tie in your Brown Ultra Wire behind the Bead and wrap down to the tail. At the tie in point tie in your Tan Ostrich
Herl. Wrap the Ostrich Herl 2/3rds up. After
making some secure wraps, tie it off and cut off the butt end. You are now going to make touching wraps up
the hook shank with your wire. When you
do this wiggle the wire back and forth to that the Ostrich Herl fibers extend
between the wraps.
After reaching the 2/3rds point on the hook shank, make 5-6
securing wraps and ‘helicopter’ your excess wire off from the hook shank. For your Thorax, create a small dubbing loop
of Peacock Ice Dub. Wrap your dubbing
loop forward and end behind the bead.
Make some securing wraps, whip finish, and cut off the butt end of your
loop. Your fly is complete.
Bob Reece has a great video on how to tie this fly at:
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 .
Bead:Gold Slotted
Tungsten to match hook size.(For Size
#14 7/64”).
Weight:(For Size #14)
Body/Thread:Rusty
Brown 6/0 or 140 Denier.
Tail:Medium Coq De Leon Pardo 4-6 fibers.
Rib:Red Ultra Wire, Small.
Coating:Body & Ribbing coated with UV Resin (Alternative ‘Hard
as Nails’).
Collar:Tying Thread coated/colored with Black Magic Marker or
Black tying thread.
This is a great
nymph that can be tied in smaller sizes and is an easy, fast, tie. In fact, fly
tying doesn’t get much easier than this.It can also be tied in a variety
of colors.Place your jig hook and bead
in the vice.Start your thread behind
the bead.Give it a few securing
wraps.Cut off the excess thread.Wrap your thread down to the bend.Next, tie in your Coq De Leon Tail.It should be no longer than a hook shank
length beyond the bend.Cut off the butt
ends.Now tie in your Rib Wire. I like
to capture it behind the bead and wrap it down to the bend.
Create a uniform
tapered body with your thread.Now wrap
your rib forward creating a segmented body.Tie it off behind the bead and ‘helicopter’ off the excess.Next, you are going to create a Black Collar
behind the bead.You can do this 2
ways.Either coat/color your thread with
a Black Magic Marker, or use Black Tying thread.Next, coat the fly body with UV Resin and
cure.(An alternative is to coat it with
‘Hard as Nails’).Whip finish the fly
and you’re done.
Tightlinevideo has great info and tying instructions for 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 .
Hook:Daiichi 2461 Long
Streamer Hook Size #2 or Streamer hook of choice.
Thread:Danville Flat Waxed
Nylon 210 Denier in Black.
Cone:Brass Cone Heads Copper Large (1/4”).
Weight:(Optional) Lead Free Round Wire .025.
Tail:2 married Brown Marabou Feathers flanked by 1 strand of Gold
or Copper Tinsel on each side.
Body:Brown UV Polar Chenille in either Gold or Copper, twisted
with a Brown Schlappen Feather, and twisted with an Olive Schlappen Feather.
Veil:Bruiser Blend Dubbin in ‘Hidden Treasure’,
Brown or Olive color.You can also use Lazer
Dub in Brown/Olive.
My friend Chris Parisi introduced me to this fly this past
winter.The Result - It has caught a lot
of trout for my friends and I this past spring (2024).It’s a big piece of meat.With the cone head and added weight, it really
gets down during times of high water.It’s
one of my ‘go to’ streamers when I have to get deep.
To tie this fly, begin by placing the Cone Head on your hook
and the hook in your vice.Next, if you
want to weight this fly, take 8 to 15 wraps of .025 wire around the hook
shank.Push the wraps forward to lock in
your Cone Head.Start your thread behind
the Wire wraps to secure it.Then, cover
your wire wraps and the hook shank with thread.Prepare 2 Marabou Feathers for your tail.Marry them together and tie them in at the
bend of the hook shank.They should
extend 1 ½ hook shank length beyond the bend (more or less depending upon your
personal preference). Do not cut off the
butt ends.Wrap your thread down the
hook shank over the butt ends to create a uniform body.You can then trim off the excess Marabou
butts.Next, tie in 1 strand of Copper
or Gold Tinsel on each side of the tail.
Now prepare your Schlappen Feathers and UV Polar Chenille
for the body.Stroke the fibers of each
feather back leaving a small tie in point at the tip of the feather.Align the tips of the 2 feathers together and
place the Polar Chenille in the middle.With
the tips of all 3 items (2 feathers and chenille) aligned, tie them in at the
tail ‘tie in” point.Capture all 3 with
a pair of hackle pliers and twist them together.After 5-6 twists, take a comb or toothbrush
and brush out any fibers that may be trapped.You now have a nicely prepared rope of body material.Wrap it forward until you are behind the
cone.Tie it off with your thread with
securing wraps and a few half hitches.Trim
off the excess material.
The final step of this fly is to add a veil to the cone
head.Take a clump of Bruiser or Lazer
Dub and pull & stack it between your fingers a few times.Take the prepared clump and place it right
over the Cone.Surround the cone with the
material and tie it down at the ‘half way’ point of the clump.With tightening wraps, secure it behind the
cone head.You want to surround the cone
with this material.If needed, repeat
the process to adequately cover the cone.After securing it, pull back the material extending over the top of the cone
so that all of it flows ‘rearward’.If needed,
create a small dubbing noodle of the same dubbing, and wrap it behind the cone
head.Whip finish the fly.With a comb or toothbrush, brush the dubbing
material rearward.Your fly is finished.
Fly Fish Food 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 .
Abdomen:Semperfli Classic Waxed Thread – 8/0-
Olive Dun. Finished with UV Resin or Hard as Nails.
Wing Case:UTC Flashback Tinsel - Black.
Thorax:Arizona Synthetic Dubbing Peacock.
Hot Spot:Red UTC Ultrathread 70 Denier .
This fly was
developed by Lance Egan of Fly Fish Food.To tie this fly begin by placing your bead on your hook and your hook in
the vice.Next, wrap 6 to 8 turns of
lead around the hook shank.Push those
wraps into the bead to help secure it.Break off the excess.Start your
thread behind the wire to help lock your wire in behind the bead.Next, wrap over your wire and create a tapered
body, ending your thread near the bend of the hook.Tie in your tail of 8-10 fibers of Coq De
Leon fibers.The length of the tail
should be approximately 2/3rds of the hook shank.
While maintaining a
tapered body, tie in your 6/0 White Uni-Thread for your ribbing material.Counter wrap your Thread up the hook shank to
create a segmented body, ending behind the bead.Tie off your Olive Thread.For durability, coat your fly with UV resin of choice or Hard
as Nails.Next, start your Red UTC Thread
behind the bead for your hot spot.Tie
in your Wing Case of Flashback Tinsel.Once tied in, create a dubbing noddle of Arizona Peacock for your
Thorax.After dubbing your Thorax, stroke
it out a bit with a dubbing brush.Now pull
your Wing Case forward and tie it off behind the bead.Cut off the excess and create a small ‘hot
spot’ collar with your red thread. Whip finish your fly and you're done.
Fly Fish Food has a great
instructional 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, please contact me at pdinice@frontier.com .
