Paul's April 2024 Fly of the Month

 Jeff's Little Rainbow Trout

Hook:  Mustad  79580 or 4X streamer hook of choice Size #2 - #10.

Thread:  Black Danville Flat Waxed Nylon & UTC 70 Denier.

Belly:  White Bucktail

Body:  Silver Mylar Flat Tinsel. 

Wing:  Cream or White Bucktail over which is Hot Pink Bucktail, topped with 5-6 strands of Peacock Herl.

Throat/Beard:  Red Saddle Hackle Fibers.

Cheeks:  Wood Duck feather tips.

Head:  Black Tying Thread finished with Head Cement or Hard As Nails.

Sometimes there are flies in your box that are great patterns, have produced a lot of fish, but get forgotten over time.  For me this is one of them.  At least 20 years ago I fished the Connetquot River with friend Jeff Purcell.  Jeff landed fish after fish on this fly.  Recently, I used it on the Farmington River and did quite well with it.  It’s tied in the ‘classic’ manor of New England Streamers.  That means dressed sparsely with natural materials.  The most successful way to fish this fly is to dead drift it, mend, and briefly dangle it where you expect fish to be.  If that doesn’t work, try varying strip retrieves.  This is a killer streamer!

To tie this fly crimp the barb and place it securely in your vice.  Start your thread an ‘eyes’ length behind the eye and wrap down to the bend.  Cut off the butt end of your thread.  Tie in your Silver Mylar Tinsel, then advance your thread up to your starting point.  With touching wraps, palmer your tinsel forward and tie it off at your initial thread starting point.  Tie off your Tinsel and cut off the butt end.  Next, tie in your White Bucktail Belly.  If you have a rotary vice, simply turn your fly upside down.  If you don’t have a rotary, remove your fly and reaffix it in your vice.  Do not overdress your fly.  The Belly should extend slightly longer than the hook bend.  Trim the butt ends of your Belly and again rotate your fly.  Now, using the same quantity of Bucktail (Cream or White), tie in your wing.  It should be the same length as your Belly.  On top of that tie in an equal amount of Hot Pink Bucktail.  Again, the same length as your cream or white Bucktail.  Now tie in 5-6 strands of Peacock Herl, Equal length as your wing.

Reverse your fly 1 more time and tie in your Red Saddle Hackle fibers for your Throat/Beard.  It should be approximately a hook gap in length.  Reverse your fly to tie in your Wood Duck Feather Cheeks.  I stroke back these feathers and tie in the tips on each side of the fly.  They should be a hook gap in length on each side of the fly.  Cut off the butt ends and using your thread, build up a substantial black head for your fly.  Painted or 3D eyes are optional if you want to add them to the fly.  Finally, with Head Cement, coat your finished head. 

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 2024 Fly of the Month

 Marabou Black Ghost

Hook:  Mustad  79580 or 4X streamer hook of choice Size #2 - #10.

Thread:  Black Danville Flat Waxed Nylon & UTC 70 Denier.

Tail:  Yellow Schlappen/Saddle Hackle.

Rib:  Silver Mylar Tinsel. 

Body:  Black Floss.

Throat/Beard:  Yellow Schlappen/Saddle Hackle.

Wing:  White Marabou plume/feather (Optional – topped with 3-5 strands of Peacock Herl).

Head:  Black Tying Thread finished with Head Cement or Hard As Nails.

This fly is a variation of a very traditional streamer pattern.  It’s one of my favorites.  Easy to tie and very productive everywhere it’s fished.  Originally designed in the Rangeley Region for land locked Salmon and Brook Trout. 

To tie this fly place your hook in the vice and start your thread an ‘eye length’ behind the eye of the hook.  With touching wraps, wrap down to the hook point. Cut he tag end of the thread.  Now tie in your tail with approximately 20 Yellow Schlappen/Saddle Hackle fibers.  The tail should be about a ½ hook shank in length.  Don’t cut off the butt end.  

Next tie in your Silver Mylar Tinsel Rib, then your Black Floss.  Although your tie in point is where you’ve tied in your tail, the butt ends of the Tinsel and Floss should extend to where your thread starts behind the eye.  The purpose of this is to create a ‘uniform’ and even body.  You are now going to wrap your thread forward to create that even body.  Now wrap your Floss forward and tie it off behind the eye.  Palmer your Tinsel forward creating spiral wraps down the body.  Tie it off behind the eye and cut off the butt end.

Now tie in your Throat/Beard on your fly.  Again, about 20 fibers should do it.  It should be approximately slightly less than a hook shank in length.  Cut off the butt ends once your Throat is secured.  Next, prepare your White Marabou by stroking it rearward.  You may want to dampen it a little bit.  Measure it against the hook shank so that it extends about ½ way down the tail.  Using the ‘pinch’ method, secure your wing down behind the eye.  Cut off the butt end of the Marabou.  Using your thread, create a uniform head for your fly.  Whip finish and apply head cement or ‘Hard as Nails’ to the head of the fly.  

Dressed Irons 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 .