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 .