Paul's December 2025 Fly of the Month

 Carrot Soft Hackle Nymph

Hook:  Size #12-#14 2X long nymph or wet fly hook.

Thread:  6/0 Uni-Thread in Black or Orange. 

Tail:  Black Hen Hackle Fibers.

Body:  Orange Silk or Floss.

Thorax:  Small Black Chenille.

Hackle:  Brown or Black Hen Hackle.

I love fishing soft hackles and I love fishing flies with Orange features.  It’s a ‘classic’ wet fly that I’ve found particularly effective during sulphur and caddis hatches.  I’ll usually pair it with another wet fly and fish it in tandem.

To tie this fly start your thread behind the eye and lay a thread base to the bend of the hook.  Cut off the tag end of your thread.  Next, tie in your tail of Black Hen Feather fibers.  Use 10-12 fibers and tie them in so that they extend beyond the hook bend a ‘hook gap’ in length.  Wrap your thread forward over the tail butts to create a tapered uniform body. 

Now tie in your Orange Floss.  Tie it in at the front of the body and wrap down to the bend.  Bring your thread back up the shank and leave it approximately 2 ‘eye’ lengths behind the eye.  Wrap and form the body with floss and tie it off with the black thread.  You should have created a nice, tapered body. 

Next, for your thorax, tie in a length of Small Black Chenille.  Take 2 wraps of the Chenille around the hook shank and tie it off.  Cut off the butt end of the Chenille.

Prepare a Black Hen Hackle to represent the legs of the fly.  Strip the bottom feather fibers from the feather.  Tie the feather in, concave side facing down towards the hook. Take some tight securing wraps.  Take 2 wraps around the hook shank while preening the feather fibers rearward.   Tie the feather off and clip off the excess hackle.  Take additional securing wraps while stroking the hackle fibers rearward.  Create a nice, tapered fly head.  Whip finish the head and apply some head cement. 

Savage Flies has a great video on how the tie the Carrot Nymph 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 November 2025 Bonus Fly of the Month

 Sexy Walt's Worm

Hook:  Trout Legend Jig Hook (or Jig Hook of choice), Size #14.

Thread:  70 denier or 8\0 Fluorescent Orange.

Bead:  3 mm tungsten bead, in Silver or color of choice.

Rib:  Pearlescent Krystal Flash or thin Sulky Opalescent Tinsel.

Weight (Optional):  8-10 wraps of .020 lead-free wire.

Body:  Natural Hares-mask dubbing mixed with Antron.

Hot Spot/Collar:  Fluorescent Orange Thread.

Walt's worm was developed in 1984 by a fly tyer named Walt Young of Altoona, PA.  This fly is so simple, yet it’s in my top 5 flies of all time.  Why is it so effective?  Well, it can imitate a variety of things, including sow bugs, scuds, and fresh water shrimp.  It is also an excellent representation of a caddis pupa.  Try tying it in a Natural Hares dubbing and Olive Hares dubbing.  For an alternative ‘Hot Spot’ you can also use Chartreuse Thread.

To tie this fly, insert the hook point into the small hole on the bead.  Slide it forward down the hook shank to the eye.  Next, take 5-10 wraps of lead free wire around the hook shank.  ‘Helicopter’ off the excess wire and slide the wraps against the bead.  This should lock it in place.  Start your thread on the hook shank immediately behind the wire.  Take securing wraps rearward, then cut off the tag end of the thread.  Now take thread wraps over the wire up to the bead and back down the hook shank. Next, tie in your Pearlescent Tinsel.  It should extend beyond the back of the hook bend.  After securing it use your thread to create a smooth ramp up to your wire. 

Now, with your thread back at the bend of the hook, dub a slender dubbing noodle with your Hares Ear/Antron Dubbing.  You can make your own dubbing mixture or purchase one of the many commercial mixtures that are available.  With your dubbing noodle, take wraps forward to create a smooth carrot shaped body.  End it immediately behind the bead.

With your ribbing material, take open spiral wraps up the body of the fly.  Tie it off behind the bead.  Cut off the tag end.  Secure your tying thread with additional wraps and whip finish to create your ‘Hot Spot’.  Finally, cut off the tag end of your thread.  

Tightlinesvideo 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 .