I love thinking about bugs and flies, on my mind as of late are the BWO’s that I’m sure I’m missing while stuck at work during the height of the day. One pattern that looks the part, easy to tie and gets great results down here is the standard WD-40 pattern. I like it for a couple reasons, the slim body, the wood duck feathers and it’s an easy, speedy tie that anyone can master quickly. With that said my box has plenty of WD-40′s in it, I’ve stuck with a #16 because it is the most representative of the full mature Baetis nymph. Thinking about bugs and flies I began to think about a WD-40 Brassie pattern that I’ve put together here, later I found that others have had the same revelation.

The WD-Brassie (W.F.F. Variant)

• Hook: 1x Short Scud #16
• Thread: Olive 70 Denier UTC
• Tail: Lt. Olive Woodduck
• Body: Hot Yellow SM Ultra Wire
• Thorax: Black Mink Fur
• Wing-Case: Lt. Olive Woodduck

Things to note: to get a truly seamless body with the wire and to get the correct proportions, tie in the SM Ultra Wire near the hook eye and have it mirror the curve of the hook along the side facing you (not on top) and secure it back to the hook barb. When tying in the woodduck tail DO NOT clip the excess wooduck free (this will result in a bump making the wire wraps one too thick at the tail), rather wrap your thread over the woodduck to the point where you begin the thorax and wing-case. Leave it sticking out here and wrap the ultra wire forward, by keeping everything even up the length of the body the wire has a seamless resting spot with no bumps from materials that were tied in and cut free and you can use the woodduck from the tail to make the wing-case without tying more in. Using Mink fur was an experiment, I see future potential. The guard hairs are excellent but this was a challenge to dub with for the first time. I like the color contrast and I think the Hot Yellow will set the trout off, alot of our Baetis nymphs are either a darker olive/black or the light, almost translucent olive color. I’m thinking that the sun hitting the wire will appear like one of the translucent olive colored nymphs.

Slide Show

After some careful consideration I have decided to submit the Hairball pattern as my entry in the Montana Fly Company design competition through the Outdoor Blogger Network. This pattern has really served me well these last couple of months and before that proved its effectiveness in the latter half of last season. Developed as my submission for the 2010 Pet-Fly Smackdown this fly has taken all three specie of trout here in Southeast Minnesota (Brook, Brown and Rainbow) and fishes well under varying conditions. I fish this pattern as a mini-streamer with a twitched or stripped retrieve as well as on the swing with a down and across presentation, it has also proven itself as a great lead fly in a two fly nymph rig dead drifted. I love the fact that I can fish different types of water with different presentations quickly with the Hairball, one moment it can be a streamer the next it can help get a nymph rig to the bottom of a deep run. This pattern is quick and easy to tie, subtle without too much flash and deadly effective. If your interested in more from the MFC check out their facebook page and add them to your list of friends.

This pattern was my entry for the 2010 Pet-Fly Smackdown, a friendly competition between fellow anglers involving a fly made incorporating some material from a pet you own. This fly has been fishing rather well this season and as such I’ve gotten a few requests for the pattern, this should be one better than just listing it. The Hairball can be fished as a mini-streamer with a stripped or twitched retrieve, it’s effective when fished on the swing and makes a great single or lead nymph in a two fly rig. I tie it rather heavy so it sinks quickly, a necessity on some of our creeks. Recently I’ve been experimenting with different color and bead combinations that will hit the streams in the coming months as spring arrives and the trout put on the feed bag. I should also clarify something, in previous posts I have referred to a #10 or 12 Hairball.  When developing this pattern I first tied it with a SM Black Conehead on a #10 or 12 2X Long Nymph hook. After fishing it a while I tied a few other batches with a larger but shorter #8 2X Short Scud hook. After fishing both I have abandoned the smaller longer hook and will continue tying this fly on the larger #8/10 2X Short Scud Hook, I feel the larger hook gap is needed. The bead will inevitably change over time, I’ll use what I have handy and I enjoy changing things, trying new combinations but for the record the original pattern calls for the 2x Short Scud hook with a black bead. You may see the old version pop in from time to time but that’s me just fishing out whats in my boxes. Enjoy the video for the W.F.F. Hairball.

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I’m guilty of jumping the gun. I have the information available to me but with zeal I just sat down and began tying. I’m pleased I found tying these flies more enjoyable, it came a bit easier this time and makes knowing that I have to do it all over again that much more tolerable. According to those in the know my hackle is far to light for these to pass as Dark Hendricksons. I may end up taking a razor blade to them to save the hooks or I may attempt them anyways just to see, maybe the lighter bodied flies will pass as Lt. Hendricksons. They may end up in a box somewhere, I’ll pull them out 10 years from now and exclaim its the “Dumbass Hatch!” Anyways, learn from my mistake as I must. Do your research before you reach for your nice dry fly cape.

Slide Show

I woke yesterday with options. I saw Liz out the door and off to work. I had the choice to fish but the strong winds and already pretty cold air temp of ~4degrees by 8am made up my mind for me. I have my limits you know. So what to do with the morning off but brew coffee and tie flies. The question…what to tie? I’ve been watching this video again and again and it’s getting to me. The only problem here is the standard dry fly, I suck at tying these damn things and I’ve got a mental thing going on that has allowed me to avoid them. I spent the first hour of daylight sipping coffee and sucking it up. I whipped out 1/2 dozen in a reasonable time of ~40minutes and was actually a bit surprised. I think they will do the job and they don’t look all bad. The hardest aspect of this fly for me is getting the wings positioned properly. I have to admit I kind of enjoyed tying them and will be at it again soon, as I ‘ve been told practice makes perfect…

With the remaining portion of my morning I took care of business. I cleaned the kitchen. The stove, microwave, counter tops, vacuumed and even did a bit of laundry. My home is primarily heated with a wood pellet stove of which it consumes a few hundred lbs of hardwood pellets every week, especially when it’s cold enough to keep me home tying flies rather than fishing. I finished the morning by hauling 400lbs from the barn to the porch. Gotta keep the lady of the manor pleased with me, she after all allows me to fish like a non-stop fool, attends TU meetings, fixes my clothes and puts up with trout talk all the time. She deserves it for sure. Next thing she is getting is a pair of breathable waders though. Not a bad morning save the lack of trout smell on my hands.

Slide Show

Cream Caddis Pupa

• Hook: #16-18 1x Short Scud
• Thread: 50 Denier White GSP
• Body: Cream Yarn
• Legs: Partridge
• Thorax: Brown Ostrich Herl
• Head: Black Bead

Nothing to brag about here, just taking my materials and using them to create a traditional pupa pattern. I twisted a peice of craft yarn very tightly before palmering it forward. The legs are partridge and are applied by notching a V in the end of the feather and placing each side of the V on either side of the hook and tying it in. To finish the fly tie in a stretch of brown/grey/black ostrich herl and wrap it forward making sure to brush the fibers back as you wrap forward, tie off and whip finish. Below(left) is an example of the same fly without twisting the yarn before palmering it forward. The other image is of the finished product the way a trout would see it, wet. Sometimes we forget to think about it as the trout see it. Wet. Get your flies wet. Look at them in a large glass of water, tie a stretch of tippet to it, what moves? What doesnt? How does the water change the color? Are air bubbles trapped? Things to think about.

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Bodyglass Caddis Pupa

• Hook: #16-18 1x Short Scud
• Thread: Varies for the Body Color
• Underbody: Thread/Sulky Thread
• Overbody: Clear Stretch Cord
• Legs: Partridge
• Thorax: Natural Dubbing
• Head: Black Glass Bead

The pattern I tied this from can be viewed here. Thanks to Switter’s B I am exposed to a large variety of tiers that keep the creative juices flowing. Lucian Vasies tied the fly that I took inspiration from before sitting down at the vise to tie these flies. I did change a few things, I didn’t use ostrich herl for the the thorax and I tried different materials for an underbody with these flies. The fly pictured above uses Tan tying thread to form the underbody and clear stretch cord to form the overbody. You can use stretch tubing but you won’t get the exact same result because stretch tubing contains a hollow center useful for some applications but if used here would lay flatter rather than the nice round looking humps. I also experiemented with Sulky thread for an underbody, on some of the patterns I left the Partridge legs out and went with more of a “shroud” of loose synthetic dubbing that I picked out with an old dental pick I’ve filed down to a sharp point (a favorite tool of mine).

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The W.F.F. CDC Midge Pupa

• Hook: #20-22 2x Short Scud
• Thread: 70 Denier (Olive Shown)
• Underbody: Thread
• Gills: 1/2 CDC Puff
• Thorax: Natural Dubbing
• Overbody: .5mm Stretch Cord

Peeping Cased Caddis Larva

• Hook: #12-20 Nymph
• Thread: 70 Denier Black
• Case: Cream Hen Soft-Hackle
• Body: Caddis Green Dubbing
• Legs: Black Hen Hackle
• Head: Black Thread

I tied a bunch of these attempting to imitate the various Caddis larva found in our Driftless Area streams. The hen hackle that forms the case was palmered very tightly/thickly. The hackle is then trimmed to shape, here I attempted to create a square case, nature is difficult to imitate. After the fly was finished I colored the case with Bic Mark-It Permanent Markers to match similar colors found on stream.

Peeping Cased Caddis Larva (Variant)

• Hook: #12-20 Nymph
• Thread: 70 Denier Black
• Rib: SM Silver Ultra Wire
• Case: Cream Hen Soft-Hackle
• Body: Green Ultra Chenille
• Head: Burnt Chenille

The only change with this pattern from the one above is something I’ve seen done many times before, simply adding a small section of Green Ultra Chenille after the rib has been counter wrapped and tied off to form the larva body. The head is formed by lightly singeing the end with a lighter, be careful not to burn too much of the chenille. I also lifted the chenille up and tied my thread off underneath giving it a permanent lift and clearing the hook eye at the same time.

Peeping Cased Caddis Larva (Beaded Variant)

• Hook: Mustad 37160 #16-20
• Thread: 70 Denier Black
• Rib: SM Copper Ultra Wire
• Case: Brown Hen Soft-Hackle
• Body: Olive Beads
• Legs: Black Hen Hackle Fibers
• Head: Black Thread

We have a wide variation in the size, shape, and color of the cased caddis larva that inhabit our waters as with most streams. This is an attempt to imitate some of the larger fatter curved cased caddis larva that I find frequently on some of our streams. I used Olive colored beads for the body of the peeping larva and although I’m not confident the color choice was correct (I will be taking samples and finding out the proper color for the larva in the coming months) I do think this will catch trout. The case is formed again by palmering hackle then trimming it to shape afterwards. I love the Mustad 37160 and felt the amount of curve I wanted would not come from a standard scud hook so I turned to my stash of 37160′s to do the job, this hook rocks.

Cased Caddis Larva

• Hook: #12-20 Nymph
• Thread: 70 Denier Black
• Rib: Pearl Krystal Flash
• Case: Cream Hen Soft-Hackle
• Head: Black Thread

This pattern was left un-colored for assessment later on stream. I’ll carry a few markers with me and make a color choice when in the field and adjust this fly accordingly. I used flash rather than wire for a rib simply for variation, the wire will likely hold up longer but I’ll loose the fly for some unforeseen reason long before the flash rib breaks. Keeping it simple I left out the peeping portion of the caddis, they are not always sticking out of the cases and in fact most cased specie of caddis seal themselves inside the case during the initial phase of pupating.

Others: