This page is a compendium of fly patterns that have been featured on this site as fly of the month. They are listed in the order in which they appeared as fly of the month, with the most recent on top of the list.
San Juan Worm Muddler Minnow Isonychia Breakout Emerger CDC & Elk CDC Micro Caddis Shop Vac Copper John Adams Chartreuse Skunk Floating Nymph Blue Winged Olive Emergers (2) White Wulff Blue Winged Olive Parachute light hendrickson hendrickson emerger light cahill light cahill emerger Healy's 2 stages of the BWO George's hendrickson ausable wulff and the haystack isonychia, 2 patterns George's favorites
San Juan Worm
San Juan Worm
The San Juan Worm is one of the simplest pattern to tie consisting of vernille (a very fine chenille), thread, and a hook. It imitates aquatic worms which are present in most streams. The most common colors are tan and red. Sometimes it is tied on a straight nymph hook and other times on a curved scud hook. I prefer to use red vernille and a curved scud hook.
Hook: nymph or scud hook size 14
Thread: use same color as the vernille
Body: vernille
Cover the shank of the hook with the tread and tie the vernille down at two points as shown in the photo. Using a match singe the ends of the vernille which will seal and taper them.
tied by Micheal Johnson, photo by Hans Weilenmann
Muddler Minnow
The Muddler Minnow is widely used and has many versions. Some are tied in the classic hair version, some with maribou, some with bunny strips. The picture above reflects the classic style with respect to its proportions although the feathers used on the wings and tail on the true classic version are a from brown and white striped turkey wing feathers as opposed to the lighter colors depicted in the photograph. The recipe below will be somewhat different but the proportions will be like those shown; however, instead of the turkey feathers we will use maribou which will be much fuller than the underwing hair fibers in this picture. This maribou will replace the wing and underwing of the classic version illustrated.
Hook: 4X long stone fly / muddler hook or substitute a streamer hook
Thread: black 6/0 (maybe 3/0 for tying the head and collar)
Tail: red hackle fibers or antron fibers tied the size of the hook gap
Weight: wrap lead substitute wire from the bend ¾ up the shank
Body: gold tinsel, preferably embossed, to cover the "lead"
Wing: dark gray or black maribou extending the length of the tail and tied fairly full using the tips of two maribou feathers; on each side of the maribou wing place two lengths of peacock herl running the length of the maribou
Collar: relatively fine dark natural deer hair such as coastal deer hair or comparadun hair
Head: same as the collar
If you have not attempted to spin deer hair in the past, it is not very difficult. There are several ways to tie the head and collar of a muddler but the technique shown in the following vidoe is about as easy as I have seen:
Hook: emerger hook, sizes 12 or 14 Thread: brown, 6X Tail: 3 peacock swords Abdomen: black/brown dubbing Wing: short clump of beaver fur (or similar fur) Wing Case: reddish brown synthetic dubbing with long fibers twisted to form a rope and tied in to form a wing case
Thorax: same as abdomen picked out on both sides Legs: brown Hungarian partridge or mottled hen
This pattern imitates the stage of th isonychia when it is breaking out of its shuck and the dun is just beginning to show. It is just beyond a floating nymph. Loren fishes it upstream in the film and doesn't use fly floatant on it but instead he puts floatant on the first few inches of his tippet.
CDC & Elk tied and photographed by Hans Weilenmann
CDC & Elk
Hook: standard dry fly, sizes 12 to 18 Thread: brown, 6X or 8X depending on size Body: tip portion of a CDC feather Hackle: brown mottled hen fibers tied as a beard Wing: remaining portion of the CDC feather
After covering the shank with thread select a CDC feather stroke the CDC fibers together towards the tip and against the quill. Then tie the feather by its tip to the hook just before the hook bend. Spiral the thread back to the eye. Now wrap the feather forward without twisting to form the body. As you get to the half-way point you will start to free fibers as you wrap. Fold these back towards the hook to move them out of the way and wrap to just behind the eye thereby creating the hackling of the fly. Tie down and cut off the CDC stem. Now select a small bunch of fine elk or deer hair, remove the under fur, and stack them to even the tips. Holding the bundle near the tips measure the hair so that it goes no farther than the bend of the hook and snip the butts off at the point where they meet the front of the eye. Take one and a half wraps around the bundle puling straight up and then bring the thread around to complete the second wrap. Next bring the thread around at a 45 degree angle working it down into the bundle. With that done lift the butt up and make a couple of tight wraps around the hook shank under the butt. Then tie off around the hook shank with 3 or 4 turns of the whip finisher. To see a video of this fly being tied go to the link below:
Pattern by Ronald Leyzen, Fly and Photo by Hans Weilenmann
CDC Micro Caddis
Hook: dry fly hook Thread: size 12 or smaller, color to match body Body: fine dry fly dubbing or similar, color to match caddis species (the photograph shows the fly tied with dyed mole fur dubbing) Wing: CDC (not an oiler puff), color to match species tied at 45 degrees as per instructions below
When tying the wing take the CDC feather hold the butt with one hand and slide the other hand up the feather to bunch the tips, and then tie down with the tips facing forward over the eye. The tips will be folded back over the body so allow for the proper length. Then trim the butt section of the CDC to allow a small "stump," about a quarter of the shank length (This step is crucial as the stump will ensure that the wing and body remain seperate when fishing the fly). Fold the CDC tips back over the body and tie them down at about 45 degrees above the body.
When fishing this fly tends to hang the body under the surface film while the wind floats on top so it works well on fish taking emerging pupae or adult caddis. This fly is also a very useful BWO pattern.
Shop Vac
Shop Vac
Hook: scud hook size 16 or 18 Bead Head: brass Thread: black 8/0 Body: 4 or 5 pheasant tail fibers, less for size 18 Ribbing: small copper wire (counter wrapped) Wing: white antron Collar: peacock herl
The materials are listed in the order they are tied.
Copper John
Copper John
Hook: wet fly hook - sizes 12 to 16 Bead: gold Thread: black 6/0 or 8/0 (based on size) Tail: brown goose biots Abdomen: wire - color of your choice, medium for 12 and 14, small for 16 Flash: pearl flashabou Wing case: black thin skin Thorax: peacock herl Legs: Hungarian partridge or similar feather Coating: Five Minute Epoxy over top of thorax
Tied by Harald Weidler, Photo by Hans Weilenmann
Adams
Hook: dry fly hook size 10 to... as small as you can tie it Thread: black 6/0 or 8/0 (based on size) Tail: hackle fibers, grizzly and brown mixed Body: muskrat or gray dry fly dubbing Wing: a pair of grizzly hackle tips Hackle: one grizzly and one brown, mixed
The Adams is one of the most popular dry flies tied in either the Catskill form as shown above, or tied in a parachute manner in which case you would substitute a white post for the hackle tip wings.
Chartreuse Skunk
CHARTREUSE SKUNK
Hook: Daichii 1260 curved hook 2x long in sizes 10-18 Thread: chartreuse 6/0 or 8/0 (based on size) Tail: white calf tail or antron Body: chartreuse thread built up Ribbing: gold wire Wing: bleached coastal deer hair Legs: small or medium yellow or green rubber legs (based on size) Hackle: grizzly
Floating Nymph
Floating Nymph
Hook: Light scud/emerger style in #14 to #20 Thread: 8/0 Dark brown, Brown, Camel Abdomen : color to match natural, or Hareline chocolate thorax: Same as Abdomen Post: Antron Wing: Light dun to Dark dunn hackle Rib: Small to Xtra small depending on hook size Shuck: Brownstone antron, or Olive brown Zelon
Tied by Harry Wallace, photo by Hans Weilenmann
Blue Winged Olive Emerger
Hook emerger size 18 to 22 Thread olive 8/0 Tail wood duck flank fibers Abdomen olive or brown dubbing to match natural Ribbing fine copper wire Wing dun CDC oiler puff Legs wood duck flank fibers Head dark dun or black dubbing
tied by Bruce Salzberg, photo by Hans Weilenmann
Blue Winged Olive Emerger
Hook emerger size 18 to 22 Thread olive 8/0 Abdomen olive dyed hackle quill or olive dyed goose biot Wing 2 natural dun CDC feathers Thorax fine medium olive dubbing
White Wulff - photo by Hans Weilenmann, tied by Jack Pangburn
White Wulff
Hook dry fly size 12 or 14 Thread black 8/0 Body white poly yarn Wing white calf upright, divided Hackle badger (white with black along the stem) Tail white calf tail
Blue Winged Olive tied by Charlie Craven - photo by Hans Weilenmann
Parachute Blue Winged Olive Parachute
hook: sizes 18 and 20 dry fly hook thread: size 8/0 or smaller gray tail: light dun microfibetts Body: medium olive or gray olive superfine dubbing wing post: dun dyed poly or other wing post material hackle: dun dry fly hackle
Light Hendrickson by Steve Williams, photo by Hans Weilenmann
Hendrickson Dry Fly
hook: dry fly sizes 12 and 14 thread: primrose (pale yellow) 8/0 wing: wood duck flank or lemon dyed mallard tail: medium dun barbs or microfibetts body: hendrickson tan dry fly dubbing (sometimes called hendrickson pink) hackle: medium dun
Hendrickson Emerger tied by Tim Didas, photo by Hans Weilenmann
Hendrickson Emerger
hook: emerger or scud sizes 12 and 14 thread: olive 8/0 tail: wood duck flank fibers or lemon dyed mallard body: hendrickson tan dry fly dubbing wing: snow shoe rabbit dued dun hackle: lightly dubbed CDC head: small amount of the dubbing
CDC Light Cahill Dun
"Orange" Cahill Dun
Light Cahill & "Orange" Cahill
The photos and these recipes were submitted by Joe Rist. The light cahill is an important fly in this region and usually begins to appear around mid June and will occur well into August. If you are fishing a tailwater you are more likely to find light cahills in the lower section since they apparently do not favor the colder water.
The orange cahill is another cahill which occurs on the Delaware and the Beaverkill, and will be present in the colder water sections of a tailwater. It also appears in June but lasts until mid September, and is a good fly for blind casting when searching for fish.
CDC Light Cahill Dun
hook: dry fly size 14 thread: primrose (pale yellow) or cahill (light) tan 8/0 wing: natural dun CDC tail: cream or light dun microfibetts body: light cahill dyed stipped goose biot When tying the biot show the ridge to immitate segmentation
"Orange" Cahill Dun
hook: dry fly size 14 thread: yellow 8/0 tail: barred natural mallard flank wing: web material mottled (or mottle with a bown marking pen) cut to shape or use a wing burner body: yellowish orange to cream dubbing, or amber turkey biot hackle: light ginger or ginger
Biot Light Cahill Emerger
Biot Light Cahill Emerger
Light Cahill Emerger
Emergers are always a good choice when hatches are under way. Trout will will often favor emergers over duns knowing that they are easier to catch. The picture on the right shows how the wings are split.
Biot Light Cahill Emerger
hook: curved light wire emerger hook size 14 thread: cahill (light) tan 8/0 body: cahill tan goose biot* wing: light dun CDC - split wings to form a "V" shuck: ginger zelon with mallard flank fibers on top
* The biots used in these recipes provide segmentation which produces a more realistic appearance; however, dubbing can be substituted if you don't have cahill dyed biots available.
