(Click on photo for a full size photo)

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      MATERIALS

      Hook :  TMC 200R  Size 6 or 8

      Eyes : Large mono eyes

      Lead : .020 lead wire

      Body : Dark brown fur

      Tail :  Dark brown hackle fibers

      Hackle : Dark brown hackle of choice

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1.   Lay down a thread base on the hook back to slightly past the point where the hook bends.

2.   Tie in large mono nymph eyes about ¼ of the way back from the hook eye

3.   Tie in 1 piece of lead wire along each side of the hook.  Each piece should be tied in behind the eyes and extend back to the point where the tail is tied in slightly past the hook bend.

4.  Wrap thread back slightly past the hook bend and tie in a tail of brown hackle fibers.

5.  Dub a body of dark brown fur of your choice.  Dubbing should cover the back 2/3rds of the hook shank.  I like to mix a little sparkle in with the dubbing.

6.  Tie in and wrap hackle.  The hackle can be your choice of  dark brown hackle, brown dyed grizzly hackle, large grouse hackle, or brown pheasant feather (shown in picture of fly).

7.  Dub the remaining 1/3^rd of the hook shank, figure 8 dubbing around the mono eyes to cover the thread tie in point.

8.  This fly can also be tied in Olive or a light brown/cream color (which simulates a recently molted nymph).

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I have found this fly to be very effective for bass and panfish.  It will also work well for trout in lakes and rivers.  I will often add a small micro split shot if I need to sink it a little deeper than what the fly would sink with the weight tied in on the fly underbody.  This fly can also be tied in as a dropper with a small bass or a panfish popper.  I usually retrieve this fly with two shorts strips followed by a short pause.  Most hits are on the pause when the nymph sinks a little.

The PMD Cripple By Tim Scott
I think one of the most under rated fly fished in the late spring and early summer is the Pale Morning Dun or the Pale Evening Dun. But for argument’s sake let’s call it a Cream colored mayfly. Fly fishers sometimes don’t notice these bugs coming off the water, but boy the fish do!  

They dribble off the water sporadically throughout the day and into the evening and don’t make a great show, unlike other mayflies such as a Blue Wing Olive or Brown Drake. Most fly fishers notice the tons of Caddis when in the midst of them, a cream-colored sailboat floats by. You will be surprised if you ignore the Caddis and tie on a PMD Cripple. This fly has produced some very large fish in the middle of great Caddis hatches. My experience is Trout and even Smallmouth will key on these bigger bugs with an explosive reaction. I have pulled large fish from the banks of very small creeks in our area to check out this fly and eat.

This cripple pattern was developed by Kelly Galloup. This pattern is great to fish for both the dun hatch and during the spinner fall, because cripples happen at both ends of the life cycle. You will notice two parts of this fly. First, the side-bend hook shank makes the bug look as if it is crippled. The second is the wing is on tied to one side of the fly; this represents the look of a crippled mayfly where the wings lay on the water to one side of the body. The crippled look means easy pickings and an easy source of protein to any fish.

Try this fly in the next Caddis storm and you will be surprised that the larger fish could care less for Caddis and more for your protein cripple!
PS. Yes you can tie this for any mayfly species.

(Click on photo to see a full size photo)

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MATERIALS:

Hook: 12-14 TMC 100 Standard
Dry fly (hook bent to the side slightly to get a crippled fly look)
Tail: Micro Fibbets or plastic tailing material
Body: Cream Thread
Hackle: Hi-Vis tied on the side – posted – with cream hackle palmered behind the wing and to the eye – clipped on the bottom for a spinner The PMD Cripple

Fall Caddis By Tim Scott
If you live – well anywhere and fish – you need a good caddis pattern, or patterns. If I had only one fly to fish it would be a caddis. Everything eats them and they represent the majority of food source for trout in our waters and everywhere else. Trout will eat almost 20 caddis to one mayfly, so you better have some in your box….Elk Hair adults, emergers and of course nymphs. Here is one that works quite well.

While this pattern is designed for steelhead, this can be scaled down for trout and other fish. This is a great fly to fish during the spawning seasons. The big fish, salmon and steelhead, work the gravel throughout the river systems. When they make their redds, they kick up a lot of rock. In the mix, insects of all kinds are kicked up. Other fish behind the redds sit there and eat all the insects and eggs that float down. Hold on, you might get a 20 plus inch brown!

(Click on photo for a full size photo)

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MATERIALS:

Hook #6 -#12 2457 or equivalent
Thread 140 Denier – olive
Wire Fine gold, copper wire
Shell Back 1/8 inch scud back – light olive
Body Ice Dub – caddis / insect green
Legs black wet hackle undersized
Head Black Tungsten Bead

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1. Put the bead on the hook.

2. Wrap the thread back beyond the barb and down the bend. By starting your material on the bend it give the fly a curved profile.

3. Tie in the wire first then the shell back. You will fold over the shell back all the way up to the bead. The last move is to wrap the wire up to hold down the shell back.

4. Make a dubbing loop and add your ice dub into the loop. The trick to a good dubbing loop body is to distribute the ice dub evenly throughout the loop.

5. Spin up the loop and wrap the body forward to the bead. Leave a small amount of room for the wet hackle, shell back, wire and to finish the fly.

6. Take the wet hackle and tie in by the tips, make to or three wraps. The black hackle represents the legs of a caddis.

7. Split the hackle fibers away from the top of the fly; just pull them off to the sides. Then bring the shell back up over the top of the fly.

8. Tie the shell back down, between the hackle fibers and behind the bead.

9. Evenly space the wire as you wrap it forward. Watch out not to wrap down the hackle as you move forward to the bead.

10. Tie down behind the bead.

11. Whip finish

12. Go Fish!

 This is one of my favorite steelhead patterns, the Sparrow Nymph, which was originated by Jack Gartside many years ago. I think that the reason it works so well for me is that Wroblewski in Polish means Sparrow, but hopefully it will work wonders for you as well. It is an easy fly to tie, and uses very few materials.

(Click on photo to see a full size photo)

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MATERIALS:

Hook: Tiemco 3761 Size 8
Thread: 6/0 or 70 Den. color to match body of fly
Tail: Marabou fibers from the base of a Pheasant rump  feather
Weight: About 20 wraps of .015 lead wire or substitute
Body: Ice Dubbing
Hackle: Pheasant rump hackle
Collar: Pheasant after shaft feather

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Step 1 : Tie in thread just behind eye of hook. Lay a 4 inch piece of .015 lead wire on top of the hook shank, wrap thread over wire back to the hook barb, and then back to the tie in point. Wrap wire up to tie in point , cut wire, and wrap thread over wire back to the hook barb.
Step 2 : Cut a clump of marabou fibers from the base of Pheasant rump feather and tie in at the bend of hook. Tail should be about 1/3 length of hook shank.
Step 3 : Apply dubbing to thread and wrap forward to cover lead wire while building a tapered body at the front
Step 4 : Tie in the already used Pheasant rump feather by the tip, make 2 wraps, tie off and cut stem. The hackle fibers should extend at least to base of tail, but no longer than the tip of the tail.
Step 5 : Tie in a  pheasant after shaft feather, and wrap as a collar in front of the hackle. Clip feather, build the head, and whip finish.

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I prefer Ice Dubbing for the body. Favorite colors for steelhead in order are Chartreuse, Caddis Green, Peacock Black, Orange, Purple, Olive, Black, Hot Yellow, Brown, and Rust. Use dyed Pheasant rumps to match or contrast body color.

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