St. Vrain Angler Presents

Helpful Fly Tying Tips

Learning to tie split tails will help with tying small, delicate mayfly dries. Here's how to do it. Start thread at half way point of the hook and wrap back until it hangs over the barb of the hook - )or where the barb was; I think the barbs should be removed from all trout flies, so there). Do not cut the tag of thread! Select two fibetts and tie them in on top of the hook, then move thread forward to 1/2 point of shank. (that's what you see in this picture.

Now, pull the tag of thread forward between the two fibetts. Manipulate the thread a bit to get the two fibetts to split the way you want, then tie the thread down and move it back over the fibetts to tighten them. With a little practice, you'll be able to do this well. The picture on the left shows the thread being pulled through the fibetts.

Use the split fibett tails for a variety of BWO adult and emerger patterns, from a basic RS2 to thorax and other adults. Here are a few patterns you can tie. Have fun.

This is a loop wing emerger. Tie the pattern in 18-24 to match the size of the flies you see on your waters. The tail is a split micro fibett, the body is stripped peacock quill. The thorax is peacock palmered with dyed olive grizzly hackle and the loop is CDC. 1. Remove the barb from a standard dry fly hook, such as a TMC 100, 101 or Montana Fly 7000 or 7001. Follow the directions above to mount the tail. 2. Select a relatively wide peacock feather and strip the base of all the herl. Tie the stripped portion in where the tail is tied in and wrap forward. If you left the top half of the peacock quill with  meherl, just tie the quill off and leave the remainder. 3. Select a nice CDC feather and tie it in by the tip with the curve up. Prepare and tie in the hackle, then wind the peacock forward and palmer with the hackle. 4. Pull the CDC over the top and tie down with one or two wraps of thread behind the eye of the hook, then puff up with your scissor blades so there is a "loop". Now tie the CDC down tightly and trim the hackle on the bottom (see the upside down version) if you want the fly to ride very low in the water.

Options: use brown or olive antron for the tail as a shuck imitation; use hen material for the hackle if you'd like the fly to sink beneath the surface to imitate a stillborn mayfly; use white or dun antron for the loop wing material. Be creative.

As a nymph or emerger pattern, give the One Feather Fly. This is a wonderful pattern that is similar to a Pheasant Tail nymph, which is easy and economical to tie. Use a single mallard flank feather that is dyed to the color of your choice to tie the pattern. Instead of using the fluff on the bottom for the thorax, try using dubbing or peacock herl. Vary the width and color of the wire you use to tie the fly. This fly is best tied in small sizes - say 18 at the largest.

1. Use a standard dry or nymph hook; remove the barb, put in the vise and start the thread at the half way point on the hook shank. Wrap thread back so it hangs over the barb. 2. Select the mallard - or wood duck - flank feather you'll use. Long fibers are a good thing. Where the fibers are nice and thick, even the tips of 6-8 fibers and clip them off near the stem. Measure so they will be equal in length to the throat of the hook and tie in with one wrap of thread, then tie in wire with one wrap. Gently pull the fibers back over the bend of the hook and wrap thread forward over the wire end. Wind the fibers forward to create the abdomen, then tie off excess and rib with wire. I like to reverse wrap the wire for durability. 3. Move the thread forward to the back of the head of the fly and select about 6-8 fibers as you did for the tail. This time tie them in so the tips extend over the eye of the hook; these will make the legs of the fly. Keep the excess fibers on top of the hook shank and wrap thread back so it makes the fibers go slightly over the abdomen. 4. At the base of each feather there is lots of fluff. Pick bits of it out and dub onto the thread. Use a little bit of wax to secure dubbing material to the thread. Wind the dubbing forward to the back of the head. With your thumbnail, push the fiber tips back over the eye of the hook toward the tail and split them, then pull the excess fibers between them to create the wing case. Tie down, trim excess material and whip finish.

Vary the colors you use; try adding a bead, as the sample at the right shows (which also used peacock herl under the wing pad); use a bit of flash for the wing case on darker patterns; be creative and have a fine time tying and fishing this basic pattern.

In the past there was a fly tied that called a Hair Wing dry. The pattern had a split tail - usually a wad of spade hackle fibers - a dubbed body with the front half palmered with hackle, and an elk wing tied in front of that, similar to an Elk Hair Caddis. The fly was tied in a variety of sizes and dispositions. In the recent past, the one that has been most popular and useful is the Green Drake pattern. This is a nice pattern, but has never "sold" well for us. I think the fly is a bit of a crossover in that it looks like a caddis but says it is a mayfly. Maybe it's confusing for folks, I don't know. The point is that I've liked the fly and wondered a bit how to make it work. Here's what I cam up with. I've been fishing with it a little and it floats well, is visible and best of all, the fish seem to like it. Basically, I replaced the elk with CDC and trimmed the fly down a bit.

Split micro fibbett tails - just like the other patterns we've discussed - and a thread or dubbed abdomen, depending on the size of the fly. Palmer hackle through either a short or longer area of the thorax, depending on how high you'd like the fly to ride - or how fast/slow the water might be. The picture at the right shows the wing being tied in from the top view. You can see that the tips are over the front of the eye and the thread is at the back of the head. Pull the tips back and tie down where the thread is, then trim the base of the feather to length. Combine CDC and antron for the wing and leave it whatever length you like. I'd consider varying the length a bit - maybe tying them on the long side and trimming them down while you are fishing if the trout are taking emergers more than adults. Make sense?

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