The Parachute Griffith's Gnat

     It's my belief that anglers fish flies that are way too big. Whether their fishing nymphs or dries, most anglers would have more success if they downsized their patterns. I've gotten in the habit of collecting naturals from the streams I fish and am surprised every time I do just how small they can be, and in some cases how much smaller they are compared to the patterns I would choose to imitate them. A common reason anglers choose bigger flies over tiny one's is that they are easier to see which is especially true with small dry flies. But unfortunately when a picky trout wants a small insect they could care less how bad your eyes are! They don't care if you can see a small fly or not, they can! 

     If I had to pick one small dry fly an angler could use to build confidence in fishing small flies it would be a Griffith's Gnat. Just like a Stimulator does a great job of imitating many larger insects the Griffith's Gnat is a great fly to imitate the smaller one's. With that being said if I had to pick one small fly that was nearly impossible to see on the water it would also be a Griffith's Gnat. Despite it's usually diminutive size which doesn't help matters, a standard Griffith's Gnat sits so low in the surface film it practically disappears. This is both a blessing and a curse to the angler as it's low stance in the water is one reason I think it's so effective.  It was with this problem in mind that I sat at my vise one night after a day of fishing, or rather trying to fish, standard palmered hackle Griffith's Gnats to a pod  of "Smutting" Trout. 

     I usually end a days fishing at the vise tying more of a pattern that worked or tweaking one that did not and that night it was the Griffith's Gnat that needed some tweaking. After a few failed attempts I settled on the pattern below. By turning the fly into a parachute pattern I had a Griffith's Gnat that would still sit low in the surface film like the original but remain highly visible even in the smallest of sizes. I also replaced the peacock herl body of the original with more durable and flashy synthetic peacock dubbing that adds added life and attraction.    

     Unfortunately I didn't invent the Parachute Griffith's Gnat but that night at the vise you would have thought I did! I personally love small flies but yet another reason that others do not is they hate tying them! Not only is a Griffith's Gnat a good entree into fishing small flies but also a good entree to tying them. After all, the only difference between a big fly and a small fly is their size. As far as I'm concerned if you can tie 'em big you can tie 'em small and with a Parachute Griffith's Gnat you can fish 'em small too!

-Parachute Griffith's Gnat-

Hook: Daiichi 1110 sz. 20-26

Thread: Black Veevus 16/0 

Body: Blend of Peacock Ice Dubbing and Peacock Wapsi Nymph Life Cycle Dubbing

Post: Flourescent Orange Poly-Yarn

Hackle: Grizzly Whiting

The San "Bomb" Worm

     Some anglers and fly tiers absolutely hate worm patterns. A common rationale for this being they are too much like bait that lesser anglers might chuck with their Ugly Sticks. I completely understand their aversion to live bait fishing and live bait fisherman, but bait fisherman also use live crayfish and shiner minnows. Imitations of these "baits" however don't garner anywhere near the same disgust that a worm pattern does. So what gives? I think that anglers dismiss them because most worm patterns are painfully simple and require limited skill to tie. There's a reason the classic San Juan Worm is included in nearly every beginners guide to fly tying! It's a far cry from a fully dressed salmonfly but it's effectiveness far exceeds it's simplicity. 

     We all know that simple flies catch fish and let's not forget that a fair amount of know-how is needed in order to fish them properly. Regardless of how you feel about them, novices as well as pro's can benefit from having a few red and pink worm patterns in their box. I came up with my San "Bomb" Worm while tying some flies for my last outing of 2013. Snowmelt had significantly bumped the flows up and stained the water slightly so I knew it would be a good idea to bring a few worm patterns along. It did the trick and netted me my last trout of the year. It may look like a standard San Juan Worm but hidden under the flashy dubbing is a Ribbed Tungsten Scud Body from Hareline. The pink dubbing acts like a giant hot-spot in stained water and the tungsten body ensures it will plummet to the depths in the heaviest of flows. Once it gets wet the ribbing of the scud body shines through for an added effect. I also added a tiny bit of Clear Cure Goo Hydro at the base of the chenille where it touches the hook to stiffen it slightly preventing it from fouling around the hook gap.

-The San "Bomb" Worm-

Hook: Partridge CZN sz.16

Thread: Red 8/0

Worm: Red Standard Chenille (Singe the ends)

UnderBody: X-Small Hareline Ribbed Tungsten Scud Body With A Layer Of Lead Foil For Good Measure!

OverBody: Big Horn Pink Wapsi Sow-Scud Dubbing

Get Stoned This Winter (3 Patterns For The Early Black Stonefly Hatch)

     I was standing on the bank of a local stream one unusually warm winter day quietly scanning a pool for signs of life when I felt something crawling down the back of my neck. It had only been a year or so since I had started my fledgling journey in Fly Fishing and my still fledgling journey in Trout stream entomology, so I was curious as I reached around and plucked the bug from my neck. What could be hatching on this cold and otherwise lifeless day? As I looked down into my hand I caught a fleeting glimpse of a small black bug with ashen wings before it took flight from my thumb. I figured it wasn't anything to important and I headed upstream to another stretch of water flanked with boulders and rocky shelves. As I carefully made my way onto one of the snow frosted rocks I looked down to check my footing. Silhouetted against the snow like sprinkles on a sundae were what looked like the same tiny black bugs I had seen earlier. On a hunch I climbed off my snowy perch and went back down to the pool where I first noticed them and when I arrived the fish had started to notice them to!

     The dark little bugs crawling around that day I later learned were Black Winter Stoneflies and I've made sure to set aside a row or two for them in my winter box ever since. However many anglers don't acknowledge their importance at all, whether because they don't elicit the feeding frenzy of Trout like other bugs do or simply because a lot of fly fisherman put their rod's up when it starts to get cold. This is a mistake since Black Winter Stones are the first real insects of the year to emerge aside from Midges for example that are available to the fish year round. These little Stoneflies are an important early season food source though, and when their active, might be just the ticket to move a sluggish Trout. I've come up with the three patterns that follow to cover them from top to bottom and if you find yourself on the stream between January and early April give them a try. 

-Winter Stonefly Jig Nymph-

     A Winter Stonefly nymph is probably the best fly to fish when their active. You could use a standard Pheasant Tail or Black Copper John but that wouldn't be any fun! 

Hook: Umpqua C400 BL sz.16 

Thread: Black 8/0

Bead: Black 5/64in. Slotted Tungsten 

Tails: Moose Body Hair

Abdomen: Brown Midge D-Rib

Thorax: UV Black Micro Polar Chenille 

Wingcase: Black 1/8in. ScudBack

-Soft Hackle Winter Stonefly-

     Early Winter Stoneflies don't hatch like other insects do that rise up to the surface and break out of their nymphal cases while they drift in the film. They instead make their way to the bank and crawl out of the water onto a rock or log where they emerge or "molt" into an adult. For this reason it's a good idea to have a wet-fly imitation you can swing from midstream over to the bank. 

Hook: TMC 3761 sz.16-18

Thread: Black 8/0

Tails: Moose Body Hair

Abdomen: Brown Midge D-Rib

Thorax: Black Hare's Ear

Hackle: Dark Speckled Hen Hackle

(You could hide a few turns of lead or a brass or small tungsten bead in the thorax if you like)

-Winter Stonefly Adult-

     Early Black Stonefly adults deposit their eggs by flying over the waters surface or by crawling onto it. One way or another they find their way onto the water and can cause the Trout to rise in the dead of Winter!

Hook: TMC 200R sz.16-18

Thread: Black 8/0

Tails: Moose Body Hair

Abdomen: Black Superfine Dubbing

Wing: Light Dun Poly Yarn Mottled With Permanent Marker

Hackle: Black Genetic Clipped On The Bottom

Keep Your Scissors On A Leash

     In the early years of my fly tying career I got by with a handful of "drugstore" scissors meant for trimming fingernails or taming pesky nose hairs! Looking back now they were probably better suited for the bathroom than the tying bench but my ever resourceful self got by until my tying got more serious and I needed to invest in a nice pair of micro-tip tying scissors.

      It's been argued that there are two schools of fly tiers, those that keep their scissors in hand while they tie and those that do not. I'm a member of the latter school and it wasn't long before I dropped my pair of shiny new tying scissors, bending their ultra fine points and breaking my heart!

     From that day on I've kept my scissors on a lanyard and wear it around my neck while I tie. It keeps them close by and most importantly secure! I need only grab them when I need to make a cut then let them dangle back when I'm finished with them. Happy Tying!

For open loop scissors like those from ANVIL, place a small plastic zip-tie on the loop to attach the lanyard.

Cutting Corners (Whip Finish Tool Modification)

     You don't have to be a production tier  to make your time at the vise easier and more efficient. This little modification to a standard whip finisher is one way I've found to combine a few steps in the tying process.

      If you watch enough tying videos you may have seen a whip finisher with a built in thread cutter at the end. This is an innovation developed by legendary tying tool designer Frank Matarelli. From what I understand these dual purpose whip finishers were never sold and instead were given as gifts from Frank to friends and tiers he admired. 

     If you haven't found yourself as one of these worthy recipients you can do what I did and make your own! All you need is a Matarelli style whip finisher and a file or a Dremel tool in my case. Carefully sharpen the bottom tab being careful not to remove too much material. Once you've created a decent edge it can be further honed with a sharpening stone. Happy Tying!

The Barred Baetis Using a Few New Materials

     Let me start by wishing my readers a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday season and I hope Santa brought you all some shiny new tackle to set-up or some new tying materials to help you combat cabin fever! Under my tree Christmas morning were piles of new materials which I'll be using this year to develop new patterns and spice up old favorites!

     The first two materials I've gotten around to using are the "Barred Mayfly Tails" and "Barred CDC" from Hareline. Before I go into the materials and the fly I have to give a shout out to Casters Online Flyshop. I had ordered the Mayfly Tails in Light Dun but was sent the Barred CDC in Light Dun, which I hadn't ordered, by accident! An honest mistake so I called Casters who I had never shopped with before until now. They picked right up when I called and apologized for the mix-up. Not only did they send out the Mayfly Tails right after I talked to them but also told me to go ahead and keep the CDC they had sent by mistake! I will definitely be ordering from them again soon! 

     One thing I will say about ordering materials as opposed to going to a flyshop and picking them out yourself is that what you get may be different than what is pictured. The Barred Mayfly Tails for instance are a darker light dun than I expected and the Barring on the CDC and the Mayfly Tails is not as well defined in person as it is in the photo. This is something to keep in mind when selecting materials especially natural ones that are not all created equal.

     With that being said here's a small CDC parachute Blue Winged Olive Dun that I think looks great with the new tails and CDC. BWO's are somewhat "dismal" little bugs with their smokey wings and drab olive bodies which is fitting since they tend to hatch on gray and gloomy days. They are important year round and even now during the winter they can be counted on to bring trout to the surface. Aside from Midges, and Black Winter Stoneflies (which I'll be covering in another post), BWO hatches can provide a nice change of pace from nymphing for instance even in the colder months.               

     Having a good selection of standard hackled parachute patterns in your box is always a good idea but having a few with CDC hackle is an even better one. Save those bushy hackled flies for rough water and burly mayfly species like Hendrickson's. For me, the soft and delicate footprint of the CDC hackle suits delicate little bugs like BWO's best. CDC Parachute flies alight gently on the surface and compliment the slow methodical fishing of winter beautifully.

Hook: Standard Dry Fly sz.18(shown)-24

Thread: Uni 8/0 in Olive Dun

Tails: Hareline Barred Mayfly Tails in Light Dun, 4 split 

Abdomen: Olive Stripped Peacock Quill coated with CCG Hydro

Thorax: BWO Superfine Dubbing

Wing/Post: Poly-Yarn in Light Dun

Hackle: Hareline Barred CDC in Light Dun, spun with split thread technique

NOTES: As I mentioned above the Barring isn't as prominent as I would like and is also hard to see in the photo. I have clipped the hackle in the front and back also.