Some Flies From the Big "U"
By Mike Hogue
Recently I purchased a copy of Randall Kaufman's "Fly patterns
of Umpqua Fly Merchants". If you haven't picked up a copy of this one
yet, I'll try to save you a few bucks in this article by reviewing a few
patterns from the book I think are particularly attractive or interesting.
Most of these flies aren't really "new" patterns. These flies
are simply twists to another idea or pattern. If you think about how some
these twists were made to "standard" patterns, you may be able
to come up with some new combinations yourself or expand upon an idea. In
this sense, the patterns become unique in that they offer some incite into
the creative process. As a side note I have converted all of the patterns
to Mustad equivalents, the originals are all TMC hooks.
Harry
Murray, author of "Fly fishing For Smallmouth Bass" has created
a dry fly which in his eyes is unbeatable. He calls the fly "Mr. Rapidian".The
Mr. Rapidian resembles a cross between a sulfur, an Adams and a Wulff. I
have no idea what this fly is supposed to match but it could fill a gap
between your Humpy-Adams-Wulff selections. I would image the size 18 is
a difficult tie with the kip tail wing. Try z-lon as a kip substitute...remember my magic marker tip ? As a parachute this
might be pretty good also.
Mr. Rapidan
Hook: Mustad 98480 sizes 12-18
Thread: tan or olive 6/0
Wing: yellow kip tail
Tail: Dark moose body
Body: yellowish tan dubbing
(try mixing 50/50 yellow rabbit/natural beaver)
Dennis Black
founder of Umpqua, came up with this one while on a road trip down under
to
New Zealand. The fly is called the "Possie" nymph and as a bead
head , it has become quite popular with several of our Southern Missouri
neighbors (ie Eleven Point/ North Fork fans). The fly itself is constructed
entirely out of Australian Opossum and looks very similar to Whitlock's
Red Fox Squirrel nymph. I have some nice pieces of Aust. Opossum on
the order info page if you don't already have some. E-mail for beads..usually
have some of those too...always seems like I run out at the wrong time.
Possie Bead Head Nymph
Hook: Mustad 3906B size 12-16
Thread: Black 6/0
Bead: 3/32 -brass
Tail: Natural Australian Opossum (w/Guard hair)
Rib: fine copper wire
Body: Dubbed Aust opossum
Collar: Australian Opossum spun in a dubbing loop
Randall Kaufman 's hatching midge is a CDC clone
of the old standby Griffith's Gnat.
(And Kaufman didn't think I'd notice). In some respects this fly may fish
better than the original as it can be fished as an emerger and dry. If you
find you have trouble tying small flies, here's a few hints...
1) lengthen your materials-small flies do not necessarily mean using short
materials.....
2) make fewer wraps with your thread... lots of thread makes the fly look
clunky
3) take your time between steps, as rushing will frustrate you .
Kaufman's Hatching Midge
Hook: Mustad 98480 size 18-22
Thread: Black, Tan , Dun ,Olive,White 8/0 or 12/0
Rib: Fine silver wire
Tail: Sparse bunch of natural dun CDC
Body: Thread( from above...most common is black)
Thorax : Peacock Hurl topped with CDC as a back
Hackle: Palmer wrapped grizzly throughout the thorax
Theo
Bakelaar is a tier from Holland. Bakelaar is largely credited with the bead
revolution and at one time wore a gold helmet at tying demonstrations (
ie a gold bead head....get it?) Many of his patterns appear each year in
the new Orvis catalogs which arrive in my mailbox in the environmentally
friendly 50 pack! What the exact history of this fly is I don't exactly
know. Maybe the Glider took a dive and Theo came up with this one so he
wouldn't have to get a day job. More than likely this fly is an update to
the old standby- the prince nymph.
Danger Baby
Hook: Mustad AC 800250 size 12-16
Thread: 6/0 Black
Bead: Gold 3/32 -brass
Tag: Chartreuse 6/0 thread
(Pattern says use flex-body which I have never heard of before so sub thread
.)
Body: Peacock herl-for a durable body add zap-a-gap ( super glue) as a base
then double wrap the hurl from the head back to the tail
Wing: Z-lon brown, olive or gold or color white w/ a marker
Just
to show you that you don't have to be famous to scam an old standby here's
one of mine. This fly is a total rip-off of Dan Bailey's 1938 classic "The
Spuddler" which he adapted from
MN/Wisc (?) native Dan Gappen. For those folks which hate working with quill
(that's me) the spuddler is a perfect muddler type fly. It can be fished
as a hopper, sculpin or dace type pattern. This is a very productive pattern
for larger trout and bass. Last summer I spanked two Big Browns on MN's
Trout Run with a lead eyed version while the famous R.Hopper Uff-da ( real
name withheld) got skunked matching the caddis hatch. Please don't call
my fly hardware or hand grenades again. The original is now part of the
Mike's Fly Hall of Fame & Shame ( I save flies from really bad and good
days).
above photo by Martha Hogue
Mike's Spuddler
Hook: Mustad 3366 size 4 or 6 (for Bass), Mustad 9674 size 4-6
Thread: Black 6/0
Tail: Seal Brown kip tail or sub the red/orange section of a natural fox
squirrel tail
Rib: Oval gold tinsel
Body: Tan or ginger med chenille
Wing: Two Cree or Gold dyed grizzly over Sparse bunch of red fox squirrel
tail-tied flat
Head and Collar: Spun natural rust antelope
Variations: add lead eyes and a chenille or a wool head instead of the spun
antelope. Olive or brown bodies and wings are also good. If you're totally
crazed with this one add a wooly bugger body and a splayed matuka type tail.
Email: Mike@eflytyer.com
For more Info Contact:
Mike Hogue / Badger Creek Fly Tying / 622 West Dryden
Road, Freeville, NY 13068
Phone: 607-347-4946