Dave's Montana Wonder Bug

This pattern works extremely well and was developed as an alternative to the purple haze. When I first tied it I wondered if it would work, when it did I wondered why -- Thus Dave's Montana Wonder Bug.

Recipe Montana Wonder Bug

Hook: Any brand 4X long size 6 to 16 with a fine wire, having as wide a gape as possible. (aberdeen hook)
Thread: Purple 6/0 (70 denier) or larger (Metallic Thread if available)
Body: Purple Heat Shrink 1/8 or 3/16 diameter colored with alcohol ink: Note other sizes can be used with smaller hooks. Tan Foam. Don't like heat shrink use purple foam. 
Legs: Medium to fine speckled white rubber centipede leg material
Post: White Polypropylene Yarn
Wing: Saddle white dun and (Optional) white web wing or similar
Egg Sack: (Optional) Black Foam

Tail: (Optional) White Goose Biots

1. Cut a single or two twin sections of Heat Shrink as long as the hook shank plus at least a 1/8 inch. Note: Twin sections are used when using smaller Heat Shrink.
2. Cut a section of tan foam approximately the same width as the Heat Shrink.
3. Cover the hook shank with thread.
4. Attach the heat shrink at the rear of the hook one section at a time using at least three thread wraps. Use heat to pinch the heat shrink to the hook shank.
5. Attach the foam at the rear of the hook shank and work the thread up to the eye.

6. Attach the heat shrink and foam at the eye using at least three  thread wraps. Use heat to pinch the heat shrink to the   hook shank and finish forming the air bubble.

7. Seal the thread at the hook eye with head cement or super  glue. Trim off any excess foam and heat shrink.  

8.  Attach the centipede legs in a crossing pattern between the with tread when attaching the foam and heat shrink.the foam and hook shank.  Note: legs can added at the rear  and eye anchor point.

9. Cement the legs in place with super glue if you use the crossing pattern. 

10. Add the Heat  Shrink, optional white web wing or similar, and PP post taking 6-8 wraps around the post with light blue dun or white saddle parachute style. Seal the thread at the hook eye with super glue. 

11. Tails (white biots) and black foam egg sack can be added but do not seem to improve the patterns performance.

Soft Hackle Dry Fly

Here is a different twist on an old favorite the Soft Hackle Dry Fly.  This fly uses clear 1/8 inch polyolefin heat shrink to add an air bubble to the fly shank thus improving the buoyancy to some degree.

Hook Size 8 thu 16 1x Fine 3-4x Long

1.  Wrap the hook shank with thread - In this case metallic blue
2.  Tie in the tail material
3.  Cut off the excess
4.  Slip on the 1/8 inch polyolefin heat shrink
5.  Position on the shank
6.  Shrink the rear portion of the heat shrink approximately half way up the shank using a 15 watt soldering iron
7.  Wrap the shrunk portion of the heat shrink with the thread
8.  Whip finish and cut and seal with head cement or super glue
9.  Shrink the heat shrink just behind the hook eye
10.  Wrap the head with the thread
11.  Tie in a hackle feather
12.  Wrap and tie off the feather trimming excess seal with head cement or super glue

Aero Fly

Aero Fly a Perfect Spinner Fly

As we all know spinners or spent flies attract numerous trout to the surface.  That’s why some of us are always looking for a spinner that will present a profile on the water unlike traditional spinner flies but just unique enough to make it stand out from the crowd.  With this in mind I stared to experiment using different wing designs and body materials.  What I ended up with is what I called the Aero Fly.

The Aero Fly does not have a traditional body and the wings form a fighter jet type of appearance thus the name.  The body is 1/8 inch natural latex tubing although one can use a cream colored dubbing to achieve the same appearance.  I used latex tubing for the color, the specific gravity of .94 to .95 and the fact that air can be trapped inside to ad to the buoyancy.  It also has the advantage of not impeding the hook gap that a wrapped dubbing can sometimes do. 

 

It is actually a fairly simple fly.  The steps are as follows:

Hook – Size 8 to 16, 3 or 4x long with a light wire wrapped with Brown 6/0 thread

Legs – Brown rubber tied in on sides of the 1/3 down hook shank behind the eye

Antenna – Brown mono inserted in the 1/8 inch natural latex tubing (Max 10#)

Body – Natural latex shank length tied in tightly compressing it at leg tie in point

Wing – Iridescent web wing type material tied in at the same point

Wing Post – White Polypropylene

Wing Finish – White Saddle feather tied parachute style 5 to 8 wraps

Tail  -  Optional (Not Shown) two mono fibers

Finish with a drop of head cement or super glue at the eye and on the end of the latex tubing (if used) to seal in the air.  This fly also works well by its self as a good imitator of a PMD

Yellow Sally - Golden Stone

The materials are as follows:

Hook – size 16 – 12 any brand 4-6x long with as light of wire as possible (Yellow Sally)

            size 8 – 14 (Golden Stone)

Thread - yellow and metallic orange

Body – 1/8 inch natural latex tubing

Wing – clear web wing material with black netting (see how to make at                                  https://unsinkableflies.blogspot.com/2012/02/making-fly-wing-material-fly-tying.html)

Antenna & Tail – brown monofilament

Legs - brown rubber

Collar - grizzly saddle

 

Directions:

1. Wrap the hook shank with yellow thread.
2. Form the tails and antenna by tying in one section of 15# brown monofilament to one side of hook shank
3. Repeat step two on the other side of the hook shank leaving the thread at the rear of the shank
4. Slide the 1/8 inch latex over the mono antenna and hook shank
5. Tie in the latex at the rear of the hook shank with the thread
6. Work the thread approximately 1/3 up the shank and tie in the rear legs
7. To the front of the rear legs use the orange metallic thread to form the egg sack (Optional Golden Stone)
8. Tie in front legs to one side of the hook shank
9. Tie in the other legs to the opposite side of the hook shank
10. Tie in the wing just behind the hook eye
11. Tie in the saddle feather
12. Wrap the saddle feather 3 to 5 times and tie off
13. Side view finished fly – Note you may need to trim the legs, antenna, and tails
14. Top view finished fly

Double Dipper Strike Indicator Fly

The Double Dipper Strike Indicator Fly is a large highly visible and very buoyant fly.  Because it is so buoyant one can run one or two smaller dropper flies off it at one time.  I call it a Double Dipper because it has two of each type of material except for legs in which it has four sets of two, two on each side of the body. 

-        Hook 6x long any brand with a light of wire as possible

-        Body one 2 to 1-1/2 inch of 3/16 heat shrink and 2 sections of foam of the same length.

-        Thread metallic purple

-        Legs black and white speckled rubber

-        Post white polypropylene

-        Wings white or luminess web wing or similar and white saddle feather 

The heat shrink needs to be colored purple and is divided into two bubbles.  The foam can be a variety of colors although I prefer black and beige.

Crane Fly

The Crane Fly is a fly that is not found on all rivers, but when it is present it is a great fly to fish.  Crane flies seem to like smaller tail waters one of the best of these in Montana is the Beaverhead River.  The Beaverhead River is produces more large brown trout (16-18” very common) than any other river in Montana and a Crane Fly is a great way to catch them. 

Usually prime dry fly fishing of the Crane Fly starts around mid July and can last well into October. Windy days often produce the best results as Crane Flies are not very aerodynamic and fall off of foliage near the water is numbers that soon catch the attention of fish.  

Recipe – Crane Fly

-  Hook – 4 or 6X Long Shank, Size 14 – 10 light of wire as possible
-  Thread – 6/0 Light Brown or Carmel
-  Body – 2 inches of1/8 inch Heat Shrink Tubing Colored Brown or Carmel
-  Wing – Saddle Hackle Dark Barred Ginger – Sometimes called Grizzly
-  Legs – Hairline Crazy Legs Gold or Similar

Fish this fly calmer water especially under overhanging bushes and trees.

Crane Fly Nymphs or Larvae

Crane Fly nymphs or larvae can be fished when water temperatures begin to rise in late winter and early spring.  The water temperature should be approaching 40 degrees so the fish are becoming more active. 

Recipe Crane Fly Nymph

- Hook – Curved Nymph Hook Any Brand 4-10

- Weight – Lead Free Wire

- Body - Latex Tubing 1/8 to 3/16 Inch Colored Green

- Thread – 6.0 Black

- Rib – Copper Wire

- Head – Black Foam

Fish this nymph in less than fast moving water with a light to heavy gravel bottom and some moss.  The best technique I have found is to bounce it along the bottom.

Seeya Fly

This fly was inspired by an article in autumn 2019 Fly Tyer Magazine titled “What Trout See” and was named by my wife Jennifer.  The fly uses the three most visible colors as outlined in the article orange, yellow, and white.  Not sure yet how it fishes more on that next season.

Hook:            Size 12 – 6X Long light as wire as possible any brand

Thread:         Orange Sulky Metallic

Body:            Orange Heat Shrink partly covered with Yellow sheet foam

Tail:               White goose biots

Legs:             Black and white rubber

Post:              White poly

Wing:             White web wing or similar with a white saddle hackle