What’s In My Fly Box Episode 3
Welcome to the Episode 3 of What’s in My Fly Box! This is a monthly blog where I share one of my confidence flies in my fly box. Not only will I tell you which materials I use, but I will share some of my key tying details about each, along with how I rig and fish each fly.
Before we get started, I would like to say that a majority of my fly fishing is done using a long leader euro rig or a dry dropper rig. I also will use a single dry fly and jig or swing streamers when those opportunities arise.
I truly believe it’s more important to get a good drift at the right depth and speed than to have the perfect fly aka match the hatch.
So, let’s jump in!
Hare’s Ear Tag Soft Hackle
I love to use soft hackles. 2nd to perdigons these are my go to style of flies. They are great as attractors, pupating caddis, emerging mayflies as well as spent mayflies and dead caddis. They can cover so many different bugs in various life cycles depending on how you and where you fish them in the water column.
Like most of my confidence flies, these are simple and deadly.
Tying Materials and Keys to Success
For most of my soft hackles I prefer a wide gape hook. A couple of my favorites are the Hanak H 450 BL Jig Hook Partridge Wide Gape Jig Hook and Firehole Sticks 551 Jig Hook. I use a First Drift Slotted Tungsten Bead to get my fly down. I vary the size of bead depending on the depth of the water, current speed and the method in which I plan of presenting my fly.
For a base thread I like a waxed thread with a thin diameter like 14/0 Veevus Thread 12/0 Semperfli Classic Waxed Thread or UNI Thread Waxed 8/0 I used 14/0 Veevus Brown B09.
For the tag I like 4-8 strands of Glo-Brite Floss or 1/2 a stand of UTC Spooled Antron. I tie it just so that it reaches the trail edge of the hook gape. I used Glo-Brite Floss #5 Fire Orange.
I then wrap back up towards the bead tying in UTC Ultra Wire Small Gold for durability to protect the dubbing body. For dubbing I use either Nature’s Spirit Hand Spun Yarn if I am looking for a sleek body or Troutline Super Spike Dubbing if I want a spikey body. I chose Nature’s Spirit Hand Spun Yarn Light Hare’s Ear for this fly. When I use the Hand Spun Yarn, I separate the two strands of yarn and only use one. I create a tapered body by tying in yarn the length of the hook shank and then wrapping it forward once and wrapping back down to the halfway point and then wrapping back forward just short of the bead to save room for the CDC soft hackle and hot spot.
I like using CDC for most of my soft hackles, I think it moves better and has more color options. For soft hackle nymphs I like Swiss CDC Standard or Troutline CDC Tier's Pack are a great value. For this fly I chose to use the Troutline CDC in Brown.
For the hackle I use a Stonfo 634 Dubbing / CDC Clip and place one side of a CDC feather into the clip and cut it leaving just a little extra out the clip to catch in my dubbing loop. I attach my hackle pliers to my dubbing loop and spin after capturing the CDC fibers inside my loop. Usually, one to two rotations around is plenty and I preen them back and capture my dubbing loop with thread.
After capturing the soft hackle I add just a little bit of dubbing to add some contrast. I like using Hareline Ice Dub UV Brown, Hend’s UV Ice Dub or any flashy dubbing.
Then whip finish and pinch off the CDC to the desired length.
How I Rig and Fish
When using as an attractor I usually pair them with a perdigon nymph or something less flashy and smaller. They also work great as a dropper on a dry dropper rig. And lastly don’t forget down low as a dead caddis or mayfly or one that is struggling to emerge rolling just off the bottom. But remember a trout’s eyes are on the top half of their body and they prefer to feed on what is above them, so don’t have them stuck on the bottom, fish them slightly above.
I mostly fish them on a dead drift, but sometimes I will jig them when a strong hatch is starting. I will also swing these through riffles or on the end of drifts.
I use these on both euro rigs and dry dropper rigs. For both, I use a tags as these give each fly their own drift. I use a triple surgeon’s knot to create a tag and the tag is typically 4-6” to start with. Any shorter, I feel like I don’t get as many fly changes as I’d like. Any longer and I feel like it tangles too much. I typically fish my two flies 20” apart once you let the tag hang down. If I am fishing deeper water or see fish feeding while suspended, I may increase that distance to get my tag nymph in their feeding lane. I will typically fish my heavier fly on the bottom as I prefer a more vertical presentation, but if I see the trout hugging the bottom or I’m fishing shallow water I will move the heavier fly to the tag. This gives the rig a more horizontal presentation.
Give this versatile fly a try and I am sure you will not be disappointed!
One More Cast
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Hanak H 450 BL Jig Hook
The Hanak H450 BL Jig Hook is one of the most popular hooks on the market and for good reason. It’s razor sharp point and excellent hook gape make for a perfect hooking and holding combination
Extra long upturned needle point
Medium wire
Wide gap
25 Hooks per pack
Partridge Wide Gape Jig Hook PHSLJ
Featuring a short shank and wide gape with beaked surehold-point for improved hook hold. Ideal for all competition style nymph patterns
25 Pack
Barbless
Slotted Tungsten Beads
These are premium Tungsten Slotted Beads with a well sized slot which allows more weight per bead. They fit perfectly over jig hooks, but also can be used with straight shanked hooks. Simply add thread or wire behind the bead to lock it in place and you are ready to go.
Size Hooks:
2.0 18-20
2.3 16-20
2.5 16-18
2.8 14-18
3.0 14-16
3.3 12-16
3.5 10-14
3.8 8-14
4.0 6-12
25 beads per pack
*The above chart is based on a medium wire jig hook. Without a universal hook standard there will be exceptions to the above chart.
14/0 Veevus Thread
This premium 14/0 midge thread from Veevus in Denmark is stronger than many other comparable threads and will not result in excessive build-up. 100 meters per spool.
Glo-Brite Floss 25 yds
The original fluorescent floss, devised by Tom Saville over 30 years ago, a color for any fly, copied but not beaten.
These are great tags on Tag Nymphs and ribbing for a PT or Walt’s Worm for example.
UTC Ultra Wire Small
The standard copper wire ribbing material to provide durability, a touch of shine, and a little color to your flies. Great for patterns such as Brassies, Pheasant Tails, Frenchies, Hare’s Ear, etc…
Nature’s Spirit Hand Spun Yarn is a great product for tying anything from a Walt’s Worm to a Hare’s Ear nymph. It’s dubbing on a string that can be split into two pieces depending on how thick of dubbing you want on the body. It’s a great product because not only it is faster than using regular dubbing, but it adds a new level on consistency to your patterns.
As a single strand it is 3 yards of buggy course wool.
Troutline CDC Tier's Pack .5 grams
The CDC Tier's Pack contains all sizes of CDC from puff to large flies. Practically you can find all types of cdc in one pack and the price is very competitive! You can create your own flies in all sizes according to your needs.
CDC Tier's Pack details:
packs of 0.5grams of feathers
all sizes from puff to large feathers up to 4cm
dyed using acid dyes in cold bath
the colors can have nice tints with superb shades in the main color
In the past we had this product in our shop but due to the situation generated by bird flu from our country we had to take him out from our offer. Now our friends with small local farms are able to supply us again.
Hareline Ice Dub
Ice Dub is a synthetic fly-tying material that mimics the natural shine and sparkle found in the scales of baitfish. It's essentially a dubbing material with the reflective properties of fine mylar tinsel, which results in an ultra-bright and highly reflective material that can be used for creating various patterns. It's one of the most popular dubbings for both freshwater and saltwater, provides great sparkle, and dubs beautifully.
Ice Dub is incredibly versatile and can be used to create various types of flies, from nymphs to streamers. The material is also highly durable and will maintain its shine and reflection even if you've been fishing all day. The material is relatively easy to use and forms noodles just like regular dubbing without any special tools. With this product, you can create realistic baitfish imitations to bring in more fish. Hareline dubbing material comes in standard and UV colors, which sparkle deep blue when viewed in sunlight.