The Brown Drake Nymph is a fly pattern designed to imitate the nymphal stage of the large Brown Drake mayfly, a key food source for trout and other freshwater fish.
How to Tie It
To tie a Brown Drake Nymph, use a size 8–12 nymph or 2XL nymph hook. Start with a lead or tungsten wire underbody for weight. The abdomen is made from a blend of brown and cream dubbing, often topped with a strip of dark thin skin to mimic segmentation.
For the gills and legs, use a fluffy dubbing loop or soft hackle. The tail is crafted from biots or pheasant tail fibers, while dark bead-chain eyes add realism.
What It Mimics
This pattern closely resembles the nymphal stage of the Brown Drake mayfly (Ephemera simulans). As a large, protein-rich prey, it’s a favorite of trout, making the Brown Drake Nymph highly effective during mayfly hatches.
Where to Use It
Fish this nymph in rivers and streams where Brown Drakes thrive, though it also works in stillwaters. It’s especially productive in late spring and early summer, just before the hatch, and excels in deep pools.
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Bumblebee Fly
Though not a typical food source for fish, the Bumblebee fly’s high-contrast body makes it an excellent attractor pattern.
How It’s Tied
The fly’s body is built with alternating bands of black and yellow dubbing or foam, replicating a bee’s distinctive coloration.
The wing is made from white or clear synthetic materials like poly yarn or Antron. Tied at the head and flared backward, it mimics the appearance of a bee’s wings.
What It Mimics
True to its name, the Bumblebee fly imitates a bumblebee or honeybee. While fish rarely feed on bees, the fly’s bold colors and fluttering motion can trigger aggressive strikes, making it a reliable attractor pattern.
Where It’s Used
This fly excels in small streams and ponds during warmer months when terrestrial insects are abundant. It works best when cast near overhanging vegetation or under trees, where fish expect falling insects.
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How to Tie the Bunny Leech
The Bunny Leech is tied on a standard streamer hook, sized 2 to 10, depending on the target species. Smaller hooks suit bass and other small predators, while larger hooks work for pike and big game fish. The tail and body are crafted from rabbit fur strips, or "zonker" strips, which offer a natural taper for lifelike movement in water. The zonker strip is palmered around the hook shank for the body, while the tail is tied at the bend. A thread head secures the fly at the eye, with optional additions like flash or a bead head for extra attraction. Some variations include a trailing hook for added effectiveness.
What the Bunny Leech Imitates
This versatile streamer mimics a range of aquatic prey, including leeches, baitfish, and crayfish. The undulating rabbit fur creates an irresistible motion, appealing to various fish species. Customize it with different colors and sizes to match local forage.
Where to Use the Bunny Leech
Ideal for trout, bass, pike, and even saltwater species like redfish and tarpon, the Bunny Leech adapts to diverse fishing techniques. Dead drift, swing, or strip it—depending on the target species’ feeding behavior and your desired presentation.
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The Blue Winged Olive is a highly effective dry and wet fly pattern renowned for its natural mayfly appearance, making it irresistible to trout.
How to Tie the Blue Winged Olive
- Hook: Use a short or medium shank hook.
- Body: Wrap olive dubbing or thread around the shank to create a slender, tapered shape.
- Tail: Attach a few strands of hackle fibers or microfibbets.
- Wing: Use upright, divided materials like synthetic fibers, mallard flank feathers, or CDC feathers for a realistic look.
- Hackle: Wrap a grizzly or dun-colored hackle around the thorax to form a bushy collar, aiding buoyancy and mimicking mayfly legs.
What It Mimics
This fly replicates the adult Baetis mayfly—a vital trout food source year-round. Its lifelike profile, wings, and hackle make it especially effective during hatches.
Where to Use It
- Water Types: Rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds.
- Best Conditions: Ideal during Baetis hatches when trout target adult mayflies.
- Fishing Technique: Dead drift the fly to match the hatch for optimal results.
Watch the Blue Winged Olive fly-tying video to perfect your technique!
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Lady Bug Fly
A charming pattern that mimics the iconic garden insect.
How to Tie It
The Lady Bug fly is typically tied on a small hook (sizes 14–18). The body is crafted from black and red foam to replicate the insect’s distinctive shape and colors.
After securing the foam to the hook, carefully cut and shape it to form the rounded body and wing partitions. For added realism, small black dots can be applied to the red wing covers.
Though precise foam cutting is required, the pattern is straightforward, making it an enjoyable and accessible project for tiers of all skill levels.
What It Mimics
As the name suggests, this fly imitates a ladybug. These beetles are common near water, especially in warmer months, and may accidentally land on the surface—becoming an easy target for hungry fish.
Where to Use It
The Lady Bug fly excels in still waters, such as ponds and slow-moving streams, where its distinct silhouette stands out to fish.
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Salmon Egg Fly
This fly mimics the appearance of salmon eggs, making it highly effective for catching various fish species. It is most commonly used in freshwater streams and rivers.
How It’s Tied
The Salmon Egg Fly is typically tied using a small, round hook, brightly colored thread, and egg-shaped yarn. The yarn is dyed in vibrant shades like orange, pink, or red to closely resemble real salmon eggs.
What It Mimics
As the name suggests, this fly replicates salmon eggs—a key food source for many fish. Its bright colors and realistic shape make it an excellent attractor fly.
Where It’s Used
This fly is most effective in freshwater streams and rivers where salmon and other fish spawn. It works particularly well in clear water, where fish can easily spot its vivid colors.
Additional Tips & Facts
- The Salmon Egg Fly can be fished using techniques like dead drifting, nymphing, or indicator fishing.
- Some anglers use it as a dropper fly behind a larger attractor fly.
- While primarily used in moving water, it can also be effective in stillwater environments like lakes and ponds.
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What It Is
The Grannom Emerger is a specialized fly pattern designed to mimic the emerging stage of the grannom caddisfly, a critical food source for trout.
How It’s Tied
This fly is tied on a curved or straight nymph hook. The body, typically made from olive or green dubbing, replicates the natural insect’s coloration. Dark, fine fibers form the tail and optional legs, enhancing the lifelike silhouette.
The head is built with tying thread and secured with a whip finish and head cement for durability. To mimic segmentation, the abdomen is often ribbed with contrasting thread or wire.
What It Mimics
The Grannom Emerger imitates the caddisfly’s transition from pupa to adult—a vulnerable stage when trout actively feed.
Where to Use It
This fly excels during spring grannom hatches in rivers and streams. Fish it just below the surface to imitate rising emergers or deeper to target trout feeding on ascending pupae. While primarily effective for trout, it also works for other caddisfly-eating species like grayling.
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What It Is
The Sand Eel Fly is a saltwater fly pattern designed to imitate sand eels and other small baitfish. It is typically fished near the bottom, where these prey species are most active.
How It’s Tied
Tied on a long-shank hook, the Sand Eel Fly features a slender, tapered body made from synthetic fibers like EP Fibers or Super Hair. These materials create a translucent, lifelike profile. The wing, crafted from bucktail, flash, or similar fibers, adds movement and flash to attract predators. For added realism, the fly often includes painted, stick-on, or epoxy eyes.
What It Mimics
This fly replicates sand eels (or sand lances), a key food source for coastal fish. Its slim shape, translucent body, and natural movement also make it effective for imitating other small baitfish.
Where It’s Used
The Sand Eel Fly excels in saltwater environments like estuaries, surf zones, and coastal areas, where sand eels and baitfish thrive. To maximize effectiveness, vary retrieves—try stripping, twitching, or swinging the fly to mimic fleeing prey.
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How to Tie the San Juan Worm
The San Juan Worm is an easy-to-tie fly pattern using a short or medium shank hook and a single material—typically chenille or a soft, stretchy alternative like Ultra Chenille. The material is tied at the bend of the hook and wrapped around the shank to form a cylindrical shape, mimicking an aquatic worm. Adjust the length to match local worm species and fish preferences. Available in various sizes and colors (red, pink, tan, etc.), it can be tailored to imitate regional aquatic worms and water conditions.
What the San Juan Worm Imitates
This pattern replicates aquatic worms, such as annelids or midge larvae—a staple food source for trout and other fish. Its simple profile and lifelike movement make it highly effective, especially in high or murky water when dislodged worms become more accessible.
Where and How to Fish the San Juan Worm
Versatile across water types, the San Juan Worm excels in high or discolored conditions where fish actively target dislodged prey. Fish it using dead-drift or nymphing techniques for best results.
Due to its design, color options, and application, the San Juan Worm closely resembles the Squirminator, another effective worm imitation.
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Hare’s Ear Nymph
A classic nymph pattern that imitates various insects, featuring a hare’s ear fur body and adaptable sizes/colors.
How to Tie the Hare’s Ear Nymph
The Hare’s Ear Nymph is tied on a standard nymph hook, typically in sizes 10 to 18. The tail is made from soft hackle feather fibers or guard hairs from a hare’s mask. The body consists of hare’s ear fur, either dubbed directly onto the thread or using a pre-made dubbing blend.
GRHE: Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear
GRHE (Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear) is a popular variation of the Hare’s Ear, often called the Flashback Hare’s Ear. It features a shiny tinsel ribbing for added flash and sometimes includes a bead for extra weight (as seen in the classic Hare’s Ear above).
The flashback mimics the gas bubble that forms on nymphs just before they hatch—a stage when insects are highly vulnerable and eagerly targeted by fish.
Tying the Flashback Hare’s Ear follows the same steps as the standard version, with the key addition of flashback material after forming the body but before creating the thorax. This ensures the material sits neatly on the fly’s back, imitating the natural gas bubble.
What the Hare’s Ear Nymph Imitates
This versatile pattern mimics various aquatic insects in their nymphal stage, including mayflies, caddisflies, and stoneflies. Its buggy appearance and adaptable design make it an excellent "searching pattern" when fish aren’t targeting a specific insect. It can be tied in different sizes and colors to match local nymphs.
Where to Use the Hare’s Ear Nymph
Effective in nearly all freshwater environments, the Hare’s Ear Nymph works well for trout, grayling, and panfish. It can be fished using multiple techniques:
- Dead drifting under an indicator
- Tight-line nymphing (Euronymphing)
- Swinging through riffles and pocket water
Its versatility and proven success make it a must-have in any fly angler’s box.