52 of Worley Bugger Fly Companies worst kept secrets!
Every week we will highlight a hot fly for our local fisheries.
In future posts, we will have " How To" postings as well.
We have added a shopping cart to the fly of the week post after readers asked for a way to buy the flies we post! Also, by calling the shop or ordering online, we can "build" you a tying kit for any of the flies listed below. 509-962-2033
Good luck and row safe.
Week 21
Fall-Spring
Size 20 Para-Trooper BWO
Flavor of the Week: Matching the hatch on the Yakima River. If you're lucky enough to be able to get on the Yakima this fall, you will be treated to stellar Blue Winged Olives, Light Cahill and Fall Caddis.
The BWO hatch has been consistent and robust. A light drizzle is best, but most days are showing a good hatch and the time is around 1pm on. A size 20 is about right for most bugs in the area. Fishing pools below riffles is always a good bet, but don't over look eddies and side channels which can be big producers.
Recipe:
Para-Trooper BWO Fly
Hook: Sz 20 general Dry Fly Hook
Thread: Olive 8/0
Tail: Two Fibet type fibers
Body: Olive Dry Fly Dubbing
Legs: Micro Sized Spandex- Olive
Post: Grey or Silver Widows Web
Hackle: Medium Dun Hackle- Parachute Style
Klickitat and Grande Ronde- Two huge names in Northwest arid country fishing. The "Klick" was in great shape, but recently we were pounded by an atmospheric river and it is now blown. The "Ronde" is starting to get fish and customer reports are telling of good fish numbers and what sounds like the beginning of a good season.
Guide Aron was on the Klick back a couple of weeks ago for one full week. He had clients into fish every day (Which he said was unusual). However, it was not easy, at all. He said the river is as crowded with anglers as ever and the Steelhead numbers are low this year. He mentioned that slower water was holding fish this year, or at least when he was there.
If you like to nymph for Steelhead and want a good fly that gets down and deep fast. Give the Anadramizer a try and pray for chrome!
Recipe:
Anadramizer - Purple #2
Hook: #2 Short Shank Steelhead
Bead: 4.6mm Brass Bead- Tungsten or Brass depending on water type
Thread: Black 6/0 or 3/0
Tail: Brown Spandex
Body: Purple Flashabou- large or Saltwater
Rib: Purple UTC Ultra-Wire
Thorax: Micro UV Polar Chenille - UV Purple
Wingcase: Black Scud back or Thin Skin
Legs: Barred Round Rubber
Week 19Para-Trooper BWO Fly
Hook: Sz 20 general Dry Fly Hook
Thread: Olive 8/0
Tail: Two Fibet type fibers
Body: Olive Dry Fly Dubbing
Legs: Micro Sized Spandex- Olive
Post: Grey or Silver Widows Web
Hackle: Medium Dun Hackle- Parachute Style
Week 20
Fall-Winter
Anadramizer, Purple Sz #2
Klickitat and Grande Ronde- Two huge names in Northwest arid country fishing. The "Klick" was in great shape, but recently we were pounded by an atmospheric river and it is now blown. The "Ronde" is starting to get fish and customer reports are telling of good fish numbers and what sounds like the beginning of a good season.
Guide Aron was on the Klick back a couple of weeks ago for one full week. He had clients into fish every day (Which he said was unusual). However, it was not easy, at all. He said the river is as crowded with anglers as ever and the Steelhead numbers are low this year. He mentioned that slower water was holding fish this year, or at least when he was there.
If you like to nymph for Steelhead and want a good fly that gets down and deep fast. Give the Anadramizer a try and pray for chrome!
Recipe:
Anadramizer - Purple #2
Hook: #2 Short Shank Steelhead
Bead: 4.6mm Brass Bead- Tungsten or Brass depending on water type
Thread: Black 6/0 or 3/0
Tail: Brown Spandex
Body: Purple Flashabou- large or Saltwater
Rib: Purple UTC Ultra-Wire
Thorax: Micro UV Polar Chenille - UV Purple
Wingcase: Black Scud back or Thin Skin
Legs: Barred Round Rubber
To finish: Use Loon Fly Finish, Thick, on wingcase feather and thread. Done!
Year Round
I've been busy booking a lot of trips, so this post might be a bit light on content. The Yakima river and Klickitat River are both fishing really well. We just had guide Aron down on the Klick for 5 days and among the many steelhead brought to net, they also caught trout and a 16 pound King Salmon. According to him, it was awesome.
OK, let's get down to the fly. We have a tube fly that will fish great as the river fish start to get greedy for calories. The fish are quite ravenous at the moment, and the sculpin is a good fish food to imitate.
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| Photo by Amber Manfree. |
As a kid I caught a lot of these in the local river, behind my house, and they are quite common in most systems. Big trout, including Steelhead, love to eat a tasty treat like a sculpin- just imagine calories galore!
These tube flies are really nice to fish and swing thru or across drop offs, out of riffles and fast water, or into log jams. Fish this fly with a good sink tip and be prepared for a jolting strike while using at least 3x or heavier tippet/leader.
Recipe:
Sticky Sculpin Tube Fly
Hook: Sz 6 Straight Eye- tube fly style
Thread: Black 6/0
Tube: Pro Tube and Hook Keeper
Tail: Barred Rabbit Strip
Body- back to front:
a few strands Fine Tinsel then Barred Marabou
Collar: Orange Dyed Guinea
Fins: Small Hungarian Partridge
Head and over collar: Spun Olive Deer Hair
Note: This fly has a top and bottom and make sure to trim the deer hair flat on the "bottom". The picture was the best I could find. The actual fly looks similar, but not as "bushy".
Sticky Sculpin Tube Fly
Hook: Sz 6 Straight Eye- tube fly style
Thread: Black 6/0
Tube: Pro Tube and Hook Keeper
Tail: Barred Rabbit Strip
Body- back to front:
a few strands Fine Tinsel then Barred Marabou
Collar: Orange Dyed Guinea
Fins: Small Hungarian Partridge
Head and over collar: Spun Olive Deer Hair
Note: This fly has a top and bottom and make sure to trim the deer hair flat on the "bottom". The picture was the best I could find. The actual fly looks similar, but not as "bushy".
Week 18
Year Round
Mighty May Baetis Sz 18
"Good to Great", that is my reply when customers walk in and ask about fishing on the Yakima River right now. Fall is in full swing, it was 36 this morning, and the fish are devouring the last of the big bugs before the winter fast. Well, fast is not correct, it's more like winter diet plan for trouts.
Why small? We have previously covered the big stuff, the big three- Summer Stones (Done), Fall Caddis (NOW) and Crane Flies (Now, but fading). These big guys all fish well after about 12 or so in the afternoon, but what about prior to noon? Nymphing becomes essential. Couple that with the fact that fall Baetis are hatching in the canyon, other sections too, and you will start to piece the game plan together.
Start the morning at 10, have a good breakfast. Fish a Stone and a Mighty May up until 12 or 1pm, then switch to big, skated flies like we covered in earlier posts. The "in-tune" angler will start picking up fish quickly. The river system is great for wading. An angler can also add a dropper to the big flies, but that is totally up for debate.
One note on the fish- I had a series of about 10 missed strikes the other day and I was having trouble figuring out why! I changed hooks, delayed strikes, etc. Nothing worked. Then, in frustration, I decided to just let the fly sit after the rise and count. One, two, three...POW- the fish would come back and clobber the fly. I don't see that all that often but it was the way of the day.
Recipe:
Mighty May Baetis
Hook: #14-20 Emerger- like the Dai-Riki #125
Bead: 3/32″ Black Bead
Thread: Black Veevus 10/0
Tail: Pheasant Tail
Body: Thread
Rib: small green Holo Tinsel by UTC
Thorax: Peacock Ice Dub, but I have also seen Black Ice dub.
Wingcase: Mottled Hen Feather
Legs: Natural India Hen Back
To finish: Use Loon Fly Finish, Thick, on wingcase feather and thread. Done!
Week 17
Late Summer/Fall
This week we selected a hot fly in anticipation of that fall wonder- the October Caddis hatch. It's truly amazing to see these insects explode off the water; something that must be seen to appreciate.
Photo by Brian Henning
Fly developer John Anderson had his thinking cap on tight when he brainstormed the Bird of Prey Caddis. It's a stellar fly, simple, but effective. As someone who responds well to flies tied with minimal fuss and steps, I can whip out a lot of flies during a tying session without going bonkers or having to drink 6 cups of coffee. It also helps that October Caddis are huge and that speeds things up too.
What is a Bird of Prey supposed to be? I've seen the fly described as a fussy caddis larva, or a slimmed down pupa. You can go ahead and take your pick and fish the fly according to your preference. Me, I will swing it, or drop it under a big, juicy foam October Caddis. I like to think of it as a pupa.
Recipe:
Bird of Prey Caddis
Hook: Dai-Riki #135 (size 8-10)
Head: Gold Bead
Thread: 8/0 Uni-Thread (colored to match the body)
Tail: clump of natural Hungarian partridge fibers
Rib: pearl Flashabou accent
Body: rabbit or beaver dubbing (usually light orange, tan, olive, brown, or green)
Hackle: natural Hungarian partridge
Thorax: peacock herl
Recipe:
Bird of Prey Caddis
Hook: Dai-Riki #135 (size 8-10)
Head: Gold Bead
Thread: 8/0 Uni-Thread (colored to match the body)
Tail: clump of natural Hungarian partridge fibers
Rib: pearl Flashabou accent
Body: rabbit or beaver dubbing (usually light orange, tan, olive, brown, or green)
Hackle: natural Hungarian partridge
Thorax: peacock herl
Week 16
Late Summer/Fall
Crane Fly
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| Copyright © 2007 Gayle and Jeanell Strickland |
I can hear it now- "Crane Fly... You mean that wacky giant mosquito thingy that flies out of my yard and gets stuck in my screen door?" Yes, and no. That ungainly and seriously leggy bug we know as a "Mosquito Eater" or "Daddy Long Legs",( They do not eat mosquitos and we also call a type of spider Daddy Long Legs too, confusing I know) is actually a member of the Order Diptera, AKA Flies. From my research, the Crane Fly family is comprised of 14,000 species and is considered the largest single group, or family, of flies in the world. The Crane Fly we are almost entirely concerned with, unless your fishing above Cle Elum where some yards come in contact with the river, is the aquatic Crane Fly. I am not sure of the taxonomic specifics, but calling it the ACF or just Crane Fly is OK around here.
The ACF is really a strange insect in a lot of ways.
The first oddity is that the larva can be huge and not many anglers use them, which is a shame as the fly is simple to tie. Second oddity, the observant angler will see the larva along shore, as they migrate OUT of the water to pupate in the loose shore soils. A larva, fished similar to a Pat's Stone, is good year round, as they are ubundant and fish see them often. That patter is extremely simple and I will include it as a supplemental fly in the recipes below. The pupa is sometimes available when freak storms swell the river and high water washes the pupa into the river system, but not really something to tie or even worry about. Keep throwing those Chubbies, in Orange, until the fish really start responding to the swin/skate of the fly, something all Yakima River anglers should be doing at the end of the drift. When the fish really start keying in on skating- tie on a Crane Fly pattern and hold on! The last oddity, when metemphosis is complete, the almost comical adult Crane Fly is nearing death. Like many of our aquatic insects, adulthood is short and frenzied. Short in lifespan and frenzied in mating. After mating, they die.
Why is this a "hidden" hatch, well I write that in part because of the aforementioned multi-habitat life cycle, like bank side pupation, as well as the fact that the Crane Fly hatch is so dang unknown! Who talks about this stuff? How many book authors wax poetic on the value of an ugly, massive and clumsy trout delicacy such as the Crane Fly? Few, if any... of course, except WBFC! Don't get it wrong, the ACF is the fly to fish in fall.
Recipes!
Bugger Crane by Steve Worley
Recipe
Hook: Dai-Riki #300 size 10-12
Thread: Color to match body- 6/0 Preferably
Body: Olive dubbing
Ext. Body: Olive foam cylinder
Hackle:Dun
Wing: Dun rooster hackle
2nd Wing: Grey Poly
Fore body: Olive foam, cut to make head
Legs: Hen hackle shafts, knotted
ACF by Joe Schliesman
Recipe
Hook: Curved Caddis type- size 10-12
Thread: Color to match body- 10/0 veevus Preferably ( I use Chartreuse)
Ext. Body: Tan foam cylinder
Wing: Silver Widows web and one strand gold Krystal flash per wing
Body Dubbing: Lightly dubbed Arizona Simi Seal #41- Cranefly Tan
Hackle:White rooster, oversized for skatting
Over body: Tan 2mm foam, cut to make head
Legs: old 10lb tippet form last year, knotted
Week 15
Late Summer/Fall
It is not too early to be thinking and preparing for the arrival of one of my favorite hatches on E. WA rivers- the October Caddis. I was doing just that, thinking about them and cruising the internet looking for pictures and I found the Iowa State University Entomological site called Bug Guide. The pictures are great and the site has lots of good reference photos ( many from the Yakima and other Washington State rivers).
Photo by Brian Henning
Photo by Brian Henning
Photo by Dick Palmer
I like the October Caddis because they are huge, make lots of surface commotion, fish respond to the the pupae, adult as well as larva, they are easy to see, hatch in my favorite season and are easy to tie. A person could use a large 6-8 Elk Hair Caddis, but there are plenty of really big, large flies that float better (Think Foam) have more wing structure and present better. The adults are not always the most available of insects as they literally shoot from the slower water below the riffles. You can hear them take off. This fly of the week will concentrate on the last truly large dry fly the angler will have the opportunity to present to the fish for the season. My only critique of this fly is how long the extended body is, it seems a tad long to accurately match the caddis, as seen above. However, an extended body floats better and the fly still catches plenty of fish. After all, it's more an opinion concerning look, more so than function. Tying wise, it is a very easy to make fly.
October Caddis Foam
Body sized 6-9, but hook is 10-12
Recipe
October Caddis Foam
Hook: Dai-Riki #300 size 10-12
Thread: Color to match body- 6/0 Preferably burnt orange veevus or brown Uni.
Body: Orange foam made extended. J:son detached body pin type
Hackle: Brown
Wing:Stacked deer hair
Fore body: Tan or grey foam, cut to make head.
Week 14
Spring/Summer/Fall(ish)
Heat and Wind. With the exception of today, it's cool and cloudy for some reason, we have been inundated with 90's and above. I have not personally seen 100, but I am sure someone has. Yesterday was one of the windiest days of this summer, and the reason we have cloudy and cool today. Not the best day to be on the water. When the temperatures get really hot, and the sun beats down on the river, well, the trout go crepuscular mostly. Crepuscular being a diurnal active period at dawn and/or dusk. You can still land fish mid day, but there are certainly slow periods. It's really fun fishing at dusk and last week we had a great evening float on the river. However, change is always good, especially when it puts the angling family onto boat loads of fun!
Enter Banks Lake bass. This weekend I had the opportunity to travel over to Banks and get into some truly epic Smallmouth Bass and Walleye fishing. The Walleye fishing was slow and they are not very good fly fishing targets, as trolling crank baits is the norm. However, top water bass with poppers was just unreal, stellar even. Again, mornings and evenings, casting up into rocks, rip rap, any structure of the rocky type. We fished in 30 feet of water, casting up into 5 to 6 feet of water with the poppers. As soon as the poppers hit the water, fish would engulf them. Very seldom was the popper on the water for more than 30 seconds before the fish took interest.
Campbell's Popping Bugger
Brown/Yellow, Chartreuse, White/Red
Hook: Dai-Riki #810 size 2-6
Thread: Color to match body- 3/0
Tail: marabou and some flash
Body: Rubber legs out of top, with Krystal Pearl Chinelle
Hackle: Hen to match color you are tying
Front body: Round foam discs in various colors as seen in pictures- I believe they are two connected round discs that are lashed on and then glued together.
Legs: Optional- round rubber legs inserted thru body to add more movement
Spring/Summer/Fall
Fly of the week this week is the Army Ant. The Jack Dennis created Amy's Ant is very similar and tied almost exactly the same. The only difference I can see is the name and the color choices. Last week the WBFC Team all got out and fished the Yakima River. It was close to 95 when we got on the river and the fishing started slower than we wanted. The fly that saved my bacon was the Army Ant in Purple, but few companies make these and I think that the red version would work just as well mid-day and then the olive version towards evening. We did see a lot of caddis activity and then we saw a few Short Winged Stoneflies.
Not to beat up on a well worn subject, but mending is vital to getting your fly into the fish and their limited sight plane, WITHOUT drag. Drag is a strike killer and not tolerated by the educated fish of the Yakima system. The easiest mend for the drift boat fisherman/woman is simply the lift mend: Lift the rod, move the line and continue a drag free drift. The next mend is what I call the flick mend: The angler casts, and as soon as the line hits the water, the angler "flicks" the tip of the rod to do a mini-roll cast and add feet to your drift. This allows the person fishing to remain in the feeding lane longer, hence more hookups.
The fish will pounce a fly like this and I think it's because the fly looks like so many insects rolled into one fly. I can see it as hopper, a stone, an October Caddis, an attractor and even a gob of worms... OK, I am joking on that one, but you all get the point. Try this great fly on technical waters too. My reasoning is simple, I doubt very few have, amounting to a "new" bug that triggers a strike.
Hook: Dai-Riki #270 size 6-12
Thread: Color to match body- 6/0
Under foam: Tan 2mm
Top Foam: Brown 2mm
Body: Olive, red or purple ice chenille
Hackle: Brown saddle
Under wing: Rainbow krystal flash
Upper wing: Elk body hair
Front body: Various colors to match- Ice dub
Legs: Black or Brown round rubber legs
Week 12
Summer!
Great summer time hopper!
Clodhopper in Sz- 12 - 8
I am going with a modified cliché on this one- Too many Flies, too little time! Every time I look into the massive collection of flies we offer, I am just amazed, and dismayed, that I probably won't be able to fish them all. The practical side of me says I only need about 6 flies to cover most of the fishing I do, the fly tier in my says I need 4000 flies because I want to tie all the cool, interesting and potentially knock-out flies created for every niche and situation imaginable.
The Clodhopper meets a lot of my tying/fishing criteria, those mostly being: ease of tie, color, profile, easy to get materials and movement. I augment them as seasons and conditions change but essentially that is it. This hopper meets all of the criteria. Like most western states, here in Central WA we have a yearly hopper explosion and the fish are keyed into the large insects dropping from the grassy shores, being tossed by the gusty wind, or haphazardly flying into the water. Fishing a stout 7.5 foot 3x or bigger leader, close to shore, with slight twitching of the rod tip usually produces some great summer fish. Add to that a size 14-16 dropper about 12" behind the fly, and you have the quintessential western "hopper/dropper" rig.
Hook: Dai-Riki 710- 3X LONG, 1X STRONG- It's a nymph hook but works great for hoppers.
Thread: Any 6/0 to match color
Body/head: Various colors of foam- tan, purple, pink, red, olive, yellow, black, etc. Doubled to on body (4mm), head is single 2mm foam.
Legs: Any barred rubber or silicone leg would work. 4-6 strands. knotted if you like.
Cut Wing: Etha Wing or substitute
Top Wing: Yellowstone Fly Goods Widows's Web
Head: See body notes- but head is single 2mm foam
Week 11
All Year
Flu Shot Sizes 4-8
Olive/Black, Yellow/Black, Orange/Black
This fly is either the "Flu Shot" or the " Phillipe's Flu Shot" depending on how you want to go about recognizing it. Either way works here at the shop. The Flu Shot is a good, all around and buggy looking streamer. I guess buggy is not really an appropriate description since it looks more fishy than buggy, but now we're splitting hairs. If you show up at a lake or river and the first thing you do is pull out your streamer box, I sure hope you have a few of these in various colors. It's a heavy fly, tied in the round and offers a good jiggy motion that entices fish. The hook is short shanked, so it has good fish retention properties and it has loads of movement with the various materials it's tied with.
The thing we like about this fly is its versatility. You can throw it into structure for smallies, dredge deep for browns, kick around the lake for big rainbows, or even twitch it for carp. In the larger sizes you might be able to entice a coho or steelhead. You just never know with this fly- it's awesome!
Hook: 2-3xl, sizes 2-12. I like the Dai-Riki 710
Thread: Any 3/0 to match
Weight: Lead Wire
Tail: Marabou with some Flashabou accent- colored to contrast. Red, copper or pearl look great.
Body: Rabbit hide strip in contrasting colors. Yellow/Black looks cool. Olive/Black is nice too.
Legs: Any spandex type leg or silicone leg would work. 4-6 strands.
Cone: Hairline Dubbin Makes some great cones- gold or brass. You can also try adding a Bug Collar to give it a hotspot.
Hackle: Bugger type rooster
Week 10
All Year
With the passing of the golden Stone season comes the influx of summer stones into the Yakima system. Summer Stones, AKA Short Wing Stones, are prevalent throughout the catch and release portions of the river. My entomological knowledge of the summer stone is very limited. What I do know, is that the female can fly and the male can't- hence the common name- Short Wing Stone. According to what I read on West-fly, the summer stone is related to the Golden Stone and the range of the species is, in the USA, primarily the Northwest region. That is one reason you may have never heard of the Short Wing Stone. If you are visiting and have the wonderful opportunity to fish the Yakima system, I would not be without the Conehead 20 Incher from Catch flies. It's a super pattern, really heavy so it gets down deep fast, and it's a popular guide fly here at the shop. I would run a two nymph rig, the Conehead up front and either a PMD nymph or caddis larva or pupa off back. Mid day nymphing has been a good way to catch fish when the temperatures soar and the sun pushes the fish deep.
Recipe:
Hook: Curved Nymph 6-12
Thread:Black or Olive
Bead/cone: Brass or Tungsten, sized to hook
Weight: Lead wire, sized to hook
Tails: Dark Brown Goose Biots
Rib: Gold or Brass Ultra Wire
Floss Underbody: Dark Colored Dubbing
Abdomen: Peacock Ice Dub
Wingcase: Turkey Tail Quill with two strips of flash
Legs: Partridge and rubber legs
Thorax: Natural Hare s Mask Dubbing- olive or rust
Week 9
All Spring and Summer
Emergent Sparkle Caddis
Colors- green, tan, olive, brown, your choice
ESP Recipe
Hook- Dai-Riki #135 or #125, Sz 12-20
Thread- Veevus- brown or black
Underbody- many variations- from green flash to dubbed antron, Haretron or Ice Dub
Overbody- Antron yarn- tail is clipped from overbody so be mindful of that.
Wing- Deer hair- I like the X-caddis hair we sell. It comes in natural, dun and bleached.
Head- Dark brown dubbing- Haretron, Hare's Ear or something similar that makes a tight dubbing noodle. No need for a buggy look, just a clean head.
Week 8-
July
Olive X-Caddis- Sz 14-16
If I didn't like tying so much, and was forced, by fillet knife point, to choose just one fly to fish this summer or at least, the caddis hatches around Central WA, I would not hesitate grabbing a handful of X-Caddis. The X-Caddis is the creation of Craig Mathews and ranks among the best in emerger representations ever created- for caddis. Its popularity was gained because it fools the wary trout of the greater Yellowstone area to the pressured fish of the Yakima River, and beyond. If a fly becomes famous, it usually stems from it's universal appeal to fishing people, ease of tie, and trout susceptibility.
The X-Caddis in olive, dark olive, brown and black all work well in the Yakima and its tributaries. Olive or dark olive seem to be the best universal color, especially during the low light feeding frenzy that sometimes happens in the caddis heavy stretches of the river. Just bring a flashlight if you fish until after dark, I would rather see a rattlesnake then feel one! I dip just the deer hair wing into something like Fly Agra and then false cast it dry. The combo of deer hair and Fly Agra make for a great floating dryfly. It works well in the soft water of the lower canyon, as well as the rough water around Cle Elum or the various tribs. This is one of those flies that we are always restocking, and that alone should attest to its effectiveness, if you've never fished these great flies, give them a try and see what happens.
X-Caddis Recipe
Hook: Dai-Riki #320 or #305, sizes 12- 20
Thread: Veevus 8/0 color to match body
Tail: Zelon or substitute, amber gold or caddis gold- crinkled
Body: Dubbed beaver or Antron: tan, brown, olive or black- basically match the naturals
Wing: Deer or elk hair- I like Nature's Spirit x-caddis deer hair!
Week 7-
Late June to July
Headlight Sally- Size 14 or 16
As far as small Stoneflies go, Yellow Sallies are not overly prolific in the Yakima system. Farmlands and upper river(Cle Elum) have decent hatches of these brightly colored and easily spotted aquatic insects.
Like all Stoneflies, the Yellow Sally migrates to the shore, crawls onto land where they hatch and mating takes place in the bushes. The egg laying flights occur at or around mid-afternoon to evening. The female is egg laden, hence the red "butt" on most adult patterns. As they drop to deposit the eggs, the stonefly will often become another food source for hungry trout. Of course, catching one and matching it's color is the best way to fool wary trout. However, a lot of production flies are a decent match for the Sallies around here.
One of the elements I like best about the Headlight Sally is the opal tinsel body. Opal tinsel is just plain awesome for any fly, be it a traditional dry, an opal elk hair caddis, a midge emerger or as flash on the ever popular Dolly Llama streamer.
I might try adding some recipes, since we are a tier's shop, to the fly of the month posts. Eventually, I hope we can have some photographs or videos too, as the blog develops.
Week 11
All Year
Flu Shot Sizes 4-8
Olive/Black, Yellow/Black, Orange/Black
This fly is either the "Flu Shot" or the " Phillipe's Flu Shot" depending on how you want to go about recognizing it. Either way works here at the shop. The Flu Shot is a good, all around and buggy looking streamer. I guess buggy is not really an appropriate description since it looks more fishy than buggy, but now we're splitting hairs. If you show up at a lake or river and the first thing you do is pull out your streamer box, I sure hope you have a few of these in various colors. It's a heavy fly, tied in the round and offers a good jiggy motion that entices fish. The hook is short shanked, so it has good fish retention properties and it has loads of movement with the various materials it's tied with.
The thing we like about this fly is its versatility. You can throw it into structure for smallies, dredge deep for browns, kick around the lake for big rainbows, or even twitch it for carp. In the larger sizes you might be able to entice a coho or steelhead. You just never know with this fly- it's awesome!
Hook: 2-3xl, sizes 2-12. I like the Dai-Riki 710
Thread: Any 3/0 to match
Weight: Lead Wire
Tail: Marabou with some Flashabou accent- colored to contrast. Red, copper or pearl look great.
Body: Rabbit hide strip in contrasting colors. Yellow/Black looks cool. Olive/Black is nice too.
Legs: Any spandex type leg or silicone leg would work. 4-6 strands.
Cone: Hairline Dubbin Makes some great cones- gold or brass. You can also try adding a Bug Collar to give it a hotspot.
Hackle: Bugger type rooster
Week 10
All Year
With the passing of the golden Stone season comes the influx of summer stones into the Yakima system. Summer Stones, AKA Short Wing Stones, are prevalent throughout the catch and release portions of the river. My entomological knowledge of the summer stone is very limited. What I do know, is that the female can fly and the male can't- hence the common name- Short Wing Stone. According to what I read on West-fly, the summer stone is related to the Golden Stone and the range of the species is, in the USA, primarily the Northwest region. That is one reason you may have never heard of the Short Wing Stone. If you are visiting and have the wonderful opportunity to fish the Yakima system, I would not be without the Conehead 20 Incher from Catch flies. It's a super pattern, really heavy so it gets down deep fast, and it's a popular guide fly here at the shop. I would run a two nymph rig, the Conehead up front and either a PMD nymph or caddis larva or pupa off back. Mid day nymphing has been a good way to catch fish when the temperatures soar and the sun pushes the fish deep.
Recipe:
Hook: Curved Nymph 6-12
Thread:Black or Olive
Bead/cone: Brass or Tungsten, sized to hook
Weight: Lead wire, sized to hook
Tails: Dark Brown Goose Biots
Rib: Gold or Brass Ultra Wire
Floss Underbody: Dark Colored Dubbing
Abdomen: Peacock Ice Dub
Wingcase: Turkey Tail Quill with two strips of flash
Legs: Partridge and rubber legs
Thorax: Natural Hare s Mask Dubbing- olive or rust
Week 9
All Spring and Summer
Emergent Sparkle Caddis
Colors- green, tan, olive, brown, your choice
ESP Recipe
Hook- Dai-Riki #135 or #125, Sz 12-20
Thread- Veevus- brown or black
Underbody- many variations- from green flash to dubbed antron, Haretron or Ice Dub
Overbody- Antron yarn- tail is clipped from overbody so be mindful of that.
Wing- Deer hair- I like the X-caddis hair we sell. It comes in natural, dun and bleached.
Head- Dark brown dubbing- Haretron, Hare's Ear or something similar that makes a tight dubbing noodle. No need for a buggy look, just a clean head.
Week 8-
July
Olive X-Caddis- Sz 14-16
If I didn't like tying so much, and was forced, by fillet knife point, to choose just one fly to fish this summer or at least, the caddis hatches around Central WA, I would not hesitate grabbing a handful of X-Caddis. The X-Caddis is the creation of Craig Mathews and ranks among the best in emerger representations ever created- for caddis. Its popularity was gained because it fools the wary trout of the greater Yellowstone area to the pressured fish of the Yakima River, and beyond. If a fly becomes famous, it usually stems from it's universal appeal to fishing people, ease of tie, and trout susceptibility.
The X-Caddis in olive, dark olive, brown and black all work well in the Yakima and its tributaries. Olive or dark olive seem to be the best universal color, especially during the low light feeding frenzy that sometimes happens in the caddis heavy stretches of the river. Just bring a flashlight if you fish until after dark, I would rather see a rattlesnake then feel one! I dip just the deer hair wing into something like Fly Agra and then false cast it dry. The combo of deer hair and Fly Agra make for a great floating dryfly. It works well in the soft water of the lower canyon, as well as the rough water around Cle Elum or the various tribs. This is one of those flies that we are always restocking, and that alone should attest to its effectiveness, if you've never fished these great flies, give them a try and see what happens.
X-Caddis Recipe
Hook: Dai-Riki #320 or #305, sizes 12- 20
Thread: Veevus 8/0 color to match body
Tail: Zelon or substitute, amber gold or caddis gold- crinkled
Body: Dubbed beaver or Antron: tan, brown, olive or black- basically match the naturals
Wing: Deer or elk hair- I like Nature's Spirit x-caddis deer hair!
Late June to July
Headlight Sally- Size 14 or 16
As far as small Stoneflies go, Yellow Sallies are not overly prolific in the Yakima system. Farmlands and upper river(Cle Elum) have decent hatches of these brightly colored and easily spotted aquatic insects.
Like all Stoneflies, the Yellow Sally migrates to the shore, crawls onto land where they hatch and mating takes place in the bushes. The egg laying flights occur at or around mid-afternoon to evening. The female is egg laden, hence the red "butt" on most adult patterns. As they drop to deposit the eggs, the stonefly will often become another food source for hungry trout. Of course, catching one and matching it's color is the best way to fool wary trout. However, a lot of production flies are a decent match for the Sallies around here.
One of the elements I like best about the Headlight Sally is the opal tinsel body. Opal tinsel is just plain awesome for any fly, be it a traditional dry, an opal elk hair caddis, a midge emerger or as flash on the ever popular Dolly Llama streamer.
I might try adding some recipes, since we are a tier's shop, to the fly of the month posts. Eventually, I hope we can have some photographs or videos too, as the blog develops.
Headlight Sally
Hook- Dai Riki #300 14-16
Thread- Yellow Veevus 8/0 or 10/0
Post- Upright white calf tail or for a variation, some hi-vis poly or 1/16th dia. yellow foam cylinders. ( foam being used for extended tail/body and post)
Hackle- Light Ginger wrapped parachute
Wing- Hairline Clear Wing
Body(hook) - UTC Opal Mirage Tinsel, Med.
Thorax dubbing- Nature's Spirit X-tremely FIne Natural Dubbing- #13 Sulphur Yellow
Extended Body- 1/16the Foam Cylinder or Hairline Fine Chinelle in Fluorescent Yellow ( Burnt to create taper)
Butt- Red permanent marker
Week 6-
Mid June to early July
Double Bead Hot Stone- Orange or Chartreuse Sz 4-6
Yep, it's summer Steelhead season on the Klickitat. A lot of guys from the shop have been making the two hour, one way, trip down to this world famous Columbia River tributary and fishing the heck out of the upper water.
The fly of the week is: The Double Bead Hot Stone and it's a killer pattern to ply the deep, fishy water those salt hardened Rainbow Trout love. Give some a try, nymph the strong water and see what happens. We like the peacock with either an orange double bead or a chartreuse double bead. Other good colors are black body and pink bead(s). Any indicator would work well for Steelhead, as long as it can handle heavily weighted nymph outfits. We have even used an extra bushy New Zealand wool system with success.
Week 5-
Late May to Late June/early July
Beadhead C-N Superflash - PMD- Sz 14 or 16
We are well below "normal" flows for this time of the year on the Yakima, as the hot weather just isn't a real factor right now. (That is supposed to change soon) But, as the river flows show, the Yakima is jumping up. I am not sure why they are; I imagine it is due to agricultural water needs. Regardless, the river is fishing in a superb way. Lots of insect activity, feisty fish, and lots of wading access right now. The local small streams are fishing well and we are starting to see a lot of interest in our "small stream rods". Anyway, on to the fly of the week.
The fly we chose for the Fly of the Week is a bead head nymph pattern. The Yakima River is usually pretty quite in the early to mid-morning and nymphing is a great way to ply the water and take advantage of early morning insect migrations. The BH C-N Superflash in PMD is an awesome pattern for getting deep, getting noticed and getting bit! Since most PMD hatches are coming off in the most comfortable time of the day, using a PMX or Chubby Chernobyl with a C-N Superflash dropper just before the hatch will be killer. The hatches have been coming off around mid-day, so fishing this combo after the morning nymph migration should produce some decent fish.
Week 4
Late May-June
Butthead Sparkledun - PMD
What a weird past two weeks. So, we live in a significant rain shadow and the weather is usually a moderate ramp up to summer heat. Last week, we went from moderate temperatures to high heat, I personally saw 99 degrees Fahrenheit. With that comes a lot of doomsday talk of low flows and warm water. Fast forward to yesterday, and the high temperatures were in the 60's and it was snowing in the mountains! Yes, areas above 5000 feet received up to 8 inches of snow! It was 36 degrees here in Ellensburg this very morning. All this means one thing, good fishing. The Yakima river is fishing great. We are having many different hatches and the guides are getting people into a lot of good fishing.
The fly we chose for the Fly of the week is a Comparadun variation dry pattern. The Yakima River is a high pressure system and trout quickly settle into selectivity. Now, that does not mean it's a small fly, long leader water. We fish the heck out of the big stuff (More on that later). PMD nymphs are working fine in the mornings and when surface feeders are not showing. Trail a nymph behind a Pat's Stone and ply good looking water. When the the hatch progresses and the fish look up, try this sparkledun and look for foam lines and back eddies. We like the olive-yellow tone body, the trailing husk and the extra float-ability of the deer hair. Dip this in some fly-agra and get on the water.
Week 3
Late May-June
CDC Winged Emerger - PMD
Late May and June is the entry into PMD emergence. Over the next couple of weeks WBFC is going to be highlighting some awesome Yakima River Pale Morning Dun flies that are a good bet for most days on the river. The emergence of PMD's is one of our favorite because it generally happens during the most comfortable time of the day. In good fishing weather, around noon is dependable and in hotter weather, the morning or evening is more common. Those are general times of course, so be prepared for changes from day to day as the season progresses.
The cool thing about an emerger pattern is that it can be fished, behind a high floating indicator fly, throughout the entire hatch. However, some folks start with a PMD Nymph, way before the hatch (Which is a good idea anyway) and then as the fish transition to top water, the angler also switches to a visible dun pattern. I think in heavily fished rivers and streams such as the Yakima, an emerger will out fish a dun and why we suggest using the indicator/dropper(emerger) rig.
Hook- Dai Riki #300 14-16
Thread- Yellow Veevus 8/0 or 10/0
Post- Upright white calf tail or for a variation, some hi-vis poly or 1/16th dia. yellow foam cylinders. ( foam being used for extended tail/body and post)
Hackle- Light Ginger wrapped parachute
Wing- Hairline Clear Wing
Body(hook) - UTC Opal Mirage Tinsel, Med.
Thorax dubbing- Nature's Spirit X-tremely FIne Natural Dubbing- #13 Sulphur Yellow
Extended Body- 1/16the Foam Cylinder or Hairline Fine Chinelle in Fluorescent Yellow ( Burnt to create taper)
Butt- Red permanent marker
Week 6-
Mid June to early July
Double Bead Hot Stone- Orange or Chartreuse Sz 4-6
Yep, it's summer Steelhead season on the Klickitat. A lot of guys from the shop have been making the two hour, one way, trip down to this world famous Columbia River tributary and fishing the heck out of the upper water.
The fly of the week is: The Double Bead Hot Stone and it's a killer pattern to ply the deep, fishy water those salt hardened Rainbow Trout love. Give some a try, nymph the strong water and see what happens. We like the peacock with either an orange double bead or a chartreuse double bead. Other good colors are black body and pink bead(s). Any indicator would work well for Steelhead, as long as it can handle heavily weighted nymph outfits. We have even used an extra bushy New Zealand wool system with success.
Week 5-
Late May to Late June/early July
Beadhead C-N Superflash - PMD- Sz 14 or 16
We are well below "normal" flows for this time of the year on the Yakima, as the hot weather just isn't a real factor right now. (That is supposed to change soon) But, as the river flows show, the Yakima is jumping up. I am not sure why they are; I imagine it is due to agricultural water needs. Regardless, the river is fishing in a superb way. Lots of insect activity, feisty fish, and lots of wading access right now. The local small streams are fishing well and we are starting to see a lot of interest in our "small stream rods". Anyway, on to the fly of the week.
Week 4
Late May-June
Butthead Sparkledun - PMD
What a weird past two weeks. So, we live in a significant rain shadow and the weather is usually a moderate ramp up to summer heat. Last week, we went from moderate temperatures to high heat, I personally saw 99 degrees Fahrenheit. With that comes a lot of doomsday talk of low flows and warm water. Fast forward to yesterday, and the high temperatures were in the 60's and it was snowing in the mountains! Yes, areas above 5000 feet received up to 8 inches of snow! It was 36 degrees here in Ellensburg this very morning. All this means one thing, good fishing. The Yakima river is fishing great. We are having many different hatches and the guides are getting people into a lot of good fishing.
The fly we chose for the Fly of the week is a Comparadun variation dry pattern. The Yakima River is a high pressure system and trout quickly settle into selectivity. Now, that does not mean it's a small fly, long leader water. We fish the heck out of the big stuff (More on that later). PMD nymphs are working fine in the mornings and when surface feeders are not showing. Trail a nymph behind a Pat's Stone and ply good looking water. When the the hatch progresses and the fish look up, try this sparkledun and look for foam lines and back eddies. We like the olive-yellow tone body, the trailing husk and the extra float-ability of the deer hair. Dip this in some fly-agra and get on the water.
Week 3
Late May-June
Week 2
Late May-June
Smallmouth Bass- Either that gets you excited or it doesn't. Central Washington is loaded with fantastic, highly under utilized, fisheries in the Columbia River, basin lakes and the lower Yakima River. Our fly of the week is a simple baitfish imitation tied and sold by the Montana Fly Company. It's a pretty simple pattern and the white color is very popular with fish and the fishermen/women. It's worth buying a few to take out into the basin and testing the waters of some of the popular spots like Potholes or Banks. Hint: Looking for a lake with little pressure and monster bass? Drive east of the shop 30 minutes... or stop by and get the scoop.
Kraft's CK Baitfish Minnow - White
1st post!
March -May
This is great, our first fly of the week posting, and it's an unusual one. It's unusual because of the fact that the March Browns are still coming off in fish-able numbers in the upper stretches of the Yakima river! Fishing dries is always fun, fishing a March Brown Mayfly in May, is even more fun! look for good water after about 1-1:30 and fish a March Brown Cripple as such. Right now, sizes 14-16. 14 being most common. This hatch is tapering fast but having a couple on hand is always good.
Tight Lines!
Speroni March Brown Cripple
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