Kind of Blue - Rangely Style Streamer

Hook: #4 Gaelic Supreme 8xl
Thread: white 70 denier under body,  black 70 denier for head
Tag: flat silver tinsel
Body: blue floss
Rib: flat silver tinsel
Underwing: blue bucktail then white bucktail
Throat: white saddle hackle
Wing: paired black saddle hackles between paired blue dun saddle hackles (slightly shorter)
Cheeks: Guinea Fowl
Eye (optional): jungle cock
Head: black thread with blue floss accent

Rusty Spinner

Hook: Dry Fly 12-16
Thread: Rusty Brown 70 Denier
Tail: Wood duck fibers
Body: Superfine Waterproof Dubbing - Rusty Brown
Wings: Kiptail

Jiggy Buggers

This is just your basic wooly bugger tied on a jig hook with a slotted tungsten bead head. I decided to try these out on jig hooks to see if they snagged less while bouncing on the bottom. They might also be fun for ice fishing.

Hook: C400BL Barbless Jig Hook #10 or 12
Bead: 1/8" or 7/64" Slotted Tungsten Bead (3.3mm or 2.8mm)
Tail: Black Marabou
Body: Black Chenille
Hackle: Gray hackle

Harry Darbee's Two-Feather Fly

 

Harry Darbee's Two-Feather Fly

Hook: #14 Emerger

Thread: Blue Dun 70 Denier

Body/Tail: Suitable Feather (eg. short and fat hackle feather, wood duck or mallard flank, grouse for smaller sizes)

Hackle: cock hackle to match

 

For some detailed tying instructions, check out Davie McPhail. He calls it a "Hatchmaster" but from what I know, Harry Darbee invented it in the 50s and called it the Two-Feather. It also was simply called the "Darbee."

Showshoe & UV Finish Emergers

The flies above are the result of some experimentation I've done with #16 Klinkhamer hooks and snowshoe hare's feet wings. Both bodies were finished using Loon's Clear UV Finish - Thin. On the left, I spiral-wrapped dun WonderWrap with UV Pearl Flashabou wrapped between the WonderWrap spirals. On the right, I used a grizzly hackle quill. The idea is that the bodies will easily sink below the surface, with the super-boyant showshoe hare keeping them afloat in the surface film.

Griffith's Gnat

Hook: Standard Dry #14-24 (Mustad 94849 #18 shown)
Thread: Black 70 denier
Body: Peacock Herl
Hackle: Grizzly, palmered

Grizzly Crazy 8

This is a bit of an experiment that I worked on over the weekend. I used some traditional techniques and materials, modern poly yarn, and what I think is a new or at least odd-ball hackling technique to come up with what you see above. I tied the fly with two different hackling techniques (comparisons below). For my first tie, I wrapped the hackle in figure 8s around the poly wings creating an unruly ball of hackle, reminiscent of a hackle stacker, but above and below the hook. On my second fly, I posted both poly wings and wrapped the hackle parachute-style around each wing separately. 

Hook: #12 standard dry

Thread: white 70 denier

Tail: 3 black-barred white Hareline Mayfly Tails (micro fibbets)

Body: stripped grizzly hackle quill, laquered with Loon UV resin

Wings: white poly yard tied spent

Hackle: #12 grizzly hackle tied figure 8 (or double parachute)

Double-parachue

Figure 8

Figure 8s on left, parchutes on right

Classic Adams

Hook: #12 standard dry
Thread: olive 70 denier
Wing: grizzly hackle tips
Tail: mixed grizzly & brown hackle fibers
Body: Adams Gray Super Fine Waterproof Dry Fly Dubbing
Hackle: mixed grizzly #12 & brown #14

Red Quill

Red Quill
Hook: #12 dry
Thread: 70 denier blue dun
Tail: dark dun hackle fibers
Body: stripped quill from Rhode Island Red rooster hackle
Hackle: dark dun
Wing: wood duck

Snowshoe winged Light Cahill

Hook: #14 TMC 100 dry 

Thread: Orvis Primrose (pale yellow) 8/0

Tail: Cream Hackle fibers

Body: custom Light Cahill fur blend

Wing: snowshoe rabbit's foot, cream 

Hackle: cream

This is a pattern I picked up from Bob Wikoff, who incidentally also provided the dubbin and the snowshoe rabbit's foot.

Mercer's Missing Link

Great caddis pattern for late fall

Hook: dry fly
Thread: olive 70 denier
Body: olive thread
Rib: pearl flashabou

Thorax: ball of Peacock Ice Dub
Legs: tan Z-lon
Wing: coastal deer hair
Hackle: natural dun, parachute

Salmon River Stone

Hook: 2x long nymph, weighted with 2 strips of lead-free wire
Thread: fl. orange
Tail: wire ends painted black
Body: black Angora
Head: orange or red Angora w/ fl. orange thread hotspot.

Olive Devaux

Hook: dry fly
Thread: white and olive 70 denier
Tail: light dun hackle fibers
Body: olive thread
Rib: white thread
Rear hackle: dark dun
Front hackle: light dun
Wing: light dun hackle tips

Gray Squirrel Silver

Hook: Streamer
Thread: black 70 denier
Body: silver tinsel
Rib: silver oval tinsel or Wapsi wire
Beard: red schlappen
Under-wing: gray squirrel tail (gray fox subbed)
Wing: Paired grizzly hackles

Red Squirrel Gold

Classic pattern from Ray Bergman

Hook: Streamer
Thread: black 70 denier
Body: gold tinsel
Rib: gold oval tinsel
Beard: red schlappen
Under-wing: red squirrel tail
Wing: Paired Badger hackles

Orange-butt Otto

Hook: streamer
Thread: Flourescent Orange 70 denier
Tag: orange thread or floss
Body: silver tinsel
Rib: silver Wapsi wire with fl. Pink seal dubbin
Beard: orange rabbit
Under-wing: blue rabbit
Wing: paired grizzly hackles

Leadwing Coachman

Hook: Wet fly, #10-16
Thread: Black 70 Denier
Tip: Gold Mylar Tinsel
Body: Peacock Herl
Beard: Brown Hackle
Wing: Mallard Quills

Basic Baitfish

Hook: Mustad 3906 #6
Thread: pale yellow 210 denier Danville waxed fly master
Body: layered Hareline Baitfish Emulator Flash (pearl, pearl, fl. hot pink, olive, olive)
Eyes: red holographic eyes applied with Zap Goo.

Turkey Dun Wet

 

Hook: Standard Wet Fly, #14 (weighted opt)

Thread: Black 70 Denier

Tail: Dun hen hackle fibers

Body: Gray Hareline Dubbin

Hackle: Dun hen hackle

Wing: Paired Turkey Quill

Normally, a Blue Dun wet would have a Gray Duck Quill wing, but I subbed the turkey since it's all I had on hand.

Fatal Attractor

Hook: Dry Fly, 10-14
Thread: Olive 70 denier
Tail: Golden Pheasant Tippet
Body: UV Light Olive Ice Dub
Back Wing: Coastal Deer Hair
Wing: Calf Tail, white
Hackle: Grizzly
Head: Fl. Orange thread