The rule of thumb is five or less.......materials.

5

509

Steelhead
After a couple of decades I might be losing my fly tyer, so have cleaned up my fly tying stuff and starting to tie for this coming spring.

I am a bad fly tyer. So the rules for me are quite simple. Five materials or less. The hook is one, the thread is two. That leaves me three materials for the fly.

So here is my version of a Bunny Leech. The rabbit hair is one and there is a lead wire wrap underneath it all. I thought about adding a bead up front, but that seemed like a lot of work.

Anyway, what are you favorite "five or less" flies? The less work tying, the better. Include pictures, if possible, and also simple instructions.


1764449079963.png
 
509 said:
After a couple of decades I might be losing my fly tyer, so have cleaned up my fly tying stuff and starting to tie for this coming spring.

I am a bad fly tyer. So the rules for me are quite simple. Five materials or less. The hook is one, the thread is two. That leaves me three materials for the fly.

So here is my version of a Bunny Leech. The rabbit hair is one and there is a lead wire wrap underneath it all. I thought about adding a bead up front, but that seemed like a lot of work.

Anyway, what are you favorite "five or less" flies? The less work tying, the better. Include pictures, if possible, and also simple instructions.


View attachment 173610
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Hard to beat that one!
Try a sized-down version using micro pine squirrel, with or without bead.

Same with a single or two blended marabou feathers: tie tips as the tail, put a little twist in the stem & wind up to the head. A counterwrap of wire will make it more durable.

While a bead may seem more complicated, I find that it actually simplifies/idiotproofs the tie by making it impossible to crowd the eye, and you don't have to be good at making a neat head.
A glass bead won't sink as fast, so doesn't turn the fly "jiggy."
 
I prefer the Partridge and Orange generally but a February Red often turns the trick in the colder weather. Hook, silk, wax, just a touch of hare's ear and a turn or two of upland game bird feather. Magical.
20251121_FebRed.jpg
 
SculpinSwinger said:
CDC & Elk Hair Caddis, hard to go wrong
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I loved the Elk Hair Caddis when I lived in Idaho. I did not like working with the dubbing.

I was looking at Wade's video IOBO humpy and it looks like it would be really simple to tie a Elk Hair Caddis using the same procedures.

Is that what you were thinking??
 
509 said:
I loved the Elk Hair Caddis when I lived in Idaho. I did not like working with the dubbing.

I was looking at Wade's video IOBO humpy and it looks like it would be really simple to tie a Elk Hair Caddis using the same procedures.

Is that what you were thinking??
Click to expand...
You simply Palmer cdc feathers for the body, tie on an elk hair wing and done!
www.thescientificflyangler.com

CDC and Elk (caddis pattern)

It was inevitable that I would eventually write this post. This feels a bit like my preaching the CDC and Elk gospel but there are some that have not heard or read the gospel and they need to. If you fish for trout, you need to try this pattern. If you fish for spring creek trout and are not...
www.thescientificflyangler.com www.thescientificflyangler.com
 
SculpinSwinger said:
You simply Palmer cdc feathers for the body, tie on an elk hair wing and done!
www.thescientificflyangler.com

CDC and Elk (caddis pattern)

It was inevitable that I would eventually write this post. This feels a bit like my preaching the CDC and Elk gospel but there are some that have not heard or read the gospel and they need to. If you fish for trout, you need to try this pattern. If you fish for spring creek trout and are not...
www.thescientificflyangler.com www.thescientificflyangler.com
Click to expand...
OK, that linky was seriously flytyer/fisher geeky awesome. Thanks!

I love the IOBO for my tiny winter bwo pattern, but I assemble the body a bit more like Hans ties the caddis body. I use two natural dun bulk pack smaller feathers both tied on top with the tips out the back. I wrap the stem of one forward to form the under body...then fold the two tips over the top for the hump. As Hans notes, CDC is slippery.

Used to be I couldn't even spell CDC!
 
5 materials or less describes 99.9% of my trout tying....shoot, 3 materials or less probably would still describe 90%
 
509 said:
After a couple of decades I might be losing my fly tyer, so have cleaned up my fly tying stuff and starting to tie for this coming spring.

I am a bad fly tyer. So the rules for me are quite simple. Five materials or less. The hook is one, the thread is two. That leaves me three materials for the fly.

So here is my version of a Bunny Leech. The rabbit hair is one and there is a lead wire wrap underneath it all. I thought about adding a bead up front, but that seemed like a lot of work.

Anyway, what are you favorite "five or less" flies? The less work tying, the better. Include pictures, if possible, and also simple instructions.


View attachment 173610
Click to expand...
Vlad, are these flies for NCW and other trout lakes, or other types of fisheries? That affects our fly recommendations, ya know.
 
clarkman said:
5 materials or less describes 99.9% of my trout tying....shoot, 3 materials or less probably would still describe 90%
Click to expand...
Yeah, I was thinking that I should drop it to two materials or less. My favorite flies are two or less for a materials list.

Well, for me they are NCW lakes since I only fish lakes. Unless the streams have firm feeling bottoms.
 
Skagit Swinger, do you have more information on the second fly??

You guys sent me down several rabbit holes with video links.

I found this "fly" on the rabbit hole trip and realized that it took only ONE material and ONE hook. Even more amazing I found the material in my stash of useless fly tying stuff.

Back in the early 1970's I was backpacking in the Sawtooths in Idaho when I literally ran out of flies. I managed to tie a rubber band fly on a bare hook and limited out on brookies.

This might be my go to fly this coming spring.

It is a difficult tie. I have included a link to a video showing how to tie the fly. Worth watching.

https://www.flyfishfood.com/blogs/nymph-tutorials/ez-squirmy-wormy

1764524901676.png
 
509 said:
Skagit Swinger, do you have more information on the second fly??

You guys sent me down several rabbit holes with video links.

I found this "fly" on the rabbit hole trip and realized that it took only ONE material and ONE hook. Even more amazing I found the material in my stash of useless fly tying stuff.

Back in the early 1970's I was backpacking in the Sawtooths in Idaho when I literally ran out of flies. I managed to tie a rubber band fly on a bare hook and limited out on brookies.

This might be my go to fly this coming spring.

It is a difficult tie. I have included a link to a video showing how to tie the fly. Worth watching.

https://www.flyfishfood.com/blogs/nymph-tutorials/ez-squirmy-wormy

View attachment 173677
Click to expand...

I assume you are talking to me. Body is orange deer hair with the tips making the tail and wound around the shank. Wire counter ribbed and elk hair for the wing. Tied in various sizes of 10-6.
 
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I started tying the Squirmy Worm and realized that the tying instructions were awful. He recommends running the point of the hook through the worm.

Just use the worm to tie a knot on the hook and then use super glue to hold in place.

The video is worth watching, but the knot is so much quicker and simpler.

Whoops, the superglue does melt the Squirmy Worm. A soft knot helps, but now I see why the video recommends going through the point of the hook. I am out of head cement, but I wonder if that melts the Squirmy Worm??
 
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509 said:
Yeah, I was thinking that I should drop it to two materials or less. My favorite flies are two or less for a materials list.

Well, for me they are NCW lakes since I only fish lakes. Unless the streams have firm feeling bottoms.
Click to expand...
One of my favorite flies to tie and fish is Fran Betters' Usual. Just one material besides hook and thread: snowshoe rabbit foot.

Here's a good tutorial:

 
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