Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Different Dubbing for Soft Hackle

Hi,

I am trying a different dubbing for this fly. It is from Orvis and is called "Ice" dubbing. I am not sure if it is still available from them? Someone said they could not find it there. I haven't checked lately. I kind of like it though.

Let me know what you think!

Orvis Ice Dubbing on Sparkle Dun

Hi,
I haven't had a chance to try fishing this fly which is dressed with a new dubbing from Orivs- Ice Dubbing.

I sure like the sparkle in the dubbing. If you have had fishing experience with this dubbing, please let me know. I plan to fish it this summer.

Photographing Flies is Difficult!

Hi,
I am trying different cameras, different backgrounds, different lighting, etc. The fly is not a very well tied fly, but, PLEASE let me know which photo looks the best to you. If you can't leave a comment, please email me:
byhaugh1@mac.com

Thank you!!!!!!!!

Trying to take a good photo of this fly

I would appreciate your comments as to the quality of this photo. Obviously, the "gold standard" is the photo, very top photo, which was taken by Hans Weilenmann.
Thank you.
You can email me too - or leave a comment here.

byhaugh1@mac.com

Gray Drake Parachute

In the Yellowstone area, there are hatches of Gray Drakes, Green Drakes, and Brown Drakes as well as the Flav (actually a small Western Green Drake).
To make matters more interesting, some of the Green Drakes are a little different color, depending on which watershed you are in. I figure you have to be ready to try all of them.

Sparkle Deer Hair Parachute Small Western Green Drake

The Small Western Green Drake

This is a sparkle dun pattern for the Small Western Green Drake (the Flav). I tied it with a post of dyed deer hair and a bright olive dyed grizzly hackle. The fly should float well and, I believe, will be a good imitation for the Flav.

I posted a couple pictures of the same fly.

The version below has a more traditional tail instead of a trailing shuck as in the Sparkle Dun imitation:

PMD Sparkle Dun and Sparkle Blue-Winged Olive Dun

This is my PMD Sparkle Dun. I really like the new dubbing I am using. And, I really like the new jaws from JVICE.


Below are two views of my Sparkle Blue-Winged Olive. The deer hair is dyed blue. I purchased the deer hair at Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone. I think they have the best animal hair I have ever seen. They get their hair locally from hunters as I understand it.

Beautiful Damasteel Jaws from JVICE

My new jaws from Jay at JVICE arrived today. They are made of Damasteel stainless steel and are truly beautiful. I hesitate attaching them to my JVICE and tying on them. I will take a better photo after I do attach them. As I understand, he only has 2 sets of such jaws left. His website is JVICE.com.

My Soft Hackle with a Bead Head

This is my Soft Hackle that I have been fishing since the early 90's. It has been the most productive fly I have used for all the years since. I usually fish it without a bead head, but sometimes, when the water is fast/deep, the bead head gets it where it needs to be.

This fly is most productive on the wet fly swing. If you see rises, just position yourself and lay your cast so that the upswing occurs near the rise. If using the fly without a bead head, just false cast to dry it off and fish it dry to a rising fish.

Smaller sizes work, but the size 14 has been the most productive size for this fly.

The original non-bead head pattern:

Just starting a new web site

Hi,
I am starting a new web site to offer limited fly patterns for sale. Just beginning the site development. It will be at: www.mytroutflies.com

If you have some suggestions for me, please let me know at: byhaugh@mytroutflies.com

Thank you!!!!!

Tying a Beadhead Breadcrust

I am re-reading Patrick Dorsey's fine book about tying flies for tailwaters. In it, he tells how he took over the assignment of tying an old pattern - The Breadcrust. The fly at the top is the fly tied by Pat Dorsey - the original pattern referred to in one of the comments below.

The bottom photo is my version tied recently.

I tied this fly with a bead head and I added peacock hearl between the swept back grizzly hackle and the bead head. I think it makes the fly look neater and it adds a material that trout seem to love - peacock hearl.

The somewhat difficult part of tying this fly is that it is done using a split bird feather. It is supposed to be a ruffled grouse. I did not have that bird, so I used a leading wing feather from a partridge. You split the "bone" of the feather lengthwise. Then, you clean the pith material out of the "bone" and soak it in water to make it more pliable. Then, you trim the feather barbules with a scissors fairly close to the middle bone of the feather. Then wrap it forward on a hook which has already been built up slightly with an underbody of smooth yarn tied down.

I think the fly imitates a cased caddis.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for looking!!!

My Fascination with Dubbing Loop Hackle

I really enjoy tying flies and hackling flies with different materials using a dubbing loop and spinning it to create "hackle".

This particular fly is a Pale Morning Dun. The color may not be exactly right in the photo, but it is in "real life".

In this case, the hackling material is Zelon which is a wonderful material. I did a little internet searching on Zelon and find that it was made by DuPont, but their entire supply was purchased by Umpqua and Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone. I got mine from Blue Ribbon Flies. Zelon is a shiny material which does not "mat" like most other fibers. Thus, it is used as the shuck on the sparkle comparaduns. If it matted, it would not float so well.

In case you aren't familar with this method: You simply form a thread dubbing loop after reaching the thorax area. Then, cut the Zelon to the appropriate length and spread the fibers in the dubbing loop. Spin the loop until the material forms a "hackle". Then, wrap as you would any hackle.

Let me know what you think. Thanks for looking.

Tying Flies the Upside-Down Paraloop Style

These are my Upside-Down Pale Morning Dun Paraloop imitations.

The sparkle (zelon) trailing shuck is tied dense as it has to help suspend the heaviest part of the hook.

These are easily tied using the JVICE with the gallows attachment. The JVICE can be seen at this website: www.jvice.com

























Blue-Winged Olive and the one on the right (above) is a Pale Morning Dun.

Old Fashioned Fly Tying Contest

Old Fashioned Fly Tying Contest. The fly that received
ALL the votes is the Traditional Hackled Fly as the best Pale Morning Dun.
Thanks to those who submitted flies and those who voted.

THE WINNING FLY IS THE FIRST FLY SHOWN BELOW. It was tied by Hugues Silvain of Saint Christol les Ales, France. Congratulations Hugues!!!!!!

THESE WERE THE ENTRIES:

Tying the Paraloop Fly Style

The owner of the Jvice company (yes, he spells it with a "c") in South Africa sent me a new jaw for his wonderful vise system and he included a gallows tool. So, I was compelled to tie a Sparkle Blue Wing Olive paraloop style. You know, I don't think this fly is commercially available. I never see them in the fly shops. I think it is like the Water Walker style of fly. They are very life-like, but not sure you find them in fly shops.

I would highly recommend his tying station and accessories. His equipment is very high quality.
His site is: http://www.jvice.co.za/


The photo below is tying the Paraloop style with JVICE's "midge maniac" jaw. Very unique tiny jaws!!!!!

He has a video of tying the paraloop using his vise. Beautiful equipment!!





The photo below includes the top portion of the JVICE with the midge jaws.















This is a size 20 pmd paraloop - not as emerger with a shuck (as others above), but as adult dun.

This is my new Sparkle Dun for a Flav. A "Flav" is a Small Western Green Drake. We were lucky enough to fish the Lower Henry's Fork this summer in early July. We caught quite a few nice trout on this hatch. The insects hatched twice each day: mid-morning and mid-afternoon. We used a Sparkle Dun which worked. Next summer, I intend to have some of these to try as I think they will be quite effective.













The fly below is a Paraloop mahogany dun.













The fly below is a Sparkle Dun Flav Paraloop. It is ribbed with trimmed hackle feather.













The fly below is a PMD Sparkle Dun Paraloop

Fishing the Yellowstone Area

Top picture is of the Gardiner River. Rainbow is from Henry's Fork near Ashton, Idaho.


Could not stand not being able to fish until Spring. Although not a great time to fish in the Yellowstone Area, I made the trip anyway. I fished the Henry's Fork below Ashton, Idaho and all over in Yellowstone Park. The best fishing was probably on the Gardiner River just inside the North entrance to the Park. Funny, but no one in the West Yellostone shops mention this river. I wonder if it is because you might then hook up with Parks Fly Shop in the little town of Gardiner just outside the north entrance? Anyway, it is a beautiful little stream and has decent fish and lots and lots of elk running around you.


I have fished the Firehole River in the Park for many years. I knew that the fish there were smallish, but never actually inquired as to the reason. I knew it had something to do with the warm temperatures due to the geysers. I just assumed the adult fish moved out of there. This time i inquired and learned that the warm temps affect their metabolism and that a small 8 incher might be 2 years old!!! I knew it wasn't true that the small fish were easy to catch!!!!

Did stop in to get tying supplies at Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone. Neither Craig Mathews nor John Juracek were there, but I did prevail on a guide/employee there to demo Craig's Sparkle Comparadun. It is very true that you need the appropriate deer hair. The fellow looked at about 10 skins and rejected them all before finding one with the appropriate tips. He demostrated the fly and taught me a couple tricks. Really helped my tying after I went back to my room and tied some. Never too old to learn.

Video clip is of a bison between myself and the Firehole River.......