Bibios, Heather Flies, Hawthorn Flies, Blossom Flies, Love Bugs - you name it.   An interesting critter that .. for some reason seems more popular in Europe rather than the US.  Whazzup with that? 

I was thinking about doing this episode having lunch outside one day, and bemoaning the fact that I didn't have any pictures of these guys that I could publish on the blog.   At that moment a bibio that landed on the table in front of me.   Of course I was too discombobulated to get a picture before it flew off - but I saw that as a good sign to do this episode.  

But that said, there are plenty of pictures of these guys on the interweb.   For example, here:  https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&taxon_id=56097&verifiable=any As you can see, there is a fair bit of diversity, but note the black or black and red color, the long abdomen, the wings held flat over the body, and the dangley legs.   In terms of patterns, one of the old ones I really like is as follows: 

• Hook: Size 12 or 14 wet fly hook
• Body: Ostrich herl (or hair from the ear of a black spaniel)
• Wings: Pale Starling slips (or duck, this is starling, altho I've also seen pigeon)
• Hackle: Black starling, or hen hackle

I would bet a leadwing coachman would also be a great imitation.    Next is an imitation from New Zealand of a Blossom Fly - 

Again, pretty straightforward: 

• Hook: 12-14 dry fly
• Body: Peacock Herl
• Rib: Black Cock
• Hackle: Black Cock

And this pattern from Malcolm Greenhalgh: 

• Hook: Dry Fly 12-14
• Body: Black Floss
• Rib: Peacock Herl
• Wing: Dun hackle tips
• Hackle: Black cock

And this one, which I like because it imitates the dangly legs:

• Hook: 12-14 dry fly
• Body: Black dyed pheasant herl (or goose)
• Hackle: Black cock
• Legs:  Black dyed pheasant herl tied back. 
• Or you can do the Fore and Aft:
• Hook: 12-14 dry
• Hackle: Black cock at hook bend
• Body: Thread
• Hackle: Black cock at eye.

As you can see, these are all fairly straightforward flies.   

Hey all - all about Quill Gordons and Theodore Gordon.  Hope you enjoy it! 

Hey all - I don't have any pics of an adult Epeorus pleuralis but here are some nymphs.  Note the two tails and the flat, triangular body with eyes on the top of their head.  Also note the broad gills on the abdomen - they are always moving.   

So in terms of patterns, as I mentioned on the blog, there is a really nice pattern from Ed Ostapczuk's Epeorus.    Tail: Wood Duck Flank Rib/Gills - brown saddle - trimmed top and bottom Underbody - Lead, wrapped with brown floss.  Abdomen: Red Fox and Brown Rabbit dubbing Wing Case:  Turkey Thorax: Beaver Dubbing Legs: Brown Partridge  

This is my adaptation of a Shenck's Cress Bug - where all it is is, in my case: 

Head: Flymen Fishing Company's Evolution Clinger Bead Head Tail: Pheasant tail Body:  Beaver dubbing, in a noodle, trimmed to a triangular shape Wing Case: Turkey Tail

Another fly I really like, that also uses these bead heads is a fly called the Evolution Heptagenia Nymph.   

I also like Gink and Gasoline's Heptagenia nymph

and lastly is my brilliant Iron gerzonkulator - which, who knows how the heck it will do - but if nothing else it will raise eyebrows when your buddy opens your fly box.  

Tail: Pheasant Tail Underbody: Lead zonker strip. Trimmed to a triangular shape Legs:  Hen hackle sandwiched between zonker strip Overbody: Bug skin - or thin skin, your choice.   Camo'd with marker Eyes: Critical.  Large and googly is obviously the best. 

So there you go!  Oops, and almost forgot - here is me, a few years ago, in front of the cemetery where Theodore Gordon was buried: 

Hey Folks, I'm back!  And here with an episode mostly about moths.  Yep. Moths as they relate to fly fishing.   Check it out, I think you will be surprised.   

Hi Folks,

Here are some pics of moths (both adults and larvae) as well as some patterns I like to fish.    So, while that is said, remember that the good old Elk Hair Caddis makes quite a nice imitation of a moth fluttering around on the surface - as do many other patterns - so if you are in a situation where you think a moth pattern might be useful, and you haven't anything in your box specifically tied to imitate a moth - think outside your box and see what else will work.   

So - first, I want to give you a little sense of the diversity of moths.   It is huge and crazy - there are giant ones, ones that look like humingbirds, and ones that are teeny tiny.   But even your plain grey moths have a huge amount of diversity (which doesn't need to be imitated in your tying).   Take a look at this random drawer from my collection - and while they are all generic grey moths - you can see a lot of variation from species to species (and it isn't like my collection is huge!). 

So while they all look like various shades of grey moths from far away - they are gorgeous when you look up close - check out this one - which is in genus Zale:  

Or this one - which is a common agricultural pest - super common - called a clover looper:

Obviously, you don't need to imitate all that detail, but they are beautiful.  

So, how do you imitate them?  As I mentioned, an elk hair caddis is a great imitation - both the small ones you have in your box (size 16 and up) or you can tie big ones like this:

Similarly a Stimulator tied large and either light or dark works great:

One of the more interesting patterns I've been playing with is from Dave Whitlock.   It is nice and simple - tied only with deer hair - and the pattern is just all about trimming: 

OK, let's switch to the larvae - or caterpillars.   There is a ton of diversity in caterpillars.  Here are a few examples.  This one is a Geometrid larva - an inch worm - which are often seen hanging down by a thread of silk (when not imitating a twig). 

They also come in brown versions - which are a little less effective from a camouflage perspective when they are on a green leaf... 

Here are a few others... 

Anyway - with all this diversity you can tie lots of diverse flies as well.  Here are a few:

I like this one because it is nice and simple - just a cylinder of foam tied down like a san juan worm.   You can do a similar thing with squirmy worm material of the appropriate color.  Where, that can be, as you see, anything from green, yellow, white, or brown.    Another one I like (I appeared to have been in a chartreuse mood this day) is one tied like a leech (just smaller, and green).  In this case it was tied with lambs wool - which floats for awhile and then sinks - and honestly, I fish it both ways:

You can also opt for a hairy version - in this case, again, just foam wrapped around a hook with a palmered feather.   Which, of course, leads to a wooly worm - which certainly can be used as a caterpillar imitation. 

Anyway - these are some ideas.   Talk to you next time.

Hi folks!  Sorry for the delay, but we're back in the saddle with an episode about Blue Winged Olives ... which are kind of complicated and confusing - but I make it 100% clear.   I think.  I hope.  

Hey folks - yep - worms.  Surprisingly interesting and entertaining even if the patterns are pretty mundane.   That said, don't forget to check out the blog to see the patterns I've posted.  

Hi folks, 

I debated about even bothering to have a blog post on this subject, since pretty much everyone knows what a worm looks like and the patterns are pretty mundane.  But then I thought, what the heck - and so here you go.  

I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of san juan worms in their natural habitat - things are little frozen up here right now and there isn't much worm activity going on.  But if you google "tubifex" you'll see what these critters are.  

As for earth worms - get a load of this:

Yes, Selene and I use worms for composting kitchen garbage.  Works great.   I was hoping to catch some actually mating, so you could see that, but no luck, we think it is too cold in the house.   

Ok, as for San Juan Worms (or any worm imitation, honestly, all you need is a hunk of chenille or vernille lashed onto a hook.  Singe the end to taper it and you are good.   The tan one here is described as "earthworm tan" which sounded good to me... 

If you would like to expand your fly selection you can always go the route of a squirmy worm:

Which is literally just squirmy worm material lashed onto a hook with a tail.  I get my squirmy worm material from kids toys, but you can also get it from a fly shop.   I like the clear one as there are lots of worms that don't have a lot of color.  That said, they tend to be smaller.  Hence the following patterns. 

I think you've all seen versions of this before - I like this fly because it sinks well and - in this case is clear, altho, of course, you can use whatever color you want.   It is also simple - not that worm flies are complex.   

But I saw a cool post by a guy on one of the fly tying facebook pages - a guy named Nick Thomas.   He was using this to tie extended bodies on his mayflies, but it also struck me as a great way to tie a small clear worm imitation.  It is just tippet material, wrapped around a needle, boiled for five minutes and tied onto a hook.    We'll see how well it works. 

Today we'll talk about cicadas and leafhoppers - plus we'll have a bonus interview with Charles Card - a guide on Utah's Green River - talking about the fun cicada "hatch" on that river.  To learn more about Charles and book him for a trip, you can reach him at Spinnerfall Guide Service:  www.spinnerfall.com

So here are some pictures, both of flies and naturals and links for Episode  43.  First, let me give you the link to Charles Card's contact info if you would like to book a trip with him on the Green River:

You can book him through Spinnerfall Guide Service

OK, let's look at some bugs and flies. 

Here are what eastern dog day cicadas look like.  These are the guys we see on a yearly basis up in Maine (although they are not nearly as common as further south):

Here are some closer views, both of a larger one and a smaller one (two different eastern species):

In contrast here is what some of Charlie's Green River Cicadas look like:

And here are some of Charlie's Cicada imitations he ties:

And for the literate trout (or sports):

And here is a link on how to tie them:

Card's Cicada (variation)

OK, let's talk leafhoppers and spittlebugs now:

Here is a gorgeous leafhopper nymph I photographed just a few weekends ago.  I like it, not only because of the coloration, but also because you can see the short wings along the side - showing how those insects with an incomplete metamorphosis (depending on the species) look just like the adults but with gradually growing wings:

This is a more typical color that you see:

And one of my favorites - the Red Banded Leafhopper.  I like these guys because they are also called sharpshooters.  

and lastly a specimen from my collection:

Moving onto Spittlebugs - this is what you will typically see:

and these are what they guys actually look like:

OK, let's move onto imitations:

For both spittlebugs and leafhoppers (and planthoppers and treehoppers) you can use Vince Marinaro's Jassid:

Body: Ginger Hackle trimmed on top and bottom

Wing: Jungle Cock Nail 

Here is a picture of one next to one I tied using a starling feather as a substitute for the jungle cock (given how hard to find and expensive legally raised jungle cock is).  You can, of course, substitute any feather you want - which may have a better pattern to imitate a spittlebug, for example):

As I mentioned I'm a big fan of Rod Yerger's Leafhopper:

Body: Chartreuse Dubbing

Wings: Chartreuse duck quill

Hackle: Ginger

Or you can tie them in brown (or any color) to imitate a spittlebug or brown leafhopper:

Lastly, as I mentioned in the podcast, a small elk hair caddis would do fine.   Here's my imitation using red and chartreuse deer hair to imitate those red banded leafhoppers:

Body: Chartreuse Dubbing

Hackle/Rib: Grizzly Hackle

Wing: mixed and stacked red and chartreuse deer hair