Fly 26 - Beadhead Wooly Bugger

Beadhead Wooly Bugger

5x7, soft pastel

Sometimes the name of a fly alone is reason enough for me to paint it.  This fly's name just makes me smile. A Wooly Bugger is another staple when fishing for trout.  When nothing else seems to work, a Wooly Bugger is a go-to fly especially for spring creek trout.

The addition of a bead head over the years helps the fly head sink lower than the tail portion. This fly mimics the crane fly which is prevalent in many spring creeks.  Fish this fly slowly along the bottom, with short jerks, then let it drift downward again in order to work the fish.  The best time of day for this fly is mid-day after the morning hatches have thinned. 

Fly 13 - Deep Dish Callibaetis

Deep Dish Callibaetis

5x7, soft pastel

A gorgeous fly created a few years ago by Curtis Fry (www.flyfood.com) is the Deep Dish Callibaetis which is a mayfly nymph.  This fly looks like it would be a very effective little fly.

Curtis says the idea behind this pattern was to make a somewhat realistic representation of the natural fly that could be tied in a variety of colors and sizes with a focus on the two-toned nature of callibaetis, the pronounced gills on the abdomen and the sparkley-ness of the emerging insects.  

Check out Curtis’s YouTube video where he demonstrates tying this fly.  He was much faster at tying it than I was at painting it!