Fly 8 - Elk Hair Caddis

Elk Hair Caddis

5x7, soft pastel

This elk hair caddis is a fly that is a really big winner when it comes to it's popularity with trout fishermen.  As my husband says, this tie is the simplest to tie, one of the most effective in creeks and rivers but...one of the ugliest of ties.  Alas, some flies are just...sorta...ugly.

I had hoped for better painting results.  But alas, I don't think I did it justice.  I'm now wishing I had painted the background black or a dark brown.  Oh well....there's always tomorrow! 

Fly 7 - Red Copper John

Red Copper John

5x7, soft pastel

I couldn't resist painting a second Copper John...this one with red wire and a bit more wing detail.  Not only do I like this little nymph...but I love it's name.  Although, I have to admit I kept calling it a Copper Bob for the first day or two...that is until my husband corrected me (oh well). 

Fly 6 - Copper John

Copper John

5x7, soft pastel

Almost every day so far I've said "I think this is my favorite"...well, today was no exception.  This is indeed my favorite so far and it's mainly because of the reflective qualities of the copper and beads.

Created fairly recently by John Barr in 1993, the Copper John is an attractor nymph. This fly is extremely effective in nearly all trout waters and has become the go-to fly for trout fishermen and women everywhere. 

This little beauty has many variations when it comes to the colors a person can use both in the wire, beads and feathers.  The most amazing thing about this fly isn’t just the gorgeous colors of the beads and copper but the size!  Because they mimic actual newly hatched nymphs, they’ve got to be very tiny (somewhere in the 1/2 inch range).  If you’d like to see John tying this fly check out his article: http://midcurrent.com/flies/tying-the-original-copper-john/

I now have a new appreciation for the usefulness of a vise for tying flies!

Fly 5 - Thunder and Lightening

Thunder and Lightening

5x7, soft pastel

I couldn’t find a lot of information on this particular Atlantic Salmon fly except to say there are several versions of flies called Thunder and Lightening. The Atlantic Salmon Thunder and Lightening was originated by James Wright around 1850 and can be tied as a featherwing or hairwing version (this one being a featherwing).  

Thank you Klaus Woggon for this beautiful example of a Thunder and Lightening Atlantic Salmon fly.

Fly 4 - Evening Breeze

Evening Breeze

5x7, soft pastel

Here in Idaho, we are experiencing a week of very cold weather.  So, the title of this next fly (a featherwing streamer) captured my imagination.  I’m looking forward to the cool summer evenings! 

Tying this fly consists of using copper wire, silver tinsel, pheasant and peacock feathers…oh yes, and a little white bucktail. I find it amazing the furs and feathers used it the construction of a fly.  

Below is an image of the anatomy of a salmon fly…for your enjoyment and my future reference.  While this is a salmon fly and not a featherwing streamer, you get the idea of what goes into the making of a fly.  The image is of a fly called a Silver Doctor tied by Jack Madden.

Fly 3 - Midnight Blue

Midnight Blue

5x7, soft pastel

This fly is called a spey. What is a ‘spey’ fly?  The term is used to describe a type of fly featuring long body hackles. According to Monte, the modern steelhead speys look quite different than the classic spey, but they do retain a certain similarity in style.  I'll have to research the classic spey to see the difference.

The origin and development of the spey fly is attributed to Scottish anglers who fished along the River Spey in Scotland during the early 1800s.  A gorgeous fly!

Fly 2 - Brown Sugar

The Brown Sugar 

5x7, soft pastel

Day 2 is an original fly by Monte Smith, Northwest Fly Tyer.  The Brown Sugar is a classic style hair wing with a silhouette found on many traditional steelhead flies.  The wing is actually made of raccoon fur.  While the Atlantic salmon flies are pretty vibrant and colorful (as you may have noticed in yesterday's post), the steelhead fish out West are attracted to more subdued colors (maybe our native bugs out West are a bit more drab).  In any event, I do love the touches of orange!