MUDDLER

Tied to skate. Flat braid for the body, a few strands of flash, and then a loosely packed deer hair head, trimmed flat and tight on the bottom. Hitched behind the eye when tied on, it's my favorite bug to skate for steelhead in summer and fall.

I recently did a guest post on my friend Todd Hirano's Dry Line Steelhead blog. It will give you a bit of my background with this bug, and why I enjoy fishing it so much.

Steelhead Spyder

Really just the front half of an Intruder, when I want something a little more subtle for low and/or clear water or small streams.

Tube- Various length copper tubes, depending on desired weight/sink rate.

Body- Micro braid

Thorax- Arctic fox, sun in a dubbing loop and brushed out

First Hackle- Ostrich spun in a dubbing loop. I like to mix two colors, olive/orange, black/blue/, black/purple, pink/white.

Second hackle- schlappen

Third hackle- dyed Guinea Hen

A cone head or monster cone can be used to increase sink rate and/or increase the turbulence around the fly, causing more flutter and movement of the feathers.

PROM QUEEN

Dressier version of Scott Howell’s Prom Dress pattern. I like my steelhead flies a little more glamourous.

Thread- 6/0 white

Tube- as heavy as you want. I frequently use a 1  1/2″ copper tube with a 1/2 inch sleeve of larger diameter copper tubing glued over the first, with the back end of the sleeve at the midpoint of the 3/32″ diameter copper tube.

Body- flat braid to complement hackle.

Shoulder- Arctic fox spun in a dubbing loop, bushed out, and wrapped to provide a shoulder over which the flash and feathers will flair.

Flash- Flashabou. I’ve applied it in a dubbing loop, but prefer to apply it by taking a couple wraps around the mid-point of a bunch, then folding the front half back. This is repeated four times around the tube, making sure to spread each bunch to cover about 1/4 of the circumference of the tube.

Hackle- Ostrich wrapped in a dubbing loop. I usually mix two complementary colors to add a little extra life. One turn around the tube.

Second hackle- Silver Pheasant tail fibers, spun in a dubbing loop. One turn around the tube.

Third hackle- schlappen

Head- Turbo cone

It’s also a killer pattern for stained water tied in blue/black.

STARLING & OLIVE

Favorite wet fly hook

Thread: Olive

Hackle: Starling

Attach thread at midpoint of hook, wrap back to hook point, back forward to 1/4 length of shank behind eye, then wrap back again to point above the barb, then return to front  of wraps. If care is taken to keep the thread laying down flat (by occasionally counter-spinning the bobbin), a smooth body will result. At this point I whip finish,  then coat the thread body with Sally Hansen’s Hard as Nails. I usually tie up several bodies, give to coats of Sally’s and let them dry.

Select a hackle with barbules approx. 1 1/2 time hook gap. Reattach the thread at front of the body, then wrap forward, leaving just enough room behind the eye to wrap off the head. Tie the hackle in by the butt, then wrap thread back to the front of the body. Make two tight wraps of hackle, then palmer two more back to the thread. Tie down the hackle with two wraps, then wobble-wrap the thread forward through the wrapped hackle, reenforcing the stem. When the thread emerges at the front of the hackle, make a quick whip finish and cut thread. Clip the hackle tip, and  couple coats of Sally’s on the head, and your done.

STARLING & ORANGE

Another favorite wet fly.

Hook: Favorite wet fly hook

Thread: Orange 6/0

Thorax: Hare’s mask

Hackle: Starling

Attach thread at midpoint of hook, wrap back to hook point, back forward to 1/4 length of shank behind eye, then wrap back again to point above the barb, then return to front of wraps. If care is taken to keep the thread laying down flat (by occasionally counter-spinning the bobbin), a smooth body will result. At this point I whip finish, then coat the thread body with Sally Hansen’s Hard as Nails. I usually tie up several bodies, give to coats of Sally’s and let them dry.

Select a hackle with barbules approx. 1 1/2 time hook gap. Reattach the thread at front of the body, then wrap forward, leaving just enough room behind the eye to wrap off the head. Pull a few pinches of fur from a hare’s mask. Wax the tying thread, and touch dub the hare’s fur along about 3/4 inch of thread. Wrap a few turns to build a shoulder. Tie the hackle in by the butt, then wrap thread back to the front of the body and Make two tight wraps of hackle, then palmer two more back to the thread. Tie down the hackle with two wraps and clip off the excess. Make a quick whip finish and cut thread. A couple coats of Sally’s on the head, and your done.

TARPON, SNOOK, & SMALLMOUTH BUG

Saltwater Hook

Thread: To match Fly color

Tail: Zonker strip, tied in with fur side down

Support: 20lb Mason hard mono, tied in on top of strip tie in, looped back, under and around zonker strip, then tied back on top of hook parallel to original tie in. Loop should be open, extending to just short of the hook bend.

Hackle: Two wraps of marabou, followed by a few wraps of brushed fox spun in a dubbing loop.

Eye: Stainless steel bead chain painted black

Collar: Polar ice dubbing or similar, spun loosely in a dubbing loop, brushed out and wrapped forward. Figure 8 wrap around eyes, then tie off. Brush out the dubbing to create maned collar . Trim shorter around eyes.

Weed Guard: 20lb Mason hard mono

THE INTRUDER

The Intruder is one of my favorite steelhead flies. The fly shown is tied close to Ed Ward‘s original recipe, on the shank of a Mustad 36890, cut off half way around the bend, and straightened. A loop of hard monofilament is tied in at the rear of the fly, and the fly is rigged by running the tippet through the eye of the hook, over the length of the shank and through the loop at the rear. A hook is attached with a non-slip mono loop, and a small piece of soft tubing, through which the leader passes, is used to keep the leader tight on the rear stub of the shank.

Shank- Mustad 36890, cut at bend and straightened
Thread- 6/0
Eyes- various to adjust sink rate
Tag-three turns oval tinsel
Loop- hard monofilament, bent to shape
Butt- three turns chenille
Tail- four to five ostrich flues per side
Butt hacke- dyed silver pheasant tail, spun in loop
Body- as I understand, the Intruder was originally dressed with a chenille body, palmered with a saddle hackle. I most often use diamond braid, as I find the fly fishes just as well, sinks more readily, and casts lighter.
Collar- deer hair or arctic fox, spun in a dubbing loop.
Hackle- ostrich, either two turns of appropriate length, or two turns of ostrich spun in dubbing loop
Wings- hackle tips
Facing hackle- three to four turns schlappen, fronted with two to three turns of dyed guinea hen.
Head- dubbing, spun in loop, to cover base of eyes.

Any number of color combinations can be effective. Some of my favorites are blue/black/purple, orange/olive, pink/white, brown/orange.

Junction tubing on butt of hook to secure and align trailing hook.