The Slumpbuster

By Chris Hunt
Originally by John Barr

Translated by CARL WUEBBEN

The slumpbuster is a john Barr creation, and its intent is exactly as the name implies. It’s big .Its heavy. It pushes water; it’s the “LOOK AT ME!” fly that we all search for when things are slow; the action suddenly ceases or under high water when finding fish might be a bit of a challenge. You can also tie in smaller sizes. While it certainly works in big sizes, on smaller freestone streams, the smaller profile seems to more representative of small baitfish. Tied in olive and on a size 10 hook, it’s a great imitation of swimming damselfly or dragonfly nymph on small lakes. The fish literally eat it up. And it’s an easy tie at the vise.

PATTERN
HOOK – Dai-riki #700 #8 or equivalent
CONEHEAD – Nickel cone head (large) can use gold also your choice
WEIGHT – Lead free wire (.020)
THREAD – UTC 140 denier (6/0) brown olive
RIB – UTC ultra-wire brassie in chartreuse or color of your choice
BODY- Sparkle braid in silver or gold
WING & COLLAR - Pine squirrel zonker strip in chartreuse or color of your choice ( the photo looks like olive but use what you want)
OTHER THINGS - Fly tyers z-ment or your favorite glue like zap a gap


HOW TO TIE

1. Debarb hook – put cone head on the hook small hole first then add some .020 lead free wire to the hook shank starting just in front of the bend of the hook and put about 20 wraps on then helicopter the wire to break it off. Apply some z-ment (or zap a gap) to the wrappings before sliding it up against the cone head – this will help hold the cone against the hook eye. 
2. Start your thread in right behind the wire weight and clip off your tag end. Take thread wraps forward to further secure the wire wraps (back and forth wraps to cover the weight) then build a thread ramp from the wire weight to the hook shank. 
3. Now tie in your brassie wire right where you thread is now (back of wire weight) and tie it down to the hook shank and down to the bend of the hook (on the top of the shank). Then bring your thread forward to just behind the wire weight again. 
4. Clip a 5 to 5 inch piece of sparkle braid from the card and tie it in right where your thread is now and wrap back to the bend (on top of shank) like you did with the brassie wire then wrap your thread forward again to the rear of the cone head. Put a little z-ment on the thread wraps for durability. 
5. Take the sparkle braid and wrap forward with slightly overlapping wraps and ending at the back of the cone head – tie off and clip the tag end then put a couple more good strong wraps down to secure the braid well.
6. Clip off a strip of pine squirrel from the hide – grab ahold of the butt end of the strip (part that was attached to the hide – hair going downward) and pull off a small section of the hair to leave a bare hide. Now push the bare hide into the cone head and on the top and tie in with tight wraps and then wrap backward a little. Tug on the back of the strip to stretch it a little then wet your fingers and pet the fur forward to get the moisture in it so it’s more manageable then preen the fur upward. 
7. Part the fur right above the ribbing wire and start making wraps between clumps of fur to secure the strip all the way up the shank (spiral wrapping) then take several wraps of wire to secure it in place then put several thread wraps down to secure the wire even more. Now helicopter the wire to remove the tag end. Clip the tail the length about a ½ hook length long.
8. Now using the remaining pine squirrel strip from the tail section pull off a small piece of fur just like you did in the tail piece and tie in right behind the cone head and wrap the thread rearward over the strip just a little then bring your thread forward and up against the cone head. Now start wrapping the hide forward with close wraps and petting the fur rearward as you go (this is your collar). Pack it in tight to the cone head then tie it off. Clip off the tag end of the strip then make 5 or 6 more tight wraps to make sure it’s well seated. Whip finish then clip you thread off and you’re done.

 TIE UP A DOZEN OR TWO – AND GO FISHING*** But remember to practice C.P.R.  (CATCH – PICTURE – RELEASE)

Biot Emerger - Dun or Black

by Charlie Craven

Translated by Carl Wuebben

The biot emerger was originally intended as a midge emerger pattern, a slim, handsomely segmented turkey biot body with a few dangling filaments of soft hackle at the front to imitate the midge’s legs and sprouting wings. However, it also excels as an imitation for baetis and other smallish mayflies, and you can also tie them up in a size 16 in yellow tones to imitate pale morning duns. Because of this versatility, tying this pattern provides a quick, easy way to fill your fly box needs, while at the same time honing your skills in working with both biots and soft hen hackles.

PATTERN

HOOK – #16 - #22 TMC 101 or equivalent
THREAD – Black 8/0 (70 denier) uni
ABDOMEN – Black turkey biot
THORAX – Black superfine 
HACKLE – For black emerger use black hen neck hackle for dun emerger use medium dun hen neck hackle 

HOW TO TIE

1. Debarb hook – mount in vise – start your thread in about one eyelet from the eye and make a thread base to just before the bend of the hook then tie in a black turkey biot by its tip with the raised edge facing down so that it will be the following edge on each wrap.
2.  Grab the end of the biot with your fingers or hackle pliers and make the first turn around the bend of the hook. Look closely at this first turn the stand-up edge of the feather which will be the rib should be on the back edge toward the bend, following the wrap rather than leading it. If yours isn’t, untie it and turn it over,
3. Continue spiraling the biot forward, overlapping the wraps slightly to create the ribbed body and stopping a little bit past the half-way mark on the hook shank and clip off the tag end of the biot. Do a whip finished to cinch it down well.
4. Dub a small noodle of black dubbing and wrap a small ball up against the biot body and go forward with it. Just leave about an eyelet’s space between the ball and the eyelet.
5.  Make a thread base from the ball to the eyelet, then back to the base to make a hackle tie-in. Now select a hen feather that has barbs equal to about 1 ½ to 2 hook gaps. Clip; don’t pull off the fluff from the bottom of the feather (this helps the feather grip onto the thread better). Trim the barbs short on each side.
6.  Tie the hackle feather in by its butt at the back edge of the hook eye and wrap back over it to the base of the thorax (dubbing ball). Make sure the inside (concave) side of the feather is facing the hook shank. Now bring your thread forward to just behind the hook eye, and then with the hackle fibers fold them rearward to one side. You don’t need to fold the whole feather because you will only take about two turns. Now make those two turns of hackle one in front the other up to the hook eye and tie it off and clip the tag end of the feather off.
7.  With the thumb and forefinger of your free hand, squeeze the hackle down around the hook shank to help them lean rearward. Now while holding them in place, and taking care to evenly distribute the fibers around the hook shank, make a few turns of thread over the front edge of the wrapped hackle to make it slope back and hold it in place. Make the wrap smooth and slightly tapered as this is also the thread head. Whip finish and clip the thread.

TIE UP A DOZEN OR TWO – AND GO FISHING*** But remember to practice C.P.R. (CATCH – PICTURE – RELEASE)

CRACKLEBACK

By Tim Flagler
Originally by Ed Story

Translated by CARL WUEBBEN

While we all love spending time at the vise, were always looking for ways to cut down on the number of patterns we tie regularly. ED STORY’s crackleback fits that style of fishing perfectly; part dry fly, part wet fly and part micro-bugger. This easy to tie pattern mimics naturals on the surface, emerging caddis and just looks buggy. It’s a perfect prospecting fly, but match the size to the naturals and you can easily fool actively feeding fish. Use this fly to cover water quickly, fishing it dry until the end of the drift and then swinging it back down below me. Skitter it across the surface like a caddis or give it a slight tug to pop it under the surface and swing it like a soft hackle.

PATTERN

HOOK – Dai-riki #300 #6 or equivalent
THREAD – UTC 70 denier (8/0) rusty brown
BACK – Peacock herl (natural)
HACKLE – Neck furnace hackle was the original but a brown hackle will work
BODY – Cream rabbit fur dubbing


HOW TO TIE

1. Debarb hook – mount in vise – start your thread in one eyelet from the eye and go rearward three or four wraps and clip off the tag end of the thread.
2. Now select two peacock herls and tie them in by the tips right in front where your thread is and continue wrapping rearward to the start of the bend, now clip your tag ends of the peacock herl that are at the front of the hook by the eye.
3. Select a hackle feather but before plucking it out measure it to the hook size with a hackle gauge then pluck it from the neck. Strip off the fuzzy stuff and clip the shank leaving about an eighth of an inch of bare stem. Now take the feather in your hand with the dull or backside is facing you. Now with the feather facing rearward tie the feather in where your thread is now leaving a small amount of bare stem between the thread and peacock fibers . Lay the stem on near side of the hook and take firm thread wraps to hold it in place. Continue wrapping over the stem forward to hold it in place.
4. Now dub the body with the cream rabbit fur but just a small thin noodle will do about two inches long. Now start wrapping the noodle starting at the hook bend and going forward leave a bit of space to tie in the rest of the materials.
5. Bring the peacock herl forward and tie off (straight down the middle of the back) clip off the herl tag ends.
6. Grab your hackle with some hackle plyers and start spiral wrapping forward about five or six turns (the fibers will be facing forward) tie off and clip the tag end of the feather. Form a small thread head – whip finish and clip your thread.

TIE UP A DOZEN OR TWO – AND GO FISHING*** But remember to practice C.P.R. (CATCH – PICTURE – RELEASE)

BLUE-WINGED OLIVE FLOATING NYMPH

by ED ENGLE

Translated by CARL WUEBBEN

This method was first introduced by Doug swisher and Carl Richards in their book (Tying the swisher/Richards’s flies), they introduced a split – tail, dubbed body pattern that had what they call a “stacked “wing case of fur or polypropylene. The ball of dubbing keeps the nymph afloat on the surface or in the film. Since first introduced in 1970 their floating nymph has undergone several variations by several others like Fred Arbonna JR., Gary Borger among others. Try tying it with and without the hackle along with a pheasant tail version.

PATTERN

HOOK – standard dry fly, sizes 18 to 24
THREAD – olive, size 8/0 or finer
TAIL– medium dun hackle barbs
BODY – fine olive dubbing (super fine will do)
DUBBING BALL – grey polypropylene
HACKLE – medium dun, one size smaller than normal, tied parachute style

OTHER THINGS NEEDED 

• dubbing wax

HOW TO TIE

1. Debarb hook – mount in vise – start your thread at about two eyelets space from the eye and lay a thread base back to just before the hook bend then tie in several hackle barbs from a medium dun feather, it should be about a gape and a half long.
2. Now using some fine olive dubbing (super fine will do ) dub a tapered body small to the back larger to the front by putting some dubbing wax on the thread (optional) then by twisting the dubbing between your thumb and index finger very tightly but just a small noodle (piece)you can add more if needed. Now wrap the noodle forward forming a small tapered body (thin at the rear and thick at the front) and stop at the spot you started your thread and tie off.
3. Apply some dubbing wax to the thread and apply a small clump of grey polypropylene dubbing using the same dubbing method used in step #2.
4. Compress the dubbing between your fingers to create a tight ball. Leave some bare thread between the ball and the hook; this will be used to tie in the hackle if used.
5. Grab a hackle feather about a hook gape wide and strip off the fluffy stuff on the butt side then Use the bare thread to attach the hackle with the shiny side up and facing rearward toward the hook bend and the feather laying on the top and the bare shank of the feather toward the front facing you .
6. Slide the dubbing ball into place on top of the hook shank and make a couple of thread wraps on each side of the ball and a few wraps around its base to help secure it in place then your thread should be in front of the ball. Now grab the hackle with your fingers or a pair of hackle plyers and wind the hackle around the base of the dubbing ball then tie it off where your thread is now and clip off the tag end of the hackle.
7. Now with your non tying hand pull back the hackle and form a small tapered head (large to rear small to front) then whip finish –clip the thread – put a small dab of head cement on (optional). You can fluff up the hackle after you are done .

TIE UP A DOZEN OR TWO – AND GO FISHING*** But remember to practice C.P.R. (CATCH – PICTURE – RELEASE)