FAVORITE PATTERNS OF CLARK-SKAMANIA FLYFISHERS
Dry Flies
Paul Dunlop
Bling Beetle
#12 MFC Wide Gap Jig (60 degree)
Hook:
Black Semperfli Nano Silk 12/0
Thread:
Over and under body Peacock Loco Foam. Coat underbody with Solarez Bone Dry
Body:
Krystal Flash and small rubber legs
Legs:
Glo-Brite Fluorescent Floss #4
Wing:
Notes: The jig hook helps the fly land right side up. I use it with success in the lakes around Mt. St. Helens.
Mark Meyer
Clark Stonefly
#6 Umpqua U203 (curved straight eye) flat gold/ brass color (or similar variants)
Hook:
Orange 6/0
Thread:
Gold Tinsel
Body:
Brown Neck Hackle
Hackle:
Wing:
Clark's Tying Yarn (yellow/ orange) and elk hair. Its a poly yarn.
Whip finish with orange thread and cement
Head:
Notes: Mix up the basic materials and recipe to create your own variant. Not too much though to avoid losing the magic of this go-to pattern during the Salmon fly hatches. The tinsel is the weakest part after trout hit it. I'd like to find a stronger variant.
I met Lee Clark some 20+ years ago at a show at Glen Otto Park, as a newbie CSF member. He had samples of his Clark Stonefly pattern and we discussed their effectiveness to target large trout in May/ June on the "D". I bought his magic yellow/ orange yarn kits and have since made these to lure many trout (some footballs) to hard takes and into my net. By far the simplest tie that looks exactly like the Salmon and Golden Stone flies they imitate. I'm busy in my working era and tying a few spares is an easy endeavor in case an overhung tree steals one, or trout teeth destroy one! Far easier than the stimulator that I've mostly abandoned for tying and usage.
Dan's Caddis
Russ Flaskerud
Black 8/0 or 6/0 Uni-thread or your choice
Hook:
Thread:
#12-18, Dry fly
Peacock
Body:
Brown dry fly hackle to match the hook size
Hackel:
Coastal deer, natural
Wing:
Notes: This little peacock dry fly pattern doesn't have hackle through the body like a lot of Caddis patterns have. It just has a peacock body, a natural deer hair wing with no head sticking up with the deer hair. I cut this off and tie it down. I then palmer two turns of good brown brown dry fly hackle at the eye of the hook.
I used to live in Bend, Oregon. When I retired in 1993 my neighbor Dan Bastian had a guide service in Central Oregon called Rising Trout. He fished the Deschutes River regularly and when the caddis were hatching he would use this particular peacock caddis pattern. He and I would tie during the winter and I found that this fly would work almost anywhere a dark bodied caddis was hatching, rivers, lakes and streams. It worked tremendously well both in the Deschutes and the Crooked River which I fished often. I'm not sure if Dan originated this pattern and I know that there are similar patterns out there, but I give him credit for introducing this great little dry fly to me! I've taught this pattern to several groups over the years through CSF and have had members come back to me and telling me that they have also had success with this little fly at times, so give it a try!
Elk Hair Caddis
Kemper Hall
#10 Mustad 94840
Hook:
Brown
Thread:
Brown, olive, black, tan, orange fur or synthetic dubbing
Body:
Fine gold wire
Rib:
Brown or tan dyed elk hair
Wing:
Brown, tan; palmered
Hackle:
Notes: I feel I am not an accomplished tyer. I once attempted a delicate PMD that ended up looking like a Bumble Bee but took a nice Brown, so I keep trying. Size 16 most all around effective.
Long time favorite: Whether Montana's Bob Marshal, Spirit Lake, Washington or St. Joe, Idaho.
Extended Body Hex Mayfly
Kuni Masuda
#12 Tiemco TMC 100
Hook:
Micro fibetts or Moose Mane
Tail:
Tan, UTC 70
Thread
Light Tan Super Fine dubbing over rubber cement formed body. Thorax: Super fine brown dubbing
Body:
Draw with super fine brown Sharpie
Rib:
CDC, Natural
Hackle:
Costco Green Teabag or white see-through Organza ribbon
Wing:
Tan, UTC 70
Head:
Notes: My mentor and well known Japanese fly tyer, Kenshiro Shimazaki's mayfly extended body technique, Shimazaki Hollowbody, can be used to tie a variety of flies, including mayfly dry, nymph, and grasshopper, stonefly flies that are close to the realistic flies.
Green Bottle House Fly
Al Wood
#16–10 Gamakatsu B10S
Hook:
Black GSP 30–50D, Veevus
Thread:
Small black chenille wrapped around barbell eyes
Body:
Rear: 2 strands black Flashabou
Front: 2–3 strands black Flashabou
Legs:
2 starling feathers with white tips,
Wing:
Spirit River Barbell Mono Eyes – Black
Eyes:
Notes: Eyes are tied in first, set back from the hook eye, and secured with super glue. Flashabou legs are tied in both front and rear locations. Wings are tied in Delta-wing style. Front and back legs are same two or three strands of Flashabou tied into their locations.
Parachute Adams
Joe Smith
#18 Tiemco 900BL
Hook:
Lagartun 74D
Thread:
Gray extra fine dubbing
Body:
Grizzle & Brown #18 hackles
Hackel:
Foam post
Wing:
Small black
Head:
Notes: This is a very simple tie and is my favorite go-to fly.
Parachute Damsel
Don Kohler
#12 scud style wet
Hook:
Blue
Thread:
Rainy's 1/8 round blue foam body. Segments marked with Sharpie
Body:
Antron post
Wing:
Grizzle
Hackel:
Notes: I tie the post long to make it easier to tie the parachute. The post is trimmed later, about 1/4 tall. The parachute is much larger than what you would do for a standard hackle.
The wider parachute acts like a bumper to allow the fly to be pulled around reeds without snagging. There are lots of patterns. This one is easy and works.
Merrill Wally Wing Hex
Timothy Buckley
Japanese umbrella hook, size large.
Hook:
Cream to yellow color.
Thread:
Mallard flank, or wood duck feather, died yellow to match the Merril Lake Hex.
Body:
Same Feather as extended body.
Hackle:
Fine dry-fly dubbing, yellow or cream to match.
Dubbing:
Grizzly, died yellow.
Wing:
Notes: 1. Starting slightly behind the eye build a thread base over the short shank and include a thread ramp just before the bend.
2. Extended feather body and tails: “Wonder Wing” method:
a. Prepare the extended body feather using the “Wonder Wing” technique.
b. With tip facing backwards (and barbs evenly folded backwards, secure the concave
side up on top of the hook to form a “canoe” and clip off the butt end excess.
c. For the tails, part one barbule on each side from the tip, and trim away the remaining
rachis (stem) and tips.
3. Wings: “Wally Wing” method:
a. Tie on another feather opposite the body over the eye, concave side up in similar
fashion to the wonder wing but leave the tips intact (length to match extended body).
Fold back upright and trim off the excess.
b. Separate a few barbules from the tip on one side of the rachis, and holding the
remaining tip firmly, gently pull and peel a section of the barbules away from the
rachis, stopping a bit above the hook shank. Mirror for the other side. Carefully trim
the tip barbules off and remaining center rachis from between the new wings.
4. Starting from behind the hook eye, dub a head and wing front dam, and continue dubbing
behind the wing to the shank bend.
5. Strip off the barbs off one side of the hackle vane and tie in by the tip below the body,
down to the second hook bend, and work the thread back up. Palmer the hackle back up
the hook shank to the body. Clip off the excess, whip finish below the body.
Other Tying Tips:
Modify with other colors and smaller sizes for other mayfly species.
Option to thinly coat the body with flex-cement for enhanced durability.
See the following for a demonstration of both “Wonder Wing” and “Wally Wing” techniques:
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