Featured Fly - Hot Collar Prince Nymph

This featured fly is nothing, new, or innovative, its just a simple twist to a fly that has been working for centuries. I added a hot collar to it, and tied it on a 2499spbl, and for whatever reason, on the not so "hot" days this winter, I have had great success with it.

Materials

Hook: 2499SPBL - 14-18

Thread: 6/0 UNI Thread - Brown or Orange 

Bead:  Tungsten Bomb Bead 

Tail: Goose Biot - Brown

Body: Peacock Herls - 3 or 4

Back Biot: Goose Biot - White

Collar: Rooster Hackel - Grizzly/Brown

Step 1: Make a thread base.

Step 2: Make a little thread ball at the bend of the hook. Tie in your 2 goose biots.

Step 3: Tie in your ultra wire. Tying it back to the start of your biots.

Step 4: Tie in 3 or 4 peacock herls.

Step 5: Wrap the peacock forward, tying off right behind the bead.

 Step 6:  Wrap the wire forward a making even wraps, tie off behind the bead.

Step 7: Tie in your rooster saddle, wrap 3 or 4 times.

Step 8: Trim the hackle off the top of the fly.

Step 9: Lay your biots on the top of the fly. Tie down right behind the bead.

Step 10: Cut off the biot extras, then wrap ice dub 2 or 3 times behind the bead.

Step 11: Whip finish, the cut off.

Tully Report

Last week marked the first two consecutive days of decent winter fishing on the Tully. Casey and I, fished the end of the week, having Leland and Kyle tag along as well. The first day the fishing was still a bit slow, but Casey managed a really nice healthy brown. Day two was a little better with a solid rainbow coming to hand minutes after getting on the stream. We hand a few more fish that day, all healthy Fat rainbows. Just about the time we started to head back to the cars, fish started working on top, Casey had a few fish working in front of him, while up by Kyle and I we had many fish coming up, but with no pattern to them. I wish we could have stayed around for another hour or so, maybe tomorrow.

Hot Flies: Hot Head Prince Nymph, Hot head PT, Zebra Midge, Glass Biot Midge

Tully Winter Fly Selection

Its been a strange winter so far, 45 to 50 in December with only a couple cold days in the 30s. Some like it, I do not! Bring on the cold, but anyway thats not why I am writing this post. This one is about the fly patterns that have been producing over the past month or so, and will continue to do so until the caddis start to fly in the spring. 

It is no surprise that, the Tully being a tailwater, midges are the primary fly in my box from November until March. However there are plenty of other bugs floating around under there, caddis larva(not my favorite this time of year), mayfly nymphs (PTs, and Princes), stoneflies (black and brown), worms (San Juans), and crustaceans(scuds). So if you were to look into my box this is all what you will see this winter. In the pictures below you will see a few variations of basic patterns and a few that you may have never saw before, either way, they have all worked well for me, not just the Tully but many small steams around the area.