Three Favorites - Go to Jig Flies

To continue with the jig theme, here are three of my favorite jigs. The little winter stone is a great anchor fly for smaller streams that you can't fish bigger flies on. However it can be fished just about anywhere. The Sow Bug jig is one of my favorites for all spring creeks, I tie this without a bead and jig hook and it is my go to fly. So having some on a jig is much better for getting down in fast water. The last one is the Double Squirrel, it has a simple but buggy profile. Having 2 small hot spots are great triggers for fish in cloudy water. Check them out and start adding them to your boxes. 

Little Winter Black Stone Jig 

Materials

Hook: Partridge / Orvis Jig Hook 

Thread: UNI Thread 6/0 - Black 

Bead: Slotted Tungsten Bead - Black

Tail/Antenna: Goose Biots - Black 

Body: Ultra Wire - Br. Black 

Legs: Krystal Flash - Black/Pearl 

Thorax: SLF Squirrel - Black 

JIG SOW BUG

Materials:

Hook: Partridge / Orvis Jig Hook

Thread: UNI Thread 6/0 - Tan 

Bead: Slotted Tungsten Bead - Copper 

Underbody: Lead Wire - .025

Body: Sow Scud Dubbing - Sow Bug 

Shellback: Loon UV - Flow

Double Squirrel Jig

Materials:

Hook: Partridge / Orvis Jig Hook 

Thread: UNI Thread 6/0 - Fl. Fire Orange 

Bead: Slotted Tungsten Bead - Black

Tail: CDL Fibers 

Rib: Opal Tinsel - Small

Body: SLF Squirrel - Nat. Fox Squirrel 

Thorax: SLF Squirrel - Drk. Brown 

Hotspots: UNI Thread 6/0 - Fl. Fire Orange 

Winter Trout Fly Videos

So all of these videos have been posted before, and can also be found on my YouTube channel. However each of these are great flies to have ready for the winter months ahead of us. Winter is a great time to get out and fish your local tailwaters and spring creeks. Midges, caddis larva, and sow bugs are my top fly choices for this time of year. Enjoy each video and get those boxes filled!

Video - DP Midge

Last year I tried to put up 7 post a month, in doing so some of the post were just filler and weren't the quality that I would have liked. This year I am going to try for at least 3 a month and make them  of higher quality. Im sure during the season I will do more with fishing reports, and stream photos. My goal is to give you a Gear Review, Fishing Photos, and a Video each month. I will do my best. Last post was Fishing Photos, and the Gear Review, now the video.

This is a fly that a good friend of mine showed me a long time ago, and it has been my number one midge fly for the past couple years. I did a featured fly on it a while back, and decided that this would be a great on to add to the "silent" film collection. Enjoy 

Featured Fly - Soft Wing Caddis Pupa

This may be the last trout fly tutorial of the season. I will be focusing on Smallmouth, Carp, and Musky for the next several months. The Soft Wing Caddis Pupa was a key to much of my success this season. It worked well under an indicator followed by a caddis larva, or under a CDC Caddis higher in the water column. 

Materials:

Hook: Orvis Tactical Hook sz. 14-16

Thread: Veevas 14/0 - Tan

Bead: Nymph Head Evolution - sized to match hook

Rib: Pearl Tinsel - Opal

Body: TCO East Coast Dubbing - Caddis Green 

Back: Peacock Hearl - Natural

Wing: Partridge Feathers - Black

Thorax: Pine Squirrel Dubbing - Natural 

Antena: Lemon Barred Wood Duck - Natural 

Step 1:  Make a small thread base behind the bead.

Step 2: Tie in three strands of Peacock Hearl, and Opal Tinsel. 

Step 3: Continue your thread base while tying in the materials.

Step 4: Dub the body, leaving a small gap between the bead and dubbing.

Step 5: Pull the 3 hearls forward and tie off.

Step 6: Rib the body with the tinsel.

Step 7: Take a black partridge feather and cut the tip off forming a "V".

Step 8: Lay the partridge over the top, making a black wing on each side.

Step 9: Tie in 3 wood duck fibers making an antenna. 

Step 10: Dub the thorax, make sure it is super buggy.

 

Step 11: Whip Finish and Cut Off - Final Product:

Featured Fly: Ice Bubble Sulphur Nymph

This is a variation of a fly I found in Montana a few years back. It has worked well for me all over the east coast. I was using it this past weekend on the Little J, and the fish couldn't resist. So here you go.

Materials:

Hook: Orvis Tactical Czech Hook 14-16 TMC 2457 14-18

Thread: UNI Thread 6/0 - Camel

Bead: Tungsten to match Hook 

Rib 1: Ultra Wire - Small - Copper

Rib 2: Pearl Tinsel - Opal 

Tail: CDL Feather

Body: Turkey Tail - Natural 

Thorax: SLF Dubbing - Nymph Thorax 

Bubble: Ice Dub - Yellow or UV Yellow 

Legs: Partridge Feather - Natural 

Step 1: Make a small thread base behind the bead.

Step 2: Finish making your thread base, while tying in you two ribbing materials.

 

Step 3: Tie in 10 CDL fibers to make the tail. Move the thread forward to right behind the bead.

Step 4: Tie in four turkey tail fibers, and wrap back towards the tail.

Step 5: Move the thread three quarters of the way to the bead.

Step 6: Wrap the turkey forward.

Step 7: Wrap the two ribbing materials forward.

Step 8: Dub half of the thorax.

Step 9: Make a small dubbing ball around the thread.

Step 10: Make a loose loop and place the dubbing ball on top the fly, then pull tight

Step 11: Dub the rest of the thorax.

Step 12: Take a partridge feather and tie in making legs.

Step 13: Add a little more dubbing, then whip finish and cut off.

Finished Fly:

Featured Fly - Double X Wing Caddis

This is nothing more than a spin off of the X Caddis. I just added a CDC wing under the deer hair wing. Some of these I also tie with a third wing of crystal flash under the CDC wing. This is a great fly to fish as your indicator fly for a dropper rig because it floats so well. It can also be fished all by itself when the fish are rising to adults. I have always had great success with the X Wing Caddis, as well as the CDC Caddis, putting them together only makes sense.

Materials:

Hook: TMC 103BL - 13-19

Thread: Veevus 14/0 or UNI Thread 8/0 - Brown or Tan

Tail: Z Lon - Brown or Ginger

Body: TCO East Coast Dubbing - Green Caddis

Wing 1: CDC - Natural Brown

Wing 2: Deer Hair - Short/Fine - Natural

Head: TCO East Coast Dubbing - Caddis Thorax

Step 1: Wrap the thread to the hook bend, making a thread base.

Step 2: Tie in a small clump of Z Lon for the tail.

Step 3: Dub the body three quarters of the hook shank.

Step 4: Stack the tips of two CDC feathers, tie them down.

Step 5: Stack the deer hair and tie in the same length as the CDC.

Step 6: Trim the excess deer hair. 

Step 7: Whip Finish and cut off!

Finished Fly:

Southeastern PA Fishing Report

 Tully: Caddis are everywhere. Don't let the splashy rises fool you, most of the fish are eating emergers and not adults. Fish a dry dropper rig when you see the splashes, and if you see them take adults cut the dropper off and go dry. Early mornings have been very productive nymphing with frenchies, caddis larva, pupas, and small midges.

Spring Creeks: Caddis, lt. cahills, olives, and midges have been hatching just about every day. Fishing a dry dropper is the only way to go. Sow Bugs, Caddis pupa, BWOs, and Adult caddis have all been working well.