Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - Magazine - Index

DUSANSMETANA.COM PHOTO
HOOK: Size 16 or 18.
Mustad R70 or equivalent
THREAD: Black, Gudebrod
BCS #118, UNI-Thread
Black, or Danville 100
HACKLE: Brown, Palmered
Misfit Midge Steve’s Emerger
BODY: Thread under Krystal
Flash, color of choice
RIB: Larva Lace, color of
choice
HEAD: Large black, thread
or bead
Bill Willmert from Heber Springs, Arkansas (501-691-
3575) guides on the White and Red Rivers and considers this
pattern one of his “go-to” flies. He tells us it is particularly
attractive to fish when it’s allowed to complete a dead drift,
then retrieved using quick, short strips. Bill also likes to present
the fly on a down-and-across, wet-fly swing.
1 Place the hook in the vise and start the tying thread directly
behind the eye. Wrap several turns, then secure a length of Larva
Lace while wrapping to the back of the hook. Trim any waste
thread or material after reaching the end of the shank.
2 Select several strands of Krystal Flash (or Flashabou) and
tie them to the hook while wrapping back to the front of the
shank. Do not wrap all the way back to the eye. We need a
good-sized area to build a fairly large head, or you have the
option of using a black bead instead; it’s your choice, but if
you opt for the bead, put it on at the beginning of step 1.
Select a brown hackle feather, strip the fuzzy fibers from the
base of the stem, and bind it to the bottom of the hook while
wrapping to the end of the shank.
3 Wrap the thread forward to the front of the hook (don’t
crowd the head area), then follow with the Krystal Flash
to complete the underbody. Wrap the Larva Lace forward
forming the rib, tie it off, and trim as needed. Follow with
the Palmered hackle, placing each turn tight against the rib
to improve durability. Tie it off and trim away the excess.
4 Wrap a fairly large head, whip-finish, and trim the thread
from the hook. Apply head cement to complete the fly.
HOOK: Size 16. Mustad
R50, 94840; Daiichi 1180;
TMC 100; or DaiRiki 300
THREAD: Black, Gudebrod
BCS #118, UNI-Thread
Black, or Danville 100
TAIL: Black hackle fibers
RIB: Copper wire
BODY: Gray Haretron dubbing
THORAX: Peacock herl
WINGCASE: Black hackle
fibers
WING: Natural CDC
HEAD: Thread
Our good friend, Stephen Noel, from Boylston, Massachusetts
sent us this great emerger pattern. He tells us it has
caught a lot of fish for him in ponds, lakes, and streams near
his home. We’ve caught just about everything that swims with
it in our part of the world.
1 Start by placing the hook in the vise, attaching the tying
thread near the center of the shank. Wrap to the end of the
shank and trim off the waste tag of thread. Select a fine strand of
copper wire and tie it to the bottom of the hook while wrapping
back to the center of the shank. Trim the waste if needed.
2 Even the tips of several black hackle fibers, then pluck them
from the stem. Tie them to the hook to form a tail equal to
the shank in length. Do not cut off the waste ends; we’ll use
them in a future step.
3 Apply gray dubbing to the thread and wrap a body that covers
the back part of the hook. Wrap the copper wire over the body
to form a rib, tie it off, and trim the waste end. Pull the waste
fibers from the tail up and wrap a thread dam in front forcing
them to remain in the upright position. Attach several peacock
herls to the hook by their tips while wrapping the thread almost
all the way to the hook eye. Wrap the herls forward to meet the
thread, tie them off, and trim any excess material.
4 Pull the waste fibers remaining from the tail over the peacock
herl thorax to form a wingcase, tie them off, and trim as
needed. Tie on a CDC, Trude-style wing that is as long as the
hook shank, trim off the waste, and wrap a thread head. Apply
a whip-finish, trim, and coat with glue to complete the fly.
81