Mid-February can feel like purgatory for the fly angler—ice is creeping off the edges but hatches are still weeks away, and the boat ramp feels like a distant memory. The antidote, as always, is a loaded bobbin and a purpose.
This week’s Tying Tuesday brings four patterns that cover serious ground: Cheech’s upgraded Wedge Head Trout Slider, a diver that darts and pulses; Rob Streeter’s Articulated Jerk Fly, built to imitate the death-spiral of a dying baitfish and engineered for warmwater carnage; Tom Rosenbauer’s Rabbit Foot Emerger, a deceptively simple surface film pattern; and the ever-reliable Frenchie.
From the streamer junkie stripping heavy articulated meat to the technical purist, there’s something here to keep your hands busy and your mind on the water. So heat up the coffee, fire up the UV lamp, and put a few new tools in the box before spring arrives.
Wedge Head Trout Slider
Hook: Gamakatsu B10S, size 2
Thread: Veevus GSP 100 Denier
Tail: Select Marabou (white)
Flash: Pearl Krystal Flash
Body: Polar Chenille and Marabou plumes
Collar: Mallard Flank feather
Head: Flymen Fishing Co. Wedge Head (Medium)
Eyes: 5mm Living Eyes
Adhesive: Loctite 401 and UV Resin
Rabbit Foot Emerger
Hook: Fulling Mill 5025 or similar emerger hook (sizes 14–20)
Thread: 8/0 or 12/0 in Tan or Olive
Trailing Shuck: Amber Z-Lon or Antron yarn
Body: Tan or Olive Superfine dubbing (match the hatch)
Wing: Hair from a Snowshoe Rabbit foot
Thorax: Slightly darker shade of Superfine or rabbit dubbing
The Frenchie
Hook: Jig Hook (sizes 12–16)
Bead: Slotted Tungsten (Gold or Copper)
Thread: 70 Denier Fluorescent Pink
Tail: Coq de Leon fibers
Ribbing: Small Copper Wire
Body: Natural Pheasant Tail fibers
Thorax: UV Pink Ice Dub
Articulated Jerk Fly
Rear Hook: Gamakatsu B10S, size 2
Front Hook: Gamakatsu B10S, size 2/0
Thread: 210 Denier (white or olive)
Tail: White Bucktail
Flash: Pearl Flashabou
Articulation: 20 lb stainless steel wire and 2mm plastic beads
Body: Olive Ostrich Herl and Olive Bucktail
Eyes: 6mm 3D Holographic Eyes
Head: UV Clear Fly Finish (Thin and Thick)
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