Fly of the Month
In the dog days of summer, the insect activity on the surface is limited to very tiny midges at dawn and dusk followed by a long hot day without activity except for terrestrials that somehow landed in the water and are at the mercy of the fish. Some terrestrials hop or jump in the wrong direction and land in the water. Other terrestrials are knocked off overhanging branches or blown into the water with a gust of wind. Regardless, terrestrials randomly appear floating down a stream and become food for that fish wisely and habitually waiting in place.
Caterpillars or woolly worms are present from spring to fall depending on which butterfly, moth or skipper they will transform into given the right conditions and survive the ordeal of being the prey. Fish feed on caterpillars as they randomly fall victim to the stream during all the warmer months of the year, especially during the hot summer months.
Crackleback
The Crackleback is a take-off from a popular wet-woolly, tied with a chenille body and a natural raffia pulled over the back, full length of the hook-shank. It was designed and develop in the late 1950s by Ed Story of Feathercraft in St. Louis, Missouri. He named the fly pattern after a bass plug made by Bill Walters of Jasonville, Indiana. The bass plug had a pale olive body with a crinkly-green back. Since then, many colors have been designed and tied beyond the original pale-olive such as pale-yellow, brown-spider, lime, sulphur-orange and more have all been proven as productive versions of the Crackleback. The materials used have also changed considerably over the past decades as synthetics have become readily available.
This is an easy fly to tie and is very productive. It may be fished several different ways depending on your strategy and approach to handle the current water conditions. It may be fished as a dry or just under the surface either stripped or on a swing, or even using the accelerated downstream presentation by putting a small split shot 15 inches above the fly and letting a big downstream bow get in the fly line to accelerate its drift along a streambank. It also works well by stripping it using an intermediate sinking line or leader just as well.
To fish as a dry fly as was intended for this fly pattern, dress the hackles with silicone-gel floatant and fish dead-drift as a floating terrestrial in the surface film. If the fly sinks in fast water, its simply "skipped" under the surface with the rod tip. On the next cast, it'll float again. If there was no strike near the end of the drift, jerk the fly beneath the surface and skip it across-stream with the rod tip, or strip it back with the line-control hand.
This is the method used by most fly fishers. Fish it as a dry, if you don't get a hit ... jerk the fly under and skip it along with your rod tip." To fish as a wet fly at depth, use a full sinking line or at least a sinking leader with a split-shot on the tippet 15 inches above the fly. Strip or skip the fly just off the bottom.
Variations
Joseph Aimonette, a member of the Ozark Fly Fishers Club, says that any Crackleback not tied using the original or similar materials and colors is not really a Crackleback. This look-a-like fly is really a dry woolly. Whether it is called a Crackleback or a dry woolly, a good variation of the Crackle back is tied with a green holographic body and a palmered grizzly hackle. It is tied similar to the Crackleback and fished in the same manner. Joe calls this variation the Green Ghost.
Crackleback
Fly of the Month 7.18
…. photo, steps
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
Fly of the Month
From July through September we are covered up with them in the south. It looks like a grasshopper, except they are very, very green – typically bright insect green or highlander green. The katydid is a “giant leafhopper” that may grow as large as 3 inches in length.
Adults are remarkably well-camouflaged for sitting on trees. Their body resembles a green leaf, even down to detailed veins in the leaf. Katydids will remain very still when on alert, but will quickly fly away when threatened, scared or disturbed. Nymphs or juveniles have spots or speckles of black on them and eventually mature to the complete green color.
Katydids get their name from the perceived sound they make. Their repetitive clicks and calls sounded like someone saying, “Katy-did”, so the common name became that phrase. Both males and females can produce the sound. Katydid songs sound buzzy, raspy, or whiney, because their carrier frequencies are less pure and are higher than those of crickets. Katydids call only at night and many are not restricted to woody vegetation.
Katydid Microcentrum rhombifolium
Crickets, katydids and grasshoppers with large back legs for jumping belong to the order Orthoptera. There are two suborders: Caelifera (grasshoppers and relatives) and Ensifera (crickets, katydids and gryllacridoids). The Caelifera have antennae that are shorter than the body and they have short ovipositors. Ensiferans, except for mole crickets have antennae at least as long as their bodies. Ovipositors are usually long and bled- or needle-like.
They all have wings and will fly away from danger, except for the only species in the genus Pterophylla, the Common True Katydid. This Katydid is large, bright green, and bulky in appearance and even though its forewings are large, this Katydid is incapable of flight.
Katydids lay their eggs on twigs in a single row, one slightly overlapping the egg before it. The eggs are flat, almost like small pumpkin seeds, and they may might not all be the same color.
Katydids eat the leaves from the tops of trees and bushes, where there may be fewer predators and less competition. They can be found in parks, gardens, fields and woods. Adults are most active in summer and autumn, but in Florida, the warm weather allows them to remain active all year long.
Fly-Fish the Katydid fly pattern in the same manner as any hopper fly pattern. The presentation should be a “splat” to get the attention of the fish during the hot, dog days of summer. The size of the Katydid fly pattern can be any size that is well matched to the fly rod. Since there are also smaller juveniles in the early season, size matters less, presentation matters more.
There is also a wet fly pattern named the Katydid which is Fly Pattern No. 188 in the Ray Bergman Collection which is totally green except for the gold tinsel body. Maybe we will cover this fly pattern in the future.
Katydid
Fly of the Month 8.18
…. photo, steps
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
Fly of the Month
Leafhoppers and treehoppers are small terrestrial insects that spend much of their adult life in bushes and trees, well protected by their own camouflage. When they are knocked off by encounters with other creatures in the wild or by the wind, they become a tiny surface-food. Trout and grayling only need to open their mouth to a narrow slot and sip the high protein meal in. If an angler presents them with a fly with a broad hackle – then they can’t suck it in through their narrow mouth.
Jassid
The Jassid fly pattern solves this problem by having a palmered body that is trimmed to a small size. The Jassid was intended to represent a leafhopper or treehopper but can also represent lots of small trout foods, including mayflies, caddisflies, midges, and terrestrials. The Simple form and sharp profile also suggest a small beetle equally well. The fly was originated by Vincent Marinaro and first appeared in 1950 in his A Modern Dry Fly Code book as part of his “Ring of the Rise” presentation dealing with highly selective brown trout in a spring creek. The Jassid was first tested on the fabled waters of the Letort Spring Run in Pennsylvania where over the years it has fooled some of the most selective wild browns.
The Jassid is not found in fly shop bins due to the expense of tying the fly pattern. The original fly pattern recipe uses a jungle cock “nail” feather for the wing. At one time, jungle cock was used primarily for the eye components of a salmon fly pattern and much too expensive for the average fly tyer to afford. Thus, there are jungle cock substitutes made of printed acetate, mylar or vinyl. These substitutes have the look of the jungle cock and work well for a substitute on a salmon fly pattern as eyes. However, these jungle cock substitutes do not make for a descent wing for a Jassid fly pattern.
A quick review on several fly-tying forums all recommend either use the more expensive jungle cock or use a quail or partridge feather of comparable size to a jungle cock “nail” that is treated with a clear coating for a slight stiffness.
“One of the more troublesome problems connected with the smallest of imitations, particularly this one, is the matter of eliminating the light pattern, something which is incompatible with the appearance of these tiny creatures on the surface film. Hooks of the finest wire and good temper are an invaluable aid, thinly built bodies are another, and wings tied flat over the thin bodies supply the requisite impression of bulk since trout cannot see things in three-dimensional terms anyway unless they are gifted with the power of imagination. In addition to these aids, I have suggested the use of hackle to obtain the maximum support with the fewest of fibres, accomplished by tying in at the bend of the hook and turning in the manner of ribbing hackle, making one complete turn at the bend, a half turn a the middle of the body, and one complete turn of the head, or 2 ½ turns in all. It is an effective method and helps to make them ride very lightly with a minimum of disturbance to the surface film.” – Vince Marinaro
Jassid
Fly of the Month 9.18
…. photo, steps
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
Fly of the Month
The evolution of fly patterns often originates from a success with one species of fish only to be adapted or modified to be used for another species. Such is the case for the Royal Wulff. The adoption of the hairwing fly patterns that eventually became the Wulff dry fly style began in the late 1920s in several locations. Many angling writers credit Lee Wulff for the Wulff series of fly patterns, however, Q. L. Quackenbush, an early member of the Beaverkill Trout Club is often cited as the creator.
In 1929-30 both Quackenbush and Wulff had independently modified the Fanwing Royal Coachman pattern with hair wings and hair tails to better handle rough waters. The first Quackenbush versions were tied commercially by Rube Cross and were named Quack Coachman, Hair-Winged Royal Coachman and Quack Special.
Royal Wulff
Earlier, Lee Wulff originally designed and developed the Gray Hair Wing as a high floating Atlantic salmon dry fly. Having success with his hairwing creation, he took the design a step further based on the Fanwing Royal Coachman and created the Royal Hair Wing as a dry salmon fly. As he found himself out west fly-fishing for trout, he also found that the smaller sizes of the Royal Hair Wing and his other Hair Wing fly patterns were highly effective. In the 1930s lee Wulff collaborated with Dan Bailey during the development of his hairwing patterns and Bailey encouraged him to rename the flies.
Dan Bailey had in mind to market Lee Wulff’s hair wing designs as they were high floaters and exceptionally designed for the robust western waters. When Dan Bailey opened his fly shop in Montana in 1938, he named Lee’s fly patterns the Wulff series leading the way too many, many more hair wing fly patterns within the Wulff series. The original Ausable Gray, Coffin May and Bucktail Coachman became the Grey Wulff, White Wulff and Royal Wulff. Three additional hair wing fly patterns were created by the end of 1930, the Blonde Wulff, Brown Wulff and Black Wulff. The series gained prominence after Wulff introduced them to Ray Bergman who included them in his two editions of Trout (1938, 1952).
Today, most anglers consider the Royal Wulff to be a general attractor fly pattern. It appears to catch fish in any rough water. Many believe the red floss body is a color attraction for trout. Others believe the peacock herl bands give an iridescent and irresistible attraction for trout. The silhouette of the Royal Wulff is that of a mayfly with upright and divided wings. Although the bulkiness from the hair wings, hair tail and bushy application of hackle appears to be a silhouette of many aquatic, semi-aquatic and terrestrial insect.
Most anglers do not even attempt to analyze why the Royal Wulff is very productive fly, they just make sure to have a few in their fly box at all times. It is a go to dry fly for us all!
Royal Wulff
Fly of the Month 10.18
…. photo, steps
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
Fly of the Month
In the Southern Appalachians, there are many insect green “bugs” that are found under the canopy, in our wooded headwater streams. Little green stoneflies during the summer, katydids during all the warmer months, aphid clusters and inchworms. The insect green or chartreuse color works well to suggest any of these “bugs” that might end up floating down the stream.
The adoption of the hairwing fly patterns that eventually became the Wulff dry fly style began in the late 1920s in several locations. In the Southern Appalachians, some of the earliest hair wing fly patterns include the Green Gremlin. This fly pattern pre-dates the Wulff series and is considered the predecessor of the Tennessee Wulff which is essentially a version of the Royal Wulff except with a green floss body.
Green Gremlin
Walter Babb knew exactly what a Green Gremlin was when we called him to solve a puzzling set of Fred Hall flies. The Green Gremlin was one of fifty-eight Fred Hall fly patterns that were framed by Teddy Greene as a keepsake. He grew up in Bryson City, North Carolina as a huge fan of Fred Hall. Some of the flies, including the Green Gremlin were damaged by moths. Subsequently, the collection of fly patterns has been fully restored for display in the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians.
The Green Gremlin has a peacock herl collar just behind the upright and divided wings, much like Spruce fly. This is a more ancient body design and most likely one of many hair wing designs of that period that were independently created by fly tyers of the day.
To fly-fish the Green Gremlin, care must be taken to apply silicone-gel floatant and allow to dry for maximum floating capability. A size 16 version is a good imitation of the little green stoneflies that appear during the summer on our freestone mountain trout streams. A large size 12 version is a good imitation of a katydid or green June bug. Fly-fish the Green Gremlin like any dry fly, best presented as a dead drift with no drag.
There is also a Green Gremlin Streamer that was originated by Jim Pelletier. This streamer is a totally different fly pattern, but independently named.
Green Gremlin
Fly of the Month 11.18
…. photo, steps
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
Fly of the Month
Colors work to suggest a given match to a “bug” in the water on a stream or an attractive color that fish can not resist or a highly visible color that helps the angler see the fly pattern on the water while being presented.
What happened when a fly pattern is three different colors? It depends on the colors. Using one of the colors as an indicator or Hi-Vis component of the fly pattern still leaves two colors. For the Bivisible, white is used as the Hi-Vis component, then the second color is the color of the fly to be imitated. Having two colors in addition to the indicator allows for a more suggestive “bug” with maybe a dark and darker or a light and lighter color of the fly to be imitated. Or, the tow colors could also be bright and attractive.
Tricolores
The Tricolores is a French palmered fly pattern used to attract trout and grayllng. The original fly pattern suggests a “bug” with a dark and darker color of the fly being imitated. However, in modern times anglers use any and all colors for attractor fly patterns.
We present the original fly pattern and suggest the following color combinations and the logic behind the color combination:
White/Brown/Black (original)
White/Tan/Gray …a light version of the original
White/Olive/Lime …a green insect combination
Yellow/Orange/Red …a bright, fire tiger combination that attracts any fish
Yellow/Orange/Green …another fire tiger combination
Yes, you can tie a Tricolores Using Pink/Purple/Blue but who knows if it will attract or scare off a trout. There is but one way to find out!
Tricolores
Fly of the Month 12.18
…. photo, steps
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
In the dog days of summer, the insect activity on the surface is limited to very tiny midges at dawn and dusk followed by a long hot day without activity except for terrestrials that somehow landed in the water and are at the mercy of the fish. Some terrestrials hop or jump in the wrong direction and land in the water. Other terrestrials are knocked off overhanging branches or blown into the water with a gust of wind. Regardless, terrestrials randomly appear floating down a stream and become food for that fish wisely and habitually waiting in place.
Caterpillars or woolly worms are present from spring to fall depending on which butterfly, moth or skipper they will transform into given the right conditions and survive the ordeal of being the prey. Fish feed on caterpillars as they randomly fall victim to the stream during all the warmer months of the year, especially during the hot summer months.
Crackleback
The Crackleback is a take-off from a popular wet-woolly, tied with a chenille body and a natural raffia pulled over the back, full length of the hook-shank. It was designed and develop in the late 1950s by Ed Story of Feathercraft in St. Louis, Missouri. He named the fly pattern after a bass plug made by Bill Walters of Jasonville, Indiana. The bass plug had a pale olive body with a crinkly-green back. Since then, many colors have been designed and tied beyond the original pale-olive such as pale-yellow, brown-spider, lime, sulphur-orange and more have all been proven as productive versions of the Crackleback. The materials used have also changed considerably over the past decades as synthetics have become readily available.
This is an easy fly to tie and is very productive. It may be fished several different ways depending on your strategy and approach to handle the current water conditions. It may be fished as a dry or just under the surface either stripped or on a swing, or even using the accelerated downstream presentation by putting a small split shot 15 inches above the fly and letting a big downstream bow get in the fly line to accelerate its drift along a streambank. It also works well by stripping it using an intermediate sinking line or leader just as well.
To fish as a dry fly as was intended for this fly pattern, dress the hackles with silicone-gel floatant and fish dead-drift as a floating terrestrial in the surface film. If the fly sinks in fast water, its simply "skipped" under the surface with the rod tip. On the next cast, it'll float again. If there was no strike near the end of the drift, jerk the fly beneath the surface and skip it across-stream with the rod tip, or strip it back with the line-control hand.
This is the method used by most fly fishers. Fish it as a dry, if you don't get a hit ... jerk the fly under and skip it along with your rod tip." To fish as a wet fly at depth, use a full sinking line or at least a sinking leader with a split-shot on the tippet 15 inches above the fly. Strip or skip the fly just off the bottom.
Variations
Joseph Aimonette, a member of the Ozark Fly Fishers Club, says that any Crackleback not tied using the original or similar materials and colors is not really a Crackleback. This look-a-like fly is really a dry woolly. Whether it is called a Crackleback or a dry woolly, a good variation of the Crackle back is tied with a green holographic body and a palmered grizzly hackle. It is tied similar to the Crackleback and fished in the same manner. Joe calls this variation the Green Ghost.
Crackleback
Fly of the Month 7.18
…. photo, steps
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
Fly of the Month
From July through September we are covered up with them in the south. It looks like a grasshopper, except they are very, very green – typically bright insect green or highlander green. The katydid is a “giant leafhopper” that may grow as large as 3 inches in length.
Adults are remarkably well-camouflaged for sitting on trees. Their body resembles a green leaf, even down to detailed veins in the leaf. Katydids will remain very still when on alert, but will quickly fly away when threatened, scared or disturbed. Nymphs or juveniles have spots or speckles of black on them and eventually mature to the complete green color.
Katydids get their name from the perceived sound they make. Their repetitive clicks and calls sounded like someone saying, “Katy-did”, so the common name became that phrase. Both males and females can produce the sound. Katydid songs sound buzzy, raspy, or whiney, because their carrier frequencies are less pure and are higher than those of crickets. Katydids call only at night and many are not restricted to woody vegetation.
Katydid Microcentrum rhombifolium
Crickets, katydids and grasshoppers with large back legs for jumping belong to the order Orthoptera. There are two suborders: Caelifera (grasshoppers and relatives) and Ensifera (crickets, katydids and gryllacridoids). The Caelifera have antennae that are shorter than the body and they have short ovipositors. Ensiferans, except for mole crickets have antennae at least as long as their bodies. Ovipositors are usually long and bled- or needle-like.
They all have wings and will fly away from danger, except for the only species in the genus Pterophylla, the Common True Katydid. This Katydid is large, bright green, and bulky in appearance and even though its forewings are large, this Katydid is incapable of flight.
Katydids lay their eggs on twigs in a single row, one slightly overlapping the egg before it. The eggs are flat, almost like small pumpkin seeds, and they may might not all be the same color.
Katydids eat the leaves from the tops of trees and bushes, where there may be fewer predators and less competition. They can be found in parks, gardens, fields and woods. Adults are most active in summer and autumn, but in Florida, the warm weather allows them to remain active all year long.
Fly-Fish the Katydid fly pattern in the same manner as any hopper fly pattern. The presentation should be a “splat” to get the attention of the fish during the hot, dog days of summer. The size of the Katydid fly pattern can be any size that is well matched to the fly rod. Since there are also smaller juveniles in the early season, size matters less, presentation matters more.
There is also a wet fly pattern named the Katydid which is Fly Pattern No. 188 in the Ray Bergman Collection which is totally green except for the gold tinsel body. Maybe we will cover this fly pattern in the future.
Katydid
Fly of the Month 8.18
…. photo, steps
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
Fly of the Month
Leafhoppers and treehoppers are small terrestrial insects that spend much of their adult life in bushes and trees, well protected by their own camouflage. When they are knocked off by encounters with other creatures in the wild or by the wind, they become a tiny surface-food. Trout and grayling only need to open their mouth to a narrow slot and sip the high protein meal in. If an angler presents them with a fly with a broad hackle – then they can’t suck it in through their narrow mouth.
Jassid
The Jassid fly pattern solves this problem by having a palmered body that is trimmed to a small size. The Jassid was intended to represent a leafhopper or treehopper but can also represent lots of small trout foods, including mayflies, caddisflies, midges, and terrestrials. The Simple form and sharp profile also suggest a small beetle equally well. The fly was originated by Vincent Marinaro and first appeared in 1950 in his A Modern Dry Fly Code book as part of his “Ring of the Rise” presentation dealing with highly selective brown trout in a spring creek. The Jassid was first tested on the fabled waters of the Letort Spring Run in Pennsylvania where over the years it has fooled some of the most selective wild browns.
The Jassid is not found in fly shop bins due to the expense of tying the fly pattern. The original fly pattern recipe uses a jungle cock “nail” feather for the wing. At one time, jungle cock was used primarily for the eye components of a salmon fly pattern and much too expensive for the average fly tyer to afford. Thus, there are jungle cock substitutes made of printed acetate, mylar or vinyl. These substitutes have the look of the jungle cock and work well for a substitute on a salmon fly pattern as eyes. However, these jungle cock substitutes do not make for a descent wing for a Jassid fly pattern.
A quick review on several fly-tying forums all recommend either use the more expensive jungle cock or use a quail or partridge feather of comparable size to a jungle cock “nail” that is treated with a clear coating for a slight stiffness.
“One of the more troublesome problems connected with the smallest of imitations, particularly this one, is the matter of eliminating the light pattern, something which is incompatible with the appearance of these tiny creatures on the surface film. Hooks of the finest wire and good temper are an invaluable aid, thinly built bodies are another, and wings tied flat over the thin bodies supply the requisite impression of bulk since trout cannot see things in three-dimensional terms anyway unless they are gifted with the power of imagination. In addition to these aids, I have suggested the use of hackle to obtain the maximum support with the fewest of fibres, accomplished by tying in at the bend of the hook and turning in the manner of ribbing hackle, making one complete turn at the bend, a half turn a the middle of the body, and one complete turn of the head, or 2 ½ turns in all. It is an effective method and helps to make them ride very lightly with a minimum of disturbance to the surface film.” – Vince Marinaro
Jassid
Fly of the Month 9.18
…. photo, steps
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
Fly of the Month
The evolution of fly patterns often originates from a success with one species of fish only to be adapted or modified to be used for another species. Such is the case for the Royal Wulff. The adoption of the hairwing fly patterns that eventually became the Wulff dry fly style began in the late 1920s in several locations. Many angling writers credit Lee Wulff for the Wulff series of fly patterns, however, Q. L. Quackenbush, an early member of the Beaverkill Trout Club is often cited as the creator.
In 1929-30 both Quackenbush and Wulff had independently modified the Fanwing Royal Coachman pattern with hair wings and hair tails to better handle rough waters. The first Quackenbush versions were tied commercially by Rube Cross and were named Quack Coachman, Hair-Winged Royal Coachman and Quack Special.
Royal Wulff
Earlier, Lee Wulff originally designed and developed the Gray Hair Wing as a high floating Atlantic salmon dry fly. Having success with his hairwing creation, he took the design a step further based on the Fanwing Royal Coachman and created the Royal Hair Wing as a dry salmon fly. As he found himself out west fly-fishing for trout, he also found that the smaller sizes of the Royal Hair Wing and his other Hair Wing fly patterns were highly effective. In the 1930s lee Wulff collaborated with Dan Bailey during the development of his hairwing patterns and Bailey encouraged him to rename the flies.
Dan Bailey had in mind to market Lee Wulff’s hair wing designs as they were high floaters and exceptionally designed for the robust western waters. When Dan Bailey opened his fly shop in Montana in 1938, he named Lee’s fly patterns the Wulff series leading the way too many, many more hair wing fly patterns within the Wulff series. The original Ausable Gray, Coffin May and Bucktail Coachman became the Grey Wulff, White Wulff and Royal Wulff. Three additional hair wing fly patterns were created by the end of 1930, the Blonde Wulff, Brown Wulff and Black Wulff. The series gained prominence after Wulff introduced them to Ray Bergman who included them in his two editions of Trout (1938, 1952).
Today, most anglers consider the Royal Wulff to be a general attractor fly pattern. It appears to catch fish in any rough water. Many believe the red floss body is a color attraction for trout. Others believe the peacock herl bands give an iridescent and irresistible attraction for trout. The silhouette of the Royal Wulff is that of a mayfly with upright and divided wings. Although the bulkiness from the hair wings, hair tail and bushy application of hackle appears to be a silhouette of many aquatic, semi-aquatic and terrestrial insect.
Most anglers do not even attempt to analyze why the Royal Wulff is very productive fly, they just make sure to have a few in their fly box at all times. It is a go to dry fly for us all!
Royal Wulff
Fly of the Month 10.18
…. photo, steps
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
Fly of the Month
In the Southern Appalachians, there are many insect green “bugs” that are found under the canopy, in our wooded headwater streams. Little green stoneflies during the summer, katydids during all the warmer months, aphid clusters and inchworms. The insect green or chartreuse color works well to suggest any of these “bugs” that might end up floating down the stream.
The adoption of the hairwing fly patterns that eventually became the Wulff dry fly style began in the late 1920s in several locations. In the Southern Appalachians, some of the earliest hair wing fly patterns include the Green Gremlin. This fly pattern pre-dates the Wulff series and is considered the predecessor of the Tennessee Wulff which is essentially a version of the Royal Wulff except with a green floss body.
Green Gremlin
Walter Babb knew exactly what a Green Gremlin was when we called him to solve a puzzling set of Fred Hall flies. The Green Gremlin was one of fifty-eight Fred Hall fly patterns that were framed by Teddy Greene as a keepsake. He grew up in Bryson City, North Carolina as a huge fan of Fred Hall. Some of the flies, including the Green Gremlin were damaged by moths. Subsequently, the collection of fly patterns has been fully restored for display in the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians.
The Green Gremlin has a peacock herl collar just behind the upright and divided wings, much like Spruce fly. This is a more ancient body design and most likely one of many hair wing designs of that period that were independently created by fly tyers of the day.
To fly-fish the Green Gremlin, care must be taken to apply silicone-gel floatant and allow to dry for maximum floating capability. A size 16 version is a good imitation of the little green stoneflies that appear during the summer on our freestone mountain trout streams. A large size 12 version is a good imitation of a katydid or green June bug. Fly-fish the Green Gremlin like any dry fly, best presented as a dead drift with no drag.
There is also a Green Gremlin Streamer that was originated by Jim Pelletier. This streamer is a totally different fly pattern, but independently named.
Green Gremlin
Fly of the Month 11.18
…. photo, steps
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
Fly of the Month
Colors work to suggest a given match to a “bug” in the water on a stream or an attractive color that fish can not resist or a highly visible color that helps the angler see the fly pattern on the water while being presented.
What happened when a fly pattern is three different colors? It depends on the colors. Using one of the colors as an indicator or Hi-Vis component of the fly pattern still leaves two colors. For the Bivisible, white is used as the Hi-Vis component, then the second color is the color of the fly to be imitated. Having two colors in addition to the indicator allows for a more suggestive “bug” with maybe a dark and darker or a light and lighter color of the fly to be imitated. Or, the tow colors could also be bright and attractive.
Tricolores
The Tricolores is a French palmered fly pattern used to attract trout and grayllng. The original fly pattern suggests a “bug” with a dark and darker color of the fly being imitated. However, in modern times anglers use any and all colors for attractor fly patterns.
We present the original fly pattern and suggest the following color combinations and the logic behind the color combination:
White/Brown/Black (original)
White/Tan/Gray …a light version of the original
White/Olive/Lime …a green insect combination
Yellow/Orange/Red …a bright, fire tiger combination that attracts any fish
Yellow/Orange/Green …another fire tiger combination
Yes, you can tie a Tricolores Using Pink/Purple/Blue but who knows if it will attract or scare off a trout. There is but one way to find out!
Tricolores
Fly of the Month 12.18
…. photo, steps
Tom Adams and Alen Baker