Johnny's simple stone tutorial

 There is no doubt in my mind that stone fly imitations are a nymphers deadliest flies on fertile freestone streams of the northeast, and many other streams through out the world.  Several of my favorite local streams have a very large amount of stone flies, with many different species of stones.  The biggest reason why stone fly imitations are so effective is because many stone fly species take years to mature from a nymph till they are ready to hatch into the wing adults. What does that mean to the fly fisherman?  It means the trout have stones to eat year round and they are very familiar with them.
   Stone fly imitations, while they will work all year round, they become even more effective in hatch time. At this time the mature nymphs become quit active and by doing so they become more available for the trout to gobble up. The vast majority of stone flies crawl to the edge of streams or in streams debri structures to climb out of the water to hatch. What does this mean to fly fisherman? This means trout will stage along banks and structures waiting for the nymphs come to them.  Next time your on the stream, pay close attention to sand bars and work those banks.
  It is now January, and the little black stones and the tiny black stones are making there presence known.  For the little aka early black stone I use my willow stone imitation but as of late I have been nymphing with an fly pattern I know call the my simple stone.  It is designed to imitate the tiny black stones found on many streams in the area.  Many winter fly fisherman fail to notice them and many mistakenly call a flying adult a midge. After all, they are tiny.
  I am a firm believer that simple is best when it comes to effective flies for trout, and the simple stone fits that bill.  All you need is thread, midge ice braid, and very small rubber, for the legs.  So lets twist  one up already!

Hook- Daiichi 1550 #16 

Thread- Montana fly co Midge body thread black

Abdomen- Tying thread

Thorax- Tying thread

Wing case- Midge ice braid, root beer

Legs- micro rubber, senyo's shaggy dub works great, black

Start the thread back two hook eye lengths from the eye and wind back to the barb and then back to where you started.

Take the midge ice braid and pull the braid apart, dont worry, the materials are bonded together and by pulling it apart you are simply flattening the braid out.  Once you have this done,  fold the braid around the thread and bring the thread around the shank placing the braid on top of the shank. Wrap back over braid tying it in to the middle of the shank.

Wrap the thread forward and back till you even out the thorax. Dont worry if its kinda bumpy at this point.

Take a single piece of rubber and fold it around the thread and bring the thread around placing the rubber on the far side of the shank. Do the same with another piece of rubber for the near side. Then hold the back legs back and wind over them tying them back to about where the braid is tied in. Bring the thread forward  tying the front legs forward to about a hook eyes length back from the eye, then wrap in front of the legs to make them flare out.  In the photo i pulled the front leg out of the way of camera.

Now bring the braid over the top, and give a good pull as you bring it over to flatten it out. Tie it down with two turns on and one in front. Snipe the excess and wipe finish.

Now trim the legs, I like to trim the back legs to just past the abdomen, and the front legs I trim just beyond the eye of the hook.  You dont want long legs as they will just get tangled in the bend of the hook.

You now have a simple little stone fly.  Fish them slow on the bottom and be sure to cast them near banks, and be ready for some hard strikes!  But pay close attention cause some of those strikes are super light.

This 18" brown took the simple stone, no doubt this brown grew as large as he has by eating many stone flies over the coarse of his life.

  

The biot rock worm video

 Here is the video for the biot rock worm I tie and use. It is a rather simple tie, and quick, so don't be fooled by the time of video. I used this pattern this past black Friday and it is the fly that the large male brown trout took. It is a pattern I use often on freestone streams that have a lot of caddis.
   When tying these. You should tie ones with a black or dark brown biot on top also. The rock will color up when it gets close to time for metamorphosis. In the winter I use all green and the spring and summer, I use ones with the dark front upper.
   I like to fish these flies, dragging on the bottom. Sure I lose them, but I have found its the best way to fish a rock worm pattern.  Well enjoy the video and tight ties! p.s. The light shade green sharpie is key, so dont forget to pick one up.

Materials

Hook- Daiichi 1270 #12-14

Thread- Montana fly co, 8/0 Light brown

Tail- Tan colored marabou

Under body- Dubbing, Your choice

Rear body- Turkey biot, dyed caddis green

Rib- Green ice thread

Legs- Dark partridge 

Front body- Chartreuse dubbing

Front shell- Turkey biot dyed caddis green

 

 

The Dubbing loop egg video

  Here is Charlie Cravens dubbing loop egg. The first part of the video I show how i make ultra dubbing loop eggs. The second fly is Charlies fly. Im sure somebody makes all sorts of colors mixed on these eggs.
  The dubbing loop egg is the easiest way I know to make a small trout egg fly. It easy to go as small at a 20. Glo-bug yarn is the best for this egg, and the egg color from them is deadly. As well as steelhead orange.  To vary on the original tie, just simply change the color of your thread and or the yarn. The color combinations are endless.

 

Materials

Hook- Daiichi 1150 14-16

Thread- 8/0 Uni fire orange, Montana fly co florescent orange

Glo-bug yarn- Egg color

Tabou caddis Fly tying video

The tabou caddis was developed by Steve Schweitzer, and is a really deadly caddis emerger pattern. The original calls for stretch magic for the ribbing but I tie mine with midge diamond braid. I think it makes it a wee more effective as it adds flash to the fly. 

Fish this fly on the bottom and allow it to swing up. Try and target the likely area of the trout for the swing. Leisenring lifts with this pattern are deadly.  Just put a the right amount of shot above the fly and get ready for the slam!

 Hook- Daiichi 1275 #12-16

Thread-Uni light olive 8/0

Body- chick-a-bou dyed light/pale yellow

Rib- Yellow Midge diamond braid

Hackle- Remaining top portion from chick-a-bou

Wing- Pale yellow saddle tip from Brahma hen

Head- marabou dubbin from the base of Brahma hen feather(pale yellow)

The Orange squirrel wet fly tutorial

The orange squirrel is a wet fly i put together that produces pretty damn well for me. It is basically a mutant march brown looking fly but the trout approve and that is what matters most.
  I have some great days fishing this pattern as my second or my top fly on my cast of flies. Strikes can be valiant on this baby.  
 I fish this at any point of the year but it surely works best in the spring through fall.

 Materials

Hook- Daiichi 1560 #12-15

Thread- Uni 8/0 rust brown

Tail- Bronze mallard

Body- Fox squirrel

Rib- clear wrap colored orange with a sharpie

Hackle- Hen Mallard breast

Wing- Partridge secondary

Lets twist one up!

The Softy stone tutorial

 This is a simple soft hackle pattern that I put together some time ago to fish during the winter months. It is fair imitation for stone flies, thus why i call it the softy stone.  Now I know it looks nothing like a stone fly to you and I, but the trout gobble them up and that is the important part.
   The body is dyed moose mane. I dont know where you can buy dyed moose mane, but i dyed it myself. Just need some rit dark brown for the job.  Also if you dye some black, you get some great body material as well.  The thorax area is marabou from the shaft of any black feather.   The feather i use is a mallard flank feather, they have a very light and thin marabou at the base, which is great for smaller flies.  I hackle this tie with a black hen hackle, but i also tie some up with a light furnace hackle, a greenwell shade of furnace is perfect.
  I like to tie these in #16 down to 20, Any smaller if you dare, makes a great midge fly as well. I mainly fish this fly on the bottom with a dead drift, casting up and or up and across. Drift this fly close to shore lines as trout do stage there waiting for stone fly nymphs to attempt there escape from the stream to hatch. 

Lets twist one up

The Jassid fly, Tutorial

  I really like this pattern. It has proven itself to me time and time again.  Vince sure put together a winner here. Although I only tie it his way when i go really small. Otherwise I like it and feel it is more effective with a peacock body. I also hackle them with hen hackle, from whiting bronze necks.  This help it sit lower in the film. I tie the heads larger than normal as well. I feel this is important for the beetle profile.

   It is a great beetle imitation that as far as i see it, has no rival. Don't fuss with a non-split nail. The fish don't care one bit about that, and to me it looks a lot more beetle like when it split apart. Kinda like a beetle drowned with its shell open and wings out.   Spent terrestrials put up a struggle to free themselves from there water grave, so it is important to carry imitations that represent this. 
     Lets twist one up.

H.T.P. Trout Bane tutorial

 As I have said and shown in the past with the trout banes, it is a tying technique, and that means many patterns can be spawned from it.  Here is one of my favorites and best producers. I call it the H.T.P. Trout bane, which is short for high test peacock.  Yup peacock and high test, how could it not be a trout favorite or a bane.
  I like this one tied on a Daiichi 1140 for small sizes and I also tie a 16 with a 1150. I dont have a real reason other than i like the way it looks and well the trout do as well.   I also hit the top with a very light coat of bug bond light. This keeps the peacock from blowing out and when applied lightly doesnt really take away much from the peacock.

  I like to fish this one with a twitch and short stripe. It works on the dead drift as well.

  So lets twist one up. If your on my home page you will need to click see the rest to view the tutorial.

Trout Bane tutorial

I have posted about this pattern in the past but the pics were sub par. So I redid the tutorial.  The trout bane is basically a tying technique I put together several years ago. It is a quick way to tie a two-toned buggy looking nymph, that the trout love.  I use the same technique to tie other T.B.s. All you need to do is to change the feather, thread color, and dub.  
  I usually will tie and fish these guy small. I like size 16-24 for all my banes. The technique allows for a nice slim profile which is great for small flies.  The fly is on the light side so it can be fished in the film with a little help from your floatant. Tied on light wire it will stay in the film, but i like to also have some tied on 1x heavy wire as well.  Dont shy away from other hooks on this one, they look great on scud hooks and emerger hooks.
  I like to finish all my T.B.s off with a light top coating of Bug Bond Light. This will protect the fly for many fish.  Now enough blabbering, Lets twist one up!  Click see the rest

Hi-vis Parachute flying ant tutorial and video

  Ants are great trout flies. Trout just love them, and if you have ever been on stream when flying ants start hitting the water. Then you know how the trout will ignore aquatic insects and go for these guys.   I was out on the heritage section of the Little Lehigh and the sacaun for some afternoons recently and this flying ant was the ticket.  Some times a little twitch to the fly did the trick.

  I like to put bright colored poly yarn for the posts on ant flies for the reason of usually i am working thin water during ant season. This calls for a long light leader, staying low, and back away from the trout. So the hi-vis post makes it easy to see the flies drift. 

Materials

Hook- Daiichi 1180 #12-18

Thread- Black Uni 8/0

Body balls- Black superfine dry fly dub

Wing- Midge crystal flash

Mid section- Black holographic tinsel

Post- Hi-vis poly yarn  chartreuse, yellow, orange and red are all pretty easy to spot

Hackle- Brown saddle hackle.

Lets twist one up!

Click see the rest for tutorials and video

The Royal Utah

  I know the name sounds boastful, but it is just my name for my version of the royal coachman dry fly. It is as simple as any coachman, I just use other materials than the norm.  I also tie it odd ball style, but with poly wings. Split poly wings have become a favorite of mine for dun style dries.  I just dont think you can beat the visibility, float, lightness, and durability.  Well anyways, enjoy the video.  Flying ant video is next.

Materials list. aka recipe

Hook- Daiichi 1180 #12-18

Thread- Black uni 8/0

Tail- Brown hackle barbs

Butt- Peacock hurl

mid section- Red holographic tinel

Rib- x-small silver wire

Wings- Poly yarn split

Thorax- peacock hurl (under hackle)

Hackle- Brown saddle hackle, wound over the peacock

The Davie spider technique and beyond.

  I have been hooked lately on tying using Davie Mcphails spider technique as a base model.  It makes some really nice ties such as the jungle spider, but I have been doing it with all sorts of feathers and different bodies, tags, ribs, you name it.   You can see Jungle spider tutorial here for an understanding on how to do this. You can also check out Davie's video here.   Ok so here are some patterns I have put together and some I have fished with some good catches.

Hook- Alec Jackson soft hackle hook #9

Thread- Uni 8/0 black

Body- Sparse otter dub

Rib- montana fly co, midge body thread, rust.

Tag- Red holographic tinsel

Wing- India grizzly hen

Hackle- India grizzly hen

I gave the rusty indian a go on my local spring, I picked up a couple of browns, but the trout quickly became in tuned to a bwo spinner fall. So i swapped out for a rusty spinner. I will be fishing this fly a lot more.  If your unsure where to score india hen capes try here and get free shipping to boot.  Be sure tell Dave Johnny sent ya.

Hook- Alec Jackson soft hackle #11

Thread- Uni black 8/0

Tag- Utc sparkle braid midge, peacock

Rib- fine silver wire

Body- Sparse beaver dub

Wing- Badger 

Hackle- Badger

Hook- Alec Jackson Soft hackle- #9

Thread- Uni 8/0 black

Tag- Small lagartun gold tinsel

Rib- Small Lagartun gold tinel(same piece as tag)

Body- *india bronze* peacock  This hurl has no green to it, only copper and bronze tones. 

Wing- pale furnace(greenwells) hen

Hackle- pale furnace(greenwells) hen

I have used this fly several times on the Saucan creek in Pa. It is a limestone spring creek, with gin clear water and finicky brown trout. I will just say it got me "more than four" each time. I was gonna keep a secret but what fun is that?  I fished it in the film and got some really nice browns with it.  I have been fishing quite a bit, but just havnt been posting reports or taking many pictures.  But what is a post without fish porn. 

 Just a couple of browns taken with the saucan secret. The gelatinous one in the middle missed it on its first strike and chased it down and slammed it. That one and the others put up a great fight on my 2wt.   If you like the alec jackson hooks contact j.w.trout and you can score them for a good price.  Be sure to tell'em Johnny sent ya.

Duck, Duck, Badger spey fly

Here is a spey fly I put together, i am hoping to get up north this season at some point. 

Hook- Mustad 36890 #6

 Thread- Amber pearsals
Tag- Mirage tinsel
2nd Tag- Medium gold oval tinsel
Body- Very sparse dubbed muskrat
Body hackle- silver badger
Rib- Medium gold oval tinsel
Hackle- Yellow mallard flank
Throat- Gadwall flank small
Wing- Bronze mallard
Eyes- Jungle Cock

The Jungle spider tutorial

 Here is a wetfly that I put together after watching Davie Mcphail do his spider pattern.  It is simply a variation of Davie's creation.  The pattern is an easy and simple tie, but just take it slow with the wings. The Davie spider consists of starling and you can see my version the Jungle spider consists of jungle cock.  



The tutorial can be vied by clicking the see the rest link to the right

A quick evening marauder attack

Well got out for a very short session yesterday evening with a friend. We hit my local tail water. We stirred up a couple of brookies. I was fishing the marauder and my friend was using a dry fly. The darkness closed in fast in the woods as suspected. It was a fun brief session and the fifty degree water felt great.

Tenkara glory, The Gurin'u-eru no eiko

Here is famous Greenwell's glory(gurin'u-eru no eiko) done up reverse hackle, aka tenkara style. Dont see why this baby wouldn't retain all of it glory.













Materials
Hook- Daiichi 1110 #16
Thread- Primrose pearsalls waxed
Rib- Gold wire small
Body- tying thread
Hackle- Furnace hen
Wing- Folded mallard.

Utah's Marauder wet fly, tutorail

Let's twist on up!  Click rest for the tutorial and recipe.

Tenkara Fly-The Aka Kayobi

Materials

Hook- Daiichi 1110 #16

Thread- Red silk

Body- sparsely  dubbed muskrat

Hackle- Brahma hen, Natural molted grey. (dark dun)

Tenkara premiere tying video! The Gin Seisho

  Here is my silver star aka Gin Seisho.  I put this pattern together some time ago but never fished it much other on occasions on one of my wet fly rigs. It was the only fly I fished the other day and well, as I said in my fishing report, it was all i needed. The fly is rather effective and in the spirit of tenkara it is simple to tie.   I really like this style of tying. It makes for some really effective wet flies. The hackle being the way it is, gives the fly a ton of movement, that just drives the fish bonkers.

  I fish this fly from top to bottom and have caught trout in all areas of the water column. I had good success with it in the film too.  Just a touch of dilly wax and she floats fine in the film.   Enjoy the video and be sure report back with how the fly did for you on your waters.

Gin Seisho

Materials

Hook- Daiichi 1110 ( great price at Jw trout on this model)

Thread- Pearsall"s gossamer silk- black

Body- tying thread

Mid tag- Mirage tinsel, small

Hackle- Brahama hen saddle natural

Dub- Fluff from bottom of feather.

Tenkara flies, The Bonten Risu and The Bonten Orenji

Bonten Risu, boast a sparsely dubbed body of fox squirrel dubbing, sparse enough that the thread bleeds through. A real nice buggy fly to drive the trout nuts. 

Thread- Pearsall 6a

Body- fox squirrel dubbin

Hackle- Pale yellow Brahma hen.

So what i did here in creating the Bonten Orenji, was to base it off the English spider pattern the partridge and orange.  Added a dubbed head, and changed the partridge for pale yellow Brahma. The silk and waxing it are the only similarities to the partridge and orange north country spider.   Here is the recipe.

Thread- Pearsall 6a waxed

Head- Fox squirrel dub

Hackle- Pale Yellow Brahma Hen saddle

Be sure to give me feedback on how these flies work for you, and have fun tying them.

      

A golden age fly, The Marlow Buzz, tutorial

Here is a truly old pattern. This fly dates back to the 1830s. It is known as the Marlow buzz or lady bird. Back then a "buzz" was a term for an emerger or wingless fly.   However this fly was intended to imitate a winged beetle.   Here is an excerpt  from fly anglers online.

"Edward Fitzgibbon, writing as Ephemera, said in his Handbook of Angling, 1847, 'What is called the buzz form, is an intended imitation of the natural fly struggling and half drowned. A fly with erect wings and one without them, or buzz, may be used on the casting line at the same time, the buzz imitation being the stretcher or tail fly.'

Ephemera also says: 'Some persons call this fly the Marlow Buzz, others the Lady Bird. At any rate it is intended to imitate a small winged beetle.'

You can read more about the fly here.  At any rate you can know this fly is a producer as it is still tied and varied in many different ways. As a matter of fact the starling and herl can be traced back to the buzz.  It is a rather simple tie, so let's twist one up!  Click read more for tutorial

A one feather fly

  Here is my latest video. It is a one feather fly that i tie up and use often for small mouth, well when i go under.  It is a very simple, easy, and fast to tie, and best part of all the fish approve. I mean what fish can say no to marabou. The feather i use for the fly is a "bird fur" feather.  These feathers are put out by whiting farms for the spey community.  They are excellent feathers for making some great action flies. My sponsor Casters fly shop carries it and with free shipping you cant go wrong. 
  I fish the fly dead drift with twitches, and fish it just like any other streamer.  The fly will hold well if you rib it, but not against the real toothy critter crowd. The action of the fly in the water is great. The fly pulsates and when pulling the fibers consolidate and form a nice slim profile that certainly gets some attention.   Twist them up in what colors you can get. I like black, brown, grizzly, heron grey, chartreuse, olive, and white.  The best part about the fly, is the more sloppy it is the better. So dont worry about trying to make this one pretty.

The Picket Pin video

Materials
Hook- Daiichi 2220 #10
Thread- Uni 8/0 black
Tail- Golden pheasant tippet
Body- Holographic gold tinsel
Rib- Medium oval tinsel
Body hackle- Brown rooster hackle
Head- Peacock herl

Foxy Starling wet fly with tutorial

  I call this fly the Foxy Starling.  I put this baby to the test and the wild brown trout approve.  It is a hair wing wet fly. The wing consists of fox squirrel tail fibers. The hackle is bleached starling. Bleach starling has a wonderful copper iridescent to it.     I have had luck with the fly on the dead drift and also dancing near the surface.  That sexy hook is a Alec Jackson Soft hackle hook. I really like the hooks. They hook and hold fish great, and like all daichii hooks they are incredibly sharp.

Materials

Hook- AJ soft hackle hook #11

Thread- Rusty brown MFC 8/0

Tail- Wood duck flank 

Body- Wood duck flank wrapped

Rib- MFC midge body thread- #740 rust

Hackle- Bleached Starling

Wing- Fox squirrel tail

 Lets twist one up, click read more

The Picket Pin, with tutorial

A 1910s era picket pin, tied by Johnny Utah

  The picket pin is rather well known fly that has stood the test of time. The fly was originated by Montana fly tier Jack Boehme, owner of a Missoula tavern and tackle shop.  That must have been pretty cool, go pick up some flies and have a beer or two.  I'd be more interested in those fish tales told at flies shops if i was guzzling a beer! Anyways.   The fly featured here in my tutorial is the one believed to be the original from around 1910.  However the original was tied with a gopher tail wing, but grey squirrel is a darn good match. 

A peacock body picket pin. Tied by Johnny Utah

  There are many different variations of the picket pin, most have a variation in body materiel.  I am sure you have seen or have tied and/or used the peacock bodied picket pin. Which tied to size is deadly around this time of year with the iso hatches.  The tie here is more of an American tradition, you know our original fly patterns, Streamers.  The fly can be tied with different color wings as well.
  









The fly is extremely versatile. Fish it as a streamer, a nymph, a dry fly, whatever you can think of, it has probably already been done with the fly.  Fishing it dead drift with twitches is a favorite amongst eastern anglers.   It is fun tie, and when you catch a trout, thank Jack for his creation.

Originator: Jack Boehme,

Hook: Mustad  79580, or equivalent, size 4-6.
Thread: Black 8/0 Montana fly co.
Tail: Golden pheasant tippet fibers (3-5).
Rib: Medium gold french tinsel.
Hackle: Brown rooster neck palmered over body.
Body: Flat gold tinsel.
Wing: Gray squirrel tail.
Head: Peacock herl.

Click read more for the tutorial