Powder Coating

Heres a quick tip for powder coating bead chain eyes to the color you want.

Bloody Butcher

Bloody Butcher

Hook - Mustad 9672, #4-6

Tying Thread - Black Nymo - Size "A"

Tail - Scarlet & Yellow Hackle Fibers

Body - Peacock Herl

Hackle - Scarlet & Yellow Saddles, Palmered

Rib - Fine Gold Wire

Wing - Gray Squirrel

Head - Peacock or Ostrich Herl, Full

Tying Note

The scarlet and yellow body hackles should be "doubled" or "blended" together prior to tying in by the tips at the tail end of the fly, and then wound on as a single hackle, wet-fly style, over the peacock herl body.

The process of doubling, setting, or bending a hackle, as it is variously described, is quite easily accomplished by putting a hackle plier over an upright post and then catching the hackle tip or tips in the hackle plier jaws, which leaves both hands free. The butt end of the quill is held with the right hand and the hackle fibers are folded over from the butt to tip with the left hand.

                                                        Montana Trout Flies - George F. Grant

Bloody Butcher

Tail - Crimson red hackle barbs. 

Body - Dubbed with gray rabbit fur. 

Hackle - Yellow and crimson red mixed and tied palmer-style over the body. 

Wing - Gray squirrel tail tied over the body. 

The Bloody Butcher originated as a wet fly in England in 1838 and you might say that it has been butchered ever since. This is a steelhead version that has been in use for more than fifty years.

 Fish Flies: The Encyclopedia of the Fly Tier's Art - Terry Hellekson

Crazy Goof

Per the recipe in the book

Crazy Goof

Hook - Mustad 9671 size 6-8

Thread - Black - heavy size "c" - .008

Under body - Yellow chenille or wool

Over body - Natural deer body hair

Ribbing - Heavy black tying thread (crisscrossed)

Hackle - Grizzly - tied full but not dry fly style

(Size "c" thread is probably no longer available, so use whatever thread you like)

Tying note

Deer hair back and tail are an integral unit. Tie in the hair at forward body termination as for wing and then tie down to bend with open spirals of heavy black tying thread.

Take 3-4 turns of thread at tail to secure and cause the tail hair to flare. Return the thread to shoulder in criss-crossing pattern with previous winds. Give turns of thread at tail several coats of lacquer.

History (from the book)

Legend has it that this fly was the creation of an amateur fly tyer in the Bozeman, Montana area and this could well be for it is very popular on the Gallatin River.

Dan Bailey of Livingston, Montana was tying a similar fly as early as 1940, calling it the "Yellow-Bodied Grayback" and still carries it in his current catalog (remember this is in a book from 1972).

There are several similar patterns, such as the Horner Deer Hair, the Goofus Bug and the Humpy. Which is a variation of the other is a moot question, but the fact remains that they are all basically the same and all are excellent.

Most of the above-mentioned deer hair patterns are tied with upright hair wings and in comparatively small sizes as they are essentially dry flies. The "Crazy Goof" on the other hand, is one of the very best flies to use when big hoppers are being blown on the water and is probably at its best when it is used in a large size.

The name of the fly is not at all appropriate as the dressing is extremely sane. The coloration is moderate and the liberal use of deer hair makes it a good floater.

Thats it from the book.

Montana Trout Flies by George F. Grant has a copyright of 1972 so some of the tying threads called out in the book are probably no longer made or hard to acquire. I guess that if one looks hard enough you could find some spool of "nymo" thread.

The heaviest I tie with is 6/0 so that's what I used for the fly in the photo.

Happy Tying

Hackle Color Charts

This post will try to cover hackle color charts from the major hackle producers.

Whiting Farms

http://www.whitingfarms.com/colorchart/

http://www.campfirelodgewestyellowstone.com/hackle-color-wall.asp

http://www.campfirelodgewestyellowstone.com/hen-hackle-capes-saddles.asp

Collins Hackle Farm

http://www.collinshacklefarm.com/

Metz

http://www.petesflyshop.com/catalog/popup-MetzColors.htm

Keough Hackles

http://www.taimen.com/mt/product_info.php?products_id=470

http://www.orlandooutfitters.com/online-store/product-info/rst-sd.asp

http://www.orlandooutfitters.com/online-store/product-info/k-hn-sadd.asp

Conranch Hackle

http://www.conranch.com/capes.html

Trout Rock Streamers #1 - #6

Heres a few bucktail streamers, originally tied by Bert Quimby of Maine.

Trout Rock Series

Trout Rock #1

Hook - Mustad R75-79580

Thread - Black

Tail - Red hackle fibers

Ribbing - Flat silver tinsel

Body - Black floss

Wing - Black over white bucktail

Shoulder - Jungle cock

Trout Rock #2

Hook - Mustad R75-79580

Thread - Black

Ribbing - Flat silver tinsel

Body - Black floss

Wing - Black over red over yellow bucktail

Shoulder - Jungle cock

Trout Rock #3

Hook - Mustad R75-79580

Thread - Black

Tag - Flat silver tinsel

Body - Brown wool

Wing - Brown bucktail

Shoulder - Jungle cock

Trout Rock #4

Hook - Mustad R75-79580

Thread - Black

Ribbing - Silver wire

Body - Flat silver tinsel

Wing - Red over white bucktail

Shoulder - Jungle cock

Trout Rock #5

Hook - Mustad R75-79580

Thread - Black

Tag - Flat silver tinsel

Body - Brown wool

Wing - Black bucktail

Shoulder - Jungle cock

Trout Rock #6

Hook - Mustad R75-79580

Thread - Black

Body - Red floss

Ribbing - Flat silver tinsel

Wing - Gray squirrel tail

Shoulder - Jungle cock

James Wood Bucktail

James Wood Bucktail

Hook - Mustad 3366

Thread - Black

Body - Yellow chenille

Wing - White bucktail

Thorax - Blue chenille

From what I can gather from searching the internet, 

Harry Murray adapted this fly from Pete Perinchief's bonefish fly "The Horror".

Tie this fly in different color chenille

San Juan Midge

San Juan Midge

Hook - Mustad 3906, Tiemco 101 or equivalent, size 14-26

Thread - Black

Rib - Gold or copper wire

Body - Pheasant tail fibers

Wing - White uni stretch

Tying Notes

The recipe above is for the “Pheasant Tail San Juan Midge” pattern.

There are numerous variations in tying this pattern

Use different styles of hooks.

Use different color wires for the ribbing.

Use dubbing, biots, stripped peacock quill, floss, uni stretch, spanflex, tinsel, turkey tail fibers, other species of pheasant tails or even thread for the body material.

Use different wing material such as Uni stretch, Z-lon, Darlon, poly yarn, Hi-Viz etc.

Add a bead and make it a bead head pattern

Most importantly is to tie the fly using your tying style and preferences.

Fishing Notes

This fly can be fished as a nymph down deep or as an emerger, just below the surface. It’s your choice.

Chironomids

Diamond Chironomid

Hook: Your favorite curved hook

Bead: Black

Thread: Black

Breathers: White Zlon or equivalent

Rib: Black spanflex

Body: Silver tinsel

Thorax: Peacock herl

Blackbird

Hook: Your favorite curved hook

Bead: Black

Thread: Black

Body: Black tubing

Thorax: Peacock herl

Redbird

Stan Benton Originator

Hook: Your favorite curved hook

Bead: Black

Thread: Black

Body: Red tubing

Thorax: Peacock herl

How to make a simple fly box

Here is a simple way to make a fly box for your nymphs and midges.

The items needed to make one.

1/4 inch white closed cell foam (big box craft shop .99 cents)

Combination square/steel ruler (for making nice straight cuts)

Xacto/utility knife

Crazy glue (your favorite brand)

Pencil (for marking the foam)

Box (altiod tin or plastic equivalent. I used a gift card tin box from cabelas $1.99)

Pinking shears. Yes pinking shears!

Measure and layout how many strips of foam will go in your fly box. This is where you use the pinking shears to cut the foam on one side and the utility knife on the other side

After all of the strips have been cut to the length and width required to fit inside the box, use the utility knife to cut the slits in the foam to hold the fly.

After all of the slitting is done, all thats left to do is to glue in each strip to the inside of the box. Space the strips accordingly inside the box.

Once the glue has set, add the flies into the slits in the foam.

Repeat the entire construction process if you want to add the foam strips to the inside of the cover.

Brahma and Gold

Brahma and Gold

Thread: 8/0 Uni Tan

Hackle: Whiting Brahma Hen

Body: 1 Strand of plastic from a supermarket onion bag

Rib: Same as the body but twisted into a cord

Tying note: I tied in the strand of plastic onion bag behind the eye of the hook and wrapped it back in a ribbon to the bend of the hook. I then attached my hackle plier to the plastic strip and twisted that into a cord/rope and wrapped forward as the rib.

Here's the onion bag. I bought the onions at Walmart but look in your favorite grocery store. The bags come in different colors. You will have to untangle the mesh to get some long strands for tying. The idea of using this material is from Hans Weilenmann.