Tying Tuesday: Surprisingly Simple Patterns

Although some fly tiers revel in creating elaborate, complex flies at the vise, most of use prefer to focus on patterns that are easy to tie but still catch fish. This week, we’ve got three patterns that fit the bill to various degrees, ranging from a cool larva imitation that uses just two materials to a saltwater baitfish that looks more difficult to tie than it really is.

We kick things off with a cool-looking green-drake cripple from Simon at Caddis Fly Shop. While the fly has several different components, none of the steps is particularly fussy, and the resulting emerger looks incredibly buggy. Next up is one of the more basic subsurface patterns around, the Sawyer’s Killer Bug. Rob Gee from Troutlore demonstrates how to create this pattern with just two materials and no thread. Finally, we’ve got a cool, multicolored saltwater sand-eel fly from Michael Ozkaya of LIFliesMike. Again, what looks complex is actually quite easy, and the finished pattern offers a great profile, a bit of flash, and lifelike coloration.

EP CDC Green Drake Cripple
Hook: 2X-long dry-fly hook (here an Ahrex FW570), size 10.
Thread: Olive, 12/0 or 50-denier.
Shuck: March brown EP Trigger Point Fibers.
Body: Green drake EP Trigger Point Fibers.
Rib: Lemon grey EP Trigger Point Fibers.
Wing: Natural Dun CDC.
Wing bud: Natural Dun CDC.
Hackle: Olive grizzly.
Adhesive: Head cement.
Tools: Stonfo CDC Winder.

Sawyer’s Killer Bug
Hook: 1X-long nymph hook, size 12.
Underbody: Copper Soft Wire.
Body: Chadwick’s 477 Substitute.

Sand Eel Surf Candy
Hook: Mustad 34007-SS, size 1.
Thread: Monofilament.
Tail #1: White bucktail.
Tail #2: White thin saddle hackle.
Flash: Pearl Flashabou.
Tail “pillow”: Brown saddle-hackle fluff.
Tail #3: Brown thin saddle hackle.
Body: Silver flat Diamond Braid.
Belly: White bucktail.
Back: Olive, tan, orange, and light olive bucktail, mixed.
Lateral line: Pearl Lateral Scale, small.
Adhesive #1: Superglue.
Eyes: Stick-On Eyes, 3/16-inch.
Coating #1: Medium UV Resin.
Coating #2: Thin UV Resin.
Tools: Bodkin.