Howdy,

This month’s flies feature a classic from Fly Fishing innovator Lee Wulff and one of my personal patterns.

Trout Fly of the Month

Wulff Style Mayfly

 Recipe:

• Hook:  Dry Fly sizes 10-16
• Tail:  Moose or Elk Mane
• Body:  Natural Dubbing (Beaver, Fox, Oppossum, Muskrat)
• Wing:  Elk or Deer Body Hair, divided
• Hackle:  Brown, Tan, or Grizzly

The Wulff series of fly patterns were developed by Lee Wulff. It presents a bushy, high floating fly, that remains visible into the evening twilight, and rides well in rough water. Every modern fly angler should have one or more of Lee Wulff’s innovations. He designed and sold the first fly fishing vests, championed reeling with the left hand on fly reels (so the rod was in the stronger right hand), invented the first palming spool fly reels, introduced the fly-O casting practice rigs, popularized the “riffling hitch” for salmon fishing and designed the popular triangle taper lines. However, Lee Wulff’s best-known innovations were in his flies.

Wulff patterns were the first flies to use hair for fly wings and tails. Almost all dry flies available in the winter of 1929/30 were, according to Wulff, anemic and too delicate, which he ascribed to their British tradition. The reason for very slim flies was that if a fly was too bulky the feather materials did not have the buoyancy to hold it up. Wulff also noted that dry flies with wings and tails of feathers get slimed up and are not very durable. To Wulff, the solution was obvious use bucktail (deerhair) for tails and wings. The mobility and buoyancy of elk and deer hair has made it a favorite North American fly tying material. 

Steelhead Fly of the Month

Riverwood Eyed Critter

 Recipe:

• Hook:  Salmon/Steelhead size 2-6
• Tail:  4 Dyed Grizzly hackle tips
• Rib:  Gold Tinsel
• Body:  Purple Angora Dubbing
• Body Hackle:  Purple Schlappen
• Wing:  4 Dyed Grizzly hackle tips
• Eyes:  Dumbell or Spirit River IBalz

The Riverwood Eyed Critter is a big purple thing with eyes.  Long schlappen body hackle and dyed grizzly hackle feathers for the wing and tail (four feathers at each location).  Finished with a dyed guinea feather for the collar.  The body is angora dubbing.  I developed this fly for fishing deep runs and pools for both Steelhead and Salmon.  With the weighted eyes, this fly will get down in the water column quickly.  

Tight Lines!

Dave