Tying the Last Chance Cripple Baetis (Blue Winged Olive)

Rene Harrop's fly patterns were developed with an experienced eye for detail. Proven on the Henry's Fork, one of the most demanding trout fisheries in the country.

The Last Chance Cripple series are great patterns for selective fish. We use this Baetis version on our local tailwater with great success.

Tie in sizes 16-22 for a Baetis (aka Blue Winged Olive) Cripple.

The pattern is easily adapted to imitate other mayfly species.

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Last Chance Cripple Material List:

Hook: Daiichi 1100 or Tiemco 100 size 16 to 22

Thread: Tiemco 16/0

Shuck: Spirit River Sparkle Yarn, Darlon, or Z-Lon

Tail: Wood Duck or Mallard Dyed Wood Duck

Abdomen: Stripped Peacock Herl, Turkey Biots, or Thread and Wire

Wing: 2-3 matched CDC feathers

Thorax: Nature’s Spirit Fine Natural Dubbing, Nature’s Spirit Emergence Dubbing, or Wapsi Superfine Dubbing

Hackle: Dun Dry Fly Hackle

Tying the Smoke Jumper

Smoke Jumper 

The Smoke Jumper fly is a popular pattern on Montana’s Bighorn River. The CDC winged emerger is a great all purpose emerger for midge and mayfly hatches. The color scheme of the fly can be altered to imitate the insect you are trying to imitate. Hatches that the Smoke Jumper fly is effective at imitating are midges, Baetis, and Pale Morning Duns.

You can tie the abdomen on the Smoke Jumper with several different materials- peacock herl, turkey biots, micro tubing, or thread with wire.

The wing on the Smoke Jumper is CDC (cul de canard). A high quality CDC makes a big difference on this fly. My preferred CDC is Petitjean Select CDC feathers. Lower quality feathers are not as full and don’t make as nice a wing.

Smoke Jumper Fly Materials

Hook: Daiichi 1130 or Tiemco 2487 size 16 to 20

Thread: Tiemco 16/0

Abdomen: Stripped Peacock Herl, Turkey Biots, or Thread and Wire

Wing: 2-3 matched CDC feathers

Thorax: Nature’s Spirit Fine Natural Dubbing, Nature’s Spirit Emergence Dubbing, or Wapsi Superfine Dubbing

Tying the Stillborn Midge Emerger

 

This pattern is based on a Rene Harrop pattern. This version features an antron shuck and a foam back. It is effective for selective fish feeding on midges. My favorite colors are gray and cream. Tie in sizes 18-24.

Materials:

• Hook: Tiemco 100 size 18-22
• Thread: Tiemco 16/0
• Shuck: Antron Yarn
• Wingcase: Razor Foam Tan or Gray
• Abdomen: Emergence Dubbing
• Legs: Tan or Gray CDC

Happy Tying!

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Tying the CDC Klinkhammer

Klinkhammer Special

This is a twist on the original Klinkhammer Special- the world famous fly created by Hans van Klinken. Both the post and hackle are made from CDC. This pattern sits nicely on the water's surface. The CDC hackle undulates and adds movement to the fly. The black color scheme works well in mid to late summer when an increasing number of terrestrial insects find their way onto the water's surface.

Materials:

• Hook: Daiichi 1160 size 8-14
• Thread: Ultra Thread 140 (Sizes 14 and larger) or 70 Denier (sizes 16 and smaller)
• Abdomen/Thorax: Wapsi Superfine Dubbing
• Rib: Silver Ultra Wire
• Post: White CDC
• Hackle: Black CDC

Happy Tying

Tying the Shuttlecock Buzzer

This pattern is based on the Shuttlecock Buzzer patterns I have seen published in Czech books and websites. I typically tie these in smaller sizes for imitating emerging midges on my local trout streams. My favorite sizes are 16-22. Black, Olive, and Grey are all productive colors. This fly can be tied much larger when fishing chironomid hatches on stillwaters. When tying this fly in larger sizes it helps to add 1 or 2 feathers to the wing.

Materials:

• Hook: Tiemco 2488 size 14-22
• Thread: Wapsi UTC 70 Denier Fl. Orange
• Thread: Wapsi UTC 70 Denier Color to match body color
• Rib: Silver Ultra Wire
• Wing: Natural Dun CDC
• Abdomen: Super Fine Dubbing color to match natural

Happy Tying

Tying Hans' Spring Soft Hackle

This easy to tie soft hackle pattern takes early season trout feeding on midges or emerging baetis mayflies. The purple thorax seems to be a trigger to trout. This fly can be fished deep behind a nymph, on the swing, or as a dropper a few inches behind a dry fly.

Happy Tying