Pattern Recipes

The Adams is a general mayfly searcher pattern that suggests a broad range of duns without imitating any single species. Fish it during mixed or unidentified hatches, on riffled freestone water, and as a prospecting fly through spring and summer. Leonard Halladay tied the original in Mayfield, Michigan, around 1922 at the request of Charles Adams. Halladay's first version used golden pheasant tippets for the tail; the modern standard substitutes mixed grizzly and brown hackle fibers, which is what's tied here.

The Bunny Leech imitates a swimming leech, sculpin, or small dark baitfish with the pulse of rabbit fur doing most of the work. Fish it for Pacific salmon and steelhead in fall rivers, tidewater edges, and travel lanes where a broad, slow-moving profile shows well in stained or broken water. The tying is straightforward, but good material control matters because rabbit strips can bulk up quickly.

The Chubby Chernobyl is a buoyant terrestrial dry fly that represents a hopper, stonefly, or large attractor insect riding low in broken water. It works well through summer and early fall on freestone streams, pocket water, and grassy riverbanks, and it also makes a steady dry in a dry-dropper rig. The pattern is approachable for tyers with basic foam and rubber-leg control; the main challenge is keeping the foam, wing, and legs centered.

The Crazy Charlie is a sparse flats fly for bonefish, small permit, and other saltwater fish feeding on shrimp and tiny baitfish. This standard bonefish variant uses bead-chain eyes so the fly rides point-up and a slim pearl body that shows well over sand or turtle grass. It is a good first saltwater pattern because the tie is simple, but the proportions need to stay sparse.

The Half Pint Midge is a modern, bead-head midge pattern designed to imitate chironomid pupae, one of the most abundant and consistently available food sources for trout in rivers, spring creeks, and stillwaters year-round. Midges make up a significant portion of a trout’s diet, particularly in cold water, winter months, and heavily pressured fisheries where fish key on small, high-protein insects. The Half Pint Midge can be described as an enhanced Zebra Midge, combining a slim, segmented profile with subtle flash and a tungsten bead for rapid sink rate. Its compact body closely matches the natural proportions of a midge pupa, while the ribbing suggests segmentation and durability. The small pearl Krystal Flash wing buds imitate trapped air or emerging wings, an important trigger during the pupal ascent. The addition of a tungsten bead allows the fly to reach the strike zone quickly, making it highly effective in deeper runs, tailwaters, and technical nymphing situations. Simple, elegant, and highly functional, the Half Pint Midge excels as a dropper fly, part of a midge cluster, or as a confidence pattern when trout are selectively feeding on small subsurface insects. This fly is especially effective when fish are refusing larger nymphs and demanding precise, realistic imitations, earning the Half Pint Midge a permanent place in many anglers’ midge boxes.

The Hendrickson is a Catskill classic, tied by Roy Steenrod around 1916 on the Beaverkill and named for his friend and angling companion A.E. Hendrickson. It imitates the male dun of Ephemerella subvaria, a mid-spring mayfly of the eastern United States that hatches when water temperatures hold in the low 50s F, typically from late April through May. The female counterpart, with its rusty-brown quill body, is dressed as the Red Quill or Light Hendrickson; this pattern is the male, with the distinctive pinkish-tan fox-belly body. The dressing given here follows Art Flick's Streamside Guide (1947), the standard Catskill recipe with upright divided wood duck wings and a dun hackle collar.

The Intruder is a versatile steelhead and salmon streamer built around a long-shank hook, bead head, and marabou tail and wing. It imitates baitfish and leeches and is effective on both Pacific Northwest rivers and Atlantic salmon lochs. The pattern flies through the water with a pulsing, lifelike action and produces in a wide range of conditions, from clear low water to stained spring runoff.

Tied in 1850 by Jock Scott — gillie to Lord John Scott on the River Tweed — this is among the most celebrated of the fully-dressed Atlantic salmon flies. The body is built in two halves separated by an ostrich-herl butt, finished with the recognizable mixed married wing of dyed swan or goose, peacock wing, bustard substitute, golden pheasant tail, and white-tipped turkey, topped with golden pheasant crest and set off with jungle cock eyes. Originally fished for Atlantic salmon on the Tweed and Spey, it is today tied as much for the bench as the water — but a sparser dressing on a heavy iron will still swing a pool. Pinch or remove the barb on any hook intended for fishing.

The Mercury Midge, created by Pat Dorsey, is a highly effective imitation of a midge pupa with a trapped air bubble. The glass bead mimics emerging gas, making the fly especially deadly during winter and early spring when trout feed heavily on midges. It is best fished deep on fine tippet in tailwaters, spring creeks, and clear, slow-moving rivers.

The Midge Larva is a minimalist, ultra-realistic imitation of the aquatic larval stage of chironomids (midges), one of the most abundant food sources in trout streams worldwide. Representing the small, worm-like insects that live near the stream bottom, this pattern is especially effective in winter and during periods of selective feeding, when trout key in on tiny subsurface prey. Its slim, segmented body and subtle profile make it deadly in clear water and pressured fisheries.

Partridge and Orange is a traditional North Country spider that suggests small emerging mayflies, drowned midges, and other slim-bodied trout food in riffles and soft seams. The pattern is built from orange silk and a sparse turn of partridge, so proportion matters more than material count: keep the body thin and let the hackle breathe in the current.

The Rainbow Warrior is a highly effective modern nymph developed by competitive angler Lance Egan. It is a flashy, attractor-style imitation that suggests a wide range of aquatic insects, especially midge and mayfly nymphs. With its hot-spot thread collar, iridescent wing case, and tungsten bead, it excels in fast water and pressured fisheries, making it a staple in Euro-nymphing and competition-style rigs.

The Silver Doctor is a classic fully dressed Atlantic salmon fly, here drafted as a Pryce-Tannatt-style variant with modern legal substitutes for protected materials. Its bright silver body, blue hackle, married wing, jungle cock sides, and kingfisher-blue cheek make it a clean showpiece pattern as much as a fishing fly for clear salmon rivers.

The Top Secret Midge imitates a small midge pupa or emerging adult in the surface film, especially on tailwaters and slow seams when trout are feeding selectively. Its slim thread abdomen, sparse trailing shuck, fine wire rib, and slightly fuller dark thorax keep the profile simple while giving just enough segmentation and contrast for tiny sizes.

The WD-40 is a classic, minimalist emerger pattern developed by guide and angler Mark Engler. It is designed primarily to imitate Baetis (Blue Winged Olive) emergers, but it also works extremely well as a generic midge or small mayfly emerger. Its drab, natural colors and simple profile make it a true “guide fly” subtle, non-flashy, and highly effective in clear water and pressured trout conditions.

The Woolly Bugger is a simple streamer that suggests leeches, small baitfish, dragonfly nymphs, and other swimming food in rivers, ponds, and stillwaters. Its marabou tail, chenille body, and palmered hackle give it movement at slow retrieves and durability when ribbed with wire. Tie it in black as the baseline pattern, then vary color and weight to match local water.

The Zebra Midge is a minimalist nymph pattern designed to imitate midge larvae and pupae. Its slim, segmented body and subtle flash closely match the natural profile of real midges, making it highly effective in clear water and pressured fisheries. Simple in construction yet extremely productive, it is a staple pattern in trout boxes worldwide. What It Imitates This fly represents midge larvae or pupae, one of the most abundant and consistent food sources in most rivers, tailwaters, spring creeks, and stillwaters. Midges are present year-round and are especially important when larger insects are not active. When to Fish It (Season) * Winter: One of the most reliable winter patterns when trout feed almost exclusively on midges. * Early Spring & Late Fall: Excellent during cold water periods with limited hatch activity. * Year-Round: Effective any time midges are present, especially in tailwaters and spring creeks. Where It Works Best * Tailwaters and spring creeks * Slow to moderate currents * Deep pools and seams * Lakes and stillwaters under an indicator How to Fish It * Fish it as a dropper behind a larger nymph or dry fly * Under a strike indicator with light tippet * On a Euro-nymphing rig with light weight * As part of a two-fly midge setup Why It Works The Zebra Midge’s thin profile, subtle flash, and ability to sink quickly allow it to stay in the strike zone longer. Trout see midges constantly, making this fly a dependable and confidence-building choice in tough conditions. Common Colors Black with silver rib is the classic and most popular combination, but variations in thread, wire, and bead color can be effective depending on water clarity and light conditions.