These patterns are a staple during the hot summer months when hoppers and crickets are jumping. They are easy patterns to tie with the cricket being tied exactly the same way with the same materials only in black.

Recipe:

Hook:     Mustad 94831 or 9671 size 8 – 16

Thread:  Yellow

Body:     Yellow Fur or Poly

Wing:     Single Oak Turkey Wing Quill Segment cut to shape and lacquered.

Head:     Spun Deer Body Hair,  clipped to shape.

Directions:  Dub on the body and tie on the wing segment flat over the top of the shank, allowing it to protrude slightly beyond the bend. Tie on a segment of deer body hair beyond the eye leaving enough room for the head which is spun and cut to shape. Trim the deer body hair so it only covers the top of the hook, exposing the belly.

These mayflies are a precursor to the hex hatch but can happen at the same time. They come out during evening hours and are burrowing nymphs like the hex. Try these in different shades and remember when fishing hex, bigger is better especially after dark.

Recipe:

Hook:     2x dry fly hook

Thread:  Brown, criss-crossed over body

Wing.     Dun colored trukey flat or deer hair tied parachute

Body:     Burgundy dyed deer

Hackle:   Grizzly

Tail.       Moose hair

Directions:  Tie in the tail, wrap forward and tie in the wing post style. Tie in the body covering the shank lengthwise and let it go beyond the wing and tie it on with a criss-cross wrap. (Let the body flair out beyond the bend but not as far as the tail.) Tie on the hackle. Keep this fly sparse and light.

Note:  There are easier patterns, more traditional, but none more effective.

Michigan’s first big fly. Late May to mid July peaking usually the first two weeks of June.

Recipe:

Hook:     2x streamer hook size 10

Thread:   Brown

Wing:      Medium elk hair tied upright

Body:      Light natural deer hair tied along the hook shank leaving it flared at the end

Hackle:    One grizzly and one brown tied parachute

Tail:         Moose hair

Instruction:  Tie on the tail and wrap tread forward to tie on the win in post form. Tie on the body along the shank to the bend and leave a flair past the bend but not to the end of the tail.Wrap forward and tie in hackle parachute style and form a clean head.

Note:  This fly brings out the lunkers and is extremely effective at dusk and later.

Use this for a variety of mayflies as they are emerging.  It is effective in different colors to match the hatch, ie., olive, yellow or dun.

Recipe:

Hook:      Any Short Shanked Nymph Hook

Size:       14 -20

Thread:   Olive (Match Body)

Tail:         Blue Dun Hackle Fibers

Body:      Olive Dubbing

Wing:      Clump of Natural CDC Tied Short, Slanted Over Body

Directions:  Tie in the tali at the down turn of the bend of the hook. Apply the dubbing 3/4 of the way forward. Tie in the CDC and apply more dubbing beyond to form a head. (The wing should appear to be protruding from under the head.) Tie off without forming a formal head.

Note:  Keep a variety of different colors handy, this is a good searching pattern.

This simple pattern puts to use the cul-de-canard feathers which are found next to a ducks preen gland. These feathers are translucent and make great wings especially on smaller flies. They are impregnated with the ducks natural oils which makes them extremely floatable.

Recipe:

Hook:      Light Wire Dry Fly

Thread:   Olive

Tail:         Blue Dun Hackle Fibers

Wing:      Natural Gray Cul-De-Canard Feather

Body:      Olive Dubbing

Hackle:    Blue Dun

Directions:  Wrap a base of thread then tie on CDC feathers upright, divided and slightly angled back. Wrap back to the bend and tie on the tail, dividing the fibers into two directions by creating a ball of thread then tying the fibers on each side. Apply dubbing and wrap forward creating a thorax around the wing. Tie on the hackle and tie off with a clean head.

Note:  This pattern is simple and can be tied quickly. Tie different sizes and different shades to imitate most mayflies.

 Bold denotes major hatches.

These stoneflies crawl to the stream’s edge onto debris and begin mating. There are no emergers to speak of. Fish these by overhanging trees or vegetation on windy days from early May to the end of July near fast moving water or riffles. This pattern floats high, is highly visible and makes for a good indicator when fishing a dropper.

Recipe:

Hook:     Tiemco 200R

Size:       8 – 14

Thread:  Brown

Wing:     Light Elk Hair

Body:     Brown to Olive Dubbing, Palmered With Brown Hackle and Ribbed With Gold Wire.

Hackle:   Grizzly and Ginger

Tail:        Light Elk Hair

Directions:  Wrap thread to where the bend begins and tie in the tail. Tie in gold wire and ginger hackle. Apply dubbing 3/4 of the way forward and palmer the ginger hackle and gold wire over dubbing. Tie on the wing long enough to where the tail begins. Tie grizzly hackle in front ofl the wing and finish with a clean head.

This is a great wet fly that can be used to imitate many hatches. It is also serves as a good attractor pattern.

Recipe:

Hook:     Mustad 3906

Size:       10 -16

Thread:   Brown

Tail:        Mahogany Ringneck Pheasant Center Tail Fibers

Rib:         Fine Copper Wire

Body:      Same Ringneck Tail Fibers as Tail

Hackle:    Brown Partridge Hackle – Collar Style

Directions:  Wrap thread back to the bend and tie on tail. Tie in the copper wire and body material and wrap the body forward and tie off. Spiral copper wire forward and tie off. Tie in hackle and tie off collar style. Finish with a clean head.

Note:  The partridge hackle is the key to this fly. The abundant soft hackle protruding all the way to the tail is what makes this fly affective,

Recipe:

Hook:     Mustad 3906 or Equivalent

Size:       10 – 16

Thread:   Black

Tail:        Dark Ginger Hackle Fibers or Pheasant Tail Fibers

Rib:        Yellow Thread

Body:      Fawn Fox

Hackle:    Dark Ginger Hen Collar Style or Beard Style

Wing:     Oak Turkey Quill Segments

Directions:  Wrap thread from the eye to the bend and tie in tail material. Tie in a segment of yellow thread and let hang. Apply dubbing and wrap to 1/4 inch behind eye. Spiral yellow thread forward. Tie in hackle and tie it off collar style. Tie in two oak turkey segments across the back of the fly and tie off with a clean head.

Fish this fly across current and down stream allowing it to settle into the current.

Wet patterns are productive. They are one of the oldest type of fly patterns and are very forgiving. By that I mean they can be fished down stream and allowed to drift with the current. This pattern works extremely well when the Hendricksons are hatching and can be used throughout the season depending on time of day.

Recipe:

Hook:     Mustad 3906 or equivalent

Size:       10 – 14

Thread:   Gray

Tail:        Medium Dun Hackle Fibers

Body:      Muskrat Fur Dubbing

Hackle:    Medium Dun Hen – Collar Style

Wing:      Lemon Wood Duck

Directions:  Weight in not a consideration. By that I mean the fly is meant to be fished under the surface but not  bouncing along like a nymph so lead wire is not necessary. Neither is lightness a consideration. Begin by starting the thread at the eye and wrap to the bend and tie in the tail. (A small clump.) Apply the dubbing and create the body, do so in a cigar shape. Wrap the hackle pinching it back collar style when you tie it off and tie on a clump of lemon wood duck fibers over the top of the fly like deer hair on a caddis. Tie off the head cleanly. (No hackle beyond it.)

There are as many variations of a caddis pattern as there are for mayflies. This pattern is a good easy to tie pattern that works well.

Recipe:

Hook:       Mustad 94840

Size:          16 – 18

Thread:     Gray or Black

Wing:        Under-wing, dun CDC feather. Over-wing,Deer Hair

                Tied Flat.

Body:        Black Super Fine Dubbing or Peacock Herl

Rib:           Fine Gold Wire (Optional)

Hackle:      None, or Dark Dun Hackle.

Directions:     Tie in the peacock herl or dubbing and rib at the bend and wrap forward. Tie on the CDC feather (sparse)  flat on top of the body and cover with deer hair. Tie on hackle and form the head.

Variation:  Tie the hackle (sparsely) under the CDC feather and leave a clump of the over-wng (deer hair) for the head.

If I were restricted to one mayfly pattern, I’d use the Borcher. It was developed for the Au Sable, Manistee and Boardman rivers. It is possibly the most generic of all mayfly patterns.

Recipe:

Hook:     Standard Dry Fly Hook

Size:        12 – 18

Thread:   Gray

Wings:     Lt. Dun Hackle Tips – Upright and Divided

Tail:         Mahogany Ringneck Pheasant Tail Fibers

Rib:         Gold Wire

Body:      Oak Turkey Wing Quill Fibers or Stripped Hackle Stems

Hackle:    Brown and Grizzly Mixed

Directions:  I like to begin by tying in the wings and dividing them. Then wrap the thread to the bend and tie in the tail. Tin in the body material (either the turkey wing quill fibers or the stripped hackle stem)and the rib. Wrap the body material to the wings and spiral the rib to the wings. Tie in the hackle and wrap behind the wing and forward. Create a head.

Note:  The tail is extra long in three segments.

The Adams pattern is perhaps the dean of all mayfly patterns. This fly has evolved into variations and used on most rivers throughout the country. It is a staple.

Recipe:

Hook:     Mustad 94840 or equivalent

Size:     10 – 20

Thread:     Gray

Wings:     Grizzly Hackle Tips – Upright and Divided

Tail:     Brown and Grizzly Hackle Fibers Mixed

Body:     Muskrat or Medium Gray Poly

Hackle:     Brown and Grizzly Mixed

Directions:     Select two grizzly hackle tips and tie them in upright and divided. Wrap the thread back to the bend and tie in the tail. Prepare the dubbing and wrap it sparsely to the wing. Tie in the hackle and wrap behind and ahead of the wing, mixing the brown and grizzly hackle. Tie off with a head.

This fly is a common imitation of a mayfly and is used throughout the season. It is a Michigan fly that is fished all over.

This pattern is designed to imitate an emerging sulphur sitting on top of the water in the film with their wings not quite dry. When the hatch is on, these are like candy. These also go by the name of Light Hendrickson’s.

Recipe: 

Hook:     Mustad 94840 or Equivalent

Size:     10 – 18

Thread:     Cream

Wing:     White Calf Tail Tied Upright or a Light Turkey Body Feather clumped

Tail:    Dark Cream / Light Dun Hackle Fibers

Body:     Cream Fur or Poly

Hackle:     Dark Cream Tied Around Posted Wing

Directions:   Tie in the wing 1/3 of the way back of the eye in a post. Tie in the tail. Dub sparsely and wrap up to and forward of the wing. Tie in the hackle and wrap around the post 3 – 4 times and tie off.

Fish this in the film during a hatch and get ready.

I have found that the Matuka, if fished in fast water, is one of the most productive streamers I have in my box. I use it on the Jordan in a section where there are riffles. When fished cross current, it is deadly as the streamer straightens. There are several variations in color

These flies are not easy to tie because of putting four hen hackle feathers together for the top and tail of the fly, but once you get comfortable matching the feathers, it becomes easier.

Recipe:

Hook:   Mustad 9672 or Mustad 38941

Size:     2 – 10

Thread:     Match Yarn Color

Rib:     Fine Oval Gold Tinsel

Body:     Red, Olive, Gray or Yellow

Wing:     4 Hen Hackles - Badger for Red Body / Olive for Olive Body / Grizzly for Gray body/ Furnace for Yellow Body

Hackle:     To Match Wing

Directions:  The only difficult step to tying this fly is selecting 4 hen hackles that match. Everything else is straight forward. Tie in the yarn and tinsel behind the eye and wrap the thread back to the bend. Leave 4 inches of thread hanging and wrap the tying thread forward to just behind the eye. Wrap the yarn toward the eye, leaving enough space for the hackle. (this should result in a cigar shaped body). Match the 4 hen hackle feathers and trim off the bottom half of the feather so the feather sits on tip of the fly from the eye to the bend. The feathers should extend beyond the bend to form the tail. Tie the feather in at the bend with the 4 inches of thread you left and spiral it forward to create gaps in the feather and tie both the thread and hackle in just behind the eye. It should look like a dorsal fin that extends from the eye beyond the bend. Bring the gold tinsel forward following the spiral path set with the thread and tie off. Behind the eye tie in the hackle, wrap three or four turns and tie off forming a head.

Experiment with body colors and match the wing to the color. A red body uses a furnace wing; a gray body uses a grizzly wing; a yellow body uses a dark wing.

This is my go to fly when everything else fails.

When the Hendrickson hatch comes off, fish a nymph as a tandem behind a Hendrickson dry pattern. Use the dry as a strike indicator and get ready for some action.

Recipe:    

Hook:     2X nymph hook size 12 -18

Thread:     Olive

Tail:     Wood duck flank feather barbs

Body:     Gray brown fur with a brown rib

Thorax:     Same as body only more build up

Legs:     Brown partridge under thorax

Wing Case:     Dark brown turkey tied over thorax.

Directions:

Tie in the wood duck barbs extending half the length of the hook shank. Tie in brown thread or floss for rib and let sit. Prepare dubbing creating a cigar shaped body to the point where the thorax is to begin. Spiral rib material forward and tie off. Prepare a section of a turkey tail feather by cutting a section wide enough to cover the top of the thorax but not to make it look like it’s wraped around the hook. (a coat of flex-coat may be required to assure stiffness) Build up the thorax with the same dubbing material. Tie in the partridge beard style and bring forward the wing case over the top of the thorax and tie off. Create a head.

Fish this as a traditional nymph but when Hendricksons are active, tie this on as a tandem about 18 inches behind the dry fly. If you use this method, remember that the dry pattern should be visible and used as a strike indicator. I favor the smaller size nymph on a lighter tippet than I use for the dry fly.

These flies can be found on streams from mid April through mid June, peaking the first part of May. They like shallow, gravel bottomed streams (the North Branch comes to mind). They sometimes appear during a Hendrickson hatch.

Recipe:

Hook:     Standard dry fly hook size 16-18

Thread:     Brown 8/O is preferred

Wing:     Dark turkey flat, or dark gray synthetic material that will post.

Body:     Reddish brown fine dubbing

Hackle:     Medium dun tied parachute

Tail:     Light brown hackle fibers

Directions:

Tie in the wing 1/4 of the way behind the eye of the hook upright. Bring thread back to the bend and tie in a few barbs of hackle fibers extending almost the length of the shank beyond the bend. Prepare the dubbing and apply sparingly to the post and beyond. Tie in the hackle and wrap parachute and finish the head and tie off.

Remember to watch for these during a Hendrickson hatch especially if fish are refusing your Hendrickson imitations. Presenting one of these could turn the trick.

This pattern is a must anytime of year. The difference is in the size. Have these in your fly box on the opener in sizes 14 – 18.

Recipe:

Hook:     Standard Dry Fly Hook 12 – 20

Thread:     Olive

Wing:     Dark Dun Hackle Tips / Upright and Divided

Tail:     Dark Dun Hackle Fibers

Body:     Medium Olive Fur or Poly

Hackle:     Dark Dun

Directions:

One quarter of the way back to the bend tie on the wing tips, upright and divided. Wrap thread back to the bend and tie in the hackle fibers for the tail. Prepare the dubbin on the thread and wrap forward to the wing. Remove the web portion of one or two dry fly hackle and tie them in beyond the wing and wrap behind, through and forward of the wing. Tie off and form head and finish. Add a drop of cement.

On opening weekend, watch for these to hatch and be especially aware of their size. Rainy weather can see this hatch come off the water. Also, tie these parachute style and use dubbing sparingly.

Nymphs can be found in both fast and slow moving water especially with leaf drop and woody debris. Stimulator patterns work well for stones and this is a classic. Keep it slender and avoid an over sized tail and body.

Tie in a stubby amount of deer hair for the tail not too extended. Next, tie in a piece of gold wire to be palmered forward with the hackle. Then tie in grizzly hackle, long enough to palmer forward to just behind the eye. Now dub some black dry fly dubbing and form the body. Palmer the gold wire forward and tie off. Palmer the hackle forward and tie off. Ad a wing of either deer or elk hair, not too bushy and only to the bend of the hook covering the top of the palmered hackle. Finish with grizzly hackle in typical dry fly style and form a head.

This pattern can be very affectice when twitched across the surface. Late afternoon (4-5pm) seems to produce. I’ve had good results with this pattern on the Jordan and Upper Manistee Rivers in the early part of the season.

Recipe: 

Hook:   Tiemco 200R or equivalent – 10-14.

Thread:  Black 8/0.

Wing:  Elk or deer hair.

Body:  Black dry fly dubbing.

Hackle:  Grizzly palmered throughout body, rib with gold wire.

Tail:  Deer hair.

The Hendrickson hatch is one of the first major hatches of the season. This year because of the relatively mild winter, the hatch is predicted to take place on or near the opening of the general trout season, April 24.

The Hendrickson has been copied many times and improvised on but always the basic recipe emerges a winner. This pattern came from an old Orvis pattern book I’ve had for many years and have always returned to for it’s  patterns.

Recipe:

Hook:  Mustad 94840 or equivalent size 12 -18

Thread:  Black or gray

Wing:  Lemon wood duck, upright and divided

Body:  Dark dun dubbing

Hackle:  Dark dun rooster hackle

Tail:  Dark dun hackle fibers

Directions:

Begin by tying a base of thread a third of the way back from the eye. Tie on the wing consisting of lemon wood duck fibers and divide it. (On smaller size hooks a clump will suffice as long as it spreads) Wrap back to the bend and tie on a few dark dun hackle fibers for the tail and begin dubbing dark gray squirrel, muskrat, beaver material or poly (your choice) forward to the wing and beyond. Tie in one or two (depending on the size hook) dry fly hackle feathers and wind behind and in front of the wing. Create a head and tie off.

See you on the water!