Flav Fever for Late June/Early July

Everyone has their favorite streams to fish. Mine is the upper Henry's Fork, around Last Chance (Island Park, Idaho). Been going there over 35 years now.

Last season, when we had a really strong hatch of Flavs coming off, I noticed that the naturals' wings were much higher than any pattern I had - either purchased locally or tied by myself. I decided to prepare for this summer with a different pattern with high wings.

Anyway, I got a letter yesterday from the Henry's Fork Foundation and it got my juices going. Already have booked a room and now watching for "reasonable" air fares.

Today, I decided to try something similar to Gary Borger's "Yarn Wing Dun". The thing I like about them is that, as a result of clipping the bottom hackle, the fly, even with high wings, will land upright.

Not the prettiest attempt, but I think it will work. What do you think? Used EP Fibers instead of other materials for the wings.


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Very effective caddis pattern that's been around a while. Probably work for flavs as tied. I think I'd favor a loop-wing variant instead for mayflies, but that is just based on preference, not empirical facts.

Gary Borger's version of the Yarn Wing Dun was published in his 1991 book "Designing Trout Flies". He has subsequently revised the pattern to the use of an upward bent hook near the head of the fly. He says the style/pattern is his favorite of all flies for medium sized duns.

And the Poly Caddis is even older (c1972), although I did not know that it too was a Borger pattern. Origins aside, pattern still looks more like a caddis with a tail than a drake, but perhaps the trout aren't that picky during this hatch.

I think the Poly Caddis' wings are further back on the body (like a caddis fly). And, as you mention, Borger's pattern has tails to help stabilize the fly (and imitate the tails on the dun). I think these are pretty big differences. I think most fishers would list the main differences between a Caddis and a mayfly dun as: Caddis has down wing.....dun has up wing; Caddis has no tails (unless an emerger with a trailing shuck).......dun has tails. In my opinion, anyway.
I'll let you know if it works this summer on the Flavs. I have found them, on the Henry's Fork, to be quite picky. In fact, Mike Lawson (pretty famous former shop owner there) says the fish there have their PhD's.


Mini Hatch:

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I got out a Christmas gift I received from Bob Jacklin of West Yellowstone. Bob ties the more standard Comparadun style flavs, Green Drakes, March Browns, and Brown Drakes shown below. The top two bins contain his version of a March Brown Spinner. I can attest to the fact that these spinners work well on the Madison between the Lakes whether such spinners happen to be on the water or not. There is something about the silhouette they present from underneath that really seem to turn the Browns on!

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Those "Hackled Haystacks" in dark tan with a brown wing are my favorite Hecuba pattern on Yellowstone River floats. Eight years ago, you never saw Hecubas. Five years ago you started seeing a few in lower Paradise Valley. Three years ago were the first heavy hatches on the upper Yellowstone near Gardiner. A regular Sparkle Dun just can't float long in the rough water up there. I tie those for personal and client use with a speckled badger saddle that might as well be worth its weight in gold.

Interesting how the Henry's Fork Flavs are basically olive/yellow, just like the Green Drakes. 90% of both we see in the northern part of YNP are much more gray-olive.

Yes, it depends on the water and the location, Walter.
I sometimes add the hackling down on the Fork for color as a regular Sparkle Dun floats on that water well enough.