No Worries Wee Grey May #5"

No Worries Wee Grey May

Fly and photos by Mike Birdsong

Origins of the fly: I live 15 miles from a river called the Lower Mountain Fork. It's in the extreme southeastern corner of Oklahoma. The river is a cold tailwater river that flows out of Broken Bow lake, and it's surrounded by mountains, choked with cypress trees, and trout swim in the cold, clear water.

Down river brown trout that range up to seventeen pounds have been caught. Closer to the lake there are wild rainbows in the fast creek that runs on a steep gradient from the spillway. This is a tailwater, but it's unlike the other southern tailwaters. Here you can't faithfully tie on a sowbug while still at the truck. More than likely you won't tie on a sowbug at all you'll tie on a dry fly. That's the Lower Mountain Fork River, my river, the only river I've fished for trout in.

There is a section on the river called the Evening Hole. t is where the swift water of the creek slows to a steady glide for many hundreds of yards over rock and silt. Here in this gin clear water, as the sun falls behind the rocky bluffs, and the water cools ever so slightly the insects decide it's time to start the final chapter of their lifecycle. In the spring on in to autumn, twilight at the Evening Hole could produce hatches of Caddis, Midges, and any assortment of mayflies including the most sought after, and elusive of all... the Hexagenia hatch.

It was one such early summer evening fishing a hatch of size 22 grey mayflies that I had the sudden realization for this two material fly: the No Worries Wee Grey May. No worries because it was only two readily available materials assembled in very manageable tying steps. The fly was such a success with the trout the following night, I must admit I followed the hatch for many days after until it finally faded away, but these simple tying steps have endured for the subsequent sulphur and pale morning dun hatches.

Right now your own hatches might indeed be gone for the time being, but too soon there will come a time when then the mayflies decide it's time to taste the air. Will you be ready?

Materials No Worries Wee Grey May

Hook:

Thread: 8/0 or smaller to match body.

Body: CDC feather to match the hatch.

Wing: Same as body.

Tail: 3 to 4 strands of deer or elk hair

1. Start the thread.

2. Tie in 3 to 4 strands of deer or elk hair. I tie my tails in rather long to match the mayflies in my area.

3. Offer in a CDC feather tip pointed toward the eye of the hook.

4. Pull the CDC feather toward the rear of the hook and tie in as shown above.

5. Wrap the CDC to form the body of the fly, drop a few wraps to secure feather near the eye.

6. Fold the feather over to form a loop wing. Trim off the waste CDC feather below the thread wrap.

7. Add a drop of cement on the thread only and whip finish. Trim the CDC fibers even to the top of the wing loop.

Above is a row of "No Worries" all ready to become Mr. Trout's supper. ~ Mike Birdsong

About Mike:

Mike Birdsong (idabelangler@hotmail.com) lives in the Redland community in Southeastern Oklahoma with his wife Julie and his two sons A.J. and Jack. He is often found fishing the Lower Mountain Fork River in his beloved McCurtain County.

For more great flies, check out: Beginning Fly Tying, Intermediate Fly Tying and Advanced Fly Tying.