Emergent Sparkle Pupa
With the help of scuba equipment, Gary LaFontaine studied caddisflies
and trout’s response to them. This research brought fly fishers a number
of new fly patterns, and the most widely accepted of these is probably
the Sparkle Pupa. There are actually two forms of the Sparkle Pupa:
the Emergent Sparkle Pupa and the Deep Sparkle Pupa. Here we will
explore the Emergent Sparkle Pupa. . . Both can be tied in a broad variety
of color combinations - olive, gold, brown, yellow, white, green, orange -
whatever suggests the natural. As with the Gray and Yellow Emergent
Pupa listed, the veil color echoes the body color.
“Sparkle yarn,” a yarn made of synthetic fiber called “antron” gives the
Sparkle Pupas their unique appearance. This yarn creates an effect
similar to that of the gasses built up under the real pupa’s shuck. There is
now a spooled antron which requires no combing, some tiers have switched to it,
while others remain faithful to the original yarn for its wispy fine fibers.
The method Gary used to create the yarn bubble on his Sparkle Pupas
produces just the right effect, but after tying a few hundred of them and
experimenting, I worked out the method described here, as I find it to be
quick and effective.
Materials
Hook: Standard dry fly, sizes 20 to 8 (the hook
shown is a Mustad 94840).Thread: Gray 8/0 or 6/0.
Veil: Yellow antron yarn.
Body: Half-and-half gold antron dubbing and
pale-yellow fur dubbing.Wing: Gray deer hair.
Head: Dark-gray fur dubbing.
Originally published December 4, 2000 on Fly Anglers Online by Skip Morris.