S. L. T.

Fly Patterns
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1

… as in Simple Little Thing.

For a good part of the day lately, the fishies have been more than happy to dine on an October Caddis pattern. But in mid-afternoon, when a mixed PMD and BWO emergence begins, they’ve mostly been selective to really small dry / emerger style patterns.

This Simple Little Thing consists of two materials, other than the tying thread. It is something like a fly I tied several years ago for the BWO hatch on a small tailwater in the Central Mountains of Idaho. But simpler.

This one is tied on a size 20 standard dry fly hook. The materials are duck flank feather and hackle to size. For the PMD I used yellow thread and dun hackle. For the BWO I went with a size 18 hook, olive dun thread, and grizzly hackle.

Strip a bundle of 8 or so fibers off the flank feather. Tie them in at the bend, adjusting for an appropriate tail / shuck length. Bind the fibers to the shank as you wrap forward to create a thread body.

Wrap the thread body a bit further forward than you would for a normal parachute fly. Then loop the tag ends of the flank fibers back to form the post / wing, secure them, and trim the waste.

Tie in the hackle and secure it to the lower part of the post. Take your normal number of turns to form the parachute, but instead of stopping there, use the 90 degree hackle method, taking several turns of hackle ahead of the parachute before tying it off just behind the eye of the hook.

Building a thicker, more tapered body is not necessary on the size 20 version, but makes for a better silhouette on the size 18 version. But slim works.

The fish were all over both the PMD and BWO models yesterday. And it was fun fishing small dries again after months of big skwalas, salmonflies, golden stones, hoppers, and fall caddis. :shock:

John

2

Looks great, John. Simple is always better for me. I feel an SBS coming along right as speak?

3

John,
I really appreciated you sharing the information about this fly. I’ll probably tie some this weekend. Thanks for sharing.

Greg

4

John,

Nice little fly. Is that a mallard flank feather?

5

Yes, Allan, it is.

You caught me in a “senior moment.” :oops:

When I was doing the write up, I knew I was missing something referring to the feather only as “duck.”

Oh well, I think I’ll be okay fishing some SLTs again tomorrow.

John

6

John,

Thanks for clearing that up and the idea. I thought it was mallard. Think I’ll try that same pattern style using teal & cream, wood duck & brown, and wood duck and dun. Of course, using a thread color that complements the hackle.

Allan

7

Bruce -

When I tied a fresh batch this morning, I took pix for an SBS. But the pix turned out downright lousy - poor focus and framing. Maybe I will do better next time I tie some SLTs.

John

8

Allan -

To the extent that color matters, and I don’t think it usually matters all that much, I prefer to use a thread color that matches the body of the fly, not the hackle.

John

9

John,

Of course you’re right. Don’t know exactly what I was thinking when I wrote that. I meant using a thread that’s similar to the insect body. Perhaps a shade lighter to account for it getting darker when wet

10

John,
I know you’re working on a SBS! But could you post a close-up of the fly? Is it similar to Borger’s loop wing?

11

I can figure it out John, Thanks
Bruce

12

Here you go, Byron. This is the BWO version.

I don’t know what a Borger’s loop wing is nor what it looks like. You will have to answer your question for yourself.

The other two simple little things in the pic are PBNs - as in Plain Brown Nymphs. These are tied on size 20 Dai-Riki 125 hooks which are a 2X short straight eye hook. I also tie them on a size 18.

And here’s a bonus pic, showing the PBN in action yesterday.

I had a really, really good day fishing yesterday. The fly du jour was a size 18 SLT in PMD colors. Bunches of fishies enjoyed it’s company.

On one run, only about a third of the rising fish would come up for a dry. Mostly they were feeding just below the surface on drifting stuff. So I went the PBN. The several PBNs that I fished were tied on size 18 Dai-Riki 125s. They all caught fish.

The PBN is even simpler than the SLT. A one material fly. But that’s another thread.

John

13

Thanks, John.
Similar, except the Borger loop wing is in line with the hook shank and envelops the hackle. Will post a pic of one if I can find one.
Thanks, John. Nice looking fly!!

Here’s one I found that I have tied in the Borger style. The hackle is V clipped on the bottom. Happened to use a synthetic for the loop wing, but the originals used flank feather or similar material, I believe.

14

Byron -

It looks like the fly in your pic uses at least four materials, it definitely lacks a parachute, the “loop” is quite different than the wing / post of the SLT, the hackle is only wound around the shank rather than with the 90 degree hackle techique, and the hackle is “V clipped” on your fly.

Superficially there are a couple similarities in appearance, but your loop wing is a very different fly from the SLT.

But you might be interested in this - the SLT has something of a background with Bing Lempke. One of the most elegant ( to me ) Lempke flies that Bruce Staples showed me was a small mayfly using mallard flank for the tailing and the same bundle of fibers for divided upright wings. But Lempke’s fly also had a dubbed body and used traditional wrapped hackle. I don’t recall if the hackle was “V clipped”.

When I set out the other day to tie a size 20 PMD, I think Lempke’s fly was back there somewhere in my memory, and partially emerged as I tied the SLT. But I don’t like dubbing to start with, especially on a size 20 fly, and I wanted the fly to be as simple as I could make it, using the 9DH technique.

John

15

John, Yes, other then those differences you clearly identify, they are the same fly design (NOT). Beside which, I believe a general ‘loop wing’ fly predates Borger’s.

Allan

16

Thanks John. I wonder if you recall the name of Lempke’s fly? Or a link to it?
I like your fly and am anxious to see the SBS!
Thanks again,
Byron

17

Byron -

I don’t recall the name of Lempke’s fly and don’t have a link to any information on it.

My second attempt at pix for an SBS this morning turned out worse than the first go around. I’m gonna forget it and just go fishing.

John

18

From Googling a bit, it sounds like Lempke was also an extended body fan. Got me wondering when John Scott is going to combine his FEB idea with a loop wing. Maybe a FEB with the tag end of the FEB forming a loop wing and a 90 degree hackle? That would be 2 materials (plus thread)

19

Yes, Bing and Ron Cordes even invented a device for holding the extended body while tying. He was particularly known for really tiny extended body mayflies. He made wood matchsticks which hel about 5 such flies on one match stick.

20

Byron,

In a previous thread you credited these fine fly tyers with that same ‘invention’. I responded to your statement with the following:
“That FOTW entered into the conversation because I was pointing out that fly tyers are inventive people and that other fly tyers had developed a tool for use in tying extended bodies. I previously referenced similar tools illustrated and photographed in early fly tying books. At any rate, the tool connected my posts to the topic of the Lempke flies.” I even posted photos from Fly Tyer magazine about their flies and tool.
I know many tyers who’ve ‘invented’ various tools because of necessity and later learned that others have ‘invented’ similar tools or techniques. It happens frequently. Just ask one of this sites’ moderators about his extension tool.
Anyway,
Magazine cover:

Top of cover

The Cordes/Lempke ‘Tool’

Tool & Recipies