Carp might be the most challenging freshwater fish you will ever try to catch on the fly. Learn these secret techniques and patterns for catching

~By: Lance Dean | February 17, 2024 Up in the sky!... Up in the sky! It’s a bird... It’s a plane... It’s Superman! The Superman fly pattern from Vince Wilcox that is. In the Winter 2009 issue of Fly Tyer Magazine, Vince Wilcox wrote an interesting article about a blue fly he designed that he heroically named Superman. In the article he talks about how fisherman would come into his fly shop seeking blue flies for fishing around Fort Collins, CO where his shop was located 2009. At the time he told them that he’d rather go home than fish a blue fly. Fly Tyer Winter 2009 IssueAs time went on, his opinion changed as more and more Fly Fisherman requested blue flies. He eventually caved to the requests for blue flies and came up with this slim, blue wired pattern that utilizes fuchsia tinsel as a wing, representing a cape on his Superman pattern. I used a red holographic tinsel for mine simply because the fuchsia was just a bit too pink for me. Vince uses blue micro tubing as legs, they are extended out front like Superman’s when he is flying. I can remember seeing the pictures in the article and wondering, what was the deal with the black dubbing he used as part of the thorax. It wasn’t until I read the article that I found out that it represented Superman’s black hair. How creative! If you know me, you know that Superman is one of my favorite Superheroes and that according to me, blue is the best color for just about everything. Blue in my opinion is an extremely under-utilized color in the fly patterns we tie. I believe that blue and purple are great colors for fishing especially in early spring, or just before the sun comes up or goes down. I know there is a theory out there that says that colors disappear the deeper down the water column you go. The brighter colors like your reds, oranges and yellows disappear first. The last colors that supposedly disappear are the blues and purples. Now, I’m not saying that I buy or that I don’t buy this theory, I’m just putting it out there for the support of using blue in our flies. Completed in the vise.Vince’s Superman is an awesome example of a blue fly pattern that I believe belongs in your box. I not only love the blue color, but I also love how the legs really accent the overall bin appeal of the fly as well. Afterall, tying flies is also about catching fly fisherman as well. It’s a cool pattern that isn’t all that difficult to tie. The hardest part was situating the legs just right so that the knotted joints don't look out of place. After a bit of practice, it will become second nature. The Superheroes article included three other “Superhero” patterns as well. The Batman, Robin and Green Arrow are essentially Prince Nymphs in the coloring of Purple, Yellow and Peacock Green. I’ll share the Batman video I posted to YouTube a couple years ago. It can be found HERE or see below. The Batman starts at 06:42. VIDEO: Batman Nymph - @ 06:42

The Adams is one of the quintessential American dry flies, and like most famous patterns, it has spawned many variations. I always enjoyed fishing the Au

One roll of material makes 7,200 fish-catching flies. Are you up to the challenge? I SOMETIMES USE STRIPS OF FOAM shelf-liner material for tying trout and

To catch trout on freestone streams, you have to understand the different types of rivers, the influences of the seasons, and the effects of weather.

The Keystone State’s fabled limestone streams are within a couple hours drive of several major East Coast cities. So, pack a lunch, grab your tackle bag, and fill your fly box with these time-tested patterns. Get ready to enjoy some of the best fly fishing of the year.

Austin Adduci is a guide on the Kankakee River. A Sage Elite Pro, Adduci is also a Simms Ambassador, Hatch Ambassador, Stealthcraft Ambassador, a member of the Scientific Angler pro staff, and a Ca…

The handy nail knot tyer tool will make easy work of a difficult knot. Made in USA.

“What to do with too much hackle and too little hook.” Part 2 Last week we discussed two ways you can utilize an oversized feather when it comes to tying with soft hackles, and today we…

How to turn a time-tested pattern into a fish-catching machine. Most fly tiers, anglers, and guides appreciate patterns that are inexpensive and quick to

She found a mystery fly hanging in a tree along the bank of the Beaverkill River. After doing some research, she discovered that the rusted hook and

Enhancing the appeal of a fly requires planning ahead and arranging the materials to produce the desired effect. Dressing a fly in the right underwear makes all the difference.

Carp might be the most challenging freshwater fish you will ever try to catch on the fly. Learn these secret techniques and patterns for catching

After four years of field testing, tweaking, and more testing, the Hoodlum streamer has passed with flying colors. Now you won’t find me fishing the salt without a gang of Hoodlums!

To catch trout on freestone streams, you have to understand the different types of rivers, the influences of the seasons, and the effects of weather.

To catch trout on freestone streams, you have to understand the different types of rivers, the influences of the seasons, and the effects of weather.

Whether you are a beginner or just want to up your game, the following fly patterns are guaranteed to catch trout.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A WOOLLY BUGGER CAN'T BE OVERSTATED; for whatever reason, this pattern just works. But not all Woolly Buggers are created equal, and there’s significant room for creating fresh patterns using new materials and different proportions.

Tying parachute dry flies is challenging. Follow these steps, and you’ll quickly master making this important style of pattern. Isonychias are mayflies we

Whether you are a beginner or just want to up your game, the following fly patterns are guaranteed to catch trout.

A collection of flies and angling methods for catching Rocky Mountain trout throughout the winter.

Biots are a great material to use but some of the issues you can have when trying to acheive the segmentation may not be due to tying it in wrong, its a matter of different techniques. Tthis is whe…

The Adams is one of the quintessential American dry flies, and like most famous patterns, it has spawned many variations. I always enjoyed fishing the Au

A great fly tying vise can greatly enhance the pleasure of tying. Discover the best fly vises you can use today for better fly tying!

Nearly every time I head to #FlyTying on Instagram in search of some inspiration for my time in front of my vise, I find myself drawn to one page in particular at the moment, @EricHurst. Eric is a guide and fly tyer out of the American Southeast, and he ties up some of the more […]

Cobleskill native's fishing flies tackle different species

Anyone who has spoken to me during a presentation, while tying at a show or on the water, knows that I love tying, fishing and talking; soft hackles. If they didn’t know it at first, they lea…

Standard hackled dry and wet flies are great, but the author says patterns tied with emu feathers are even better.

Although there are other patterns that are quite effective, none rule the night quite like the Rusty Spinner. It’s intended to imitate mayflies which have already hatched and mated, and are returning to the river to deposit their eggs and fall spent with wings and tails outstretched in the surface film.

This fly has supplanted the Myers Leech in my box. Inspired by a design from master tyer Peter Steen, I offer this in colors that are great for bright and dark days and all those in between. Try one of these on your point with a Perdigon above it for an excellent rig that gets down and gives some motion to the drift. On its own, I drift it down then strip/jig a return. Great winter/early spring fly. The micro pine squirrel zonker plays best to the #12 hook. Message me for options other than #12.

Hook: Partridge Sproat Wet Thread: Black 8/0 Uni 8/0Superthread 8/0 Body: Polish Quill - Brown Hackle: Dark Mottled Partridge Feather Dubbing: Dark Brown Nymph Dubbing mixed w/ Pink Ice Dub Hareline Dubbin Sybai Nymph Dubbing Hareline Ice Dub Sybai Fine UV Ice Dubbing Sybai Lite Brite Begin by securing your hook in the vise and starting your thread one hook eye length behind the eye. Take touching turns down the shank, stopping your thread across from the barb. Select a brown polish quill from the package; and since this may be your first time working with them, we will give it a quick once-over. What you will notice is that the quill itself has a dark stripe running down one side of it. What this means is that depending on which way you tie them in and wrap them forward, you will either have a segmented body or more of a solid colored body. You will also notice that there is a piece of peacock herl at one end; this is the end that we will prep and tie in from. Prep your quill by snipping off the peacock herl and positioning it in on the side closest to you above the barb so that you can give it a once over before tying it in. Position the quill with the black stripe facing up, as shown in the photo. Now hold that same position, stripe on the top and move the quill to the top of the hook shank and take one or two wraps to secure it in place. Rule of thumb (bear with me now) Is that If you tie them in with the black stripe positioned on the top of the quill and wrap forward, you will have a segmented body- simply because the black stripe is in the same position on the back side of the quill as well. One way to check this is to take one or two wraps to secure your quill into position, and then bend the quill over as if you were going to tie. Take a look at it. If you were to hold it vertical, is the stripe on the left now? If so you are ready to go. If not, and you found it to be on the bottom, then untie it and tie in again in the upside down position to see if that fixes it. Once you have secured your quill in the correct position you are going to create a uniform underbody. This is the most important step when it comes to tying with quill bodies. All of the neatly placed quill wraps in the world won’t do your fly justice if you have a miss-shapen and lumpy underbody. With that being said; use steady pressure and begin to compress the waste ends of the quill. Now begin taking wraps forward with the thread, keeping it flat so as not to twist. If you notice that your thread has gone from looking like smooth flat thread to this twisted rope; give the bobbin a counter-clockwise spin to untwist it. One way to achieve a uniform underbody Is by varying the direction of your thread wraps. For example wrapping towards the hook eye for 4 or 5 wraps, then back towards the bend for 2 or 3 and repeating this with different numbers of wraps as you move towards the eye. This will vary the wraps and help to build up in one direction while keeping the other direction down in size. Continue tapering the body until you have reached the place where you initially started your thread behind the eye, and stop. With the underbody tapered, carefully grasp the quill with your hackle pliers and bring it up and over the hook. Taking evenly overlapped turns, and being careful not to hit the hook point as this will break the quill; wrap forward and begin creating the segmented body. Continue wrapping the quill up the hook shank, stopping it where the tapered body begins. If you find you don't have enough material to reach the exact point, simply tie off where you ended as you should be pretty close. Before trimming your waste ends, I highly suggest taking a one turn whip finish to lock the quill in place before trimming the waste ends Protecting the quill body Quill bodies are very fragile and will benefit a great deal from using a UV coating over top of them. Use your favorite thin UV product to coat and cure the body before continuing. If you don’t have any UV you can simply add a drop or two of head cement and spread it out with the bodkin. Hackle and Dubbing Before dubbing the thorax you will prep and tie in your hackle. Select a properly sized feather from the partridge skin. You will want the fibers to extend slightly past the hook point when finished and one way to eyeball this quickly; is by separating the feather on one side and holding it over the eye like so. Once you have selected and sized your feather, hold it by the tip in your ‘non-tying’ hand and brush back the fibers with the other. This will give you a clear tie in point. While continuing to hold the feather by the tip, bring it over the hook shank (shiny/mottled side down) and tie it in between the end of the tapered body and the hook eye. This will leave you just enough room to wrap the hackle and create a head later. Pull the stem back to ensure that you are not too close to the eye and then cut the tip of the feather off. The tip will be the end that is over the quill body but Don't cut it too close to the thread wraps as you want to make sure it is secure as you bring the hackle around. Take a small pinch of the SLF squirrel and pink ice dubbing and mix them together in your fingers. I like to do this by stacking two small amounts of dubbing on top of each other and then pulling them apart together. I then repeat this process until I have achieved the mixture I desire. Create a small dubbing noodle and dub the thorax. With the thorax dubbed, bring your thread to the front of the hackle and take one wrap.\ Wrapping the hackleHolding the feather vertical with your hackle pliers, use your “non tying