On our streams this month the most productive rig to fish when both the air and water are cold is a small nymph trailed by a midge pupa. It’s hard work but someone has to train those stocked rainbows. But, if the weather warms up for a few days in a row and the sun is out in the afternoon, you might see a few sips in the film. Then it’s time to attach this month’s pattern to a few feet of 6 or 7X tippet and put some drag free reach casts over those sip locations. Witnessing actual sucks rather than watching an indicator is preferred by me and I suspect most of you.

The pattern is the assemblage of Davie McPhail, the famous Scottish tyer. If you have been tying for a year or two and have an inquiring mind, you’ve undoubtedly run into his videos on youtube. He has hundreds. I say assemblage and not design because the technique of using an extended body of ultra chenille or similar material was pioneered by Brett Smith several decades ago in what he called a Palomino Caddis. McPhail has merely down sized the hook to match midges and matched it with recent materials for the body extension.and the wing.

For tying instructions I refer you directly to McPhail’s 2016 video. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUxb9iZ3u5o). It’s how I first tied the pattern for testing back then. However experience over the intervening years has motivated me to make some simple changes. First is that I use Hareline EZ Magic Dub which is readily available in the US vs the Veniard Easy Dub Micro Chenille which is more easily obtained in the UK. The two products are extremely similar and either will work fine. .Another change is the recommended hook. I tried the Fulling Mills hook that McPhail recommends plus a number of alternatives and have settled on a barbless scud hook from the Fly Shack, their Saber 7259. It’s easily obtained here and hooks very well. Further, the smallest size available of the Fulling Mills hook is a16. I’ve found the pattern also works well as an 18 and the Saber hook is available in both 16 and 18.. Finally, I greatly recommend barbless hooks or hooks with barbs bent on any small size fly since they frequently get imbedded deeply in a trout’s jaw and are removed easier with less damage to the trout than a barbed hook. As for colors, black is the most useful but I also carry a few in olive, brown and chartreuse. In his video McPhail recommended you carry a dozen of these flies in your box. That’s been a bit of overkill for local fishing but I’m glad I took his advice on my last trip to the Missouri.

My final comment is a personal one. I love McPhail but have great difficulty understanding him. Many others whom I’ve talked with have the same problem. So watch the referenced and other of his videos with the closed captions on and rewatch key segments several times until your brain gets properly tuned.

You can send comments, questions and suggestions to Bill at fotm@cjtu.org

Material List:

Hook: Saber 7259 Barbless Scud Hook, sizes 16 and 18

Thread: Uni-8/0, Black

Wing: 3 CDC feathers, stacked

Body: Hareline EZ Magic Dub or Veniards Easy Dub Micro Chenille

Thorax: Peacock Herl

Hackle: Grizzly Cock