Sign In Sign-Up

Welcome!

Close

Would you like to make this site your homepage? It's fast and easy...

Yes, Please make this my home page!

No Thanks

  Don't show this to me again.

Close

The following is a list of flies that I most commonly tie, use, and sell.
All flies are $1.00 US ea. or $8.50 US per Dozen. Shipping costs are extra, depending on your preference (ground, air, overnight, etc.)
Contact me @ fliesbydon@hotmail.com

Dry Flies:

Light Cahill
Description: A classic Catskill pattern that belongs in every fly box. This May fly squats low on the water surface, so you may want to cut a "V" from the bottom hackle to create a low profile. The low "look" is of particular importance when the fly is fished on flat water.
HOOK: Dry fly #14-18. THREAD: Tan. TAIL: Tan Microfibbetts. BODY: Stripped ginger hackle stem, tan dubbed thorax. HACKLE: Light ginger. WING: Wood duck or dyed mallard. HEAD: Thread.

Return to Top

Adams
Description: The Adams is the most important fly in the Catskill style to tie and carry in your fly boxes. It was originally tied to represent a flying caddis. The mottled grizzly and brown hackles represent the whirring wings of the natural caddis adult attempting to fly from the water. The dressing takes trout during mayfly and stonefly hatches as well and has become the most popular of all traditional dry flies.
HOOK: Standard dry fly #12-#20. THREAD: Black 6/0 or 8/0. TAIL: Grizzly and brown hackle fibers, mixed. BODY: Muskrat fur dubbing. HACKLE: Grizzly and brown. WING: Hen grizzly hackle tips.

Return to Top

Upside-Down Adams
Description: The most popular dry fly tied upside-down to hide the point of the hook. Best fished on still or glide water, great fly to use when the fish are very picky. Easy to see on the water because of the grizzly hen wings. Just fish slow and wait for the fish to take hold!
HOOK: Mustad 94842 TUE THREAD: Black 6/0 TAIL: Woodchuck guard hair fibers BODY: Gray Muskrat Dubbing Fur HACKLE: Brown and Grizzly WING: Hen Grizzly Hackle tips

Return to Top

March Brown
Description: The Stenonema or March Brown mayfly nymph is found in a wide color mix of tan, amber and brown tones and it catches trout everywhere. The specific pattern can be used to imitate specific species of mayflies and stoneflies, too. Simply vary the hook style and size and experiment with the belly colors.
HOOK: Standard dry fly #10-#16. THREAD: Orange 6/0 or 8/0. TAIL: Ginger hackle fibers. BODY: Tan fur or synthetic dubbing. HACKLE: Ginger and grizzly. WING: Wood duck flank fibers, upright and divided.

Return to Top

Mosquito
Description: Mosquitoes are small insects, usually with some scales on their legs and bodies. They have narrow wings that are folded across their back when they are resting. Their long antennas have whorls of hair making them look bushy. Mosquitoes are common and very widespread – found almost everywhere in the world. There are more than 2500 species known.
HOOK: Mustad 94840 #20 or smaller THREAD: grey 6/0 or thinner TAIL: grizzly hackle fibers BODY: 1ea. dark & light moose mane hairs HACKLE: grizzly HEAD: grey thread

Return to Top

Deer-hair Caddis
Description: The Elk-hair Caddis is one of the all-time great flies; we findthis variation of it to be even better. Deer hair more closely imitates the darker caddis that predominate in many waters, particularly in the West, and as most fly fishermen know, a darker pattern is more visible in low light--morning, evenings, and overcast days--when caddis are active. In larger sizes, we dress this fly extra bushy for added buoyancy and fish a bead-head dropper from the bend.
HOOK: Tiemco 900BL, or equivalent dry-fly hook, #10-#16. THREAD: Dark brown 6/0. HACKLE: Dark dun rooster. BODY: Olive Haretron dubbing, or color to match natural. WING: Natural dun deer hair.

Return to Top

Peacock-body Elk-hair Caddis
Description: Yakima guide Jack Mitchell uses this Elk-hair Caddis pattern to match the river's many caddis hatches, and has found it very successful. Early season caddis on the Yakima River are mostly comprised of Grannom caddis, but there are many other types, especially later in the season. To name all of the caddis present in the Yakima could blow the mind of most fly fishers, so I won't do that. What you need to know about caddis is this: the size of the insect, not color or the ability to rip off its Latin title on command, is most crucial. To match size, hit the river with caddis patterns in a variety of sizes, ranging from # 12-#20 and study the water. (As a general rule, caddis get smaller as the season progresses). When you spot a few caddis, take note of their size and tie on a similarly proportioned imitation.
HOOK: Tiemco 100 #12-#16. THREAD: Olive 6/0. RIB: Fine gold wire. BODY: Peacock herl. HACKLE: Furnace brown. WING: Elk or deer hair.

Nymphs:

Brassie
Description: Originally called the South Platte Brassie, these flies are now used by anglers around the world to imitate midge larva in tail waters and spring creeks.
HOOK: #20 Dai-Riki 310. THREAD: Black 8/0. TAIL: None, or Blue dun hackle fibers. BODY: Fine copper wire (any color to match hatch). HEAD: Superfine Dubbing, Adams gray, or peacock herl..

Return to Top

Willy's Pip
Description: The Pip is a midge pattern that is very effective in tailwaters with big, very selective fish. The magic of the pip is that the body is tied to be free to move with the current. Midges tend to wiggle when they have been either dislodged or are moving to the surface. A moving body coupled with an authentic shape and size make this a deadly little fly.
HOOK: Tiemco 501 #20-#24. THREAD: Black 8/0. BODY: Two or three twisted strands of red, grey, tan, black or green rayon floss. COLLAR: Peacock herl.

Return to Top

Crocheted March Brown Nymph
Description: The Stenonema or March Brown mayfly nymph is found in a wide color mix of tan, amber and brown tones and it catches trout everywhere. The specific pattern can be used to imitate specific species of mayflies and stoneflies, too. Simply vary the hook style and size and experiment with the belly colors.
HOOK: Wet fly style size 10-18 THREAD: Brown 6/0 TAIL: Pheasant tail fibers UNDERBODY: Extra layer of tying thread ABDOMEN: Crocheted golden and brown antron yarn THORAX: Golden (#9) Hare's Ear Plus dubbing WINGCASE: Brown swiss straw LEGS: Prickled out thorax-dubbing

Return to Top

Bead-head Bunny Leech
Description: This is an absolute flybox standard for us. If a species of fish will take a fly, it will go for this pattern--as good as a Woolly Bugger, but easier to tie. It produces well on trout and is probably our #1 steelhead pattern. The fly can be fished on the swing or stripped, but is really at its best on a dead-drift. Brown, olive and purple are also good colors.
HOOK: Mustad 9672, or equivalent, #8-#12 BEAD: Spirit River 1/8” counterdrilled gold brass bead. THREAD: Dark brown 6/0. TAIL: Dark brown rabbit fur strip (Zonker strip), length of hook shank. BODY: Dark brown cross-cut rabbit fur strip (Bunny hackle), tied in at rear and wrapped forward.

Return to Top

Water Boatman
Description: Medium to small, usually less than 12 mm long, dark brown or grey with thin lighter markings on upper body. Upper surface somewhat flattened; forewings thickened, overlapping distally, and completely covering the thin membraneous hindwings. Front legs are short with a scooplike terminal segment; hindlegs are long, flattened, and oarlike for swimming. Their head is short with the large eyes shaped to the contour of the head. The short triangular beak points rearward. Water boatmen are often seen resting on underwater surfaces with their long swimming legs sticking out like oars, holding on with their middle legs.
HOOK: 1XL Nymph, #10-14. THREAD: Brown 6/0 BODY: Peacock herl with turkey tail fibers or clear plastic pulled over top. LEGS: Black rubber legs.

Return to Top

San Juan Worm
Description: This fly is an absolute must- have for the tailwaters of the west, where trout grow fat on the abundance of tubifex worms.
HOOK: Tiemco 2487 #8-12 THREAD: Red 6/0. BODY: Red vernille, burned and tapered at each end.

Return to Top

Chamois San Juan Worm
Description: This is another must-have pattern for the San Juan. I‘ve caught fish on this pattern in all water types and had my best success when the river was at 5000 CFS and I couldn’t get the fish to look at anything else.
HOOK: Mustad 3609, #6-#10. THREAD: Red 8/0. BODY: Tan chamois cut 1/4 by three inches.

Return to Top

Mosquito larva
Description: Rainbow trout seem to prefer mosquito larvae to all other live foods, which makes them the perfect nymph to have on hand.
HOOK: TMC 2487 or 2457 THREAD: 6/0 red UNDERBODY: Red thread BODY: Brown larva lace HEAD: Black dubbing with white antron forming gills.

Return to Top

Light Cahill Compara-nymph
Description: In addition to the "traditional" imitations, Caucci and Nastasi in their book Hatches II recommend their Compara-nymph, Compara-dun, and Compara-spinner or hair-wing patterns. These are tied without the traditional wound hackle to imitate the legs, and with deer hair to imitate the wings. Their effectiveness is proven.
HOOK: Nymph, #14-#16. THREAD: Brown. TAIL: Wood-duck fibers. BODY: Al Caucci's spectrumized rabbit fur dubbing (for Lt. Cahill species) or reddish-brown dubbing. WINGCASE: Dark brown quill segments. LEGS: Wood-duck fibers.

Return to Top

Crocheted Caddis Pupa
Description: Some waters require patterns in olive tones. This Caddis Pupa patterns is a versitle pattern that can be fished anywhere there is Caddis acivity, and that includes just about every major trout steam, across the U.S. The beadhead version enables to to fish the faster broken water with ease, keeping the fly in the fish zone. Tick bottom ocassionally during your drift, and you'll know that the fly is drifting at the right speed and depth. There he is...fish on!
Hook: TMC 2457 or 2487 Size 10-18. Thread: Uni 8/0, brown. Abdomen: Crocheted Antron yarn (Brown + Cream or Orange or Olive). Thorax: Hare's ear dubbing in front of two pheasant tail fibers (antennaes). Head: Gold Bead.

Return to Top

Bead Head Gold Rib Hare's Ear Nymph
Description: What more can you say about one of the most widely fished nymph patterns in the world. Features an attractive gold bead with stylish olive body! The gold ribbing is a tasteful addition and adds just enough flash to make this world famous pattern truly shine.
HOOK: TMC 3761 or Mustad 3906B, #10-#14 THREAD: Black 6/0. TAIL: Hare's mask guard hairs or brown hen hackle fibers. RIB: Fine gold tinsel. ABDOMEN: Natural hare's ear dubbing. THORAX: Natural hare's ear dubbing. WINGCASE: Mottled turkey quill. HEAD: Gold Bead.

Return to Top

Bead Head Caddis Pupa
Description: This is simply an earlier season version of the Hare's Ear Nymph, before the wingcase and legs have developed.
HOOK: Targus TAR200 Wet Fly or Mustad 80050, #10-#14 THREAD: Black 6/0. TAIL: Partridge hackle fibres. RIB: Fine gold wire. ABDOMEN: Natural hare's ear dubbing tan or olive. THORAX: Natural hare's ear dubbing dark brown. HEAD: Gold Bead.

Return to Top

Bead Head Prince Nymph
Description: The prince nymph is a searching pattern. It is a great pattern to use when fishing new waters or when you are unsure what the trout are eating. In still or moving waters, the Prince Nymph is always a good fly to start with. Try stripping this pattern with rapid jerks in still waters and lakes. Small split shot can be added to achieve more depth. This pattern is also available without a bead head.
Weight: Lead wire Hook: Standard nymph hook #10-#16 Thread: Black 6/0 or 8/0 Head: Brass Bead Tail: Brown Goose fibers(biots) Body: Peacock Herl Ribbing: Fine gold tinsel Hackle: Brown Wing: White Goose Fibers(biots)

Return to Top

Attractors (Dry):

Royal Coachman
Description: The Royal Coachman is an American pattern that is the gaudy cousin of the British Coachman. When the Coachman wet fly crossed the Atlantic Theodore Gordon adapted it to a dry fly and in the 1876 John Haily added the red silk band to create the distinctive feature of all Royal patterns. His dry fly has spawned a whole range of variants including streamers and hairwings. This is the Dry fly version. It was his own interpretation of a coachman fly but with finer livery. Mr L.C.Orvis gave it it's name. Although the wings may vary, all have the same red central body section, butted either end with peacock herl. It often works when nothing else will.
HOOK: Standard dry fly #12-#18. THREAD: Black 6/0 or 8/0. TAIL: Golden pheasant tippet. BODY: Peacock herl, red floss, peacock herl. HACKLE: Dark brown. WING: White mallard feather sections, upright and divided.

Salmon:

Alexandra: "The Lady of the Lake"
Description: Please click the picture!
Please click the picture!

Return to Top

NorthWest Jack
Description: This pattern was originally tied to copy the many salmon fry that feed the wild coastal cutthroat thoughout the year. It has since replaced the dace patterns in my trout box as well, and has proven very effective in larger ties for both salmon and steelhead.
HOOK: Partridge CS-17. THREAD: Black 6/0. TAIL: Black bucktail. RIB: Med oval gold tinsel. BODY: Silver Mylar tinsel. WING: Peacock herl, blue Superhair, black bucktail. THROAT: Red pheasant tippet. HEAD: Black uni-thread, clear Hard-As-Nails.

Steelhead:

Green Butt Skunk
Description: A classic rendition of a classic pattern. Quite possibly more steelhead have been caught on this fly than any other. The contrasting black and white pattern, complimented with the searchlight-like butt sucks fish out of their lies in any kind of water under any kind of conditions. I tie them both with weighted and unweighted to suit the water type. If you only carry one steelhead pattern, this is the one.
HOOK: Steelhead, #4-#10. THREAD: Black 6/0. BUTT: Fluorescent chartreuse chenille. TAIL: Red hackle fibers. RIB: Round silver tinsel. BODY: Black chenille. HACKLE: Black. WING: White polar bear substitute such as white calftail.

Return to Top

Green Butt Skunk Spey
Description: This fly has been around in one form or another for eons. In the form of a Green Butt Skunk it has probably accounted for more steelhead than any other west coast steelhead pattern in the last two decades. This variation has proven itself for both summer and winter steelhead. The combination of a flourescent green butt, and black body gives the angler confidence that the fly will be noticed in both low light conditions, and also on bright days. As with most steelhead flies, it can be fished in large sizes for winter steelhead, and in smaller sizes for summer fish. While the traditional Green Butt Skunk has a white wing I find that bronze mallard enhances the appearance of the fly, and in my case, inspires a little more confidence, which is very important when fishing for migratory fish.
HOOK: Daiichi Alec Jackson Spey THREAD: 8/0 uni - thread TAG: Small oval tinsel BUTT: Flourescent green seal or substitute TAIL: Golden pheasant crest, dyed orange RIB: Small oval silver tinsel UNDERBODY: Rear 1/2 fl. green thread, front 1/2 black thread BODY: Black seal or substitute HACKLE: Black dyed spey hackle, either pheasant rump or umpqua spey hackle WING: Matched left and right bronze mallard HEAD: Black thread

Return to Top