Fly Tying Recipes & Patterns

The Eggie Special is a classic Michigan dry fly, designed by a Grayling, Michigan fly fishing legend, Eggie Bugby. Deisgned in Michigan sometime between 1920-1950, the Eggie Special was once a popular fly in the area. Researched by Paul Beel, the pattern here is tied with the original dressing Eggie used. Materials Hook: #10-12 dry fly - standard dry fly Thread: Black Tail: 3-4 turkey tail fibers Rib: Brown dry fly hackle Body: Yellow wool Wings: Barred ginger hackle tips Hackle: Brown and grizzly How to Tie the Eggie Special 

This version was tied by Matt O'Neal of Savage Flies: Check out his hugely educational YouTube channel at Savage Flies.The Golden Demon is a classic steelhead and salmon fly that has stood the test of time. This pattern dates back decades and is featured in Dave Hughes’ 1986 book on steelhead flies, where it appears among many traditional winter patterns dominated by shades of orange and red. The reasoning behind this color preference isn’t fully settled, but many anglers believe it relates to water clarity, temperature, and light conditions during the winter months.Although originally designed for winter steelhead, the Golden Demon is highly versatile. You can also tie and fish it as a trout streamer or use it for smallmouth and largemouth bass. The Golden Demon is best-fished in swinging presentations. Cast across the current and allow the fly to drift and swing downstream, mimicking the movement of a baitfish or insect. For trout and bass, try stripping it through deeper pools or along structure, where its flashy profile can trigger aggressive strikes.Materials Hook: Steelhead/salmon hook, size 4–8 Thread: 140 denier black Tail: Golden pheasant crest| Body: Gold Mylar tinsel (medium) Rib: Small oval gold tinsel Throat: Bright orange saddle hackle fibers Wing: Brown bear hair or red squirrel tail Head: Thread wraps, finished with UV resin or head cement How to Tie the Golden Demon  Golden Demon Tying StepsStep 1If required by regulations, start by pinching the barb. Secure the hook in the vise and begin wrapping 140 denier black thread just behind the hook eye. Lay down a smooth thread base, wrapping evenly back to the hook bend.Step 2Select a small tuft of golden pheasant crest, ensuring it has a natural upward curve. Position it at the hook bend and secure it with soft wraps before tightening. Trim any excess and smooth the base with additional thread wraps.Step 3Take a piece of small oval gold tinsel and tie it in along the near side of the hook. Wrap the thread back, securing the tinsel along the length of the hook shank.Step 4Tie in a strip of medium gold Mylar tinsel, ensuring the gold side faces outward. Wrap it in smooth, even turns from the tail forward, creating a clean body. Secure the tinsel just behind the hook eye and trim any excess.Step 5Counter-wrap the gold oval tinsel over the Mylar body in 5–6 evenly spaced turns. Secure it at the front of the fly and trim the excess.Step 6Select a few bright orange saddle hackle fibers and tie them in underneath the hook. The fibers should extend about halfway down the hook shank. Secure them with tight wraps and trim any excess.Step 7Use either brown bear hair or red squirrel tail (used here) for the wing. Cut a small clump, remove any underfur, and align the tips with a hair stacker. Position the wing so it extends to the hook bend, just short of the tail. Secure it on top of the fly with a pinch wrap, reinforcing with a few tight wraps. Trim the excess at an angle and smooth the area with thread wraps.Step 8Build a smooth thread head at the front of the fly. Whip finish and trim the thread. Finally, apply head cement or UV resin to seal and strengthen the head, ensuring durability.

This version was tied by Matt O'Neal of Savage Flies: Check out his hugely educational YouTube channel at Savage Flies.The Golden Demon is a classic steelhead and salmon fly that has stood the test of time. This pattern dates back decades and is featured in Dave Hughes’ 1986 book on steelhead flies, where it appears among many traditional winter patterns dominated by shades of orange and red. The reasoning behind this color preference isn’t fully settled, but many anglers believe it relates to water clarity, temperature, and light conditions during the winter months.Although originally designed for winter steelhead, the Golden Demon is highly versatile. You can also tie and fish it as a trout streamer or use it for smallmouth and largemouth bass. The Golden Demon is best-fished in swinging presentations. Cast across the current and allow the fly to drift and swing downstream, mimicking the movement of a baitfish or insect. For trout and bass, try stripping it through deeper pools or along structure, where its flashy profile can trigger aggressive strikes.Materials Hook: Steelhead/salmon hook, size 4–8 Thread: 140 denier black Tail: Golden pheasant crest| Body: Gold Mylar tinsel (medium) Rib: Small oval gold tinsel Throat: Bright orange saddle hackle fibers Wing: Brown bear hair or red squirrel tail Head: Thread wraps, finished with UV resin or head cement How to Tie the Golden Demon  Golden Demon Tying StepsStep 1If required by regulations, start by pinching the barb. Secure the hook in the vise and begin wrapping 140 denier black thread just behind the hook eye. Lay down a smooth thread base, wrapping evenly back to the hook bend.Step 2Select a small tuft of golden pheasant crest, ensuring it has a natural upward curve. Position it at the hook bend and secure it with soft wraps before tightening. Trim any excess and smooth the base with additional thread wraps.Step 3Take a piece of small oval gold tinsel and tie it in along the near side of the hook. Wrap the thread back, securing the tinsel along the length of the hook shank.Step 4Tie in a strip of medium gold Mylar tinsel, ensuring the gold side faces outward. Wrap it in smooth, even turns from the tail forward, creating a clean body. Secure the tinsel just behind the hook eye and trim any excess.Step 5Counter-wrap the gold oval tinsel over the Mylar body in 5–6 evenly spaced turns. Secure it at the front of the fly and trim the excess.Step 6Select a few bright orange saddle hackle fibers and tie them in underneath the hook. The fibers should extend about halfway down the hook shank. Secure them with tight wraps and trim any excess.Step 7Use either brown bear hair or red squirrel tail (used here) for the wing. Cut a small clump, remove any underfur, and align the tips with a hair stacker. Position the wing so it extends to the hook bend, just short of the tail. Secure it on top of the fly with a pinch wrap, reinforcing with a few tight wraps. Trim the excess at an angle and smooth the area with thread wraps.Step 8Build a smooth thread head at the front of the fly. Whip finish and trim the thread. Finally, apply head cement or UV resin to seal and strengthen the head, ensuring durability.

This fly is tied by J. Stockard Pro Justin Aldrich (RIP).This version, tied by the late J. Stockard Pro Tyer Justin Aldrich, reflects both the versatility and practical brilliance that made his patterns a favorite among anglers and guides alike.Justin understood that not every fish cares about the finer points of fly design—and that not every angler wants to spend an hour tying something that might get snapped off on the first cast. The Guide’s Choice was his nod to simplicity, adaptability, and effectiveness. Whether you're tying it quick and dirty or adding your own flair, the core idea holds: it works.In this version, Justin used pheasant tail for the body rather than the traditional Hare’s Ear dubbing. The thorax is optional—he often left it out entirely, as well as the flashback wingcase. In those cases, he'd add a simple strip of flash for ribbing, secured with fine wire. That minimalist approach didn’t reduce its success rate on the water. In fact, it made the fly faster to tie and just as productive.And how do you fish it? Just about any way you like. Dead drift it, drop it below a dry, swing it, twitch it, jig it. Materials Hook: Partridge SUJ Jig hook or Kona BJH Jig Hook Barbless Bead: Tungsten Slotted. Thread: Semperfli Classic Waxed thread, 8/0 or Semperfli Nano Silk Thread 12/0. Hotspot: Red thread. Hackle: Gray Partridge with heavy markings. Thorax: Hareline Ice Dub, Peacock. Flashback Wingcase: Lateral Scale Flashabou tinsel. Body/Abdomen: Pheasant Tail fibers. Tail: Gray Partridge feather fibers. Rib: UTC Small Silver wire. Guide's Choice Pheasant Tail Tying StepsStep 1**First, locating and preparing a hackle feather. It's not hard, just get the bird you wanna tie with, a Partridge, Grouse, or Hen, and simply go through it looking for an appropriate size and color. Once you think you've found one, gently stroke the fibers back making them stand vertically to the stem and put them up to the bead on the hook. If the fibers are too long or short for your liking go back and try again. Once you find one suitable, pluck it off the bird and begin to strip the fluffy down fibers off its butt section. Set it aside for later.Step 2Now seat an appropriate sized bead to the size hook you choose to tie with. In terms of metal, Tungsten is king. But feel free to brass it up. Once the hook and bead are in the vise, attach the thread color of your choice behind the bead. I always tend to use whatever thread color I'll use for the hotspot as my working thread. Next, measure the tail fibers out, a shank length is always a fair length and then secure down. Now while keeping the fibers on top of the shank, continue to secure down the fibers to just before the bend of the hook. Take the wire rib and tie it in on your side of the shank, just in front of the tail. I find tying it there helps with counter ribbing. Continue to tie and secure in the rib all the way to the bead.Step 3Align the tips of a few Pheasant fibers and strip from the stem. Cut a millimeter or so of the brittle tips off. Tie them in on your side of the shank just behind the bead. Make a couple lose wraps down the shank and then slide the Pheasant tips into place behind the bead. No cutting excess necessary. Secure down the fibers on your side of the shank to just in front of the tail fibers. This will aid in tying a tapered underbody.Step 4After you've built up a tiny taper with the thread, bring up the Pheasant Tail fibers wrapping away from you in touching turns and tie the butt ends down about 2mm behind the bead. (Just keeping space for the Thorax.) Don't worry too much about the Thorax area, you can dub over the Pheasant Tail if it was brought up too far.Step 5Afterwards, counter wrap the wire rib in the opposite direction you wrapped the Pheasant Tail (towards you). Secure down the wire behind the bead and worry or cut off the excess wire. Counter ribbing does two things, first and most importantly it better secures in the Pheasant Tail fibers. Like two opposing directions creating a lock. The second thing counter wrapping does is makes the rib material itself stand out a bit more prominent instead of burying itself in the body material.Step 6Next take a piece of your favorite flashy material, the bigger sized Lateral Scale I've found to be the absolute best in catching and reflecting light. Catch it in on top of the shank behind the bead. Tie it in to about 3mm or 4mm behind the bead... depending on the size of the pattern your tying, this measurement will differ greatly. If you don't have a rotary vise, pop the fly out and make sure the flash material is centered directly on top. You know what to do if you have a rotary function so.... use it. LolStep 7After the flashback wingcase is secured in, go ahead and dub a tight dub noodle and create your thorax with it. Plump is good when shaping the Thorax, it makes the Flashback pop a bit more. When you've dubbed the Thorax to just behind the bead, it's time to find your prepped hackle feather. Check by your feet first if you can’t immediately find it, next try the original place you set it... never fails! A pair of hackle pliers come in handy now. Use the pliers and gently grasp the tip section of the hackle feather. Gently, okay actually everything we do from here with this hackle feather, especially if it's Partridge will be done in a "gentle" manner. So, stroke back the fibers towards the butt section of the feather. This will expose the tip section. Remove the hackle pliers and trim the hackle tip which will leave you with a triangle shaped tip section.Step 8Okay, now we're getting somewhere! Take that tip section and tie it tightly in just behind the bead. Make sure that the concave side is pointed down. That just helps situate the hackle better for wrapping. Next, GENTLY attach the hackle pliers onto the butt section of the stem. Before wrapping, try stroking back the fibers towards the tail of the fly and wrap the hackle. If there are some stubborn fibers, just stroke them back while wrapping. If that doesn't help, you'll be able to fix it after you tie down the hackle.Step 9Once you've wrapped the hackle, secure it in by tying down the butt section with a few tight thread wraps and locking turns. Snip off the stem as close as possible. Any errant fibers that were out of line you can now just fold back easily and make a couple jamming thread turns to keep them in place.Step 10All you have left to do is whip finish a hotspot in. Make a 3-4 turn whip finish or a couple 3 turn whips and snip off thread close. A dab of thin cement on the hotspot and your home free!

Get a full materials list and step-by-step instructions on how to tie the Wally Wing Mayfly Dun by Barry Ord Clarke, aka 'The Feather Bender'. Read on now.

Get step-by-step instructions from Joe Jackson on how to tie the versatile Craft fur Baitfish, along with full materials list and techniques.

Guest Blogger: J. Stockard Pro Chris Williamson from Washington state. Follow Chris on Instagram @lessthancivilized . This Parachute Poly Wing Stonefly is basically a beefed-up PMX... One day, in the middle of nowhere up the Lewis River in WA, I ran into an older man who was having really good success with a large PMX he had tied with a really big elk wing. He handed me one on his way out, and I continued the success story, which became a very productive evening. I tied many variations of the PMX since then, and there are a couple of ways I like to tie it. one is similar to this body with a poly wing, and the other is a less buoyant body material that rides really low with a big elk hair wing to keep it afloat. Parachute Poly Wing Stonefly Recipe: HOOK- Firehole 718 size 10 or similar. THREAD - Semperfli nano silk 100D brown. LEGS/TAILS - Hareline fine round rubber brown. ABDOMEN - Wapsi 1mm razor foam brown, Semperfli dirty bug yarn caddis brown. WING - Hareline para post wing dark grey, Hareline midge flash root beer. THORAX - Dirty bug yarn caddis brown. POST - Hareline para post wing Fl. Orange. HACKLE - Whiting grizzly saddle feather. Poly Wing Stonefly: Step-by-step Put your hook in the vise — I went with the Firehole 718. Start your thread. Tie in the polypropylene yarn. Trim the yarn about 1/8” behind the hook. Tie in the round rubber to create the tails. Trim the tails to the desired length. Tie in the 1mm razor foam. Tie in the dirty bug yarn. Make two wraps with the dirty bug yarn and then secure it with one wrap of thread. Pull the razor foam forward. For the first segment, I like to pull the foam pretty tight to create the smallest segment possible. Secure it down with thread and make three wraps over the foam to define the segments. Repeat two more wraps of dirty bug yarn. Pull the razor foam forward and add another three wraps of thread over the foam. For the next two segments, add three wraps of dirty bug yarn to make larger segments. Once you have four segments and the shape of the body is to your liking, secure the yarn and foam down. Trim both pieces of material off and make sure everything is secure. Add rear legs. These do not have to be knotted legs if you want to save yourself some time. Tie in midge flash for the underwing. Now add the polypropylene yarn and fold it over to double the volume of the wing. I chose Hareline Para Post Wing Fiber because I like the rough texture it adds to the wing. Trim both the wing and the flash to the desired length. Now add the second set of rear legs, leaving space between both tie-in points to fit the body material later on. Tie in front legs — make sure to leave room behind the eye of the hook. Add head cement or super glue to tie-in points and secure with thread wraps. Split the legs and prepare to trim them. Trim one piece off each lower leg section. Add the dirty bug yarn to the thorax and secure tightly in front of the wing. Tie in the parachute post in the center of the thorax. I like to tie the post on this pattern pretty thick, so I double the Para Post Wing Fiber over before I secure it — this gives you four strands of material to make up the post. Wrap the dirty bug yarn forward. Use the yarn wraps to create proper spacing between legs, then secure the yarn behind the eye of the hook and whip finish. Turn the pattern down in the vise so you can get a better angle on that parachute post. Now tie in your hackle feather — I like to go with a bigger hackle feather for this pattern, maybe a size 10. Wrap your hackle down however many wraps you would like. Now apply super glue to a small portion of your thread and wrap around the bottom of the post, securing the hackle and post and eliminating the need to whip finish. Trim your post to the desired length and the pattern is now complete. Christmas Stonefly Jig - Fly of the Month Read more Royal Stimulator Fly Pattern - Fly of the Month Read more Slaughter Stone Golden Stone Fly - Fly of the Month Read more

Tied by Matt O'Neal of Savage Flies on YouTube Follow Matt on InstagramIf you’re tired of dry fly fishing with a size 18 winter caddis or a size 20 midge, you’re not alone. Fortunately, when the March Browns start to show up, things get a little more generous. These bugs are big, bold, and typically land in the size 12–14 range—bringing with them some of the most exciting fishing of the season.There’s no shortage of March Brown patterns out there. You’ll find them in nearly every fly tying book—nymphs, wets, dries, and emergers. And for good reason: this is a hatch with history. The March Brown first appeared in literature in Dame Juliana Berners’ A Treatise on Fishing with an Angle, published back in the 1490s. That’s about as classic as it gets.For this version, J. Stockard Pro Tyer Matt O’Neal of Savage Flies ties the wet fly version—specifically, the one from Dave Hughes’ American Fly Tying Manual (1986). It’s a straightforward pattern that fishes well and holds up beautifully in spring currents. With soft hackle movement and a traditional profile, it’s the kind of fly that would’ve made Dame Berners proud.The March Brown Wet is especially effective during the pre-hatch window, fished just below the surface on a swing, or dead-drifted through riffles and seams. It’s a great way to start the day before switching to dries as fish begin to rise.Materials Hook: #10-16 wet fly Thread: Tan Tail: Pheasant tail fibers Body: Natural hare's ear dubbing Hackle: Light brown hen Wing: Natural duck slips How to Tie the March Brown Wet Fly 

This month’s pattern is Matt O'Neal (Savage Flies)'s variation of C. Jim Pray’s original Black Demon streamer which was described in Joseph Bates’ 1950 “Streamer Fly Tying and Fishing.” The Black Demon was essentially a dark version of Pray’s more popular Silver Demon which was a well-known fly in the early half of the 1900s. The Evolution of the Black Demon As often happens with popular patterns, they get modified and changed over the years. And for various reasons -- sometimes to match a particular situation or sometimes for the simple reason of a tier’s personal preference. The Black Demon as a steelhead fly may be one of these examples. Sometime in the 1930s, the pattern evolved from a gold tinsel body with barred wood duck feathers for a tail, to what you see here-- a black floss body with a silver rib and golden pheasant crest feather for a tail. While both patterns are still tied and fished today, and while slightly different, they are both still called the Black Demon. John Shewey in his 2015 “Classic Steelhead Flies” does make the differentiation by adding (black body) in parentheses to the more modern version. Now if you’re one of the few tiers fortunate enough to have a decent jungle cock cape these days, using a couple of nails will really give this pattern a classic look. I wouldn’t worry at all if you don’t though (you can substitute for the artificial version) and, Bates version from 1950 doesn’t have them and it’s still a beautiful pattern. Black Demon Recipe Hook: Salmon #4-8 Thread: Black Tail: Golden pheasant crest feather Tag: Silver tinsel Body: Black floss Rib: Silver tinsel Throat: Orange hackle Wing: Black bucktail Eyes: Jungle cock (optional)