Fly Tying Recipes & Patterns

The Chubby Chernobyl is the bigger, floatier cousin of the classic Chernobyl Ant—and it’s become one of the most popular attractor dry flies in the world. Tied here by Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions, this version features durable construction and thoughtful material choices to keep it high-riding and hard-working.What makes the Chubby so effective is its sheer presence: a big foam body, oversized wings, and plenty of silhouette. It's easy to see in rough water and floats like a cork, even with a heavy dropper nymph tied beneath it. That makes it perfect for hopper-dropper rigs or for use during stonefly or terrestrial hatches.Materials Hook: 1710 2X-Long Nymph Hook Thread: UTC 140 Denier, fluorescent pink. Tail: Krystal Flash, pink. Dubbing: UV Ice Dub, pink. Body: Craft foam, 2mm, pink. Wings: Polypropylene yarn, white. Legs: Grizzly Flutter Legs, barred, pink. How to Tie the Chubby Chernobyl 

Tied by Matt O’Neal of Savage Flies on YouTube Follow Matt on InstagramThis Golden Stone Fly, tied by Matt O’Neal, is an all-purpose stonefly imitation that blurs the lines between a soft hackle wet and a traditional nymph. Designed to ride subsurface, this pattern features key trigger elements like buggy dubbing and swept-back hackle to suggest life and motion.Matt plans to fish this pattern primarily as a nymph—dead-drifted through riffles, runs, and pockets—but notes that it should also shine when swung through current seams like a soft hackle wet. That versatility is a hallmark of stonefly patterns: they imitate a critical food source and can be fished in a range of styles depending on conditions.Materials Hook: #12-16 long shank, curved Thread: Yellow Tail: Brown goose biots Rib: Copper wire Body: Yellow wool dubbing Thorax: Brown rabbit dubbing Collar: Brown partridge How to Tie the Golden Stonefly 

Tied by Matt O'Neal of Savage Flies on YouTubeThe Black Marabou Streamer is a true old-school pattern with a story to match. This version by Matt O’Neal stays faithful to the simple effectiveness that made the original famous.The origin of this pattern dates back to the summer of 1940, when Russell Skinner of Palmyra, Pennsylvania was fishing the Margaree River in Nova Scotia. Marabou was a relatively new material at the time, and Skinner happened to be fishing a marabou streamer when he hit a legendary run of sea trout. The story goes that he was hooking a fish on nearly every cast.That’s the kind of history that gives a fly staying power. The undulating motion of marabou in the water is what makes this pattern such a killer, especially when fish are in an aggressive or opportunistic mood. Materials Hook: #4-8 3-6x long Thread: Black Tail: Red hackle (optional) Body: Flat silver Mylar tinsel Wing: Black marabou Topping: Peacock herl Throat: Red hackle Cheeks: Jungle cock or imitation (optional) How to Tie the Black Marabou Streamer 

The CDC and Elk is a modern spin on the classic Elk Hair Caddis, tied here by Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions. What makes this version special is the addition of long CDC fibers that sit high on the water’s surface film. These delicate, buoyant fibers pulse and move with the current, adding lifelike motion that helps trigger surface takes, especially in slower water or when fish are being selective.This pattern maintains the core silhouette and floatation of the traditional Elk Hair Caddis while adding a level of subtle realism. The CDC fibers don’t just enhance the look, they help the fly ride in the film, giving it that impression of a just-emerged or struggling caddis trying to take flight.MaterialsHook: FM5050 Ultimate Dry Fly Black Nickel Barbless Hook, size 16. Thread: Semperfli Classic Waxed, 12/0, tan. Body/legs: CDC feather. Wing/head: Deer hair.How to Tie the CDC & Elk 

The Tennessee Bee is a simple, buoyant dry fly pattern with a strong regional heritage. Tied here by Matt O’Neal of Savage Flies, this pattern first appeared in Dick Stewart and Farrow Allen’s Flies for Trout and was originally created by Brad Weeks as a tribute to the yellow jacket wasp common in the southeastern U.S.While it was designed as a regional favorite, the Tennessee Bee can produce strikes anywhere trout are found, especially in late summer when terrestrials like bees, wasps, and hornets are more active. It’s a high-floating fly that stands out on the water with bold yellow-and-black segmentation and clean silhouette.This is a great pattern to have in your box when you want something just a little different from the usual ants and beetles. Fish it tight to grassy banks, under overhanging limbs, or plop it along foam lines where trout are keyed in on surface movement.Materials Hook: #10-14 dry fly Thread: Black Rib: Black floss Body: Yellow synthetic dubbing Wing: Elk hair Hackle: Brown dry fly How to Tie the Tennessee Bee 

Few flies have achieved the legendary status of the Clouser Minnow. Originally developed by Bob Clouser in the 1980s for smallmouth bass, this streamer quickly earned its place as one of the most effective and versatile patterns ever created, both for freshwater and saltwater species.Tied here by Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions, this version stays true to the original recipe but benefits from Tim’s methodical approach and teaching-friendly techniques. The Clouser Minnow excels in mimicking baitfish, thanks to its sleek profile and jigging action provided by dumbbell eyes.Whether you're targeting trout in rivers, smallmouth in creeks, stripers in the surf, or bonefish on the flats, the Clouser Minnow flat-out catches fish. It’s simple, durable, and easily customizable to match your local forage species.MaterialsHook: Heritage S71SAP Saltwater Fly Hook, 2/0 Thread: 140 Denier or 6/0, white. Flat waxed Eyes/Weight: Painted dumbbells, large. Adhesive: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails. Belly: Natural white bucktail, two hook lengths. Flash: Krystal Flash, 3 or 4 strands, gold. Back: Olive bucktail, two hook lengths. How to Tie the Clouser Minnow 

This is Tim Flagler’s take on the now-iconic Pink Squirrel, a fly nearly synonymous with Wisconsin’s Driftless Area and credited to John Bethke. While the original includes a krystal flash tail, Tim's version omits it, partly because he learned to tie it that way about a decade ago, and partly because it just works.Despite the missing tail, this variation still carries the core of what makes the fly so effective: a scruffy, buggy body with a bright hotspot collar. That contrast between natural dubbing and a pop of fluorescent pink proves irresistible to trout, especially in stained or complex water conditions.What makes the Pink Squirrel so enduring is its flexibility—it can pass for a scud, a nymph, or even a small baitfish depending on how it’s presented. Tim’s version emphasizes a slightly messier profile to trigger more aggressive takes.Materials Hook: Scud/pupa hook (here, a Dai-Riki 135), sizes 12 through 18. Bead: Gold tungsten bead, 3/32-inch. Thread: Black or bright pink, 8/0 or 70-denier. Rib: Red Ultra Wire, small. Body: Tan Antron, natural fox-squirrel, and olive Ice Dub mixed in a 4:2:1 ratio. Thorax: Pink Ultra Chenille, micro. How to Tie the Pink Squirrel Variant 

The Vanilla Iso Parachute is Tim Flagler’s creative take on the classic Isonychia mayfly. True to his style, this fly is more than just a color swap—it features a unique parachute post and slightly exaggerated tail that help set it apart from more traditional Iso patterns.While it still mimics the key traits of the Isonychia (size, profile, and movement) the Vanilla Iso adds extra visibility with a bright post and better buoyancy thanks to the parachute design. The tail is slightly unconventional but adds to the silhouette and gives the fly a bit of flair, especially in choppy water.It’s a great searching pattern when mayflies are on the move, and it floats beautifully even in broken water. This is a pattern that fishes well during hatch times but is also a solid attractor when you just need something buggy and convincing on the surface.Materials Hook: 1X-long dry-fly hook (here, a Dai-Riki 300), size 12. Thread: Wine, 8/0 or 70 Denier, wine. Post: Soft Foam Parachute Post, size medium. Tails: Centipede Legs, size mini, speckled grey. Body: Rabbit-fur dubbing, dark brown to burgundy. Hackle: Medium dun or dark dun. Thorax: Rabbit-fur dubbing, dark brown to burgundy. How to Tie the Vanilla Iso Parachute 

Tied by Jon Bates. Follow Jon on Instagram @grayfoxfliesThe Hi-Vis Lite is Jon Bates’ refined take on the Hi-Vis Shiner from Nomad Anglers. After discovering the pattern a few years ago, Jon slimmed it down, simplified the material count, and created a modern, ultra-effective streamer that quickly earned a top spot in his smallmouth lineup.This version keeps it incredibly straightforward with just two primary materials and a pair of 3D eyes, making it fast to tie and easy to scale for different species. Whether you're targeting smallmouth in rocky rivers, largemouth in warmwater ponds, or even saltwater species on the flats, this fly gets the job done.Don’t let the simplicity fool you. Craft fur and ripple ice hair provide an incredible baitfish profile, movement, and flash in the water. Add in a UV resin finish for durability and a bit of weight, and you’ve got a high-visibility fly that fishes as good as it looks. Materials Hook: Partridge Attitude Extra sizes 4 thru 3/0 or BGH Big Game Hunter Hook Thread: Danville 140 Denier Black Tail: Craft Fur Body: Ripple Ice Hair in Pearl Eyes: Flymen Living Eyes 3D UV: Solarez Bone Dry Hi-Viz Lite Tying StepsStep 1 After attaching your thread to the shank start off by reverse tying a sparse amount of craft fur (1½-2x the length of the shank) and tie over the material with the thread and give it a touch of super glue for durability. Step 6 Advance your thread to the center of the shank and repeat the step this time the craft fur should end halfway to the tip of the last stack of craft fur. Step 9 Take a very sparse stack of Ripple Ice Hair and hand stack the tips. I tie the RIH in 60/40 for the first stack, before folding the material back repeat the step again on the bottom of the hook shank then reverse both stacks working the RIH with your fingers then brush it out with a comb. Step 11 Move your thread to the eye and again stack the RIH on top and bottom this time stacking it 50/50. After securing the material whip finish or super glue your thread and trim the thread off. After trimming the thread work the material again with your fingers then a comb or brush. Step 14Add your eyes. At this point you can use markers to add color then coat your eyes and head with Solarez Bone Dry. You can now shape the body by brushing the hair out and trimming with scissors. Until you do it a few times, be careful to trim very little and work your way down to the desired taper, and you may need to remark your color after you trim the fly.