FLYMPH FORUM

Posted this fly awhile back & Ray asked if I would post a tutorial (it's harder than Ray makes it look). Please forgive the shaky camera work.

Spotted Sedge are the most prolific caddis species in the Columbia drainage & much of the West. These have a long hatch season, emerging from mid-June (following Grannom) through August. The pattern featured here is a redux of a pattern originally developed by B.C. guide, Rod Zavaduc. It is, so far, the best I’ve tried for meeting Spotted Sedge &, in larger sizes, also fishes for larger Fall species like Great Gray Spotted Sedge & Striped Sedge.

Hook: Your choice, though I prefer a straight-eye, standard wetfly. The one used here is Mustad 3366. If using a turned-eye hook, I’d suggest fastening it to the tippet with a turle or loop knot so the fly tracks & hovers properly. The natural Spotted Sedge pupa is about a #14 (adults a size smaller).

Thread: Camel UNI 8/0 – tan or gray will give a lighter body, or choose a thread that gives an undertone suitable to the sedges in your neighborhood. Hackle: Partridge. Spotted sedge wings exhibit a mottled, tannish-brown cast. Begin the thread wrap about 4 thread turns behind the hook eye, allowing for a tag about 4” long after the shank is wound. Wind toward the bend about 4 or 5 turns, then wind forward to within about 2 thread turns behind the eye. Prepare the hackle, stripping away excess barbs from the stem below the usable portion. Strip away a couple extra barbs on the forward side to create a flat to help seat the hackle for winding. Fasten the hackle to the top of the hook shank, concave side up, then wind the tying thread toward the bend, about 6 turns, trim away the hackle stem, then continue winding back to a point adjacent the center of the hook barb (depending on hook chosen & length of body desired). Rib: Fine silver wire. Tie in on the underside of the hook shank, the wire tag extended forward to the thorax area. Body: Pearl midge flash. 3 or 4 strands is about right for a #14. Fasten with a couple turns of thread, the tag ends extended forward to the thorax area. Wind the tying thread forward over the body & rib tags, to the hackle tie-in. Gather the thread tag & midge flash strands together above the hook shank. Twist counter-clockwise to create a rope – wind forward to within a few thread turns behind the hackle tie-in, fasten with 3 turns of thread & trim away excess material (for a more subdued version, substitute natural hares mask or light-medium olive rabbit dubbing).

Wind the wire rib over the body, 4 or 5 turns to the hackle tie-in, then wind the tying thread back to the base of the thorax area. Break off the wire tag. Thorax: Hares mask, blended or poll. Dub over the thorax winding forward to the hackle tie-in, then wind the tying thread back a few turns.

Body Shroud: Hareline Shrimp Pink UV Dub. Pull a small pinch, press & roll it a bit to form a loose yarn. Place on top of the hook shank & fasten over the center with a couple turns of thread. Fold the forward section back, pressing down to spread the material over the top half of the hook shank while fastening with a few turns of thread. Leave the tying thread hanging far enough behind the hackle tie-in to allow for two turns of hackle. Hold the shroud between your thumb & forefinger & pinch the excess away until it is about the same length as the body, overall.

Grasp & bend the hackle to perpendicular above the hook shank & wind back 2 turns to the hanging thread, pass the tying thread once over the hackle tip & snug, then pass 2 or 3 turns over (through) the hackle to the hook eye. If using a straight-eye hook, whip finish a small head; for a turned-eye hook, build a longer, conical head (ala Leisenring) to accommodate the turle.

Fantastic tutorial! Extremely helpful. Thank you for sharing and taking the time to post the tutorial.

U C Steve, Howdy;

As a visual learner, that is fantastic!! Allowed me to follow along and
comprehend the whole she-bang as I went. that's what I call an excellent
SBS.

Thank you Sir.

hank

I've been eagerly awaiting this tutorial and you did not disappoint. Excellent SBS. Well done!

Thanks for the encouraging words guys. Fun to do, & I'm tying a bunch of them for the upcoming season anyway. Bread & butter patt, so have to tie about 100 of them just for starters 'cause guests go through them like going through cans of worms. Why I tie them on the inexpensive yet reliably utilitarian Mustads. Hope any of you try it, it works as well for you as it does up here.

Great job, Steve! Following that, even a cave man could do it .

When you visit Troutnut, the pinkish shroud in this pattern makes a lot of sense:



( Don't know if I just should have posted the link): http://www.troutnut.com/specimen/726

dd