Thank you for visiting our fly tying blog! Here you will find free step-by-step instructions for fly patterns that we have found to be very successful while fishing on the Tributaries of Lake Erie known as " Steelhead Alley." You will also be able to see step-by-step instructions for warm water, tube, trout, and destinational fly patterns. If you would like to request a pattern tutorial that you do not see, please send requests to team@steelheadalleyoutfitters.com



Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Mike's Impossihex

STEP 1: With your Daiichi 1530 size 8 in the vise, get your dark brown 140 denier thread started at the head and then wrap one third of the way back down the hook shank.

STEP 2: Invert the hook and tie in a set of the small mono nymph eyes using a figure eight wrap to ensure they are securely held in place perpendicular to the hook shank.

STEP 3: Tie in a clump of Australian Possum fur hanging off the back of the hook, and should be approximately one hook shank in length. If you have a full skin the best hair for this is on the front half as the underfur is not as thick, so it has far more movement in the water.

STEP 4: At the back of the fly tie in a sand colored Grizzly Marabou feather by the tips.

STEP 5: Take a Hungarian Partridge feather and stroke back the fibers, so you do not trap any at the tie in point, and tie it in by the tips.

STEP 6: Using tan Hares Ear Plus dubbing, loosely dub a body forward to just behind the mono nymph eyes.

STEP 7: Palmer the Hungarian Partidge feather through the dubbed body, approximately two and a half wraps, then tie the feather off behind the mono nymph eyes. Be careful not to trap too many fibers to the body as you make those wraps…the more legs the buggier the fly.

STEP 8: After a quick figure eight of dubbing around the eyes carefully pull the Grizzly Marabou feather forward, splitting the fibers on top of the hook shank, and tie of off. Finish the head with a quick whip finish and it is off to the river you go!

Here is a view from above. Though originally conceived as a Great Lakes steelhead pattern, something this fly is VERY good at, it has also proven to be extremely effective for chasing other species such as carp, walleye, perch, and bass. When fishing the Impossihex in a river setting, whether fishing an Indi rig or tight line nymphing, I always allow the fly to complete a swing at the end of the drift. As the Hexegenia Limbata is a powerful swimmer I believe that many times the movement as the fly swings across the current at the end of a drift is a key trigger to draw a strike. To order this pattern or my other patterns, or if you have any questions about the pattern that were not addressed, please visit http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/ or find me at Anglers Choice Flies on Facebook.