Matt Zudweg's "EZPZ Wiggler"

If you have been Steelhead fishing for anytime at all, you know how effective a Hex nymph can be, especially a Jointed or "Wiggle" Hex. The problem is, they can be time consuming to tie and thus, a heart breaker when you lose them to a snag. "Zudweg's EZPZ Wiggler" is a super simple jointed hex that is quick to tie, quite realistic and steelhead find it irresistible.

Step 1: Place a Daiichi 1750 size 10 hook in your vise and wind tan 6/0 Uni thread to the rear of the hook. Next tie in a Grizzly Marabou Feather (Sand color) by the tip and return the thread to the front of the hook.

Step 2: Wind the Marabou Feather to the front and tie off just behind the eye. Whip finish.

Step 3: Pull off all the long fibers so the rear body looks like this. This part of the fly is complete.

Step 4: Place a Daiichi 2571 size 6 hook in your vise and tie in a pair of large black mono eyes about 1/16" behind the hook eye.

Step 5: Tie in a 1" section of 15lb. monofilament on top of the hook, wind to the rear of the hook and add a drop of Zap a Gap to help secure the monofilament in place.

Step 6: Thread the rear body onto the 15lb monofilament, create a loop and wind the thread over the mono all the way up to the eyes, then return the thread to the rear of the hook. Trim any excess monofilament.

Step 7: Marry two Grizzly Marabou Feathers (Sand color) and tie them in together by the tips, (this will cover the joint between the hooks). Wind the thread forward leaving it just behind the eyes.

Step 8: Wind one of the marabou feathers forward and tie off just behind the eyes (this will act as the legs). Advance the thread to in front of the eyes.

Step 9: Pull the second marabou feather over the top of the eyes and tie off. Whip finish. The above photo is what your finished fly should resemble. To make them go even faster I usually tie a handfull of the rear bodies at a time.

Matt Zudweg guide's for Feenstra Guide Service and also owns BoneYard Fly Gear. See more of Matt's creative products at http://www.boneyardflygear.com

Matt Zudweg's "The Baby" alevin

"The Baby" is a super simple, but highly effective imitation of an Alevin. A great pattern for early to mid spring when steelhead are feeding heavily on young Salmon and Steelhead Sac Fry. Most of the time I will fish this as the bottom fly on my nymphing rig with an egg being the top fly. Very often steelhead will take when the rig starts to swing at the end of the drift.

Step 1: Place a size 10 Daiichi X510 hook in your vise, attach thread and tie in a pair of Large Mono eyes (black) just behind the hook eye. Be sure to place some tight wraps around the base. This will bring the eyes to the top side of the hook and will keep them from interfering with the hook set.

Step 2: Lash down a sparse clump of Olive Ice Dub just behind the Mono Eyes.

Step 3: Fold the front half of the Ice Dub back and place a couple thread wraps just behind the Mono Eyes to secure the Ice Dub in that position.

Step 4: Rotate the fly upside down and tie in your favorite color McFly Foam just behind the Mono Eyes. Whip finish in front of the Mono Eyes.

Step 5: Trim the McFly Foam as you would on a small egg pattern.

Step 6: Turn the fly right side up and add a drop of Dave's Flexament in between the eyes. Bam, Balam, you're done! Tie up a few and give them a try on your favorite Steelhead water this spring.

Matt Zudweg is a guide on Michigan's Muskegon River and is the owner BoneYard Fly Gear. To see more of Matt's work visit http://www.boneyardflygear.com/

Vitso's Psycho Spawn

Make room in your box for this cluster egg pattern! This is my No. 1 go-to egg pattern for spring steelhead (although it has done very well in the fall and winter too). Psycho Spawn can be tied in any size or color combination, but this is one of my favorite combos...Peachy Salmon.

Step 1: With your size 10 Daiichi 1120 or TMC 2457 secured in the vise, wrap and secure Pink 6/0 UNI-Thread to the hook shank and wrap back until the thread wraps are just past the barb point.

Step 2: Cut a 4-5 inch piece of Wapsi Angora Rabbit Yarn (Salmon Egg). Fold it in half to create a loop and secure the tag ends to the hook.

Step 3: Cut a 3 inch piece of Wapsi Sparkle Braid (Peach/Pearl). Secure one tag end to the hook.
Note: You can also use Hareline Diamond Braid. Make sure the Braid is centered between the Angora Rabbit Yarn Loop.

Step 4: Pull the Braid through the loop so the loop sits on top. Now take a small pinch of Ice Dub (Fl. Shell Pink) and by using your thumb and index finger, twist or "dub" the Ice Dub around the Angora Rabbit Yarn.
Note: Dub one side of the loop at a time.

Step 5: Using your index finger and thumb, pinch a small loop of the Angora Yarn and Sparkle Braid. Secure that loop with 2-3 wraps of the thread. Make sure the Sparkle Braid is running down the center of the hook shank with the Angora Rabbit Yarn on either side of it.

Step 6: Just like in Step 5, pinch a second loop and secure it with 2-3 wraps of thread. Now push both loops back on the hook shank so they sit nice and snug together.

Step 7: Continue pinching and securing the loops until you get close to the eye of the hook. Make sure you don't crowd the eye. If you do find that you are too close, you can push all the loops back a little.

Step 8: Cut off the excess materials that are hanging over the eye of the hook. Secure the tag ends with a couple of half hitches or whip-finishes.

Note: The top of the fly should have the Sparkle Braid running along the center of the hook shank with the Angora Rabbit Yarn on either side like this.

The final product!! You can use your fingers to pull out more Ice Dub fibers if you need to.

Note: You can do any color combination or size you'd like. I usually start fishing with a size 10 and I like to carry these colors. This is my go-to fly in the spring. I normally start with two of these on an indicator rig. I'll run two different colors at the same time. If they are taking one color more consistently, then I switch to two of those.

These are my two favorite colors. Left: Salmon Egg Angora Yarn/Peach Pearl Braid/Fl. Shell Pink Ice Dub. Right: Cheese Angora Yarn/Fl. Yellow Braid/Chartreuse Ice Dub.

Eirik Vitso guides for Colton Bay Outfitters and owns/operates Vitso Images, a photography and design business. All materials for this pattern can be found at Colton Bay Outfitters in Ann Arbor, MI.

Zudweg's "Darth Hopper"

If you love fishing hoppers for large trout, this pattern is a must for your box. I've caught some of my largest trout on this pattern! I originally tied this fly for my local streams such as the Pere Marquette and Rogue Rivers, but have had amazing success with it on western rivers like the Big Horn, Lamar, Yellowstone and Big Hole. It is also very effective with tan or kelly green foam. Regardless of the foam color, the body and leg colors should remain the same. It has also proven to be very effective on bass when tied using the larger foam body and bluegill when tied using the smaller body.

You will need 3mm sheet foam (found at most hobby stores) and Hareline's Beavertail Body Cutter (size medium)

Step 1: Stamp out a body from the foam about 3/4" from the foam edge, then using a razor blade (or x-acto knife) cut a sleeve to the foam edge. This sleeve will be used to form the head.

You can see from this photo how the foam body should look.

Step 2: Place a Daiichi 2461 (size 4) hook in your vise, wind black thread (I prefer "Big Fly" Uni Thread) to the back and dub a body of Hareline's Ice Dub (Olive) about a third of the way toward the front.

Step 3: Place the foam body on top of the hook with two snug wraps between the middle and rear body segments.

Step 4: Place two of Hareline's Grizzly Barred Rubber Legs (orange/black) on top of the thread wraps with two more wraps.
The legs should hang off the rear by about 1" and off the front by about 2 1/2".

Step 5: Continue dubbing a body up the hook, finishing about 1/16" behind the eye.

Step 6: Tie down the foam body at the next body segment just behind the hook eye with two snug wraps.

Step 7: Tie in a clump of Hareline's Stiff Pearl Krystal Flash using two more wraps. (If you're going to be bass fishing at night use glow in the dark flashabou as a substitute).

Step 8: Fold the sleeve back to form a head and tie off with two snug thread wraps.

Step 9: Tie in the remnant of the rubber legs on the top using two snug wraps, then pull the head back and whip finish just behind the eye of the hook.

Step 10: Cut the legs in the center and shimmy each of them to the sides of the body. Cut the legs 3/4" to 1" in length. At this point you should also cut the pearl wing even with the foam body. The sleeve should also be cut shorter as seen in this image.

Step 11: Using a white paint marker, place a spot on the head and sleeve of the foam for better visibility.

At this point the fly looks finished, but there is one more very important step.

To make it durable, you must add a drop of Dave's Flexament to the tie in point of each leg. Do NOT use anything for this step except a Flexible Cement or it will distort the rubber legs. Also, be sure the legs are positioned exactly where you want them before cementing. If done properly this fly will be durable enough to catch many trout.
Matt Zudweg guides on Michigan's Muskegon River and also has a great line of Decals, Fly Boxes and other creative products at http://www.boneyardflygear.com/

Mike's Guppy

If your definition of a 'guide fly' is an effective fly that is a quick tie using only a few materials, then this fly fits that description wonderfully. Using only bead chain eyes, grizzly marabou, and Australian possum the Guppy is a fly that you can knock out in short order but is a go to type fly in low and clear water conditions.

STEP 1: With your Daiichi 2461 size 4 in the vise, get your tan 140 denier thread started at the head and then wrap one third of the way back down the hook shank.

STEP 2: Using figure eight wraps tightly secure the bead chain eyes to the top of the hook shank, then wrap your thread to the back of the hook.

STEP 3: Even up a pair of Grizzly Marabou feathers by the tips and then tie them in as a tail. The feathers should hang off the back of the hook approximately the length of the hook shank. Once they are tied in continue to wrap forward to the eyes, spinning the feather around the hook shank with your thread to form a quick and dirty underbody, then return your thread to the tie in point at the back of the hook.

STEP 4: Stroke back the fibers of a third Grizzly Marabou feather and tie the feather in by the tip.

STEP 5: Fold the feather and stroke back the fibers so you do not trap any at the tie in point, then carefully palmer the Grizzly Marabou feather forward to the eyes to form the body of the fly.

STEP 6: Advance your thread up to just behind the eye and tie in a chunk of Australian Possum. The best hair for this is taken from the rear half of the skin as that hair has far more underfur, and so creates a much more dense head.

STEP 7: Whip finish your thread just behind the eye of the hook, then trim the Australian Possum to a conical 'sculpin' shape. The bead chain eyes allow for a soft entry to the water but are enough weight to invert the hook. Having the head shaped in this manner forces the fly to low in the water column. Once wet the marabou really slicks back and forms a slender profile behind the thicker possum head.

If you are dealing with low and clear water then big and flashy flies may simply be too much for the fish to handle. When dealing with conditions like that I like to go with downsized flies, whether they be nymphs or streamers. These low water patterns are generally tied with little to no flash and natural coloration so that it mimics food without giving the fish cause for alarm. The Guppy is a undersized streamer that can be dead drifted, twitched, or swung to entice a bite. The marabou on this pattern allows the fly to breathe in even the slowest of current. In addition to steelhead this fly has proven to be equally effective when chasing carp or river smallmouth. 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/.