Cutting and Tying in Antennae

Antennae can add a surprising touch of realism to a fly and may better entice fish to take your pattern, especially in clear, quiet water. There are many materials to select from such as horsehair, goose biots, peacock, porcupine, rubber hackle, monofilament, paint brush fibers and a stripped feather shaft. The sky is almost the limit.

There are a few tricks to use that will make the application easier. First, when working with pliable feeler materials like rubber hackle, horse hair and monofiliment, fold a single length and tie its two ends in first. Then you can cut the loop to form the 2 antennae. Stiffer materials like porcupine quills may have to be tied in separately. Durability can be a problem with fragile fibers, so consider using stripped feather shafts or other stiffer types of antennae instead. These materials can also be used for tails. 

Rubber Hackle Antennae

Horse Hair Antennae

Stripped Quill Antennae

Peacock Herl Antennae

Tying the March Brown Fly

March Brown Dry Fly

The March Brown nymph is found in fast flowing currents and because of an underbody suction cup, they can easily cling to rocks. They become vulnerable when they are dislodged from the rocks or when they rise to the surface as pupae. The March Brown can be fished by dead drifting a weighted nymph or by using split shot. As a wet fly it can be fished down and across the current with or without twitching. Below are the tying instructions.

Materials:

Hook: 3906B, sizes 8-14

Tail: Mottled turkey quill section

Body: Brownish gray dubbing

Rib: Gold tinsel or small yellow floss

Hackle: Brown hackle or partridge

Wing: Two mottled turkey quills, tips down

Thread: 6/0 brown

Step 1. Tie in a clipped turkey section with the 

tips down and the dubbing noodle. Tie in the floss.

Step 2. 

Spin the dubbing forward and follow with 

4 to 6 wraps of floss or tinsel. Attach the hackle.

Step 3. 

Wind the hackle around two to three times and 

 cut out two small 1/8 inch sections from the quill.

Step 4. 

With the turkey tips facing down, match the wing sections
up and secure them evenly on top of the fly. The wing 
should not exceed the tail. Tie off the head and cement.

How to Tie Mark's Brindle Bugger

Mark's Brindle Bugger

Mark's Brindle Bugger was developed by Mark Middleton a number of years ago. He had a pensive interest in watching a variety of fish take various types of insects such as dragonflies, damselflies, leeches and bait fish. This habit eventually led him into fly fishing and tying flies that simulated the size, shape and color of these underwater denizens. This study eventually led to the development of Mark's Brindle Bugger. It’s size, body color, shape and undulating motion make it alluring to many different types of fish.

Materials to tie Mark's Brindle bugger:

Hook: Mustad 9671, 9672 sizes 10-12

Tail: Olive marabou and Krystal Flash

Body: Varigated black and yellow chenille

Hackle: Coachman brown, palmered

Head: 6/0 olive Monocord

Optional: .025 lead optional

Tying Mark's Brindle Bugger         

Step 1.Tie in a small bunch of marabou and Krystal Flash, length not to exceed 1 to 1 and1/2 inches.

Step 2. Attach the hackle and chenille. Next, wrap the thread forward to 3/16-inch of the eye.

Step 3. Spiral the chenille forward and follow with 4 to 5 turns of hackle.

Step 4. Tie off the head and cement.