2008 Fly swap This years theme was streamers.
Squirrel Tail Streamer
By BoB_K
Hook- TMC 300 6XL Streamer hook
Thread- 140 ultra thread, black
Tail- blood red hackle fibers
Body- silver tinsel with brass colored wire ribbing.(head cement over body for durability)
Collar- blood red hackle tied back
Wing- fox squirrel tail over white calf tail
A classic Streamer:
By CJ
Hook: Streamer hook, 3-4X, sz 2-6 (I tied on a sz2, 4x long)
Thread: Black, 280
Body: Silver braid (spelling?); I found mine in the craft aisle
Wing: Whiting streamer/deceiver pack; black laced white. You can use any of the fat/large feathers on a cap of your color choice.
Throat: Red maribou, or hackle
Cheek: Jungle cock, if you have it, I used Chuckar breast feathers (and I struggle a little with them, sorry)
The Grey Ghost Squirrel Tail:
By RussB
Hook: 3XL streamer hook (
Thread: Uni-Thread 8/0 Black
Rib: Small silver ultra wire
Body: Orange uni-stretch
Wing: Grey Squirrel Tail
Hackle: Soft, webby grizzly
Head: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails (yellow and black painted eyes optional)
Instructions: There was a small group of fly tyers in extreme northeastern Wisconsin (Florence and Forest Counties) during the late 1940s and 1950's that based their streamers on the old Maine patterns (such as Carrie Stevens famous ties) but were limited in their ability to get many of the materials needed for the originals. They freely substituted more easily obtainable materials for hard to get items. For example squirrel tail and bucktail for the various colors of streamer hackle. Another favorite substitute was marabou for the colored hackle. This was carried over to wet flies also. The flies caught trout in that era and still do. Some of these old tyers included Fay Marsh and Ed Bergman of Crandon, Bob Mentz of Laona, Joe Bouck (my father) and Woody Hablitzel of Long Lake among others. I was surprised how often they used to get together and compare notes. Now for the instructions: The hook is pretty much up to the tyer as to size and style. The ribbing was originally narrow tinsel but wire works well. They stressed that too much flash was worse then no flash. They used floss for the body but uni-stretch works well today and keeps its color even when wet. Grey squirrel tail replaced the feather wings. One has to be careful to keep the wings fairly sparse and just a little longer then the bend of the hook to prevent the tail of getting tangled in the bend of the hook. It is often a good idea to put head cement on the tie in spot for the wings as squirrel tail is very slippery. The hackle is grizzly and should be as soft and webby as you can find. Eyes painted on the head are optional. Best of luck, RussB
Mrs Simpson
by Big Al
Hook - Mustad 9672 size 2-10 (6)
Thread - Black 6/0
Tail - Black Squirrel Tail or Kip Tail
Underbody - Red or Yellow or Green Chenille or Wool
Body/Wing - Ringneck Pheasant Body(rump) Feathers 2 or 3 overlapping on each side Church window feathers can also be used
Head - Tying thread coated with your favorite head cement
Yellow Fox Streamer:
Ttied by Scott Obremski
HOOK: #6-#14 Standard 4X long streamer hook (Mustad 79580, Mustad R74, Daiichi 2220, etc. I use size #8 and #10 the most.)
THREAD: Black
HEAD: Black glass bead (I use black glass craft beads from Michael’s)
TAIL: Yellow marabou
BODY: Kreinik gold braid (also from Michael’s - look in the needlepoint area)
UNDERWING: Yellow marabou.
OVERWING: Fox squirrel tail (grey squirrel would probably work, but I prefer Fox squirrel as it adds more red/orange color to the fly. Become/befriend a squirrel hunter or look for roadkill!)
Straightforward tie. I got this pattern from Ross Mueller’s second book Fly Fishing Midwestern Spring Creeks--Angler's Guide to Trouting the Driftless Area. It has been a great pattern especially during the early season in the SW, but catches fish everywhere I use it. I think it may be taken as a baby brown trout. A friend of mine who frequently spinfishes for trout called it the fly equivalent of the gold and black Rapala. A single yellow fox was responsible for a banner day including a grand slam out of a single hole a couple of years ago during the early season on a creek in the SW. I highly recommend both of Ross Mueller’s books.
Shad Minnow
By LabRat
Thread: White
Hook: Mustad C52S BLN #4 2x Long Stinger/Deerhair
Pillow: Red Embroidery Yarn
Underbody: Pearl Krystal Flash
Belly : Pearl Angel Hair
Wing : Silver Angel Hair over Pearl Angel Hair
Lateral Line: Holographic Tinsel
Topping: Peacock Herl
Cheek : Mallard Flank
TYING STEPS
1. Mount the hook in the vise and start your thread just behind the eye.
2. Wrap the thread back to the halfway point of the shank and tie in a short length of bright red yarn. The yarn will form the “pillow” of the fly. Wrap about 1/4” of hook shank with red yarn to form a bump in the middle of the shank.
3. For this fly I like to use head cement or superglue between every step to hold everything in place and reinforce the fly. I do not usually do this, but the Angel Hair synthetic is a very slippery material and using cement will help hold the fly together. Trust me, it is worth the effort to use it.
4. Clip out 15 strands or so of pearl Krystal Flash for the underbody. Tie the Krystal Flash to the top of the hook directly in front of the yarn. Half the length of the material should extend over the eye and the other half should flow to the rear of the hook. The red pillow will prop the material up so that it flows up and away from the hook shank.
5. Take the Krystal Flash material that is jutting over the eye and bring it under the shank. Wrap the thread back towards the tail of the fly to lock in the material, making a “V” shaped underbody for the fly. It is the springy nature of the Krystal Flash that will support the Angel Hair and give this fly its form and swimming action.
6. Select enough Pearl Angel Hair to make the under wing. Keep the amount of material somewhat sparse so the Krystal Flash can shine through. The end, or “tail” of the fly should be uneven. This helps give the fly a tapered profile. Tie in tightly just in front of the Krystal Flash with three to five tight wraps.
7. Rotate your vise (or invert the hook), select the same amount of Pearl Angel Hair for the belly as you used for the under wing and tie in with three to five tight wraps. At this point I overwrap the ends of the Angel Hair all the way up to the hook eye to form a smooth tapered head.
8. Rotate the hook (or invert the hook) so it is right side up again. Bring your thread back to the point where you tied in the Pearl Angel Hair.
9. Select a bit less Silver Angel Hair than the Pearl used for the underbody. Tie this in over the white underwing to form the darker upper flank of the shad imitation. Tie in with three to five tight wraps.
10. At this point once again I overwrap the ends of the Angel Hair all the way up to the hook eye to keep a smooth tapered head. I also am generous with the head cement to really bond all the slippery Angel Hair in to place.
11. Cut a strip of medium holographic silver tinsel and measure it so it is as long as the wing. Tie the tinsel in so that about 1/8” extends in front of the hook eye. This means the tail of the tinsel will be a bit shorter than the body of the fly. Tie in the tinsel with two wraps of thread, then fold the excess back. Take two more wraps of thread to lock the tinsel in place. Repeat on the other side of the hook.
12. Select two nicely marked mallard flank feathers and measure them so they are about one half the length of the finished fly. Strip the excess barbs from the bottom of each feather, matching them to each other for length and shape. Tie one on each side of the fly as a cheek to make the head and upper body of the shad.
13. Select three thick peacock herl strands. Measure them so they are just a bit shorter than the upper wing. Tie in the peacock herls on top of the Silver Angel Hair wing to form the dark back of the minnow.
14. Overwrap the entire head with thread to form a smooth well tapered head and generously wet with head cement. Whip finish.
15. After the head cement is fully dry, apply a drop of gel superglue to the mallard flank just behind the thread head. Stick an eye to each side of the fly just behind the thread head. The eye is a critical strike trigger for this pattern. Select an eye that is, proportionally, just a little larger than life. 
Royal Coachman
by Flue
Hook: Mustad 3399, #8
Tag: Flat Gold Tinsel
Tail: Red
Rib: Flat Gold Tinsel
Body: Green Floss
Hackle: Grizzly
Wing: Gray Mallard
Hook: Mustad 9672
Thread: 6/0 uni black
Body: saltwater crystal flash
Ribbing: green wire
Tag: flourescent red marabou
Underwing: pearl angle hair
Wing: fox squirrel tail
Thread: Black 3/0
Tail: 4 strands peacock herl, butt ends out
Body: peacock/scarlet floss/peacock
Wing: squirrel tail over peacock pearl krystal flash
Hackle: brown
Head: finished with Sally Hansen Hard as Nails
Hook - Mustad 9672 size 2-10 (6)
Head - Copper bead head
Thread - Olivek 6/0
Tail - Olive marabou & gold crystal flash
Body -Olive Anton with olive hen hackle palmered over the body with a gold rib.
I have caught a few trout on this fly over the years, but last year I had it with me while fishing for smallies on the Wolf River. The smallies could not leave it alone, I fished it by casting a crossed the river and swinging it down stream, but before casting it again I would make a few short strips up stream.
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