The Black Flymph                                                                                                                                  October 4, 2007

An MLFT Classic go-to fly everyone must have in their fly box

Hook:       3906

Thread:    Chestnut Brown

Body:      Black; beaver, mink, rabbit

Hackle:     Brown (medium ginger through Coachman brown)

Wing:      none

Tail:         none

Comments:

A 3906 size 12 is ‘the best’ size for this fly. It can be tyed on 14, 16, and 18’s. When midges are ‘on’, this pattern even works tyed on a size 20. Try it on the Little Lehigh in the size 20. It is an extremely effective fly for lakes or streams with long flat pools. It can be fished like a normal wet fly and even worked like a streamer; using different speeds from slow to fast when stripping it in. It’s so versatile it can also be fished like a nymph. It’s not particularly effective for selective wild trout but works very well for hatchery fish.

Preparing the dubbing:

The dubbing for this fly is black, hence the name. But, to do it right you should blend your own. The best fur is beaver, which is very smooth and a bit oily to the touch. The preferred blend is to mix about ½ black rabbit to add some guard hairs for a bit of a buggy look to the dubbing. Then add about ½ again some black mink. Go easy on the mink, because mink has a lot of long guard hairs.

Hackle Collar:

The hackle for the collar should be from a low quality dry fly neck or Indian neck. Soft hackle, such as from a hen neck, should be avoided. A soft hackle will collapse around the body of the fly. This is not what we are looking for. With a stiffer hackle it will ‘stand out’ when wet/fished, leaving the tips of the stiffer hackle to provide the motion and pulse. The color can be any of the medium tan’s/ginger’s to mahogany browns.

Tying Hints:

Dub the fur to the tying thread very sparse. Then build up a classic cigar shaped body starting at or slightly past the bend of the hook. Leave enough space toward the eye for 1 to 1 ½ wraps of hackle and a small head. The hackle collar should extend just past the hook bend.

 Fishing Hints:

Most effective when fished two at a time. Make your own mini hatch. Fish it in the film. Fish feed in mainly two zones; on the bottom and just under the surface. This fly is most effective in the film, particularly at the end of the drift when it is swinging back toward the surface. Don’t stop fishing this fly as it rises back to the top at the end of your drift.

 History:

Originally this fly was tyed with orange thread. If you learned it ‘way back when from the club’ you may remember that. But over the years, the thread color changed to match better with the color of the hackle.

  

                                                                                                                     

 Fly design, tyes and instructions by Sam Vigorita. Narrative and photo's by Michael Ebner

© Copyright 2007. This page can not be reproduced without written permission from Sam Vigorita or Michael Ebner