Published May 31. 2006 - 17 years ago
Updated or edited Nov 12. 2020

Miscellanea Emerger

The idea of Joe Kissane's Miscellanea Emerger is based on the idiom of "throwing in everything but the kitchen sink; however, he couldn't justify the length of "everything but the kitchen sink" for a pattern name, and someone told him that the name Kitchen Sink was already used 

After some experimentation with the pattern I call the Cheap Lazy Bastard, and having read and re-read both LaFontaine's work and Oliver Edwards' recent discussions (FF&FT November, 2005), I came up with a pattern I now call the "Miscellanea Emerger." The idea is based on the idiom of "throwing in everything but the kitchen sink; however, I couldn't justify the length of "everything but the kitchen sink" for a pattern name, and someone told me the name Kitchen Sink was already used—so there you have it. I have made an effort to include as many potential trigger aspects of an emerger as I could within reason.

The originator

There are some items that experience tells us work well in flies—peacock and ostrich herl, pheasant tail feathers, gold ribbing, Antron , rubber legs and bead heads fall into this category for me. The centipede legs are a finer version of conventional rubber legs, and I think do a nice job of achieving the outrigger appearance that Oliver Edwards prescribes for caddis pupa. They are easier for me to use—and they may be more durable than the hackle barbs—and the speckled variety just plain look buggy.
The Antron sheath is a concession to LaFontaine, and has one potential benefit I have only mentioned in confidential communications before. I was fishing in a heavily stocked trout stream in Missouri and had the opportunity to watch fish react to the Cheap Lazy Bastard last summer. I saw fish take the fly in their mouths only to have the sheath appear to catch on their teeth like dental floss.
When they shook their head to free it, the hook set itself on one occasion and on another, I simply flicked my wrist to set the hook. When I described this to LaFontaine's good friend, Stan Bradshaw, he gave me a tongue-in-cheek admonishment for breach of fly-fishing ethics—dental micro snagging. I have had fish take this fly at every stage of presentation—dead drift, sinking, gradual rise and slow retrieve to active retrieve—even as I was picking up for another cast.

Miscellanea Emerger
Pattern type: 
Emerger
Originator: 
Joe Kissane
Everything but the kitchen sink...

After some experimentation with the pattern I call the Cheap Lazy Bastard, and having read and re-read both LaFontaine’s work and Oliver Edwards’ recent discussions (FF&FT November, 2005), I came up with a pattern I now call the “Miscellanea Emerger.” The idea of the is based on the idiom of “throwing in everything but the kitchen sink; however, I couldn’t justify the length of “everything but the kitchen sink” for a pattern name, and someone told me the name Kitchen Sink was already used – so there you have it. I have made an effort to include as many potential trigger aspects of an emerger as I could within reason.

Materials: 
Hook
Tiemco TMC 100 or similar, # 10 –16
Thread
White 6/0 Uni-thread or similar – colored olive or brown at head with felt tip pen;
Tail
Sparse tan Antron Trailing shuck ¾ length of hook shank;
Abdomen
2-3 strands of peacock herl back over pale olive or green Antron dubbing
Rib
Fine gold tinsel;
Sheath
Pale olive or tan Antron pupal sheath sparsely covering abdomen;
Legs
3 pairs Montana Fly’s (olive, size “mini”) Speckled Centipede 1 Legs, approximately the length of the hook shank.;
Thorax
Brown or olive ostrich herl;
Wing case
Pheasant, bronze turkey or Antron;
Head
Brass or pearl bead.
Skill level/difficulty: 
Easy
Instruction: 
  1. Thread the bead on the hook after pinching the barb.
  2. Tie on thread.
  3. Tie on Antron trailing shuck - can be trimmed later to length
  4. Tie on Antron material for sheath - splitting over and under;
  5. Tie on peacock herl and tinsel for ribbing
  6. Dub body of Antron and pull peackock herl across top/back of abdomen or;
  7. wrap peacock herl abdomen, leaving enough space between bead and abdomen
  8. for thorax, tie off with thread and trim excess.
  9. Wrap tinsel rib in opposite direction of body materials, tie off with thread and trim excess.
  10. Pull Antron sheath forward and sparsely splay around abdomen, tie off and either trim excess, or simply flare backward.
  11. Tie in centipede legs - may be trimmed to length later.
  12. Tie in wing case material (pheasant tail, bronze turkey or Antron)
  13. Tie in 2 strands of ostrich herl
  14. Wrap each strand of ostrich herl 2-3 times to form thorax - you may wrap between centipede legs to splay them apart. Tie off and trim excess.
  15. Pull wing case material forward, tie off and trim excess
  16. Color 4 inches of thread with felt tip pen, whip finish, trim and cement head.
  17. Trim legs and trailing shuck to appropriate lengths - trailing shuck should be trimmed "ragged."

Comments

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Is there a photo for this pattern? I have a hard time visualizing the finished product from the material description.

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