Mayflies are some of the prominent food source for trout. Whether they are in the nymph stage, emerging, or adult. Trout love eating mayflies. Many patterns like the Adams tend to focus on imitating an adult mayfly sitting on top of the water. However a somewhat large percentage of mayflies tend to get stuck in their shuck, or emerge out of their casing without all the normal body parts, like one or both wings. These mayflies generally cannot fly, or are slower to get off the water film, and trout know this. Just like any predatory animal, going for the weak or helpless represents an easy meal. A trout knows that an injured mayfly is an easy meal as they will not start to fly away and will give the trout time to rise up to eat. And this is what the last chance cripple (or any other cripple mayfly) represents. It looks like it only has one wing, in which the wing is either not developed or stuck in its shuck. I have seen trout pass up live mayflies only to eat my cripple fly thinking it will be an easy meal.
Not only are these flies extremely effective at enticing weary trout. But they are very easy to tie, and relatively inexpensive as well. I can tie a dozen or more of these in an hour, filling up my fly box quickly. The materials are very inexpensive as well, with the most expensive component being the hackle. A decent cape can run around $40-60 (you dont need anything higher end than that). However one cape can tie up to 1000 of these flies since your only making 3 wraps with the hackle. Step up to a high quality saddle and you might get 5k or more flies out of that. A package of CDC can tie 2-3 dozen, or you can buy bulk CDC and tie 100's. The tailing packs run $15 or so, and will tie 1000's of these flies. One package of dubbing also will tie 100's to thousands. A turkey biot pair will also get you 100's of flies and they dont cost much either. So while some of the materials are pricy investments to start, once you have them, they will tie more flies than you can probably use in a lifetime of fishing for the average fisherman.
Materials
_____________
Hooks: Risen Dry Fly 100 (size 16) - https://www.risenfly.com/collections/hooks/products/barbless-dry-fly-100
Thread: Veevus 10/0 (light Cahill) - https://amzn.to/3Z3rwkE
Tail: CDL Rooster Feather (dark pardo) - https://amzn.to/4kaaEkR
Shuck: Flouro Fiber - https://amzn.to/4jomOFw
Body: Turkey Biot (olive) - https://amzn.to/45uzeIl
Glue: Super Glue - https://amzn.to/44WoD8L
Dubbing: Beaver Plus (tan) - https://amzn.to/43xtxXt
Wing: CDC Feather (blue dun) - https://amzn.to/4kClPCu
Hackle: Rooster Saddle (grizzly) - https://amzn.to/3SejqBI
Resin: Solarez Ultra Thin - https://solarez.com/fly-tie-ultra-thin-bone-dry-clear.html
Tools Used:
____________________
Vise: Renzetti Traveler - https://amzn.to/2t2FFmo
Bobbin: Stonfo Bobtec - https://amzn.to/2YWOf39
Scissors: Risen Spring Assist - https://www.risenfly.com/collections/fly-tying-tools-and-accessories/products/spring-assist-scissors
Whip Finisher: Dr. Slick Brass - https://amzn.to/2tGYwDW
Fly Tying Bench: Oasis Walnut Compact Bench - https://www.oasisbenches.com/oasis-benches/compact-bench/
UV Light: Solarez High Output - https://solarez.com/uv-cure-flashlight-high-output.html
Make sure you check out my sponsor Risen Fly. They have amazing deals on hooks and beads, but also sell some of the best fly rods Ive ever used, and at a price that is very reasonable. With the cost of fly fishing going up every year, it's refreshing to find great quality gear at prices we can all afford. Best off they are offering all of you a discount just for being my subscriber. So go to www.risenfly.com and type in McFly at checkout for 15% off your first order with them.
Also dont forget to pick up one of my fly boxes. I have both magnetic backed and silicone backed, if these sell well I plan on getting more styles as well and maybe even bringing back the shirts that everyone loved years ago. Check out my amazon store front to pick up the boxes. - www.amazon.com/shops/McFlyAngler
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ My Fly Boxes▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Magnetic Fly Box - https://amzn.to/3DBwPQl
Silicone Fly Box - https://amzn.to/40haoIX
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow Me on Social! ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mcflytier/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcflyangler/
- Log in to post comments
