2025 Cornhusker Flyfishers Fly of the Month
January – John Newbury – Dirty Hipster
Name: Dirty Hipster
Originator: John Newbury
Tier: Matt Buck – Snake River Fly
Hook: MoonLit Jig Hook, # 14
Bead: 2.5 mm slotted yellow tungsten
Weight: 0.020 lead wire – 6 to 7 wraps
Thread: 50 denier nano-silk - black
Tail: Coq De Leon – Ginger Speckled – a feather from Hareline Dubbin Inc. (looks like mallard flank feather would substitute well)
Rib: Ultra wire #8 hot yellow color
Body: Hare’s ear dubbing natural color
Legs: Snake River Fly Lazer Legs – Golden Stone
Thorax: Dazel Hare’s Ear – Black
YouTube tying tutorial - Dirty Hipster Euro nymph fly tying tutorial
February – Beck’s Damsel Nymph
Name: Beck’s Damsel Nymph #2
Originator: Gerry Beck
Tier: Gerry Beck
Hook: Mustad 9671, # 8.
Thread: UNI 8/0 olive.
Tail: Olive rabbit fur – 3/8” beyond bend.
Rib: Fine gold wire.
Underbody: Silver Mylar tinsel.
Body: Olive dubbing mixture, seal and muskrat; very sparse.
Legs and Wingcase: Olive (dyed) mallard flank feather.
Thorax: Olive dubbing mixture, seal and muskrat.
Head: Olive.
Tying Notes:
The mallard flank feather is tied in by the stem at the end of the body. The stem faces forward. The tips of the feather should reach the tip of the tail (important).
After the thorax is dubbed, bring the mallard feather forward over the thorax to form a wingcase. The tips are now divided and bent rearward to make legs. Start with the near side first, tie down, and then do the back side. Make a neat head. Trim some of the fibers leaving only a few for legs.
Origins
A variation of this pattern started much smaller, close to Beck’s Damsel Nymph #1. The black crappie of Minniwasta Lake (southern Manitoba) loved it. However, with the small hook I was losing too many so I started tying it on a larger hook. The crappies liked it just as much and many trout have fallen for it as well. The pattern is tied in several shades of olive and brown. However, the top gun for crappies is tied with a slightly different body: Glo Brite fluorescent synthetic yarn (bright green, shade # 12); and rib: fine oval gold tinsel. I have caught hundreds of crappie on this pattern but haven’t fished Minniwasta for several years as I’ve found crappie much closer to home.
Glo Brite Version
Darker Version
March – Poor Man’s Whistler
Name: Poor Man’s Whistler
Originator: Dan Blanton – Flashtail Whistler
Tier: ?
Hook: Maruto 1920 - #4/0
Thread – heavy white kevlar
Eyes: #10 bead chain
Thread: 50 denier nano-silk - black
Tail: Flashabou - Gold
Body: Slinky fibre – Yellow; Mirror Image – Red
Head: red marker to color thread head
YouTube tying tutorial - Tying the Poor Man's Whistler
April - Joe Brooks Marablonde
MATERIALS:
Hook: Streamer Size 6-10
Weight: Lead Wire Wraps
Thread: 6/0 to match
Tail: Marabou Tips & Krystal Flash
Body: Wrapped Krystal Flash
Wing: Marabou Tips
Building on the classic Blonde streamer made popular by fly fishing forefather Joe Brooks, the Marablonde is a crappie-catching machine which substitutes marabou feathers in for the standard bucktail used to tie the original pattern. With its soft, pulsating tail and wing along with a flashy body, the Marablonde is an easy baitfish imitator that works wonders on crappies, white bass and other schooling fish targeting minnows. Like a marabou crappie jig, it should be tied up in a variety of colors to key in on what specks are slamming on a given day. So set aside an hour or so and put together a couple dozen in a variety of hues.
Start the fly by securing the hook in the vise and wrapping lead wire around the hookshank, using smaller diameter wire (.015) for a tinier hook and larger diameter (.025) for a bigger streamer pattern; center it on the shank and secure it with thread wraps and place your thread near the bend (1). Select a pinch of marabou to form the tail of the fly and tie it in by the butts so they sit against the first lead wrap, adjusting the length of the tail as desired (2). Tie in six strands of krystal flash, placing three on each side of the marabou to add a flickering accent and trim it to the length of the tail (3).
From there, tie in six strands of the same krystal flash, twist them into a single strand and advance the thread to the front end of the lead wraps (4). Dubbing, herl, mylar and other flashy materials can be used as at this point in the pattern as well, so feel free to vary the body ingredient with what’s available or most attractive to the fish. Wrap the krystal flash strand forward so it covers the lead wraps and tie it off on the hook eye side of them, trimming the excess and adding a coating of epoxy to secure it (5). Select another pinch of marabou long enough so that the tips reach the end of the tail and tie it in behind the hook eye so that it rests predominantly on top of the body, creating the wing (6). Build a thread head that angles toward the hook eye, whip finish and add a drop of cement for posterity (7).
May: Best Bluegill Fly Ever
MATERIALS:
Hook: Size 10
Bead: Brass
Weight: Lead Wire Wraps 6 or 7
Thread: Black
Tail: Flo Green Flash, black neck hackle barbs
Ribbing: Red Flash single strand
Body: Black dubbing – wrapped tight
Hackle: black neck hackle
Thorax: Brown dubbing
Step 1: bead head and lead wire wraps (6 or 7)
Step 2: wrap lead wraps and tie in florescent green flash for tail
Step 3: tie in neck hackle barbs over green flash for tail
Step 4: Tie in single strand of red flash for ribbing
Step 5: wrap black dubbing for body wrapped tight for thin profile, anchor at the end of the lead wraps
Step 6: wrap red flash forward and anchor at the end of the lead wraps
Step 7: tie in black neck hackle
Step 8: wrap hackle to bead, anchor and trim excess feather, pull fibers back and wrap so they fold back over the body.
Step 9: hackle fibers wrapped so they fold back over the body, whip finish
Step 10: wrap brown dubbing behind head bead to finish body (thorax)
Step 11: finish with UV glue on Thorax dubbing to keep the dubbing from getting chewed up.
Link to You Tube video: Best Bluegill Fly Ever
June – Bluegill Killer
MATERIALS:
Hook: 1X-2X Nymph hook size 10
Weight: Optional - Lead Wire Wraps
Thread: 70 Denier - black
Tail: Round legs – barred orange or red
Body: Medium black chenille
Hackle : Hen Hackle – black or grizzly
Bead : Optional – Brass or Tungsten
Step 1: Create a thread base extending to the bend of the hook – trim excess
Step 2: Tie in a single rubber leg along top of shank. Leave ~1” extending beyond bend. Do not trim excess.
Step 3: Pull back excess rubber leg and tie in at bend of hook
Step 4: Spread rubber legs slightly and trim to ~1 to 2 hook gaps in length
Step 4: Dorsal view of tail
Step 5: Tie in chenille at base of tail. Wrap thread to front of hook shank
Step 6: Wrap chenille forward, secure with thread, and tie in hackle.
Step 7: Wrap hackle, pulling fibers back with each wrap. Secure with thread & trim excess
Step 8: Build thread head , whip finish, and seal head to complete
July: Carp Crack
Creator: Jean Paul Lipton
MATERIALS:
Hook: Scud/Pupa Size 8 - 1X
Eyes: Medium bead eyes
Weight: Lead Wire
Thread: 70 Denier – Orange
Tail: orange and black barred rubber leg
Body: Rusty nail carp dub
Hackle: partridge rump feather
Link to YouTube video - Carp Crack Fly Tying Tutorial
August – Rope Fly for gar
MATERIALS:
Hook: Gamakatsu B190S #4
Eyes: 5.5 mm brass dumbbell eyes (red) or Medium bead eyes
Thread: white Kevlar
Tail/Body: Small nylon rope – white with Krystal Flash
YouTube video link - The Gar Fly | Fly Tying Tutorial
September – Marabou Leech
Name: Marabou Leech
Originator: Various
Tier: Phil Rowley
MATERIALS:
Hook: Daiichi 1720 #10 – 3X long nymph hook
Weight: lead wire 0.015
Thread: Textreme 8/0 or UTC 70, Red
Tail: Marabou – color of choice
Body: Marabou – color of choice
Wings: Marabou – color of choice
YouTube tying tutorial: How to Tie the Marabou Leech-A Classic Stillwater Fly
October: PTO Dreadnought
Name: PTO Dreadnought – Pike Popper
Originator: Mick Trompen
MATERIALS:
Hook:– 1/0 or larger long shank hook of choice
Tail: Neck hackle – choice of color
Body: Sheet foam – markers to make patterns
November – Zug Bug
Name: Zug Bug
Originator: Cliff Zug
Tier: Matt Grobert
MATERIALS:
Hook: 2X-long nymph hook (e.g. Dai-Riki #730), sizes 12–16.
Thread: Black, 6/0.
Tails: Peacock herl.
Rib: Silver tinsel.
Body: Peacock herl.
Legs: Hen hackle.
Wing case: Mallard or wood-duck flank feather.
Head: Tying thread.
Video tying tutorial: Nymph Fly Patterns - Zug Bug
December - Holiday Fly
