Great Fly Patterns for Late Fall/ Winter Trout... 

Step by Step Recipes for Each Fly

    Tying Jeff's Beadhead Rainbow Egg

If I were to try to pick a fly that day in and day out and especially in fall and winter tears up big fish it would be hard to beat an egg.  A large one, small one, a micro one.....fish eat them.  Even that wise old brown trout that normally rises to small baetis or midges, the one you've elevated to 'royalty' status...well, let's face it he eats eggs too.  Simply put, there's no where trout exist where or when at some point they don't eat eggs.  Not sure why folks sometimes get bent out of shape over using an egg, like somehow it is cheating, but the fact is it is just as much a legitimate food source and fly pattern as anything you'd tie on the end of your leader.  In fact, it is more a natural food item than many of the flies we fish with...tied with synthetics, attractor flies that bear no resemblance to anything that ever lived or crawled in a trout stream.  You still have to make good casts, get good drifts.....   In any case, this is one killer pattern...tie up a few and you'll see what I mean. Click here for the step by step recipe .

  Tying Jeff's Biot CDC Angora Emerger

This is a great  "damp" emerger pattern (tied in various body colors), or as an emerger that is swung downstream on a tight line or in front of rising fish that seemed to have spurned every fly in the box.  I often save any flies like this that are worn and won't float well anymore and keep them in my "chewables" section - - -these are great wet/damp emerger patterns for swinging in front of fish.  These flies work.    They have a neat, slim profile and construction, are tied with natural, wiggly material, and fish love them.  I have used these to great effect on our small streams, on tailwaters like the South Holston, Watauga, Smith, and Jackson Rivers, and also on some of the most difficult trout water out West.  They work especially well on area tailwaters under wet/soggy/rainy conditions (hint SoHo and Watauga)....I believe in part due to two things:  One is during wet conditions there are a greater percentage of flies that can't get off the water quickly because they can't get their wings dry; Two is during wet soggy weather there's a high percentage of cripples due to the pelting of the surface by rain...I have seen in over and over in over 20yrs on those rivers and many others.    At times these guys can save the day.  Tie up a few and give them a try- - - fish them to rising fish, swing them in front of rising fish, or fish them down and across, using a strip/pause retrieve- - - if you do the last one make sure you have a heavier tippet or you'll get the fly and tippet taken away from you.  Enjoy...!  For the step by step recipe click here .

  Tying Jeff's Adult Blackfly
If you were to try to find one more misunderstood insect and its emergence characteristics it would be hard to find one more so than the Blackfly.  e Simulium is a common tailwater insect, most notably on the South Holston River in East Tennessee, formerly on the Jackson River below Gathright Dam, but it is also found in and is widespread in small streams as well.  Some local waters, Stone Mtn State Park, South Mtns, Watauga River, etc., and others, all these places have excellent populations of blackflies.  So why not imitate them?  When you see rises in cool/cold weather in slower pools often the fish are either rising to small bwos, midges, or blackflies, all of these, or some combination thereof.  But few folks imitate them, or at least realize what the fish are eating, and many unproductive angling hours result.  This is a pattern I created years ago, and was one of many flies that were featured in the book "Trout Flies of the East:  Best Contemporary Patterns from East of the Rockies"  by Jim Schollmeyer and Ted Leeson.  From that book the blackfly larva pattern I designed has become a tailwater go to fly for many folks in our area.  Its a simple pattern and is effective when tied in size 18-28.  I consider it a year round fly to have in a SoHo box, and suspect these little critters whenever there are those slow (as the English would say 'smutting') rises that look like little pin pricks on the surface- - - -because sometimes that is exactly what the fish are eating.  I like this fly in Black, gray, or olive.  All three work, if I settled on one it would be black. Click here for a step by step recipe.

  Tying Jeff's Leadeye Trout Bunny
I must confess......I am not a purist and occasionally I love to throw streamers.  I love them all.  And patterns tied with rabbit fur or rabbit strips I especially love.  They move, they breathe, they have incredible action........and fish love them.    One of my favorites for many, many years for big fish has been a zonker.  One, it has a lot of fish appeal and sports a great profile as a seemingly tasty mouthful for a fish.  Few materials breathe with lifelike action like rabbit fur, and this fly is no exception.  One trick I have always liked is not lashing the end of the rabbit strip down; many other tyers, Dan Bailey of "Dan Baileys Fly Shop MT" fame does likewise, and it really adds to the action of the fly.  Adding flash material as a tail makes a real difference as well, it gives tantalizing flash and moves alot due to the "turbulence" and displacement of water that is caused by the movement of the rabbit strip.  Tie up a few and try them, I think you'll agree they are a killer.  One tip, tie  the zonker strip as shown as tying them longer accounts for some short strikes and the strip will foul on the hook .  Its interesting how many folks never or have never fished anything but wooly buggers for trout and other species.  This is a great fly to add to a southeastern US trout and smallmouth box.  When tied in all white it is a smoking hot streamer pattern for browns on East TN's South Holston and Watauga tailwaters....I used to love slinging them during high water floats on the SoHo.  Tan, Gray, White, Black, Olive, all are good colors.  Few materials have the movement of rabbit hide/hair,  they almost "breathe"- - -saying   "I'm alive...."  to any predator fish nearby.  The eyes on the bottom make it track nice and straight, and it has a great up and down action.  I tie a lot of my rabbit strip patterns this way.  Try a few out, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.  For the recipe click here.

                                                                                                                   



We have several video clips you might find interesting and useful.  Visit our You Tube channel click here .




  Check out our Fly Tying Website  -  We have been working feverishly on our  fly tying website designed to work in conjunction with the other resources we have available here.  You can check out this site here .

                                                   More Fly Tying Video Clips...

   Tying the Parachute Adams
Click Here for Video Clip
(filmed by Tom Tackson of T5 Video)


  Tying the Bunny Leech
Click Here for Video Clip
(filmed by Tom Jackson of T5 Video)


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Jeffrey Wilkins Fly Fishing
         3703 Windspray Court   Summerfield, NC 27358  (336) 644-7775   
          jeff@jeffreywilkinsflyfishing.com      www.jeffreywilkinsflyfishing.com