USD Kossiedun #26

Mick Hall's photography of naturals has inspired my tying during 2009. Tying and fishing small flies is great fun, it's also the very fabric of my fly fishing experience. There are a multitude of tiny mayflies in Australia that Mick has photographed, particularly tiny Baetidae so the fun is amplified by taking inspiration from naturals, albeit they inhabit the southern hemisphere.

The TMC 100BL is a useful hook pattern for tying adult USD Baetids. The long shank provides plenty of room to work with and the bend is neatly proportioned so as not to get in the way when tying or fishing USD. Oh, and it's barbless... a feature I really appreciate.

Tying methodology is based on Roy Christie's instructions - minus the posted-wing, countered with an additional turn of hackle.

Thanks again Mick and Roy.

TMC 518 #32 USD

The upside-down style of fly design is nothing new, Roy Christie's been designing flies this way for over thirty years. It's something I've studied closely yet rarely tie and fish, despite the incredible foot-print and profile the design affords. I also have some unqualified reservations about hooking ability, which should be effectively overcome by tying small, only the smallest of trout will fail to inhale such a diminuitive fly.

Transfering the design to a TMC 518 #32 demands other considerations. The tails are two coq de leon barbs, providing neat barring using a very soft material that will readily bend in the trouts mouth. Tie in at the bend to lift the tails above the waters surface when fished. Hackling a #32 demands the smallest of feathers, which can be found on most genetic capes, and Whiting's midge saddles.

Palmer the hackle from rear to behind the eye, gently split on the top and hold apart using a length of Niche Midge Wing to form a shimmering thorax cover. This is easy to do as the hook is held is in the vice in the traditional way with the midge wing pulled over the top of the hook shank to split the wing/legs with hackle.

The result is robust as hell, features a fantastic profile and footprint, and further demonstrates the many design and pattern options that can be applied to this smallest of hooks.


Hook: TMC 518 #32
Thread: Gudebrod 12/0 light grey
Tails: Coq de Leon (thanks Lars)
Hackle: Whiting Midge Saddle, brown
Thorax cover: Niche Midge Wing

Gareth's Sparkle Chironomid

Hook: Varivas 2200BL-B, #24
Thread: Roman Moser Power Silk 10/0, grey
Body: Pearl
Thorax: Squirrel
Wing: CDC, natural

Gareth Lewis is a small fly tier and fisher from South Wales. He regularly updates his fantastic blog with small fly patterns, fishing reports and some very, very cool posts covering essential advice on reel maintenance and bamboo rods. The Sparkle Chironomid above is Gareth's and it's one peach of a fly, and a proven pattern on his home waters. Flies as good as these always catch my attention - the stray guard hairs suggesting newly emerged legs, the movement in the thorax and the brilliant sheen of the mylar ribbed abdomen are such effective triggers.

This is inspired tying.

So I hope I Gareth doesn't mind me applying a little smallflyfunk to his pattern, the fly below is tied on a #30 Varivas 2210, and his CDC is replaced with Niche Midge Wing.


Thanks for the inspiration Gareth, I look forward to catching your new posts and following your adventure.

TMC 200R #20 generic emerger

Hook: TMC 200R #20
Thread: Sheer 14/0 claret
Abdomen: turkey biot
Shuck: Niche Shuck Yarn
Wing: Niche Siliconised Polypropylene Yarn
Thorax: Fly-rite #28


I'm already thinking about the 2010 season, and studying the pupal and emerger phases of the midge lifecycle in anticipation. I'll apply Dilly Wax to the stubby wing on this generic emerger, which should be good for half-a-dozen drifts, then explore just an inch or so sub-surface.

Tie the wing in at the back of the thorax, in the plane of the hook shank. Make several wraps of dubbed thread forward then fold the wing back and bind down again. This makes for a full and natural wing profile.

Daiichi 1273 #22

Hook: Daiichi 1273 #22
Thread: Sheer 14/0 black


This ultra-simple pattern uses the red hook to produce an imitative chironomid pupa. Form a pronounced rear-end, a subtle but effective trigger to differentiate your fly from the natural. Cord the thread super-tight to form a ribbed body.

A single application of Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails and your done. Or apply multiple layers to build a cool profile and added transparent depth.

Southern Comfort

A few months ago the board on Sexyloops featured some cool #22's tied by a guy called Ally McDonald. Seems that small hooks are hard to source in Australia (Ally's from Scotland, now living in Victoria) so I posted off a selection of hooks, mainly #24 - #28's with a handful of #30's and #32's in a range of patterns, some Whiting Midge saddle hackle and a few flies.

I've yet to see Allie's latest work, but he has been in touch.... the magazine shown below arrived in today's post.


Published by Australian Fishing Network, Flyfisher is pitched as relevant, sophisticated and cutting edge and it's very hard to disagree. This is a large format magazine (310 x 260mm) and printed on 128 gsm high gloss art paper, focusing on the scene in Australia, NZ and the Pacific Basin. Published twice a year, this is a unique magazine similar in style to some of the high-end surfing magazines I've seen on friends coffee tables. The writing, photography and even the advertising are very much on the next level. At the expense of raising a few eyebrows, publishing of this quality puts the monthly printed output in the UK to shame... I'd much rather receive something this good twice a year.


This copy features a fantastic article written by Mick Hall and includes amazing macro photography of the tiny duns found in Australia, and lots of his own exquisite patterns. Mick is a master of imitation, he matches wing, thorax and body colour with staggering integrity.

As I said, even the advertising is something special - Hardy girls move over, the Reddington model just took centre stage...

Big THANKS Ally - this is a seriously good journal, looking forward to seeing more of your flies.