Keeping It Simple
by Marshall Douglas Hepner

There are many styles of flies these days. What I mean by this is not so much as the different types of flies such as dry, wet, nymph, streamer etc., but the complexity of the fly itself. There are flies that range from nothing more than a thread wrapped hook, all the way to the most extravagant realistic fly that is hardly detectible by the human eye from the real thing even under a magnifying lens! But there is actually two basic qualifications to selling a fly. It either has to catch fish or catch fishermen. I would like to address the first one, catching fish but with a “simple” twist. That is to say, keeping it basic so it is quick to tie yet durable and most importantly, produces fish!

When I come up with a fly design, I spend days thinking of it in my head, I have been known to lock myself in a room (except for bathroom breaks and meals) and not come out until I have made a fly pattern simple enough that I can tie several flies in just minutes. To me, this is what makes a fly pattern great! Most of us have had that hesitation to tie on that difficult pattern that took us 3 hours at the vise just to lose it 5 minutes after the first cast. But, if we had less materials, less expense, an easier fly to tie, that was durable and built to hold up to more than a few fish, you wouldn’t think twice about putting that fly on the line would you?

I remember the very first fly I ever tied. To explain it, I must take you back a ways. You see, my uncle first taught me the joys of fly fishing warm waters for bass and bluegills using a foam spider. I was so enamored with this new sport I asked him if I could have one of the “flies” so that I may try and duplicate it when I got home and so he gave me one (I still have it, thanks uncle Jerry!). I found a piece of junk vice in the corner of an old tackle shop. The owner of the shop didn’t charge extra for the dust that came on the box, so I thought it was a bargain. I soon was making my first attempt at a foam spider. My spider was a diamond shaped snip of beer coozy and 2 pieces of rubber band strapped to each side with sewing thread on a #12 bait hook, and it, in NO WAY, resembled the original. But it DID catch fish. You see, in those days, in my neck of the woods, you couldn’t find fly tackle much less fly tying materials. Things have improved now, and with the internet things are now available I could only dream of back then. Of course I had years of practice still to work through before I finally perfected that spider. Now I teach my niece how to tie flies in hopes to pass it on.

I used to look for old bungee cords on the side of the road so I could cut the rubber out of them to use for legs for my flies. Now I use silly legs. I use a lot of foam, sheet foam and fly foam. Sometimes, I still cut up the beer coozy. I also use a lot of copper, brass, or silver wire in my flies to add flash and durability. Larva Lace is also a good choice that adds durability and makes the fly look extra buggy!

Lately the emphasis on tying flies has gone to “realistic” or artistic patterns that require a lot of time at the vise. I believe that the true heroes of the vise are the guys who create the patterns that minimizes the time at the vise and maximizes our time on the water. I believe the best flies are the simple ones that produce fish day in day out. Some people call these “guide” flies, I call them practical. So by all means, take that extra time at the vise, not to make that fly perfectly lifelike, but to make it simpler and easier to tie for the rest of us. You never know, you may get a great fly pattern named after you someday!

 

About the author:

Marshall Hepner grew up in north central Texas and now resides in southern Oklahoma. He has been a fisherman and outdoor enthusiast for almost 40 years. He worked in a sporting goods section of a department store in Denison, Texas in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s where he could hone his fly fishing and tying skills. Most of those years he spent tying flies for warm water fishing near home, but now enjoys tying flies for trout fishing as well. He caught the trout fishing “bug” fishing the Blue River near Tishomingo, Oklahoma. He also fishes the Lower Mountain Fork at Beaver’s Bend and the lower Illinois River near Tenkiller also in Oklahoma.

 

Fly Recipes:

Fly: Red Thorax Midge
Type: Midge
Natural: Midge Pupae (Diptera)
Tier: Marshall D. Hepner
Hook: 2XW 2XS Pupae/Nymph   Size # 20 - 24
Thread: Bright Red                 

Step Part  Material    

Thorax; Red Thread;
Rib; Fine Silver Wire;
Body; Red Thread;

- Tying Notes -

Tie on red thread at middle of hook and wind thread back to bend of hook. Tie in fine silver wire and wrap red thread back to just behind thorax area of hook. Wrap fine silver wire up to just in front of hook eye. Wind thread around hook enough to build up thorax then whip finish and apply head cement.

Fly: Royal Nugget

Type: Nymph

Natural: Midge Pupae (Diptera)

Designer: Marshall D. Hepner

Tier: Marshall D. Hepner

Hook: Standard Dry   Size: #10 XL

Thread: Black                      

- Recipe -

Step Part         Material     Style

Head; Brass Bead Chain;
Thorax; Peacock Herl; Coarse
Abdomen; Red Floss;
Ribbing; Copper Wire; Fine
Tail; Pheasant Tail Fibers;

- Tying Notes -

Start black thread in the middle of  hook. Tie Pheasant Tail fibers in at the bend. Tie in floss and fine copper wire at the bend. Wind the thread to about 1/3 from eye of hook. Wrap floss forward and tie in with thread. Wrap the copper as ribbing and tie in with thread. Tie in 1 coarse peacock herl or black ostrich herl and wrap to 1/8 behind eye and tie it down. Take a piece of bead chain and cut it so you have 1 piece of chain with 2 beads attached. Tie on with figure eight wraps just behind eye. Whip finish and apply head cement.