The Green Weeny Matuka

The Green Weeny Matuka

Thread:  6/0 whatever color
Hook:  Size 10-6 2XL streamer hook
Tail/wing:  Olive died grizzly soft hackle
Body:  Your favorite dubbing mix.  I use a little flash on some and a lot on others for varying conditions.
Ribbing:  Wire in copper, black, or red
Collar:  Olive died grizzly soft hackle


The Green Weeny Matuka is just plain killer.  In green, it works as a small rainbow trout.  Using other color combinations will cover any baitfish you'll encounter.  I've even caught ditch pickles bass on Matukas.

Yellow grizzly with a brown collar makes a great brown trout fry
Yellow grizzly with yellow grizzly collar makes a great small perch fly
Red grizzly with green or brown collar makes brook trout fry

Beaverhead brown eats brown trout Matuka

The Flashback Purple Haze Soft Hackle

The Flashback Purple Haze Soft Hackle is a great fly pattern and is effective in all sizes but works best in sizes 22-16.

FB Purple Haze SH

HOOK: Size 22-6 (best in 22-16) - scud or nymph
THREAD: Purple 6/0
RIBBING: Black small diameter wire
FLASHBACK: Medium pearl tinsel
BODY: Thread in small sizes, purple dubbing for larger sizes
THORAX: Hand blend dubbing mix in natural or bright colors with some rabbit fur for texture
SOFT HACKLE: Partridge hackle tips for small sizes, palmered partridge for larger sizes

This fly (in the appropriate sizes) works great for midge, baetis, and caddis hatches. I love to fish soft hackles. When you are doing it right, it is as much fun and requires as much, if not more, skill than dry fly fishing.

Making something look alive with respect to its natural movements can be more challenging than making something look dead or still.    

Bitterroot Skwala Variant

2014 Model Skwala Dry

• Size 10-12 1-2XL Dry Fly Hook.  The curvy, stonefly hooks look great too.
• 6/0 olive thread
• Black craft foam
• Small black wire ribbing
• Goose Biots for tail
• Hand blended dubbing mix
• Old school Fishaus Tackle "Fly Sheet" for wings.  Any sheet wing material would work fine.
• Deer hair overwing
• Silicone legs
• Peacock herl for thorax under-body
• One Grizzly, one brown hackle

This is a variant on a fly that George Kesel ties.  Mine is a bit more involved but I love the silhouette.  The instructions for George's fly was published in the Westslope Chapter of Trout Unlimited's newsletter.  Here's the link: Bitterroot Skwala Tying Instructions Part 1 Bitterroot Skwala Tying Instructions Part 2

Here is the link to the Westslope TU website: http://www.westslopetu.org/