What You’ll Need
Hook
Standard Nymph #14- 20 or 200 R
TAIL
Dun hackle fibers, use about 8 to 12 strands
Thread
UTC 70 color to match body, olive
Body
Thread
WING
CDC white or gray
THORAX
Antron
Step 1
Start your thread at the front of the hook (a little past the eye).
Step 2
I like to use the pre-made tails with the watershed already on them. Now you can tie the tail two ways and it’s really up to the way the trout prefers it in your waters. I’m tying mine with only a few strands, but I’ve seen them tied with a clump of hackle fibers. Whitish looking tails are what the trout prefer around here.
Step 3
When you tie in the tail. Make sure you tie it along the hook shank keeping the body the same diameter. Since the base will be a smooth foundation of thread only it’s important to keep the thread side by side. I like to use a floss thread so it lays flatter on the hook. If you use a waxed type thread you won’t get the same results. It will look more like segmentations of thread. Uni-thread is the worst when tying thread body flies. If I’m not seeing the thread because I built up material for the body then you can’t go wrong with uni-thread. Just something to keep in mind. Wind the thread back up close to the eye. You’ll need to leave a little room for the CDC.
Step 4
If you tied with mayfly tails then as you can see I tied them in all the way along the hook shank. Cut off any ones that are going forward.
You’ll need one CDC puff. There’s two types of CDC (cul-de-canard) you can tie with. You can tell the two apart pretty easy. There is a third one that just came out called super select that is some of the best I’ve seen. Wapsi is the one producing it.
Step 5
Pinch the CDC from the back and tie it in. Your going to tie the whole puff in so don’t worry about the length. It will be cut after the fly is complete.
Step 6
This won’t require a lot of Antron. You can use what ever color you want. I like mine to match the body of the fly, but I have seen it tied with another color to offset the fly. It’s really up to you. You only need enough to cover the thread. I make about two full turns with the dubbing. Whip finish the fly.
Step 7
When I trim the puff I like to fold it to where it almost meets up to the bend, but NOT past the bend. Hold it tight and make one solid cut and it should turn out perfect. This is what it should look like. They’re meant to be tied real sparse. Don’t over due it or they won’t look right to the fish. Midges are suppose to be small in profile.
