About the Joe's Fly Trout Fly

A friend of mine, Joe, took up fly fishing rather late in life but, with his lovely wife Malve, attacked the sport with such a passion that he quickly made up for any lost time. Joe went for broke, purchasing good fly fishing equipment at the start including float tubes and fly tying supplies. The pattern that we will examine this month was a fly given to me by Joe. Where he obtained this fly I am not sure but I can attest that the fly does work in many BC Interior lakes, including one of my favorites, Campbell Lake, located in the Robbins Range plateau south and east of Kamloops. Either casting from an anchored car topper with a sink tip line or slow trolling on a #2 wet line, the Campbell Lake rainbows seemed to relish Joe's fly, taking it boldly with explosive strikes! I am also happy to report that this fly can be easily tied.

Expert Tip:

I have seen a lot of home invented flies. I am also not the least surprised that most of them work although some far better than others!

Creator of this trout fly: Joe

Tier of this trout fly: Don Haaheim

Country of origin for this trout fly: Canada

This trout fly is designed to be fished on Still Water fish

Dressings

• Hook : Size 8.
• Tail : Deep red marabou.
• Body : Orange wool.
• Hackle : Palmered gray grizzly hackle.
• Thread : Invisible mending.

Start by tying in a marabou tail, dark red in colour. I prefer a thick tail which can be built up by three or four layers of marabou although I make sure that the tail is not too long, no more than 1/2 inch behind the hook bend. Next attach a long lender grizzly hackle tip first to the hook shank and allow it to project past the hook bend. The next step is to wrap an orange wool body hook bend to hook eye, keeping it on the slender side. Now palmer the grizzly hackle from the tail to the hook eye with 5 or 6 evenly spaced wraps. Tie off, cement, and you have just completed Joe's fly. An option is to use some orange or red tying thread to form a head at the hook eye but I have found the fly to be just as successful at least in Campbell Lake without the head! Mustad 9672