This week’s classic video from Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions isn’t really about a single fly pattern, but about a style of fly that he calls “tuft and tail.” These are mostly simple emerger patterns that follow a similar design: a sparse tail, tapered body, small thorax, and some kind of puffy wing. Examples of these from the Orvis catalog include the RS2, the CDC Mayfly Emerger, and the Bread Line Emerger.
In this typically excellent video, Flagler explains the simplest, most efficient way to create patterns of any color or materials that fit this mold. His Olive Tuft-and-Tail Emerger should perform well during the hatches of tiny olives that occur across the country at this time of year.
Olive Tuft-and-Tail Emerger
Hook: Dry/emerger hook (here a Dai-Riki #310), size 22.
Thread: Light olive, 8/0 or 70-denier.
Tail: Wood duck flank-feather fibers.
Wing: Fluff from the base of a wood duck feather.
Thorax: Dark olive rabbit-fur dubbing.