The pattern hangs in the water like a mayfly struggling to emerge.
Colorado guide Charlie Craven started as a professional fly tier when he was twelve years old, and his patterns are popular throughout the West. He came up with this fly more than a decade ago during a late-night tying session:
It didn’t strike me as “The One” at the time, but a few drifts over picky fish proved that this fly was special. . . . I attribute the success of the Mole Fly to how it sits in the water, with the hook eye parallel to the surface and the purpose-built, sodden beaver fur body hanging in the film with the CDC wing perched atop.
The pattern has become famous for fooling especially picky trout.
In this great video from Tightline Productions,Tim Flagler walks us through the tying sequence. It’s a pretty simple pattern, using just a hook and three materials, but it requires a light touch. Twist up a few of these and give them a shot when you’re faced with a trout who wants nothing to do with your standard mayfly imitations.
Mole Fly
Hook: Curved-shank emerger hook (Dai-Riki #125), sizes 16-20.
Thread: Olive, 6/0.
Wing: Natural dun CDC puff.
Body (shuck): Brown beaver dubbing.
Head: Tying thread.
This is my new go to emerger, Thank you for sharing.
Henry
The late John Betts showed me this pattern in the early to mid 80s and said it was called a Mole Fly. I’ve used it with great success ever since then, so I really don’t think Craven came up with it.