Tiny Shuttlecock

A fly for the times when the Grayling play it difficult and get selective on emerging olives. Depending on how you grease it with CDC oil it could imitate an emerger (only the tuft greased) or a stillborn (whole fly greased).

The tie:
#18 Hanák 130 BL
17/0 UNI Trico Thread white
Mink dubbing Light Olive
very thin copper wire ribbing
Australian Opossum mixed with Claret UV flash for thorax
2 CDC feathers for the tuft

Smrdutý Opossum / Stinky Opossum

Not a fancy pattern, more of a "pork & beans" approach. It takes name from its chief ingredient  - hair of the Australian Opossum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and a famous quote from a Czech 60s cult movie Limonádový Joe: Did you just call me an opossum? No, I called you a stinky opossum!

The tie:
#10 wet fly hook
6/0 UNI Thread Gray
eyes from kitchen sink chain
Australian Opossum tail
Gray Hare and Seal dubbing mixture

Drowning Beetle

With the trout season progressing to its close (and prime Grayling fishing drawing near, muhawha....!) the terrestrials are becoming more and more important.

This fly truly made my day on a recent trip to my favorite small stillwater. A light breeze brought a steady fall of all kinds of bugs to the water, and the resident rainbows were munching on them as on some sort of rare delicacy.

The tie:
#12 Tiemco 2487BL hook
8/0 UNI Thread black
1/0 UNI Neon Burnt Orange tag
two fibres of Peacock Herl for body
very thin copper wire ribbing
Tiemco Aero Dry Wing tied cross wise (as when tying spent mayflies)
low quality black rooster feather (to add movement rather than flotation)