About Wings
Historically, quill wings worked well because the tie-in point was small and the wings themselves offered a wide profile, though in my opinion, tying quill wings is becoming somewhat of a lost art. While most wet fly recipes call for quill wings (generally the barbs from a duck’s primary wing feather) some substitutes have effectively been used in the past, and today’s modern materials offer even more possibilities. Traditional quills can also be a little fragile, at least cosmetically, and finding the material in a shop is sometimes easier said than done. I recommend turkey flats because they’re sold in most fly shops and are easier for most tyers to work with compared to quills. I also like genetic hen hackle, schlappen tips, or hackle-tip wings, like the kind used on the Timberline Emerger, an effective Callibaetis pattern.
Timberline Emerger
HOOK: Dai-Riki 060, sizes 8 to 18.
THREAD: Black 8/0.
TAIL: Fluff from pheasant rump.
RID: Copper wire.
BODY: Grey dubbing.
HACKLE: Brown rooster hackle.
WING: Matched grizzly hen hackle.
I’m also a fan of duck feathers for wet-fly wings. Mallard and teal flank are easy to tie onto a hook and they have a nice speckled appearance, and patterns like the Light Cahill or Light Hendrickson and their dark counterparts use wood duck flank fibers, though you can find duck feathers in just about any dyed color. The easiest way to tie them on is to strip the fibers off the stem and tie the bundle onto the hook. You can do the same with plumage from upland birds like pheasants, grouse, or quail, and genetic soft hackle or schlappen fibers are other possibilities. An offshoot of this method is to tie in a bundle of pheasant tail fibers, but use the speckled brown-and-black side of the shorter pheasant tails instead of the rust-colored side of the tip used for herl bodies because it holds together as a single wing when stroked back.
Hair wing wet flies have been around for a long time. Classics like the Picket Pin, Trude, Western Coachman and Polly Rosborough’s Wet Stones are just a few popular patterns and bucktail, squirrel, and calf tail are the most common types of hair used. Interestingly, some of these flies didn’t have a dry-fly counterpart until the development of plastic fly lines and nylon leaders. Today, anglers frequently fish the Trude as a dry fly on a dead drift, then swing it wet-fly style as the river’s current takes it subsurface.
The late Gary Lafontaine’s Diving Caddis was designed to imitate an egg laying female caddis and the air bubble the bugs transport with them. But to create that wing effect, synthetic fibers proved more durable and realistic. In fact, the pattern is simply a traditional wet fly with an Antron wing, though you can substitute other synthetic fibers like Zelon or polypropylene fibers, in multiple colors. Flash fibers like Krystal Flash and Flashabou are just a few other synthetic options. Krenik Flash has a textured structure that works well and Mylar braided tinsel like Diamond Braid has a similar effect when it’s picked out. The flash may catch a trout’s eye and simulate motion, which can be especially helpful in off-color water.
Pearl Diving Caddis
HOOK: Dai-Riki 060, sizes 8 to 18.
THREAD: Black 8/0.
BODY: Olive Antron dubbing.
WING: Pearl Mylar dubbing over brown partridge fibers.
HACKLE: Brown rooster hackle.
Dubbing fibers make nice wet-fly wings. Mylar dubbings like Lite Brite or Ice Dub are easy to tie in and look great. If you want a more subdued flash, use Polar dub. Antron dubbing or long, fibrous leech and scud dubbings will also work, and come in some great colors. To use dubbing for a wing, pull out a bundle of fibers, twist the bundle to a point, and tie in the twisted tip. The trick makes it easier to secure a dubbing wing without the fibers going everywhere.
Getting Deeper
Besides the swing of a wet fly, you can weight a fly so it rises vertically in the water while it’s also moving horizontally. This is imitative of an insect rising to the surface, though the amount of weight will dictate the depth the fly will rise from. The vertical rise is sometimes called a Leisenring Lift, a technique developed by Jim Leisenring in the 1940s. Varying the weight of a wet fly can be as simple as using a heavier wire hook. For more density, wrap lead wire on the hook shank or add glass or metal beads.`
Wet-fly hackles are commonly tied up to two gaps wide, giving the fly a larger profile, and the hackle on wet flies typically faces toward the rear of the hook, though you can use either soft hen hackle of stiff rooster hackle. As far as I can tell, most wet-fly patterns were tied with rooster hackle. However, the feathers of yesteryear aren’t anything close to the genetically raised stuff we have today. That said, a softer hackle is more mobile when drifting and stiffer hackle gives the fly a larger profile and won’t collapse against the hook in heavy currents. What is best? Who’s to say—it all depends on where and how you like to fish.
Wet flies are a fun and effective way to fish, and a great link to the gilded age of fly fishing. Tie a few in their original form or tweak it into your own creation with adapted materials. However you tie them, I’m sure you will have some great days standing in the current mix of past and present.
HOLOGRAPHIC BLACK GNAT
HOOK: Dai-Riki 060, sizes 8 to 18.
THREAD: Black 8/0.
BODY: Coarse black dubbing.
HACKLE: Black hackle (mediocre dry-fly hackle is perfect).
WING: Holographic black Mylar braid teased out.
Tying the Holographic Black Gnat
The Black Gnat is a classic wet fly that has stood the test of time. What it exactly imitates is up to interpretation, but it works. Black is certainly a productive color and it offers a great silhouette in both low-light conditions and off-color water. Substituting the chenille body with dubbing allows the fly to be tied in a wide range of sizes. The Mylar braid teased out has enough body to give the fly a large profile without fouling.
Scott Sanchez is the shop manager at JD High Country Outfitters in Jackson, Wyoming. He won the first Federation of Fly Fishers Iron Fly Contest in 2014.
Learn to tie the Timberline Emerger wet fly: