Private Ryan (Mayfly spinner pattern)

This fly is my tribute to the allied forces of World War II. Please let me explain.

Spinners on Omaha beach, World War II

Special about the month May is –for us fly tyers- the mayfly. But in The Netherlands, this month is mostly associated with World War II. On May 4 the Dutch remember each year all (allied) people who fought and died during World War II and in wars in general. There are remembrance gatherings all over the country and two minutes of silence is observed at 8pm.

The day after, we celebrate (Liberation Day, May 5^th) our liberation by the Allied forces of the occupation by Nazi Germany and Japan. There are festivals all over the country and there are a lot of war films on tv like “Saving private Ryan”. It was during that film that I was puzzling out Mayfly spinner patterns for a fly fish weekend in the Semois river (Belgium Ardennes). Just as Tom Hanks landed on Omaha beach, I doodled a Mayfly spinner pattern made of a detached squirmy worm body with three pheasant tail fibres and Guinea fowl feather wing. Hence the name for this paratrooper fly “Private Ryan”. This fly must land some educated trout on a river beach I thought. The only issue is that Private Ryan was a man, and this spinner fly imitates a lady. A sort of “boy named Sue” reversed…

Semois twilight

“What fly are you using?”, asked one of the local fly fish Mastodons on the campsite. A bunch of beer drinking experienced fly fishers were probably amused about my rotten casting techniques when I was casting in front of the terrace. Then suddenly the fish showed interest as I changed a fly. It was the first year I tied flies. 

Old #14 spider pattern

The fly was a sort of white #14 spider with a Guinea fowl hackle. I was surprised and fascinated. Why would the fish take this fly? It was probably because it looked like a gnome version of a Mayfly spinner. So on my to do list was to design an easy to tie and floatable big spinner pattern (I try to bring as little floatant materials in the river as possible). While missing the wine and campfires, I observed the Semois water surface in the twilight. And discovered the Mayfly spinners. The Private Ryan is much bigger than my #14 spider, but think will do just fine. 

Hacking & forging a fly

This fly is inspired by the Deerstalker (Neil Patterson) and great spinner articles from masterminds like Peter Lapsley, Neil Patterson, John Goddard and Malcolm Greenhalgh in the Fly fishing and Fly tying magazine. And not to forget the spinner pattern of Leon Janssen in Wondervliegen 2. Larded with my field observations, I hacked the existing patterns and forged this fly. Trying to use modern materials and keeping the fly as simple as possible and not too plastic.

The tasty ingredients

• Hook: This is a detached body fly. So the hook has three functions: 1) hooking a prey, 2) a platform to connect body, thorax and wings and 3) minimize the weight to prevent it from sinking. I choose a shrimp hook size 14 as an ultimate compromise. 

•  Body (Total body lenght: 16-25 mm): I choose the squirmy worm because it floats, it's flexible, it's for this spinner the right diameter and it's easy to connect tails to (as I found out). I use white for the Ephemera Danica spinners and Earthworm brown for the Ephemera Vulgata spinners. Tan could be a good colour for duns. Cut approx 15-20 mm squirmy for the body. This makes - with the wing thorax of 5mm- a fly of total 20mm-25 mm in lenght.

• Wing (body size): I was looking for a soft wing, large enough for wings and colours that give contrast. I choose Guinea fowl feathers because thy seems to be highly UV reflective en have dark en white spots. But a Mallard breast feather also gives a great impression of the Mayfly wings. Tying trick: Be sure to select feathers with a thin shaft, so you can hackle them easily. 

• Thorax: I found out that the underside of the thorax of Danica spinners is white-ish. Hence I use I white-ish dubbing for the thorax area (Fly Rite #12 Cream). For the Vulgata, I use Peacock herl.

• Tails (20-45 mm): Long and brownish. Pheasant tail fibres are a fine choice. Tying trick: to make shure the 3 fibres spread and don't clog together: 

1.  After inserting in the squirmy, place them in the right angles and place a drop of superglue at the base. And or:
2. Like curling a ribbon for a present: scratch the fibres with your nails. This makes them curl to the right side. 

• Detached body: After some failures I found a very easy way to make durable detached bodies with great tails. The detached body made from squirmy worm with 3 tails is hopefully helpful for other fly tyers trying to make easy bodies. The only downside is that it is made of plastic (...) and is more “glue-ing then tying’. I think that the squirmy is also interesting for bodies of bigger dry insect patterns like Daddy long legs. 

Connecting all bits and pieces
In this short video I demonstrate how to tie this paratrooper. 

The pictures below show the most important tying steps:
 

Pull the 3 pheasant tail fibres through the squirmy body with a needle

4 bodies ready to tie on a hook

A size 14 shrimp hook with a squirmy body and guinea fowl feather attached

A hackled feather ready to tie into 2 flat wings

A few Private Ryan flies, fill your fly box quickly (shown are the E. Danica (white) & E. Vulgata (brown) versions)

My first fish taken on a Private Ryan! A nice Rudd.

Just add water & enjoy! This Rudd did enjoy it!

Green caterpillar for Rudd (Tortrix worm)

The "worming up" video of Gink & Gasoline just reminded me of fishing Rudds last year (May) on a dry fly. While having success with the "Roger Hills stillborne midge", a battalion of bright green caterpillars were abseiling with thin wires out of big oak trees behind me. Those little Bear Grylls worms probably were European oak leafrollers (Tortrix viridana).

The Rudds loved them and uncontrollably took these soft 15-20 mm caterpillars from the surface. I did - obviously- did not have any green flies with me ....I observed that day that shoals of Rudd were only near/under the big oaks....it probably had something to do with the caterpillars. So find and follow the oaks this coming May month.

I forgot about this incident. To be prepared I just tied a few "green inch worms" from my green squirmy worms from a puffer ball. I call them for convenience's sake Tortrix worm. It has not a lot to do with fly tying. Just drive your hook point 1 or 2 mm through a thin squirmy worm (20 mm length) and tie to the hook shank. No legs no frills, just some happy plastic.


To enhance the segmented look on a squirmy, I figured out a cunning trick: partially snip (with a sharp pair of scissors) the diameter of the squirmy body in segments, leaving only 0,5-1 mm of material in tact. This weakens the short squirmy body resulting in more liveliness and a segmented look.  

Flyfisherman skins chicken

How does a fly fisherman get lost in a too big toy store? Well being there (out of my comfort zone), I could not find the presents for my son for our annual Sinterklaas feast on 5 December. Just as sometimes happens with trout, I blanked, now in tracking some Airfix Spitfire and Messerschmitt models. This time leaving my waders at home.

I swiftly went disappointed for the exit door to freedom & fresh air. Then in the corner of my eye I noticed some squirmy worms....Before you think that Dutch toy stores sell fly tying materials: these worms were still attached to a toy: a cheap fluffy puffer ball. Wait a minute! I bought the green ball for 3 euro's and went home, sharpening my carving axe.

After some slashing and skinning of this "chicken" I had four very soft hackle squirmy skins. Giving "soft hackle" a new implication! Its the same stretchy stuff as our squirmy worms (only in a few colours). I soon share with you some new fly experiments, like the squirminator of Tightline productions.....more later!

Squirmy Sedge & Squirmy Klinkhammer

Its pouring rain on this fathers day. Jimi Hendrix inspires me to tie some new thoughts with his lyric:

"Rainy day, dream away
Ah let the sun take a holiday
Flowers bathe an' ah see the children play
Lay back and groove on a rainy day".

Groovin on this fathers day resulted in this Squirmy Coot Sedge & Squirmy Klinkhammer. These two patterns are the first dry flies I tried tying with Squirmy worm as body material. I read earlier that this stuff floats.
So the first thing I did after opening the Squirmy legs from Flybox, was dumping it in our fish tank.....it does float!

The first experiment was a sedge wonderwing pattern. This is because fly tyer Ad Hoogenboezem pointed me recently enthusiastic on this pattern. So I used this as a base for the experiment. Before enjoying my fathers day beer present, this was the first sober sample:

With a green marker pen I simulated the eggsack at the end of the body.

I almost allways check my flies in our fish tank. This one too: the subsurface profile seems satisfactory, juicy & translucy. I expected the translucency of the squirmy legs: it worked out well.
 

To keep the slippery legs in place, I put some super glue on the hook and then wrapped the squirmy legs to the hook eye.

The next try was the Squirmy Klinkhammer...
This resulted in this sample:

Overall conclusion: the Squirmy legs/worm is a good body material for dry flies. Its floatability and translucent properties gives our dry flies something extras. I like it!

Now let the fish decide.....and let them groove on this fly on another rainy day!

Super Awesome Squirmy?

Do I miss something while not having a Squirmy worm in my fly box? Since a few years, innovative Yank fly fishermen post on blogs and forums about the squirmy worm and its effectiveness. Since last year this hype hit Europe.

To be honest: I am not in to hard core plastics. But I began hesitating about making some, after reading this North Country Anglers blog. Dave Southall's alluring article (page 53) about Squirmies in Fly Fishing & Fly Tying (issue july 2015) made my indecisiveness disappear. Now I need to try it! I just ordered some at Flybox.

There are some slick materials for fly tie connoisseurs to be found. There are now also Jumbo Squirmy Wormies and Wonder Wigglies. And what about colours? There are at least nine squirmy colours at manufacturer Spirit River USA Original.

But you can make your own out of toys! Have a look at this post of Gink & Gasoline.

But the squirmy evolution continues:
This material is not just for wormies, have a look at:
* Tightline Productions: Squirminator nymph pattern (also from a toy); 
* Lucias Vasies: Squirmy nymph;
* Jim Misiura: Cat gut Pupa (body from squirmy);
* Fly Master: juicy squirmy wormy;

More squirmy evolution: perhaps a Walkers mayfly nymph made out of Squirmy wormy.

And why not a dry fly squirmy? This stuff floats!
Have a go at using this floating quirmy stuff for the body/abdomen on a Klinkhammer? A "Klink-squirmer"....

...I can't wait using the stuff for more than worms. More later.