Created by Hans Weilenmann, and inspired by Clark Reid’s “Clark’s Cicada“, the C-13, or Cicada 13, is a simple cicada pattern that has the characteristics to imitate this insect. It combines the the typical plop when it lands with good buoyancy provided by the deer hair.
GFA stands for “General Foam Attractor”. The GFA Hopper pattern was created by Walter Wiese out of Parks Fly Shop in Gardiner, Montana. This pattern is easy to tie and looks and fishes well in all colours.
Materials
- Hook: Dai Riki 280, size 6-14.
First designed to imitate a small bottom-dwelling fish, Muddler Minnows are now tied as general attractor patterns and to imitate anything from caddis flies to grasshoppers.
While each Muddler may differ in colour and profile, all have the same basis in their construction: the spinning and clipping of deer hair to create a buoyant head and body.
The Clouser Minnow, or Clouser Deep Minnow, is an extremely effective baitfish imitation that catches a whole range of game fish in fresh- and saltwater. It’s allure comes from a combination of heavy lead eyes and long, mobile tail and wing that give it a wonderful ducking-diving action on every twitch and retrieve.
The Gurgler Fly Pattern is a floating fly that spits and “gurgles” when stripped, and is designed to imitate everything from shrimp to baitfish and a frog for bass.
Invented by the late Jack Gartside, the Gurger is a simple and very effective fly to tie, and the tying technique has even been incorporated into mouse flies for trout.
Probably NZ’s most popular nymph and the first nymph most beginner tiers will tackle. The Hare and Copper Nymph catches fish throughout the country in a variety of waters. The guard hairs used in the mix represent legs and give the fly that buggy look that’s very effective.
The Squimp Fly is very simple to tie, but lethal for countless flats species.
The Squimp fly very closely imitates a small shrimp, which is the main forage for any bonefish. It also works for other saltwater flats fishes.
The Squimp fly can be tied in many colour variations.
The Woolly Bugger is a very versatile pattern that will catch fish on virtually any lake or river. It can be tied in a variety of colour combinations, usually natural ones such at black, brown and olive.
Primarily tied as a general nymph pattern, the Rabbit Fly also makes a pretty good imitation of small dragonfly nymphs that emerge in huge numbers on many Australian lakes.
When it comes to tying flies for use on lakes, it pays to have as much built-in action as possible.
A fly designed by Rod Fox, of Hunter Valley Fly Fishing Club, appropriately named Foxy’s Horror. Great bass fly for rivers.
Foam for the body (the yellow for visibility), zonker strip for the tail and cactus chenille for the underbelly.