Old Hat Fly Tying
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Carl E. Sanders
I first became aquainted with soft hackled flies in the early 90's fishing the small coastal streams of Oregon while attending Oregon State University.  I wanted something small, easy to tie and of course effective.  Nothing served me better than a Partridge and Orange Spider.   It was not until around 2000 that I discovered flymphs.  I had graduated and relocated to Central Oregon and was in search of a good wet pattern to mimic the March Brown hatch on a specific section of the Deschutes River.  I came across Dave Hughes' March Brown Flymph pattern.  I had never had more fun fishing than with that pattern those spring months of the march brown season.   I purchased  Hughes' book "Wet Flies, Tying and Fishing Soft-Hackles, Winged and Wingless Wets, and Fuzzy Nymphs", 1995.  After reading Mr. Hughes'  book I became infatuated with wets and wet fly fishing and gradually my fishing and tying funneled that direction.   I found very little resources at the time on "Flymphs".   As I dug deeper I came across a copy of "The Art of Tying the Wet Fly and Fishing the Flymph" by James E. Leisenring and Vernon S. Hidy, 1971.  I purchased the book for what would be considered a steal today and it was not until quite few years later did I realize the treasure I had.  It is my only copy still today and is well used and worn.  I love tying and fishing classic flymphs, but I also enjoy purposeful innovation.   I have many of my own patterns,  also many patterns where I have taken attributes of well established patterns and molded them into a flymph design.  I also have quite few large flymph patterns which I have refined into fully capable steelhead wet flies.   I will continue to add patterns below as I continue to tie and photograph them.  




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Flymph Patterns of Carl E. Sanders
Click on images for larger view
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​                                             Timpanoga 

Hook:  2x long heavy wet
Thread:  black
Hackle: partridge, brown
Tail:  golden pheasant tippets
Tag:  antron, orange
Rib:  oval tinsel, silver
Body:  Davy Wotton's SLF Squirrel dubbing, black
Picture
Picture

​                                           Good Luck Chuck

Hook:  heavy salmon, #6-#10
Thread: brown
Hackle:  Coq de Leon saddle, medium pardo
Tail:  woodchuck guard hair, bleached
Body: woodchuck underfur, bleached in back, dyed olive in front spun in dubbing loop

Note: Steelhead or trout spey pattern.   The full body is purposely designed to be fished on the swing.  Forms a robust caddis pupa pattern.  Also tied in smaller sizes for trout on 2x long heavy nymph hook.
                                         

​                                       The Gamebird


Hook: heavy salmon #6-#10
Thread: brown
Hackle: english grouse, dark
Tail:  chuckar flank hackle fibers
Body:  simi seal or other fine dubbing, pale yellow in rear mixed to orange in front spun on dubbing loop

Note: Think steelhead or trout spey pattern

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Picture
                                     

​                                        The Leisenring Spider


Hook: Standard 2x heavy wet
Thread: Pearsall's silk, primrose
Hackle: partridge, brown (from the back)
Rib: gold wire, fine
Body:  hare's ear from the base of the poll




​                                                Olive Dun 

Hook: 2x long heavy wet
Thread: Pearsall's primrose silk heavily waxed to an olive color
Hackle:  hen cape, medium dun
Tail:  hen cape fibers, light dun
Rib:  gold wire, fine
Body:  hare's mask, light dun

Note: This example is tied traditionally with a pre-made dubbing strand, classic up eye hook and the signature Hidy conical head.


Picture
Picture
                                             

                                              Light Hare Dun


Hook: 1x long heavy
Thread: light yellow silk
Hackle: hen cape, light dun
Tail: wood duck, flank
Body: hare's cheek spun on yellow silk






                                       Medium Hare Dun

Hook:  1x long, heavy
Thread: ash colored silk
Hackle: hen cape, medium dun or rusty dun
Tail: hen cape tips, medium dun or rusty dun
Body: hare's poll spun on ash silk


Picture
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​                                          Dark Hare Dun


Hook: 1x long heavy
Thread: ash colored silk wax well with a dark cobbler's wax
Hackle: hen cape, dark dun
Tail: hen cape, dark dun
Body: dark hare's mask spun on ash silk




​                                         Muskrat Silver

Hook: 1x long, heavy
Thread: red silk
Hackle: hen cape, grizzly
Rib: silver wire, small
Tail: hen cape, grizzly
Body: muskrat dubbing with guard hair and a pinch of hare's ear spun on ash colored silk
Picture
Picture



​                                               Muskrat Gold


Hook: 1x long, heavy
Thread: red silk
Hackle: hen cape, light brown or ginger
Rib: gold wire, small
Tail: hen cape, light brown or ginger
​Body:   muskrat dubbing with guard hair and a pinch of hare's ear spun on ash colored silk



​                                           Light Hare Pupa

Hook: curved shank, heavy
Thread: light yellow silk
Hackle; hen cape, light dun
Rib: gold tinsel, narrow
Body: hare's cheek dubbing spun on light yellow silk, kept scraggly
Picture
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​                                        Medium Hare Pupa

Hook: curved shank, heavy
Thread: ash colored silk
Hackle: hen cape, medium dun or rusty dun
Rib: gold tinsel, narrow
Body: hare's poll dubbing spun on ash silk, kept scraggly


 


​                                        Dark Hare Pupa


Hook: curved, heavy
Thread: ash colored silk waxed well with dark cobbler's wax
Hackle: hen cape, dark dun
Rib: gold tinsel, narrow
Body: dark hare's mask spun on ash silk, kept scraggly
Picture
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                                                       Fade

Hook: 2x long, heavy
Thread: dark brown silk
Hackle: partridge (dyed dun preferred)
Rib: pearl tinsel, narrow
Body: dubbing of choice, rear 2/3 of color, front 1/3 dark brown to black.  Body is tied so the colors fade into each other without an abrupt transition 

Note:  Orange, red, green are my favorite.  I also tie a Tups and mango color.  I most often use a spikey dubbing like squirrel and also like seal. 

​                                               Coq Spider


Hook: Heavy wet hook, #4-#10
Thread: choice
Hackle: Coq de Leon saddle, color of choice, long
Rib: wire or tinsel
Body: Seal dubbing, faded color combinations, dark in thorax

Note:  Patterned after the Fade series and designed for fishing on the swing.  The stiffer Coq de Leon hackle pulsates in the current.   Great for steelhead or trout spey.
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  • Home
  • About Flymphs
    • What is a Flymph
  • Flymph Tying
    • Flymph Tying with Dubbing Loop
    • Dubbing Rope on a Clark's Block
    • Dubbing Rope on Your Knee
    • Flymph Tying with Pre-made Dubbing Rope
  • Flymph Patterns
    • Doug Duvall
    • Vernon S. Hidy Patterns
    • Johnson and Forsling Confidence Patterns
    • Jan Håvard Krohn
    • James Leisenring Favorites
    • William Lovelace
    • Ron Romeis
    • Carl E. Sanders
    • William Shuck
  • Beginning Tying Lessons
    • About Tying Equipment
    • About Hooks
    • About Thread
    • 1. Beginning Basics
    • 2. Working with Thread
    • 3. Working with wire and tinsels