After the long trudge of January, February always seems to move pretty quickly. The deer hair experiments that I had set out to do didn’t quite happen, but I did have some time to sit down at the vice and tie up some experimental patterns as well as necessary ones to fill the box.

Say what you will about Mop Flies, but they do make good imitations of cranefly larva, and also Green Weenies in the chartreuse version. I don’t see anything wrong with that! The Lunchtime Caddis pupa are in the “essential” category, and I really can’t have enough of these on hand. It’s a pattern that just works, and it’s definitely a confidence fly for us.

While it wasn’t on the scale I had set out to try, I did experiment with spinning deer hair in a dubbing loop for Morlock’s Goby, which was a fun pattern to tie up (it’s similar to a Feathered Game Changer, only with a sculpin-style head). On the topic of deer hair, bucktail continues to be great to work with – I picked up a pair of great-looking chartreuse bucktails earlier this month.

Cranefly mop flies, size 8.

Green Weenie mop flies, size 10

Orr’s Rojo Bug in various weights

Clouser time!

Two variations on an Erdosy’s Carp Crab.

Foam-head versions of the Swimming Baitfish

A black topwater diver for night fishing.

Articulated Chowtime Sculpins (front)

Single Hook Chowtime Sculpins

Single hook Chowtime Sculpin, close up

Paul’s Lunchtime Caddis Pupa

Morlock’s Goby/Sculpin

The Chowtime Sculpin was featured as a top-20 finalist in the Holly Flies Fly Tying Contest this month, which was an honor. I tweaked the pattern slightly from last year, and will be putting up a post specific to that pattern that includes a recipe.

This month’s flies are rounded out by some experimental foam-headed baitfish patterns, as well as some more Clousers, Carp Crabs, and Rojo Bugs (designed by Austin Orr). All fun to tie.

What have you been tying this month?