California mosquito

[john1962 0]

#14 standard dry fly hook

Black polyester sewing thread (experiment)

White floss

Black floss

Grizzly neck hackle small for tail

Grizzly hackle for collar

Tell me what you think.

Tightlines

[niveker 0]

They look good,  but me thinks a synthetic or even a natural dubbing would be a better choice for the body material to keep it from sinking.  You maybe could even leave off the tail with the wings tied in like that,  as it might be superfluous,  I'd have to see it on the water.  

[john1962 0]

1 hour ago, niveker said:

They look good,  but me thinks a synthetic or even a natural dubbing would be a better choice for the body material to keep it from sinking.  You maybe could even leave off the tail with the wings tied in like that,  as it might be superfluous,  I'd have to see it on the water.  

Here is the pattern I worked from.

Thank you 

Tightlines 

[SilverCreek 0]

Palmered hackle length on a dry fly should be about 1.5 times the hook gap.

Proportions are key. Fly proportions are judged relative to the length of the fly body. The hook length determines body length so measure the length of the material whether it be hackle, wings, or tailing material against the hook to determine where the tie in point is on the material to get the right length on the fly.

For example, I tie the hackle on a dry fly about the length of the fly body so to find hackle of the correct length, I measure it against the length of the hook shank. 

Here is some suggested reading to get you on the right track.

http://www.sexyloops.com/flytying/proportion.shtml

https://www.flyfisherman.com/editorial/tying-flies-beautiful-flies/151957

https://www.flyfisherman.com/editorial/tying-flies-beautiful-flies/151957

[niveker 0]

49 minutes ago, john1962 said:

Here is the pattern I worked from.

Yes, I was mistaken, thanks for posting the recipe.  I should have checked before making my comment.  It reminded me of an old North Woods fly from Maine, the Slim Jim, very similar.  My memory of the recipe had no tail and a dubbed body.  I could not have been further off,  LOL.  

[john1962 0]

20 minutes ago, niveker said:

Yes, I was mistaken, thanks for posting the recipe.  I should have checked before making my comment.  It reminded me of an old North Woods fly from Maine, the Slim Jim, very similar.  My memory of the recipe had no tail and a dubbed body.  I could not have been further off,  LOL.  

It's all good, I'm a beginner and I just tied what is very useful here in the Sierras. There are many variations of flys we can't know all of them. I will give them a try on the walker river and see if they produce any hookups.

Tightlines 

[niveker 0]

👍

 

It's a decent pattern for me, fished wet, though I don't' fish it very often.  I remember once catching the same little rainbow twice with it within a 10 minute period on a small stream.  

[john1962 0]

Nice, I walked down to the walker river yesterday, seen some rising trout in the deep pools, water is crystal clear. The itch is real,🤣😂🤣

[niveker 0]

30 minutes ago, john1962 said:

The itch is real

I hear that - last time I was fishing was October - weather and work have been conspiring against me!

[cencalfly 0]

Looks like you might have got the recipe from Steven Ojai's Fly Fishing the Sierra website https://ffsonlinestore.com/dry-flies/california-mosquito/.  Can't go wrong with the info on that site. Also, good info above on proportions.  

I use moose hair for the body. Gives a nice segmented look with a natural color gradient.  The Cal-Mosquito is deadly on Sierra streams and rivers.  The Walker (east and west) has been good to me.

Here's a link to his old sight https://flyfishingthesierra.com/flybox.htm. I'm used to it so the pattern list is easier for me to navigate.

Also, look at the Sierra Bright Dot. 

 

 

[john1962 0]

I will do that, I will be fishing west walker between coleville and lake topaz, just waiting for 27 April.

Thank you

Tightlines 

[Jaydub 0]

The California Mosquito is a great stillwater midge imitation. I prefer the traditional Mosquito body with alternating light and dark Moose mane. I also like to tie the wings flat over the body and divided in a 'V' shape.

 

[cencalfly 0]

On 4/11/2024 at 9:56 AM, john1962 said:

I will do that, I will be fishing west walker between coleville and lake topaz, just waiting for 27 April.

I haven't fished that section.  Usually fish further upstream along hwy 108 or 395.  Not sure how familiar you are with the river but the Walker is free flowing.  Spring runoff will be kicking into gear towards the end of the month.  The flow on the Walker can go from 100cfs to near or better than 2000cfs in April.  The trout opener can be rough in the higher elevations or on free flowing rivers such as the Walker.  High flows and cold water.  If you're thinking dry fly you might consider BWO or even some Skawalas. See last years flow graph below.

Of course YMMV

17 hours ago, Jaydub said:

The California Mosquito is a great stillwater midge imitation. I prefer the traditional Mosquito body with alternating light and dark Moose mane. I also like to tie the wings flat over the body and divided in a 'V' shape.

Nice looking Sceeter Jaydub.  I use Moose hair for the body on my flies as well.  What size are you tying those at and are you using 1xl or 2xl hooks?  

[john1962 0]

37 minutes ago, cencalfly said:

I haven't fished that section.  Usually fish further upstream along hwy 108 or 395.  Not sure how familiar you are with the river but the Walker is free flowing.  Spring runoff will be kicking into gear towards the end of the month.  The flow on the Walker can go from 100cfs to near or better than 2000cfs in April.  The trout opener can be rough in the higher elevations or on free flowing rivers such as the Walker.  High flows and cold water.  If you're thinking dry fly you might consider BWO or even some Skawalas. See last years flow graph below.

Of course YMMV

Nice looking Sceeter Jaydub.  I use Moose hair for the body on my flies as well.  What size are you tying those at and are you using 1xl or 2xl hooks?  

Hwy108 is a little south of where I am, the Koa campground at centennial bluff on 395.

 

[Jaydub 0]

5 hours ago, cencalfly said:

Nice looking Sceeter Jaydub.  I use Moose hair for the body on my flies as well.  What size are you tying those at and are you using 1xl or 2xl hooks?  

 

Thanks. I have tied them in sizes from 12 to 20. Smaller sizes for streams, bigger for lakes. I just use standard length hooks.