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3. I'm a new member and need help identifying flies

Hi all. My name is Linda Cook and I am a professional photographer. I have become a member of Troutnut because of the project I've embraced. My father is now in his 80s and is wheelchair bound. He was an avid fly fisherman all his adult life. After retirement, he started tying his own flies, became involved in his local fly fishermen's organization, and taught fly fishing techniques to others. To honor him, I've started photographing his flies, and those tied by others as well. I've pretty much finished with the first phase, which can be seen on my website http://www.casalindaphotography.com. My dad has trouble remembering the names of the flies, but I've been able to name a few by finding them in my dad's fly tying pattern books. Most remain nameless and this is where I need your help. If you know what a fly is called, please note the image number for me and pass on the name of the fly. I would also appreciate your feedback on my photography. I look forward to hearing back from y'all.

Hi Linda,

I changed your title a little -- people will notice it without the caps. I also made the link to your site live. Some of those flies are probably one-of-a-kind or experimental creations that don't have any particular name, or they might be a variation on a common pattern.

The names I'll give you aren't necessarily the one and only name for the fly, but they're a start:

IMG 0429-2011 -- Wooly bugger
IMG 0422-2011 -- Egg-sucking leech
IMG 0418-2011 -- Wooly bugger variation (dunno if it has a special name)
IMG 0379-2011 -- Some sort of flymph
IMG 0377-2011 -- Emerging sparkle pupa
IMG 0373-2011 -- Emerging sparkle pupa, tied rather differently
IMG 0368-2011 -- Pretty good-looking imitation of a swimming mayfly nymph
IMG 0306-2011 -- Egg-sucking leech
IMG 0272-2011 -- Humpy
IMG 0269-2011 and IMG 0255-2011 -- Stimulator
IMG 0242-2011 -- Muddler minnow variant
IMG 0007-2011 -- Hopper
IMG 0098-2011 and IMG 0111-2011 -- Stimulator
IMG 2274-2011 -- Hopper

Hopefully others can fill in some more.

Linda,

For an 80+ year old fella your father was pretty modern in his approach...There is even a paraloop fly there and a couple Matuka's...I'm on my way out the door to get downtown to see my Wings in the playoffs and they are on the verge of elimination...If the folks on Trout Nut haven't filled you in on your father's flies by tomorrow we can see if we can finish them off.

Jason has put a nice dent in your list and he hinted at the problem that some of these may have had local names applied to them...We understand the style of tying but may not know if it had a particular name...We angler's love adding a minor tweek to a pattern and calling it our own.

Nice pics by-the-way and fishable flies he tied there...

Spence

This is a variation on a Quigley Cripple

Pheasant Tail Nymph

PS...Jason, Not sure why my quote boxes extend across the page...Maybe it has something to do with my cutting and pasting them from her site...

Hi Linda,

Your request struck a sympathetic chord. As Jason mentioned, a few of the flies appear to be experiments (or unknown variations), and a few may have more than one name. However, I'll try to help you with most of them:

IMG 0429-2011 Wooly Bugger (style, color variation)
IMG 0422-2011 Egg-Sucking Wooly Bugger or Leech (style, color variation)
IMG 0418-2011 Wooly Bugger (style, color/hackle variation)
IMG 0404-2011 Bullethead Salmonfly
IMG 0379-2011 Martinez Black (variation)
IMG 0377-2011 LaFontaine Emergent Sparkle Pupa (style, common variation)
IMG 0373-2011 LaFontaine Emergent Sparkle Pupa (style)
IMG 0368-2011 Swimming Nymph (style)
IMG 0366-2011 Extended Body Parachute Dun (style, wing variation)
IMG 0332-2011 Boss (classic Comet variation, front view)
IMG 0329-2011 Boss (classic Comet variation)
IMG 0322-2011 Black Marabou (classic streamer)
IMG 0306-2011 Egg-Sucking Sparkle Leech
IMG 0281-2011 Parkany Deer-Hair Caddis? (variation)
IMG 0272-2011 Humpy (style, unknown variation)
IMG 0269-2011 Improved Sofa Pillow (variation, front view)
IMG 0255-2011 Improved Sofa Pillow (variation)
IMG 0242-2011 Marabou Muddler (weedless "bass" tying style variation)
IMG 0230-2011 Yellow Wooly Worm (variation)
IMG 0223-2011 Spade? (unknown variation)
IMG 0153-2011 Grizzly Matuka (streamer, front view)
IMG 0148-2011 Grizzly Matuka (streamer)
IMG 0007-2011 Letort Hopper
IMG 0026-2011 Brindle Bug (classic steelhead wet)
IMG 0034-2011 Beadhead Brindle Bug (color variation)
IMG 0035-2011 Silver Hilton (classic steelhead wet)
IMG 0087-2011 Skunk (classic steelhead wet, hackle variation)
IMG 0091-2011 Matuka (streamer style, color variation)
IMG 0098-2011 Orange Stimulator
IMG 0111-2011 Orange Stimulator (front view)
IMG 0116-2011 Multicolor Marabou Leech (variation)
IMG 0138-2011 Matuka (streamer style, color variation)
IMG 1196 Elkhair Caddis X Bucktail Caddis (hybrid style variation)
IMG 1579-2011 Killer Diller (deerhair variation, minus tail, repaired?)
IMG 1675-2011 Overly's Spotlight Emerger (style, Adams or Callibaetis version)
IMG 1687-2011 Gray Ghost (classic streamer, common simplified version)
IMG 1702-2011 Olive Wooly Bugger
IMG 1759-2011 LaFontaine Emergent Sparkle Pupa (style)
IMG 2084-2011 Quigley's Hacklestacker or Paraloop (style, emerger variation)
IMG 2100-2011 AP Nymph (brown version)
IMG 2058-2011 Humpy (style, foam-bodied, flash-winged variation)
IMG 2227-2011 Humpy (style, foam-bodied, flash-winged variation)
IMG 2210-2011 Battle Creek (orange version, front view)
IMG 2196-2011 Battle Creek (orange version)
IMG 2274-2011 Bullethead Hopper (style)
IMG 2166-2011 Sac Fry? (unknown variation)
IMG 2150-2011 Stimulator (style, black variation)

Note: Some names are for a tying "style" (a more or less standard method of construction) rather than a "pattern" (a specific recipe). For example, "Matuka" and "Humpy" are tying styles, and "Grizzly Matuka" and "Yellow Humpy" are patterns.

Best wishes to you and your father,
Lloyd

Oh my gosh! Thank you, Jason, Spence and Lloyd, so much for your input. It took me awhile to get back and check on responses because I didn't really expect any. I have to tell you that your kindness and willingness to take the time to look at all my fly photos and name them the best you could brought tears to my eyes. I'm not kidding. And, I appreciate the little bit of education you gave me, too. What a nice bunch of guys you are. I am honored. I can't wait to show my dad what y'all did for us.

Yeah, this isn't your typical web forum - Jason deserves a lot of credit for creating a gathering place here that encourages participation from a certain "type" of person; most web forums have a lot of users (and user comments) but relatively few of them are particularly useful; this place is the opposite - not nearly as much gets said, but what does get said is almost always useful (unless it's about the Red Wings).

It's funny: when I first read your original post I thought "Well, I can't really help because I only know a couple of those patterns by name, but I bet Gonzo will have (or know where to find) information on damned near all of them."

And it never even crossed my mind that he wouldn't take the time to answer - I knew he would, and I knew he'd nail pretty much your whole list when he did.