1. Troutnut Forum
›
2. Fly Tying
›
3. Waterwisp Flies

my generosity has helped send a kid to fishing camp and won me a wonderful assortment of Waterwisp flies. wow.

has anyone on this forum tied such a thing?

any tips on fishing them? says on the box not to use floatant, just one of those powder shakers. can anyone recommend a tiny knot that will make a loop so these little guys can move? how about a Rapala (sp?)knot

they came with a threader-style box. looks necessary!

Casey, below I'm pasting in my unedited notes from when I tied some of these on Waterwisp hooks. I did have some luck with these flies, but haven't used them lately. I hope the notes make some sense and are helpful. Try the Lefty Kreh non-slip mono loop. You can find it on the internet, but check to be sure you have a reputable site and that you are tying it exactly as described. The Orvis knot site may have it. Frog's Fanny is a great floatant to use on these if you have CDC wings.

Waterwisp Tying Tips

Start with hook in standard position in vise and do wraps from middle up to the bend of the hook. Reposition hook with eye in vise and point of the hook to your right. Mount wing below bend of hook on the inside. Start the tie in well below where you think it should end up; this will help leave room for hooking. Be sure the wing slants back towards the eye: after initial tie in, use thread to pull the CDC to the inside of the hook bend and make a wrap or two of thread between the wing and the hook shaft, creating a mini-thread dam, then finish with normal wraps around. Oiler puffs are easily manipulated if you have them, but stripped CDC works. Avoid anything with a stem.

Cut hackle barbs from near tip to facilitate tie off. Tie in hackle at the base of the CDC clump. Immediately below make a ball of dubbing, making two wraps around the shaft, then a crossing wrap at the base of the wing to help set the hackle more parallel to the water. Wrap hackle, tie off, advance thread, dubbing some if you feel it is necessary. Reposition hook to normal position, tie in microfibbet tails, and wrap to end, dividing them on either side of the eye. Do not split them with wraps, though. Dub rest of body, and tie off in front of the tails, just at the eye, with single half hitches. Apply a drop of cement. Go back and cut out a small wedge of hackle just below the hook tip to facilitate hooking. Preen.

thanks,Louis. this is obviously a winter project!

I did find them harder to tie than standard flies. Let me know if you find some easier approaches.