What’s the world’s best fly? I would argue the Jumbo Mosquito. My criteria is simple, the fly with the highest fish caught to tying time ratio. I sat down today to tie some Jumbo Mosquito flies, 5 of them, for tonight’s outing to the local trout pond. 5 flies, plus the time to take a few pictures, total time = 15 minutes. Last night I used up 3 Jumbo Mosquito flies, while catching 29 trout.
I don’t know if anyone else has already invented and named a fly like the Jumbo Mosquito. If not, I am putting a Trade Mark on it right now. The Jumbo MosquitoTM. There, done. This fly is so easy to tie that even if it is your first fly ever tied, it will work for you. I think the most expensive item on the materials list are the hooks.
Here’s my fly tying desk, complete with the Fly Tying Bible. It’s not in there, but I recommend the book. Great stuff in there.
Fly Tying Materials:
What I use:
- #14 dry fly hook
- Black thread
- Peacock Hurl
- Head Cement
I could use a smaller hook, I have, but #14 seems to be the size the trout like.
Tying the Fly:
Step 1: Place your hook in the vise and wind your thread on to the start of the hook bend. I like to catch the bottom half of the hook bend with my vise so that I can wind the thread further back.
Step 2: Pull off two stands of the the peacock hurl. I found this particular peacock feather lying on the ground at the local zoo. Trim off any excess material that may have pulled off the stalk of the feather. Then catch the peacock hurl in place with a few wraps of thread. Continue the thread to the head.
Step 3: Wind the peacock hurl towards the eye in tight wraps, touching the previous wrap. Then hold the peacock in place with a couple wraps of thread.
Step 4: Trim off the excess peacock, build a small head with a few more wraps. Perform a whip finish and put a drop of cement on the head.
The finished fly:
How to Fish this Fly:
Anytime trout are feeding on small top water bugs, this fly works. Especially if a mosquito hatch is underway. Because I fish it on trout ponds (still water = mosquito breeding ground), I can be pretty sure there are mosquitoes around from mid May to mid September.
You can toss the fly randomly, hoping to catch the eye of a fish looking to the surface. I’ll do that until I see a fish rise, then I’ll quickly lay the fly in the middle of the ripple. A couple quick short pulls will get the attention of the fish feeding there. If not, move the fly to another spot. Sometimes I will catch a fish after pulling the Jumbo MosquitoTM for 10 or 20 feet but most hits are within 2 feet of where it lands.