The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

Spinner

Rusty Spinner

Insect Species Icon March Brown, Green Drake, Hendrickson and 3 others
Difficulty Icon Medium - 3-5 Min
Water Category Icon Coldwater

Tying Video

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Tying Recipe
  • Hook: Standard Dry Fly Hook – Straight Shank, Down Eye, Perfect Bend
  • Thread: UTC 70
  • Tails: Mayfly Tailing Package
  • Body: UTC 70 Thread
  • Wings: McFlylon or NZ Sheep Wool
  • Tails: Partridge Fibers can also work in a pinch, though the mayfly tails are superior.  5x fly tippet also can work in a bind.

You can add a few different variations on here to make this pattern work for a myriad of insects.

  • Colors:  You can change colors to match insects of all kinds.  Olive, Brown, Black, Yellow and Red seem to the be the most productive colors.
  • Floatation Devices:  These suckers sink easy, so adding a little foam top in between the wings helps with buyancy. Here’s a pattern that works well too.

This fly rides low and is a very accurate imitation to mayfly spinners. Tied in a variety of sizes, it really only uses a few materials and is the basis for all spinner patterns. It’s quick to tie once mastered and fools trout well. This is one of those flies that has stood the test of time and fools fish on even the trickiest of waters.

The biggest problem with this fly is that it is hard to see and sinks without much encouragement.  This can make it hard to detect strikes, especially when fish are attacking naturals ravenously and you can’t see if they hit your fly or not.  A quick solution to this is using a small, delicate yarn strike indicator like NZ strike indicators.  These really help detect the strikes.

If you don’t have a yarn indicator, any indicator that is delicate can work well or even just a larer dry fly that floats well and is visible.  This can make a big difference in your ability to set the hook.  This fly will get lots of strikes, seeing them is often times the bigger problem.

Brown Drake

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West
Brown Drake
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: Northwest
Brown Drake
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: East
Brown Drake
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: Midwest
Brown Drake
Sizes: #10 - #14

Green Drake

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest, Midwest
Green Drake
Sizes: #8 - #14
Region: East
Green Drake
Sizes: #8 - #14

Hendrickson

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: East, Midwest
Hendrickson
Sizes: #10 - #16

Isonychia

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: East
Isonychia
Sizes: #12 - #18
Region: Southeast
Isonychia
Sizes: #12 - #18
Region: Midwest
Isonychia
Sizes: #12 - #18

Mahogany Dun

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest
Mahogany Dun
Sizes: #14 - #20
Region: East, Midwest
Mahogany Dun
Sizes: #14 - #20

March Brown

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, East
March Brown
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: Northwest
March Brown
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: Midwest
March Brown
Sizes: #10 - #14

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Sign up for full access to the Learning Center
and all the FlyBrary Content.