The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

Nymph

Frenchie

Insect Species Icon Blue Wing Olive, Callibaetis, Hendrickson and 14 others
Difficulty Icon Easy - 1-3 Min
Water Category Icon Coldwater

Tying Video

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Tying Recipe
  • Hook: Down eye, straight shank nymph hook (Tiemco 5262 or Dairiki 60 equivalent)
  • Bead: Brass or Tungsten Bead
  • Thread: UTC 70 Denier (140 for flies bigger than #12)
  • Tail: Coq De Leon Fibers
  • Wire: Small or Brassie Wire
  • Body: Pheasant Tail Fibers
  • Dubbing: Ice Dub
  • Hook: Euro Jig Style Hook
  • Bead: Brass or Tungsten Slotted Bead
  • Tail: Partridge Fibers or Pheasant Tail Fibers
  • Body: Just Thread or Schlappen Feather Fibers

The frenchie is a base for all kinds of variations and really, the key is just mixing and matching different colors on the body vs the dubbing vs the thread hot spot to get something you like. It could be an unlimited amount of variations possible on this pattern. Common options are as follows:

  • Euro Style – Using a jig style hook and a slotted tungsten bead is a great variation
  • Color Variations – You can do any color variations by mixing the body color against the dubbing color.  Mix and match until you find something you like, the possibilities are endless.

This is my number one confidence fly. I tie them all as jig style flies and I mix and match colors to imitate all mayflies, caddis and stoneflies I find in the water. Since this is 3/4 of the major food groups for trout, this fly is HIGHLY versatile and effective year round. You can tie them small or large, they are quick and easy to produce and keep you always wanting more since you can mix and match dubbing color with body color until you go crazy. It is the base for all popular euro nymphs of this style and I have 100’s of different color and sizes in my boxes. My best color is to do black schlappen body and tail with gold wire and white ice dub withe a red thread hot spot.

The tips aren’t as much on how to fish it as it is how to tie it on this tip.  Whatever insects you have in your local rivers, find them with a bug seine or flipping rocks and then photograph them for their size and color.  Then come back and tie frenchies to match that size and color.  You will be able to fool a lot of trout this way and have a variety of flies in your box that work great.

Tie different colors and sizes and you can match about 80% of the insects trout feed on subsurface.

Blue Wing Olive

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: Northwest
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: East
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: Southeast
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: Midwest
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24

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

Caddis

General Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Caddis
Sizes: #10 - #22

Callibaetis

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

Damselfly

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

Dragonfly

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

Golden Stonefly

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West
Golden Stonefly
Sizes: #8 - #16
Region: Northwest
Golden Stonefly
Sizes: #8 - #16
Region: East
Golden Stonefly
Sizes: #8 - #16
Region: Midwest
Golden Stonefly
Sizes: #8 - #16

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

Hexegenia

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest, East, Southeast, Midwest
Hexegenia
Sizes: #6 - #12

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

PMD

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

Salmonfly

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest
Salmonfly
Sizes: #6 - #14

Skwala Stone

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest
Skwala Stone
Sizes: #12 - #16

Yellow Sally

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

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and all the FlyBrary Content.