"The Freddy Fly" guest poster Gary Flagel
Guest Poster Gary Flagel has been kind enough to share The “Freddy” fly with us. Gary Lives in Prince George B.C. and is a well respected fisherman, tier and painter. A former employee of Babine Norlakes, his love for the river and its fish runs deep to his core. His painting bless the walls of the lodge to this day. Hope you enjoy. AC
The Freddie was born out of necessity in a strange situation during an early yellow stone fly hatch on Rainbow Alley when none of the traditional fly patterns worked so a fellow;(Fred Watts of Merrit,B.C.) guiding for Pierce Clegg at Norlakes went to the fly vice and tied up something a bit different. The fly created in 1989 is still tied and used to this day. It looks a lot like a Mitchaluck sedge. But and there is always a but in fly tying and no exception with the Freddie. The big difference is there is a tail and the wing on the Freddie is tied down flat over the body. With the but of the last wing segment left to stick out over the eye of the hook. A dry fly hackle is wound in between the last segment and the clipped tuft over the eye. The body is of a grey dubbing mix. This fly rides flat on the surface film when fished. The fly was later adapted to fish Steelhead and the Steelhead version arrived as a wide grey foam bodied fly with an elk hair tail and wing tide in 3 sections on top and a big lip of foam over the eye. Now they had a waker Freddie dry fly. I was first introduced to the Steelhead version around 1994 then the trout version about a year later.
In tying the eye of the hook was pushed through the foam at the lip on the Steelhead version which turned out to be a week point. Because of the waking motion, the lip soon began to crack. All kinds of aqua seal was used on these to make it last. It wasn’t long before I became dissatisfied with always repairing them and began experimenting with a better way to tie this fly. The pattern shown is the end result of my effort and through the experimental stage decided to use coloured foam strips for the bodies. I tie these flies with traditional grey then yellow, orange and black and have had success with all four colours. At times, when I had a player all it took was a change in colour to get that steelie to take. At other times though; well you know the rest of that story. The only difference in tying is I used Grizzly hackle on the black fly instead of the traditional Coachman brown and only because I thought it looked better with the black. Several years of tying in three wing segments. I reduced it down to two after a suggestion from Stacy (Barto), of why wouldn’t two work just as well and save one step in the tying process to boot and helped the wing lay flatter too.
After several years of fishing this fly almost exclusively and giving it to friends to fish and even strangers met on the river. Darren (Wright) and the other guides told me I should name it and so I have dubbed it the double F or Flagel’s Freddy. Not realizing at the time, changed the spelling from the East Coast way until reminded by Fred Watt’s. So will go back to the traditional way from here on forward. Flagel’s Freddie ( double FF). As Freddie is part of the tradition of the river we all love.
Tying the fly:
Body material: 2ml. Thick art foam cut into strips 6ml. Wide. In colours grey, yellow, orange and black.
Tail and wing of elk hair or elk main.
Hackle: Coachman brown or grizzly dry fly hackle.
Thread: Danville ++ in salmon pink. Do not ask me why. Contrast?
Hooks: the biggest I use is a 2/0 low water but the majority are tied on anything; low water, single salmon, dry fly and bomber hooks. Generally in sizes 2 to 6
before putting the hook in the vice, stick the point of the hook through the foam leaving it long enough to for a lip over the hook eye. Then clamp the hook in the vice.
Wind a thread base on the hook shank from eye to up against the strip at the bend then back to the eye of the hook. Paint some head cement or whatever to the thread base, then fold the foam strip down over top of the hook and tie in, then wind thread back and forth over the foam tying it in tight.
With thread at the bend tie in an elk hair tail extending just past the hook bend.
Wrap thread forward to tail butts, then fold the foam at the bottom up under the hook shank tying in the first segment of three. At this point bring thread forward far enough to make the second segment a bit longer then tie down the second segment. The first wing is tied in at this point being careful, not to tight as to make the hair flair. Bring thread forward enough so it is a bit longer the the second segment, tie down third segment and clip the foam off at this point.
Then tie in second wing. This wing has to be long enough that with the tips laying half way over fist with the butts over the hook eye 2 to 4cm. to help support the foam lip.
Now select 2 to 3 long dry fly hackles and tie in. Whip finish and cement.
Finished Freddy.
“The fly was later adapted to fish Steelhead and the Steelhead version arrived as a wide grey foam bodied fly with an elk hair tail and wing tide in 3 sections on top and a big lip of foam over the eye. Now they had a waker Freddie dry fly.”
Thank you again so much Gary for taking the time to share the Freddy. AC