Dolly Varden Fly

About the Dolly Varden Trout Fly

You can tie a fly for a particular fish species and then to either your chagrin or absolute delight, you find it works well for a different type of fish entirely! This was my experience when I tied a wet fly for those magnificent Copper River cohoes a few years ago. Although I caught several cohoe salmon on that trip not one was hooked on the new fly. However, the resident dolly varden trout in the Copper River just loved this fly as I landed six dollies hooked when casting for cohoe. Some of the dollies were solid two pound fish although most were released with the hope that a bright, energetic cohoe would be next to strike! Not one did but the fly which I now call the dolly varden wet did not disappoint me when it came to catching those Copper River dollies.

Creator of this trout fly: Don Haaheim

Tier of this trout fly: Don Haaheim

Country of origin for this trout fly: Canada

This trout fly is designed to be fished on Rivers & Streams

Pattern Dressings

• Hook : Salmon wet size 6.
• Tail : Black kip's tail.
• Body : Yellow wool.
• Ribbing : Gold tinsel.
• Hackle : Throat hackle of white polar bear or grey mallard flank.
• Head : Black tying thread.
• Wing : Blue polar bear.
• Thread : Black.

Attach your black tying thread to the hook shank and secure a small amount of black kip's tail to form the tail, projecting no more than 1/4 inch past the hook bend. Then tie in a piece of gold mylar or tinsel allowing it to flow past the hook bend about 3 inches. Next attach and wind the yellow wool from the hook bend to the hook eye and tie off. The gold tinsel should then be wrapped forward to the hook eye in 5 to 7 turns. Then attach a small amount of white polar bear (a mallard flank feather is optional) to the underside of the hook shank at the eye for a throat hackle. Again, using only a small amount, tie in the blue polar bear hair to form a wing, the length of which should not extend past the end of the kip's tail. Whip finish with the black tying thread to form a head, cement and you have just created a fine dolly varden wet fly! Mustad 38690.