Fly Tying Inventory
Mil Spec Loop Wing Emerger
Cheech built this small mayfly emerger by pairing the thread body of his Mil Spec series with a traditional loop wing. An earlier version used thread and wire for the abdomen, dubbing for the thorax and snowshoe hare foot for the wing. He moved to all synthetic fibers so the colors can match any mayfly and the fly ties faster, in about 3 to 4 minutes. It is meant to look helpless on the surface. Floatant that binds to the materials, such as Loon Lochsa or Loon Payette Paste worked into the thorax and wing, keeps it riding high. Tied here on a size 18 hook.
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Materials
TMC 2488 Curved Nymph hook, size 18
18
Hareline Sparkle Emerger Yarn, color to match the mayfly, for the trailing shuck and the thorax
Sharpie permanent marker, dark, to color the hanging thread for the body bars
EP Trigger Point Int'l Fibers, color to match the mayfly
How to Tie the Mil Spec Loop Wing Emerger
- 1
Step 1
Set the hook in the vise and start the thread behind the eye.
- 2
Step 2
Wrap back around the bend, keeping the thread flat.
- 3
Step 3
Tie in a sparse bunch of Sparkle Emerger Yarn at the bend for a short trailing shuck. Trim the excess.
- 4
Step 4
Wrap the thread forward and back in smooth, even turns to form a slender abdomen, finishing with the thread at the bend.
- 5
Step 5
Color a section of the hanging thread with a dark Sharpie.
A Chartpak marker bleeds too far into the body color, so stick with a Sharpie.
- 6
Step 6
Spiral the colored thread forward over the abdomen in open turns to make the bars, and stop where the thorax will begin.
- 7
Step 7
Tie a bunch of EP Trigger Point fibers on top of the shank at the front of the abdomen, so one end reaches forward over the eye and the other trails back.
- 8
Step 8
Build a small, round thorax around the base of the fibers with a little Sparkle Emerger Yarn.
- 9
Step 9
Fold the rear fibers forward over the thorax to form a loop and tie them down behind the eye with the front fibers.
- 10
Step 10
Whip finish behind the eye and trim the thread. Trim the fiber ends short, leaving the loop standing over the thorax.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1OX-gQ6hd4
Credit: Cheech / Fly Fish Food