Chuck’s Emerger

A small wood-duck-tailed emerger with a dubbed body, fine rib and sparse grizzly collar.

Paul Wright’s Arkansas fly-pattern list gives a yellow dubbed body, wood-duck flank tail and dry-fly hackle for a fly named Chuck’s Emerger. This is a source-based starting dressing; the identity of the fly in the separate Flys and Guides index is not independently verified.

At the vise: Intermediate
Common sizes: #18–20

Flies for Trout

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From hook to fly

At the vise.

5 steps

Work through the numbered steps in order, using the materials list and written proportions as your guide.

Set the thread and tail
Start orange thread behind the eye and carry it to the bend. Tie in a sparse wood-duck flank tail with tips extending roughly one hook shank behind the bend.
Bench note Keep the tail slim on this small hook.
Attach the rib
Tie a fine brassie-wire length at the tail base and bind it forward along the shank. Return the thread to the bend while leaving room at the front for a short hackle collar.
Bench note The published recipe allows the rib to be omitted; this dressing includes it.
Dub the abdomen
Twist a thin noodle of yellow Superfine onto the thread and wind it from the bend toward the reserved front space. Keep the body narrow and even.
Bench note A little dubbing covers a size-18 hook quickly.
Rib and set hackle
Spiral the wire forward in open, evenly spaced turns and secure it. Tie in one grizzly rooster hackle at the front of the dubbed body.
Bench note Keep the wire wraps open enough to show the yellow dubbing.
Wrap and finish
Take a few controlled grizzly-hackle turns behind the eye, tie off the stem and trim it. Form a small orange thread head and whip finish without covering the eye.
Bench note Trim any fibers that extend below the hook gap if a lower riding fly is wanted.

Beyond the bench

On the water.

Swing the small fly downstream on a tight line during a midge hatch, as reported for the North Fork in Arkansas. Adjust the swing depth to the fish and keep the fly moving naturally through the feeding lane.

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