Category Archives: Doug Korn

July 6, 2015 · 6:00 am

PFS Pink Caddis Larva – Doug Korn

This is a neat little nymph tied by Doug Korn. It is also know as a Glossossoma Larva. The material list is from Doug below. Doug mixes his own dubbing, so you can substitute his pink dubbing with something close to what you see here. If you want to mix your own dubbing then check out this link where Doug explains how he does it. Give it a go!

Materials list:

hook: #16 scud
bead: 5/64″ gold (1x undersized)
thread: 8/0 pink
abdomen: light pink DK#30 dubbing
rib: pearl midge krystal flash
hackle: gray partridge
collar: Hareline HD4 dubbing

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Filed under Doug Korn, nymphs

October 27, 2014 · 7:00 am

Korn’s Split-tail Salmon Fly

Doug Korn has posted lately on his blog 55 on the fly about an interesting Salmon Fly. This is a variation of his hopper pattern, which is what makes it interesting, in my opinion. Doug explains more about the Salmon Fly below. The popular hopper pattern it is based from is Korn’s Wrapped Foam Hopper, so I have posted a photo of it below.

Korn’s Split-tail Salmon Fly

This is a variation of my Korn’s Wrapped Foam Hopper that I tie for Parks Fly Shop. It makes a super Salmon fly and you can use the same pattern for Golden Stone flies as well. I just change the hook to a size 8-10 and the foam over body to a golden yellow. Out West it’s a killer fly when the Salmon flies are hatching and in the East for the small Spring Black Stone flies. I just change the color and downsize them to size 12…

Materials:
Hook: MFCo. 7026 4-6
Thread: black 6/0 Uni
Legs: MFC med. black legs
Underbody: orange craft foam wrapped
Over body: black or dark brown craft foam, hook gap wide with split-tail
Wing: deer tail hair
Indicator: orange craft foam

SBS
tie in back legs split
tie in underbody foam at eye extending out from hook
superglue thread base, wrap orange foam back to tail-legs
attach over body with 3 wraps at tail-legs, then loop thread over the top of the underbody to the eye (this way no wraps show and you can get the thread back to the eye
put superglue on the top back of the underbody and fold over body down and secure at the eye, then wrap back to form double bullet head
tie in wing of deer tail hair, glue butts, fold over foam to form bullet head and tie down
tie in legs and indicator post, keeping thread wraps to minimum.
whip finish, varnish

note: convert split-tail to egg sack variation if desired… see photo

with egg sack

Korn’s Wrapped Foam Hopper

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Filed under Doug Korn, Salmon

November 20, 2013 · 6:30 am

Making dubbing 101: a step-by-step by Doug Korn

Making dubbing from yarn is easy using a coffee grinder. Buy one just for making dubbing, they are cheap, about $15. Experiment with different yarns yourself to find the right color, texture and float-ability desired for your fly tying needs.

Today’s goal is to make an orange sulphur dubbing for dry flies.

Materials needed. All you really need is a coffee grinder and some yarn…

I use a 12 inch board to measure my “parts”.

I cut one part of orange yarn and ten parts yellow.

Then, cut the 11 pieces of yarn in 3/4 inch lengths.

Keep the 3/4 inch bundles nicely lined up so that they can be added to the coffee grinder in the proper 1 to 10 ratio. You will end up with about 15-16 bundles.

Add 3-4 bundles at one time to the grinder. Turn it on and run it for about 20 seconds. Grinding times will vary depending on your wool and the volume of yarn in the grinder.

You should end up with dubbing that looks something like this, with color blending and texture consistent throughout the batch. Safety Note: always unplug your grinder before putting your hands in it. Repeat the steps above with the remainder of your bundles.

You should end up with some nice orange sulphur dubbing. Here is the orange sulphur compared to my standard sulphur dubbing.

If you get this – you haven’t blended enough. There is too much material in the grinder. Remove some and grind some more. Trial and error is necessary until you get a feel for how much material is too much. Take notes on your dubbing blends so that you can repeat your recipes when needed.

As you can see here this batch needs a little more blending to be consistent throughout the blend.

Be careful though, too much grinding creates heat and the heat will melt and clump the yarn/dubbing.

I ended up making two batches of orange sulphur dubbing. Below is the darker of the two. This was 2 parts orange to 10 parts yellow.

The finished dubbing…

On the left 1 part orange to 10 parts yellow and on the right 2 parts orange to 10 parts yellow.

Check out Doug’s blog at http://55onthefly.blogspot.com

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Filed under Doug Korn, Step by Step

May 7, 2013 · 12:08 am

Korn’s Spent Wing Spruce Moth – Doug Korn

Doug shows us how to tie his Spent Wing Spruce Moth. I think it’s an interesting fly and I especially like the way the head is formed and the extra durability is added to the wings.

Hook: Dai-Riki #305 14
Thread: Serafil 200 tan or Uni 6/0-8/0
Rib: tag end of thread
Abdomen: DK #14 Spruce Moth dubbing or light tan
Palmered hackle: honey or light ginger rooster, palmered front to back, trapped with tag end thread ribbed to eye, clipped short on top and bottom.
Wing: 2 Salmon Favorelle hen chicken flank feathers (very light ginger), or buff pheasant feathers, tied in flat one on top of the other, 1 gap length longer than hook, tied behind eye then folded over to form head and whip finished. Varnish the head and 1/3 of the wing.

I have a couple of other posts on FrankenFly featuring Doug that you should check out. He did a step-by-step of one of my favorite flies, Korn’s Green Lantern. Plus a very cool technique involving wire heads.

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Filed under Doug Korn, Trout flies

December 13, 2012 · 12:11 am

Korn’s Green Lantern

Korn's Green Lantern

The following step-by-step is provided by Doug Korn. Don’t forget to visit Doug at his blog, 55 on the fly.

This fly is one of a series of variations of my Korn’s SCHWARPF fly.
(Swept Custom Hackle Winged All Revised Purpose Fly)
Korn’s Green Lantern is a caddis pupa imitation and has been a very successful fly for me both here in NY as well as in the Yellowstone National Park area.

materials list:

Hook: vintage Mustad Limerick #16 std. wet fly or current Mustad 3906 or Daiichi 1550 (hook size between 14-16)

Thread: Serafil tan 200/2 or Uni-8/0

Bead: 11/0 green glass seed bead

Rib: small copper wire

Tail/shuck, Shellback and Wing: red fox squirrel tail tied in by the tips, divided 1/3 for tail, 2/3’s for shellback and wing

Body and Collar: DK#28 Green Lantern dubbing or bright emerald green dubbing of choice

Step 1. Place hook with bead in vise.

Step 2. Start thread at bead. Tie in copper wire at the eye with wraps back to the bend of the hook.

Step 3. Cut a clump of red fox squirrel tail.

Step 4. Pull out the short hairs and trim the tips even. Tie them in by the tips at the bend of the hooks with wraps forward to one bead width behind eye. Note: It’s important to leave this gap.

Step 5. Wind thread back to hook point position and dub the thread.

Step 6. Wrap noodle from bend to one hook eye gap behind bead.

Step 7. Wind copper wire forward, first behind dubbing at the rear of hook over squirrel tail then forward in evenly spaced open turns. Ending with a few tight turns behind the head. Tie off and break off wire.

Step 8. Bring 2/3’s of squirrel tail forward to bead and wrap down in gap behind the bead spreading tail fibers in fan shape to form wing as shown.

Step 9. Trim tail/shuck to body length. Then fold back wing with a few tight wraps with thread winding up right behind the bead.

Step 10. Dub short noodle for collar.

Step 11. Wind collar and whip finish right behind the bead.

Step 12. Trim wing to as long as the hook, your Green Lantern is complete.

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December 9, 2012 · 12:11 am

Wire Heads – Doug Korn

A fellow tyer, PlanetTrout, mentioned I should check out Doug Korn’s fly tying. Holy crap, I’m so glad I did! I’m very impressed with Doug’s skills and I love his flies. Now if I could just talk him into coming to Indiana and teaching me everything he knows! Doug is a fly tyer for Park’s Fly Shop in Gardiner, Montana. You can see more of Doug’s work on his blog, 55 on the fly.

Back when Doug first started tying flies he didn’t have many beads and it was too expensive for him to build up a supply. So he started using wire to wrap heads on his flies when he needed a bead. I think this is an impressive technique that adds a new look to a fly.

Below I have posted the two videos that Doug created to show how to tie the wire head. I have also placed links to several posts that Doug has made on his blog about various wire head flies.

Keep checking FrankenFly because Doug has offered to do a step-by-step of one of his original flies. This will be coming soon! For now, enjoy the wire heads!