Trico spinner

The trico spinner is a very small fly that hatches before the sun comes up usually.  Fish key in on the spinner falls that usually occur just after the sun comes up.  The males have a black body, and they should be fished earlier.  The females have an olive body, and they should be fished later since the females return to the water to drop their eggs.

Materials needed:
Hook:  TMC 101 sizes #22-26.
Thread:  UNI-thread 8/0 black.
Tail:  3 light dun mayfly fibbets, or stiff dry fly hackle fibers
Body:  Thread.  Black for male, olive for female.
Wings:  Antron yarn, cream or white.
Hackle:  Grizzly hackle, trimmed on the bottom.

 Place your hook in your vise.

Start your thread.

Tie in your 3 tail fibers.  The length should equal about 2 times the hook shank.  Keep the tail fibers separated equally.

The tail on trico's are noticeably longer than tails on other mayflies.  

Secure the butt ends to the hook shank.  The butt ends should extend about 2/3 of the hook shank as shown.

Use your thumbnail to push up the tail fibers.

Make sure they are separated as shown.

Tie in a piece of antron yarn on a 45 degree angle with a few tight wraps.

 Pull the piece of antron yarn so it is perpendicular to the hook shank.

When the piece of antron yarn is perpendicular to the hook shank, secure it with a few tight figure-eight wraps.

Trim the wings to length.  About the length of the hook shank.







Tie in a your grizzly hackle.












Wrap 2-3 wraps of hackle, tie it off and then clip the butt end.

Whip finish, trim your thread, and apply head cement.

Trim the hackle from the underside of the fly so it sits flat on the water.