Smith: 13 famous Wisconsin fly patterns take center stage

WINNECONNE - Wisconsin has a long, rich heritage in fly tying.

The Weber Tackle Company of Stevens Point was established in 1888 and for most of the next century was a leading national purveyor of fly patterns and fly fishing equipment.

In the 1930s and '40s Art Kade Flycrafters in Sheboygan, a partnership of Kade and Helen Shaw, produced what many consider to be the most exquisite flies of the era.

The Badger State's reputation continues with contemporary fly tiers such as Pat Ehlers, owner of The Fly Fishers in West Allis, who has earned national recognition for his innovative designs and has had patterns picked up by large tackle companies.

In the midst of these riches, the Central Wisconsin chapter of Trout Unlimited held a meeting in March to honor some of the state’s fly tying heritage.

The members of CWTU selected a baker’s dozen patterns and gathered on a cold evening to tie the flies and tell their stories.

John Gremmer of Winneconne, past chapter president, coordinated the event.

The program started with a slideshow about the histories of the flies. Then the tiers began their work at tables in the banquet hall.

Attendees were able to walk from table to table, watch the flies being created and ask questions of the tiers.

"The best thing about flies is they are living pieces of art," Gremmer said. "We get the privilege of making them, even changing them, and keeping them alive through our tying and fishing."

Here's a capsule of the 13 flies selected by the club. With fishing season on the horizon, you'd do well to have some or all in your fly box.

Bart-O Minnow: Created by Bart Landwehr of De Pere, this fly is “just a great swimming minnow pattern for big fish,” Gremmer said.

The fly features a long tail, including flashabou and peacock herl, and large doll eyes.

Bi-Bugger: Rich Osthoff, author of several books including “No Hatch to Match,” designed the Bi-Bugger to represent sculpin minnows and crayfish found in most trout and smallmouth bass streams.

Osthoff has lived in various areas of Wisconsin, including Burlington and Tomah.

The Bi-Bugger uses different materials and colors to create a mottled, natural appearance.

Cap’s Hair-Wing: A dry fly designed by Ed Haaga for Cap Buettner’s Fly Shop, this pattern uses a deer hair for the body and tail and grizzly and brown rooster for the hackle.

The classical pattern was created primarily for mayfly hatches on the Wolf River.

Close Carpet Fly: Fly tiers are a creative lot. Resourceful, too. This fly, designed by George Close of Kiel, includes fibers taken from the carpet of his cabin.

Close clipped sections of Antron from his floor covering and used it to dub the thorax of the fly. The pattern, usually tied in sizes 10 to 14, also uses deer hair for the wing, abdomen and tail.

Dahlberg Diver: Created by Larry Dahlberg, this fly features a trimmed deer-hair head and long, streaming hackle and synthetic fibers.

When retrieved, the fly is designed to dive beneath the surface. When paused, it rises slowly due to the hollow deer hair.

The Dahlberg Diver has gained fans for targeting everything from bass to muskies.

Hart Washer: Arguably the most colorful of the bunch, the Hart Washer was created by Arling Erickson and named after Doug Hart, former player for the Green Bay Packers.

Erickson and Hart were fishing buddies and would pursue trout during the Hexagenia mayfly hatch. The Hart Washer is a high-floating fly similar to the Wulff series of dry flies.

It was a top producer “when the waves from the lunkers are washing the banks,” according to a pattern guide.

In a tip of the cap to Hart, as well as to increase visibility of the fly, the pattern is often tied in green and gold.

Hornberg Special: Created by Frank Hornberg, a Department of Natural Resources game warden from Stevens Point, this streamer has an elongated wing formed by two mallard breast feathers with two yellow hackle feathers underneath.

Its distinctive appearance was completed by a throat of grizzly hackle and cheeks made with jungle cock eyes.

Llama Fly: A streamer pattern, the Llama Fly was created by Miles Tourtellot, a Menomonee Indian.

The fly originally was tied with badger hair for the wing. Most modern renditions use woodchuck hair instead.

Both badger and woodchuck have good action underwater and, since they have solid hair fibers, sink well.

Mongrel Professor: The only pattern of the bunch whose creator is unknown, the Mongrel Professor was a favorite of Bob Hunt, a longtime fisheries manager with the DNR.

The wet fly has a wing of mallard flank and a body made of red silk or floss. It was usually tied in size 6.

Hunt also fished smaller sizes of the fly and called it the “Little Professor.”

Pass Lake Special: Created by Rev. Emil Stubenvoll of Clintonville, the Pass Lake Special is a versatile fly that can be fished dry or wet “and at the same time,” Gremmer quipped.

It is usually tied with a black chenille body, a white calf tail wing and a brown hen collar.

Pink Squirrel: John Bethke of Westby designed this bead-head fly with a pink thorax and dubbed body.

The pattern, usually tied in sizes 12 to 16, is very popular for trout fishing in the Driftless Area and beyond.

Thunder Creek Series: This minnow-imitation was designed by Keith Fulsher, a native of north-central Wisconsin.

It features bucktail that has been bent back over the front of the hook shank and tied down to create a bullet-shaped head. A coat of epoxy and a large eye complete the pattern.

Wild Turkey Gray Leech: A model of simplicity, this pattern, created by Tom Wendelberg of Madison, is tied from a single wild turkey feather.

Wendelberg viewed it as a “disposable” fly, fished on the bottom of streams and prone to loss.

The pulsating motion of the turkey marabou in the water also makes the pattern extremely effective.

The fly is usually tied with weight on the shank and with a black glass bead at the front.