Micro Egg Pattern & Tying Instructions
Fly Tying Recipe:
Micro Egg
Show / Hide Micro Egg Transcript Video Transcript:
A couple of years ago, friend and regional guide Keith Gardner turned me on to fishing super small eggs and, pardon the pun, I’ve been hooked ever since. This one is a bit different than what Keith fishes but it works for me and can be tied in a matter of seconds.
For a hook, a Dai-Riki#135 size 22 is just about perfect. As always, plunger-style hackle pliers make small hook handling a breeze. After gingerly mashing the barb, I get the hook firmly secured in the jaws of my tying vise.
For thread, I’ve loaded a bobbin with a spool of fluorescent orange UTC 70 Denier. The thread wraps will actually become the yoke or blood dot of the egg. Get your thread started on the hook shank leaving an eye-length space behind the eye and take a few wraps rearward before snipping or breaking off the tag. End with your thread at the apex of the hook shank’s bend.
To make a Micro Egg dispenser, I’ll use a tube like the ones found on spray lubricants, such as WD-40. Once you’ve got the tube removed from the can take a look to gauge how small the opening is and how much material could conceivably fit through it.
For an average length tube, I’ll snip it into four roughly equal segments in order to produce four different dispensers. On each segment, use your bodkin to reopen the ends that might’ve gotten crushed in the snipping process. A quick touch with a grill lighter will round and smooth the sharp ends so they won’t readily fray and cut your tying thread. It’s kind of important to not skip this step.
For the egg material, I go with McFly Foam. As for color, the choice is yours. In terms of amount, you really just have to experiment. Try about a strand and a half to start. A lot of times, you’ll get kinks at the ends of the strands and it’s easiest to simply snip them off. Do check to make sure that both ends are free of lumps and bumps. Feed a bobbin threader through one of the tube segments and then get it opened and insert one end of the yarn. Snipping the inserted end off close generally makes pulling the material through the tube a bit easier. Still, initially getting the yarn through should take a good amount of effort. The more compressed the McFly Foam is, the better your Micro Eggs will be. With just a small length extending from one end of the tube, snip any extra long fibers off square, leaving about ye much sticking out.
Place the material on top of the hook shank at an angle and give your bobbin a clockwise spin to cord up the thread. Take 3 wraps with the thread from front to back, around the yarn and then switch directions and cross wrap from back to front three times. Follow this with 3 wraps around just the hook shank. Make sure to give your bobbin a good counterclockwise spin to uncord your thread otherwise when you go to do a 3 or 4 turn whip finish, you may end up with thread kinks or even breakage in the process. Once you have the knot well seated, snip or cut your tying thread free.
Larger, really sharp scissors work best for the final step. While bracing the hook with your right hand, pull on the tube with your left to expose about an 1/8” of yarn. Then, with your scissors, snip this segment in half. The idea is to get matching amounts of material on both sides of the hook. These, once fluffed, will turn into a nice, neat, nearly spherical Micro Egg.
Thanks Keith for showing me this fly. It’s become one of my go-to patterns, particularly when conditions are low, clear and slow.
For a hook, a Dai-Riki#135 size 22 is just about perfect. As always, plunger-style hackle pliers make small hook handling a breeze. After gingerly mashing the barb, I get the hook firmly secured in the jaws of my tying vise.
For thread, I’ve loaded a bobbin with a spool of fluorescent orange UTC 70 Denier. The thread wraps will actually become the yoke or blood dot of the egg. Get your thread started on the hook shank leaving an eye-length space behind the eye and take a few wraps rearward before snipping or breaking off the tag. End with your thread at the apex of the hook shank’s bend.
To make a Micro Egg dispenser, I’ll use a tube like the ones found on spray lubricants, such as WD-40. Once you’ve got the tube removed from the can take a look to gauge how small the opening is and how much material could conceivably fit through it.
For an average length tube, I’ll snip it into four roughly equal segments in order to produce four different dispensers. On each segment, use your bodkin to reopen the ends that might’ve gotten crushed in the snipping process. A quick touch with a grill lighter will round and smooth the sharp ends so they won’t readily fray and cut your tying thread. It’s kind of important to not skip this step.
For the egg material, I go with McFly Foam. As for color, the choice is yours. In terms of amount, you really just have to experiment. Try about a strand and a half to start. A lot of times, you’ll get kinks at the ends of the strands and it’s easiest to simply snip them off. Do check to make sure that both ends are free of lumps and bumps. Feed a bobbin threader through one of the tube segments and then get it opened and insert one end of the yarn. Snipping the inserted end off close generally makes pulling the material through the tube a bit easier. Still, initially getting the yarn through should take a good amount of effort. The more compressed the McFly Foam is, the better your Micro Eggs will be. With just a small length extending from one end of the tube, snip any extra long fibers off square, leaving about ye much sticking out.
Place the material on top of the hook shank at an angle and give your bobbin a clockwise spin to cord up the thread. Take 3 wraps with the thread from front to back, around the yarn and then switch directions and cross wrap from back to front three times. Follow this with 3 wraps around just the hook shank. Make sure to give your bobbin a good counterclockwise spin to uncord your thread otherwise when you go to do a 3 or 4 turn whip finish, you may end up with thread kinks or even breakage in the process. Once you have the knot well seated, snip or cut your tying thread free.
Larger, really sharp scissors work best for the final step. While bracing the hook with your right hand, pull on the tube with your left to expose about an 1/8” of yarn. Then, with your scissors, snip this segment in half. The idea is to get matching amounts of material on both sides of the hook. These, once fluffed, will turn into a nice, neat, nearly spherical Micro Egg.
Thanks Keith for showing me this fly. It’s become one of my go-to patterns, particularly when conditions are low, clear and slow.
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