Don’t get any untoward ideas. This fly gets its name from all the wood duck materials used in the tying process, and not from, well, anything else. And, it’s a great wet attractor pattern for all kinds of mayflies, ranging from green drakes to sulphers.
As Tim Flagler shows above, it’s also a pretty easy tying feat at the vise (when he started with a size 12 hook, I was thrilled). With wood duck feathers and wood duck dubbing (even thread’s color is unabashadly named “wood duck”), this fly is aptly named, and Flagler seems pretty enthusiastic about its prospects. I know when I first got a look at it, I immediately thought about swinging it through some of Yellowstone’s thermally influenced rivers early this coming season. It just looks fishy.
Give it a whirl and see what you think, especially if you’re like me and have a thing for wet flies on the swing (although this fly could just as easily be fished on the dead drift). I plan to tie up a batch, myself.
— Chris Hunt