The Little Trout of Samuel R. Slaymaker II

I have been tying these trout imitations for decades, in sizes from 12 all the way up to size 2.  In the smaller sizes I often omit the cheeks and may even just paint a white dot on the head.  I have found it doesn't matter though.  Fished accross and down, or dragging in a frantic twitch accross or up stream, these flies can be murder.  Tied with polar bear hair in place of bucktail they virtually come alive in the water. 

I present the patterns as originally listed in Bates' "Streamers and Bucktails, The Big Fish Flies."  1979 with commentary as needed. 


Little Brown Trout Bucktail
As per Bates, with a slight alteration*
Hook: size: 2-12, 6x long
Head: Black
Tail: A very small breast feather, with the dark center removed, from a ringneck pheasant.  The feather is as long as the gap of the hook and curves upward.
Body: Wound with white spun wool
Ribbing: Copper wire (narrow flat gold tinsel may be substituted, *I used medium oval copper tinsel)
Throat: None
Wing: Of four very small separated bunches of hair, extending slightly beyond the tail.  A very small bunch of yellow bucktail over which is a very small bunch of reddish-orange bucktail, slightly blended.  Over this is a very small bunch of medium dark squirrel tail, topped and slightly blended with a very small bunch of dark brown squirrel tail. 
Cheeks: Jungle Cock

Little Brook Trout Bucktail
As per Bates
Hook: size: 2-12, 6x long
Head: Black
Tail: A very small bunch of bright green bucktail, under or over which is a section cut from bright red floss, both slightly longer then the gap of the hook.
Body: Wound with cream coloured spun fur
Ribbing: Narrow flat silver tinsel
Throat: A small bunch of bright orange bucktail, the same length as the tail. 
Wing: Of four very small separated bunches of hair, extending slightly beyond the tail.  A very small bunch of white bucktail over which is a very small bunch of bright orange bucktail, slightly blended.  Over this is a very small bunch of bright green bucktail, topped with a very small bunch of barred badger hair
Cheeks: Jungle Cock

Little Rainbow Trout Bucktail
As per Bates
Hook: size: 2-12, 6x long
Head: Black
Tail: A very small bunch of bright green bucktail, slightly longer then the gap of the hook.
Body: Wound with pinkish-white fur
Ribbing: Narrow flat silver tinsel
Throat: A small bunch of pink bucktail, the same length as the tail. 
Wing: Of four very small separated bunches of hair, extending slightly beyond the tail.  A very small bunch of white bucktail over which is a very small bunch of pink bucktail, slightly blended.  Over this is a very small bunch of bright green bucktail, topped with a very small bunch of natural badger hair
Cheeks: Jungle Cock

The first of this trio to be tied was the Little Brown trout, followed by the Little Brook trout.  The colours were decided by having a pair of small hatchery fish, a brook and a brown, cast into clear plastic resin.  This could be manipulated to expose the different colours of the fish separately.  Then the correct shade of material was chosen.   They were originally tied for production by the Weber Tackle Company of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. 

All three of these streamers have done so well in catching fish that they have been featured in several national magazines and in Slaymaker's own book "Tie a Fly, Catch a Trout"(New York: Harper & Row, 1976).  It was this reputation and the obvious beautiful looking realism that drew me to these streamers, and I have not been disappointed.