Whiskers Larva by SwittersB

A simple beginner’s pattern that lends itself to the larva/pupa stages of Chironomids or Caddis. There are several kinds of vinyl ribbings out there. In this instance, I used a medium thick, vinyl ribbing, olive colored. To me, the most interesting part of this pattern is the beard (‘whiskers’). I saw this method about ten years ago from a Kamloops’ tier, Ed Smith. He pulled 3-4 short barbs from a hackle. The ends (the butts)  you see here are actually the portion removed from the hackle’s shaft. They are tied in under the shank and if any of the usual whitish material is evident on the butts, I touch them up with a black permanent marker. They look just like knarly little legs emerging from an insect don’t they?  The thorax is finished off with three turns of natural Peacock herl and an olive plastic bead was used. You can imagine the combination of abdomen and bead colors. A simple, yet effective fly on stillwaters and streams.