Dec 4, 2018
Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of whitefly nymphs or adults. Last time we were fishing this hatch we were having so much fun I didn't take any pictures. Something I'm still kicking myself for ... sort of...
But here are some flies you can tie up if you want to fish these guys - starting with Selene's whitefly nymph she designed:
The pattern is:
Tail: Cream or Grey ostrich herl
Body - two yellow glass beads
Gills -ostrich herl tags pulled up from tail and lashed down between beads
Thorax - brown or tan glass bead
Wing case - turkey quill over brown or tan bead
Legs - remaining ostrich herl tied down.
Eyes - plastic dumbbell eyes
Another cool whitefly nymph pattern can be found here - at the American Angler Magazine.
Next is an idea from Thomas Ames, Jr. - a white usual, to imitate the adult. I thought this was a great idea, so here you go:
Tail: Hare's foot - from between the toes
Body: Hare's foot dubbing
Wing: Hare's foot - from between the toes
A White Wulff is a standard fly to imitate a whitefly dun. I'm kind of partial to Wulffs because Lee Wulff actually lived in this area of Maine for awhile - his kids went to the school that my kids are going to. Anyway, I modified it into a parachute pattern - which I like as I feel it imitates the spinner or a cripple more effectively:
Lastly, Selene was tying up a bunch of Hexamongous for an order and we had the great idea of tying up a white one to imitate a Whitefly cripple. We immediately called it a Honkeymongous, which is probably politically incorrect, but there you go. This is in a size 14 - the previous flies are a size 12 or so, but a size 14 for this fly is right size with the longer tail/shuck, etc. Here's the fly and the pattern:
Hook:
Tail: Mallard flank feather fibers
Body: White or cream dubbing
Rib: Dental floss (split in this case to match the smaller fly)
Loop wing and wing: Mallard flank feather fibers
There you go - a pile of flies to fish your next whitefly hatch. Enjoy