One of my top 3 favorite flies of all-time for trout fishing with a spey rod - the White Widow

When looking to develop an effective and very “cast-able” fly for trout spey, I made a conscious decision to use as few light-weight materials as possible while still producing a fly that has a bigger profile and great movement.

Utilizing only polar chenille, teal flank (or mallard flank), marabou, grizzly hackles, grizzly soft hackle and a traditional intruder shank and trailer hook, I found the perfect recipe for making an ideal trout spey fly for skagit casting.

One of Dave's top 3 flies for Trout Spey on skagit lines. The White Widow Streamer is a great streamer pattern for trout and even warm water species. https://www.cooperlandingfishingguide.com VIDEO BONUS: Learn how to use marabou from the bottom of your feathers that you might normally throw away!

MATERIALS FOR DAVE'S WHITE WIDOW FLY:

Hook Shank: Umpqua 25 mm Waddington Shank

Trailer Material: Senyo's Intruder Wire for Hooks Larger Than Size 6

Trailer Hook: Owner Mosquito Side Drifting Hook Size #4 (Barb Removed)

Thread: Uni 6/0 Black

Rear Body Material: Hareline Dubbin UV Polar Chenile Copper

First Hackle: Wapsi Barred Mallard Flank Natural

Main Body: Creative Angler Spey Blood Quill Marabou Apricot

Wings: Grizzly Hackle Natural

Head: Spirit River Soft Grizzly Hackle Tan

Head Cement: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails

As a bonus, I have included an easy fly tying hack to help utilize the often discarded marabou at the bottom of a thick stem (see video below). Often times, we throw away some excellent (and might I add, fishy) materials. Hopefully you can get the most out of your materials and tie more than one fly from a single marabou feather.

Simple fly tying hacks cut down on wasted materials and also help you save time. This quick fly tying hack shows you how to stop wasting the good marabou at the bottom of the stem. https://www.cooperlandingfishingguide.com Fly Tying is not only a great way to "save money" on flies, but it is a great way to pass the time.

The White Widow can be tied in a variety of colors and many of the materials can be substituted. The key to this fly and the key to making very cast-friendly flies is to use a formula similar to this fly recipe.

Thank you so much for checking out our guide business, flies and approach to the sport of fly fishing!

-Dave and Jackie- Cooper Landing Fishing Guide, LLC