Fly Tying Video: Red Headed Stepchild
Words By: North 40 Outfitters
Posted: January 02, 2015

Hogan Brown designed the Red Headed Stepchild to take the place of two general attractor nymphs; the Red Copper John and Red Headed Prince. The Red Headed Stepchild employs proven fish attracting elements like the color red and a flash back. Most important to the success of this fly is its accurate silhouette of a mayfly or small stonefly. He fishes this fly as a dropper behind bigger stoneflies or caddis pupae. The Stepchild has also worked well for steelhead when dropped off an egg pattern. He has had consistent success on rivers where fish get a lot of pressure from Pheasant Tail Flash Back, Red Copper Johns, and Red Head Princes. The Stepchild will perform in just about any fishing conditions, but it shines most at times where fish are not keyed on a specific hatch and are in an opportunistic feeding mode.

Materials:

  • Dai-Riki #070 - Size 16
  • 1/16" MFC Lucent Bead - Tungsten Red
  • Ringneck Pheasant Center Tails - Natural
  • UTC Ultra Thread 70 - Brown
  • UTC Small Ultra Wire - Red
  • UTC Medium Tinsel - Pearl
  • Grizzly Krystal Flash - Black/Red