Pocket Pal

Pocket Pal

Derivative of the Trude, this has become my go-to dry fly for small mountain streams. on either slope of the Cascades, in the Rockies, or in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It is visible in shaded pockets, durable enough to bounce off the rocks, and the fish grab it with abandon.

hook: dry fly hook #12 - 16
tail: Golden Pheasant tippet (shown), or brown or cree hackle fibers, or moose hair
body: black dubbing ribbed with silver oval tinsel (rib optional)
wing: white calftail or pref. calf body hair, downwing (caddis/stonefly) style
hackle: brown or cree dry fly hackle in front of the wing

Here's a pretty Baker River (NH) brookie that rose to the Pocket Pal: