Ham ‘n Eggs

Here is the fly pattern sheet for the Ham ‘n Eggs.

Directions:

1. Debarb hook and start thread on the hook.
2. Advance the thread to the rear of hook to a point between the hook point and barb.
3. If using knitting yarn, attach three single strands of yarn (e.g. two orange and one yellow OR two yellow and one orange) with the one color flanked by the other strands of the other color (e.g. orange, yellow, orange). For GloBug Yarn or McFly Foam, use two strands (about 3/16 inch in diameter) of orange and a yellow color.
4. Hold the three strands in your right hand and a dubbing needle in the left hand. Pull the strands forward over the needle. Then pull the needle to the rear to make a loop about 1/8 inch in size. Grab the loop with the left hand and place the needle on the bench. Then make five tight loops of thread over the yarn to make a loop. Repeat the process two more times to make a total of three loops and whip finish.

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“For a “ham” or “egg” pattern, I use one color on a size 18 hook. I get the knitting yarn at a fabric store, the GloBug yarn at Bi-Mart or Warehouse Sports and the McFly Foam at Patient Angler. You might want to get together with your friends to share materials.

It is that time of the year when mountain whitefish start to spawn in Central Oregon streams. As review, whitefish spawn in shallow riffles during night time hours from mid-November through mid-January. The eggs, a pinkish color with yellowish tint or orange color with yellowish tint, are about 1/8 inch in size. Whitefish do not build redds but instead broadcast the eggs in the shallow water column. The eggs settle down in the cobble stream bed and hatch days later. Whitefish eggs are important to resident rainbows and whitefish as a source of protein.

Enough biology! Whitefish egg patterns are important to fly anglers. Some of my favorite patterns are the Nuke Egg (www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/detail.cfm) and the Hot Tailed Loop-Nuc (Dec 2011 COF newsletter). The newsletter article has the preferred color combinations. I offer a “new” pattern, the Ham ’n Eggs, that is the ultimate guide fly – it is simple and quick to tie, uses three or less materials, and catches fish – Oh does it catch fish, especially rainbows. The pattern is an adaptation of a Great Lakes steelhead pattern called the Sucker Spawn. For rainbows, I use a size 16 scud hook. For whitefish and rainbows, I use a size 18 scud hook. For materials, I use knitting yarn, GloBug yarn, or McFly Foam. For thread, I use size 6/0 fluorescent orange or pink colors. For Ham ’n Eggs, I use two colors of yarn on a size 16 hook. If I use knitting yarn, I use two strands of one color and one strand of the other color. If I use GloBug or McFly Foam, I use a stand of each color. A strand is about 3/16 inches in size. A “Ham” or “Egg” pattern uses one color.

How to fish egg patterns: I use Euro-nymphing techniques. I fish two flies on 6-inch droppers about 15 inches apart. On the Crooked River, I use a size 16 Lights Out ( Sep 2011 and Sep 2012 COF newsletters) for the top fly. The egg should be the bottom dropper. When the flows on the Crooked River are 77 to 100 cfs, I use a single size BB split shot about 10 inches below the bottom dropper. Check out my presentation on fishing the Crooked River in the winter on the COF web site. In the presentation there are diagrams of the rigging.”

Bill Seitz