Granite Pool Trico Spinner
by @dekasso
Trico Spinner · Dry fly
White wings spent on still morning water
A size 20 Trico spinner with white spent wings and a black thread body, for trout sipping the morning spinner fall.
A tiny Trico spinner with white wings laid flat and long split tails. Its slim black thread body carries a fine silver rib, finished with a spiky black thorax.
- Pattern
- Trico Spinner
- Imitates
- Trico spinner fall
- When
- typically late-summer and early-autumn mornings
- Hook
- size 20
- Tippet
- 7Xrule of three
- White poly wings lie fully spent
- Split microfibbet tails for balance
- Black thread body with silver rib
- Size 20 dry-fly hook
- Built for the Trico spinner fall
On the water
Two bright white wings stretch out flat from a small black thorax. A slender black body with a thin silver rib runs back to split white tails, long and fine as whiskers. Behind it, a clear mountain creek slides past grey granite and winter grass.
Fish it on slow flats and tailouts when spent Tricos carpet the surface and trout rise in steady little sips. Cast a short drift above the riser and let it sit dead still in the film, with no drag at all.
Poly yarn wings need figure-eight wraps to lie dead flat. Cross the yarn over the shank, lock it with tight X-wraps, then dub the thorax over and under so the wings stay spent and level.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 7Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Rig on 6X or 7X tippet with a long, soft leader to keep the drift natural.
- Fish it flush in the film; a light touch of floatant on the wings only keeps the body low.
- Make short casts to a single riser and time the drift to its rhythm.
Where and when
- Water
- South Platte River, Colorado Front Range
- Hatch
- Trico spinner falltypically late-summer and early-autumn mornings
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Slow flats, tailouts and glassy pools on tailwaters and spring creeks
- Also fishes
- Also fishes any slow water with tiny dark spinners or midges on top, and works as a calm-day searcher on still pools.
Also on this water
- MidgeJan–Mar, Nov–Dec
- Blue-Winged OliveMar–Apr, Sep–Oct
- TricoJul–Aug
Fished out of Deckers, Lake George and Fairplay.
Make it yourself
Intermediate5 materials · 10 steps
- Pattern
- Trico Spinner
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Standard dry-fly hooksize 20
- Thread
- Black 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailWhite microfibbets
- RibFine silver wire
- BodyBlack thread
- WingWhite poly yarn
- ThoraxBlack superfine dubbing
Details
- Imitates
- Trico mayfly spinner
- Colors
- Black, White, Silver
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
- Mount the size 20 hook and start the black thread one eye-length behind the eye, then wrap a thin base to the bend.
- Build a tiny thread ball right at the bend to split the tails.
- Tie in two or three white microfibbets on each side of the ball so they flare apart, about one and a half shank lengths long.
- Tie in the fine silver wire at the bend.
- Wrap a slim, smooth thread body forward to about two thirds of the shank, tapering slightly thicker toward the front.
- Wind the silver wire forward in four or five open turns, tie off and trim.
- Lay a short length of white poly yarn across the shank and lock it with tight figure-eight wraps so both wings sit flat out to the sides.
- Dub a pinch of black superfine onto the thread and wrap a small thorax in figure-eights around the wing base.
- Trim each wing to about one shank length, cutting straight across.
- Form a tiny neat head behind the eye and whip finish.
Proportions (4)
- Tails: about one and a half times the hook shank, split wide.
- Body: slim thread over the rear two thirds of the shank.
- Wings: each about one shank length, set level at right angles to the body.
- Thorax: small and round, no wider than the wing base.
Tips (4)
- Keep thread wraps flat by spinning the bobbin to untwist it before wrapping the body.
- Comb the poly yarn fibres with a fine brush before trimming for a crisper wing outline.
- Use very little dubbing; a sparse, spiky thorax suits the profile.
- Trim the wings after tying so both sides match exactly.
Common mistakes (4)
- Wings that cock upward: lock them with more figure-eight wraps before dubbing.
- A lumpy body: use fewer, smoother thread wraps and keep the base flat.
- Tails that roll together: make the thread ball firm enough to push them apart.
- Crowding the eye: leave one eye-length bare at the start.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 20 · Materials only · 12 flies
$26.65
$2.22 a fly
Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 6 more
Every item in this kit · 7 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine silver wire$3.25
Materials
- White microfibbets$3.50
- Black superfine dubbing$4.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 20 · Materials only · 48 flies
$41.90
$0.87 a fly
Bought separately $44.10 · you save $2.20
Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 6 more
Every item in this kit · 7 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$5.90
- Fine silver wire$3.25
Materials
- White microfibbets$7
- Black superfine dubbing$9
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 20 · Materials only · 144 flies
$91.43
$0.63 a fly
Bought separately $103.90 · you save $12.47
Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 6 more
Every item in this kit · 7 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$17.70
- Fine silver wire$9.75
Materials
- White microfibbets$17.50
- Black superfine dubbing$18
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 20 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$176.65
$14.72 a fly
Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 15 more
Every item in this kit · 16 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine silver wire$3.25
Materials
- White microfibbets$3.50
- Black superfine dubbing$4.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 20 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$184.40
$3.84 a fly
Bought separately $194.10 · you save $9.70
Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 15 more
Every item in this kit · 16 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$5.90
- Fine silver wire$3.25
Materials
- White microfibbets$7
- Black superfine dubbing$9
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 20 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$223.43
$1.55 a fly
Bought separately $253.90 · you save $30.47
Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 15 more
Every item in this kit · 16 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$17.70
- Fine silver wire$9.75
Materials
- White microfibbets$17.50
- Black superfine dubbing$18
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
The creator
Remixes
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
fly pattern · made
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- trico
- spinner
- dry fly
- spent wing
- mayfly
- trout
- black
- white
- size 20
- tailwater
- spinner fall