Timberline Emerger

Gray Timberline Emerger

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Tying Instructions

1. Attach the thread at the midpoint of the shank and lay a thread base to the bend of the hook.

2. Clip a segment of marabou from the quill. Try to use mature marabou which has plenty of fluff. The one used here is from the base of a body hackle of a Red Necked Pheasant Tail. The length of the tail should be about half the shank length. Secure the remaining material along the shank.

3. Secure the wire ribbing to the bottom side of the shank ending at the tail tie-in position.

4. Mix a blend of the dubbing, Antron and Haretron. Here, I’m using Possum, you could also use muskrat. Twist a small portion of the dubbing to the thread, bringing the material up to the tail tie-in position. Try to keep this material sparse as you will build a tapered body. I like to anchor a number of fibers with one turn, then twist the material around the thread enough to compact most of the loose material.

5. Wrap the dubbing forward with a tapered body to the 80% mark of the shank. Clip off some of the long fibers.

6. Wrap the ribbing forward about 5 turns with evenly spaced wraps.

7. Prepare a brown neck hackle by folding the fibers so that they lay within a single plane. Attach the hackle just in front of the body with the hackle fibers flowing back towards the tail. Try to select a hackle in which the fibers just touch the point of the hook when swept back.

8.You’ll only need about two wraps to get enough fibers to imitate the legs of the emerger. Keep the wraps tight and use your fingers to ensure that the hackle fibers flow back towards the tail.

9. I find that wetting your fingers will help to work the hackle fibers down and back. Use you bobbin thread to place several wraps at the base of the hackle to secure their sweeping position. There may be some obstinate fibers on top, so clip these off.

10. Select two Grizzly Hen Hackle tips. The tips should extend about 2/3 the shank length. They are to be downward and divided, with the curves facing each other. Match the tips and secure just in front of the hackles. Whip Finish and apply head cement.

Materials to Order Material, click the link
Hook	TMC 3761 #10-18
Thread	Danville Gray 6/0
Body	Blend of Bleached Aussie Possum and Gray Antron
Ribbing	Medium Copper Wire
Tail	Gray Marabou
Wing	Grizzly Hen Hackle tip
Legs	Brown Neck Hackle

Randall Kaufmann

Timberline Emerger

The Timberline Emerger was one of the first flies designed by Randall Kaufmann in the mid 1960’s. It is named after the numerous timberline lakes that Randall would hike into from the Eastside Sierra areas out of Mammoth and Bishop. Randall felt that he needed a stillwater pattern that would be subsurface and would represent the caddis and mayfly emergers that many of the trout would feed upon just under the surface film.

Hackle Wing Wet Fly

The pattern is actually a hackle wing wet fly. The fly is cast and retrieved with a slow hand twist. This fly continues to be popular throughout the Sierra and throughout the Pacific Northwest. Randall attributes the success of this fly to the natural grizzly wing tips which need to have a good barring and also a wide width that only hen hackles can provide. The wings are tied downward and divided with the curves facing away from each other. The tail was originally 4-5 strands of Dark Moose Hair, Randall replaced this hair with Marabou in the early 1980’s since it provided better movement.

For the Gray Timberline Emerger, I like to use the natural gray marabou found at the base of Ringtail Pheasant Body feathers. The hackle is is tied sparsely with only 2-3 turns. The fibers are stroked down and swept back secured with thread wraps. The hackle fibers should not extend beyond the hook point.

Many guides consider this a must-have fly for High Sierra lakes with Goldens and Rainbows.

Olive Timberline Emerger

Hook	TMC 3761 #10-18
Thread	Danville Olive 6/0
Body	Blend of Olive Angora Goat and Olive Haretron
Ribbing	Medium Copper Wire
Tail	Olive Marabou
Wing	Olive Dyed Grizzly Hen Hackle tip
Legs	Olive Neck Hackle

Brown Timberline Emerger

Hook	TMC 3761 #10-18
Thread	Danville Brown 6/0
Body	Blend of Brown Angora Goat and Brown Haretron
Ribbing	Medium Copper Wire
Tail	Brown Marabou
Wing	Brown dyed Grizzly Hen Hackle tip
Legs	Brown Saddle Hackle

Tan Timberline Emerger

Hook	TMC 3761 #10-18
Thread	Danville Tan 6/0
Body	Blend of Natural Aussie Possum and Olive Tan Haretron
Ribbing	Medium Copper Wire
Tail	Tan Marabou
Wing	Brown dyed Grizzly Hen Hackle tip
Legs	Brown Saddle Hackle