Carlson’s Purple Haze – a unique and powerful coloration

Carlson’s Haze, Purple

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Tying Instructions

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

2.Clip a small clump of Elk Hair and even the tips in a stacker. Attach the hair at the bend of the hook for a tail. The tail length should be about the same as the shank length. Secure the tail with thread wraps and trim the excess at the midpoint of the shank.

3. Wrap tight thread wraps back to the base of the tail and back to the midpoint, covering all of the Elk Hair on the shank.

4. Clip a small clump of calf tail. Calf Tail is next to impossible to stack, so just remove the errant hairs until the remaining are about even with each other. Note that you do not need much material. Tie in the clump just past the midpoint of the shank. The wingpost should be about the same length as the hook shank. Secure the hair with 7-8 tight wraps. You can substitute the calf hair with Hi-Viz or Turkey Flat.

5. Trim the butt hairs of the wingpost at an angle to give the trimmed butt a taper toward the tail. Secure with thread wraps and bring the thread back to just beyond the midpoint of the shank.

6. Pull up the wingpost and wrap in front of the wingpost base 5-6 wraps to create some support. Wrap around the base of the wingpost 3-4 times and bring the thread behind the wingpost and around the shank to help support the vertical position. Do this twice.

7. Attach a length of floss at the tie-in position of the tail. Bring the thread up to a position just in front of the wingpost.

8. Wrap the floss with smooth wraps up to the wingpost. Bring the floss under and around the wingpost securing, temporarily, the floss just in front of the wingpost.

9. Select a Brown and Grizzly hackle and attach them by the butt end just in front of the wingpost to the shank. Leave enough exposed hackle stem to also secure the hackles to the base of the wingpost.

10. Place some thread wraps around the exposed hackle stem and the wingpost base.

11. Wrap the hackle around the wingpost base about 4-5 times in a downward spiral. Secure the hackle below the shank and in front of the wingpost with thread wraps taking care not to trap hackle fibers.

12. Lift the front hackle backwards with your thumb and forefinger to allow 2-3 wraps of floss in front of the wingpost. Then, secure the floss just behind the eye.Trim off the excess floss and secure with 2-3 thread wraps and two half hitches. A drop of head cement at the base of the wingpost will help secure the hackle position.

Materials to Order Material, click the link
Hook	TMC 100 #10-18
Thread	Danville Black 6/0
Body	Purple Flex Floss
Tail	5-10 Natural Brown Elk Hairs
Wingpost	White Calf Tail
Hackle	Brown & Grizzly Hackle

Andy Carlson

Carlson’s Purple Haze

Designed by Andy Carlson in 2006, the Purple Haze is a variation of the Parachute Adams. It is used to match Blue Wing Olives, Mahogany Duns, Green Drakes, and Tricos. Andy guides on the Bitterroot River in Montana and owns Bitterroot Anglers in Stevensville, Montana. This fly is solely distributed by Montana Fly Company and sold through a number of local dealers throughout the Sierra.

So, why Purple?

The attraction of purple to the trout has to do with light and what the trout can see in their spectrum under the water. We see purple but the trout will see something brighter with a more attractive flash.

With the parachute, this pattern is excellent for many mayfly hatches. Slow-moving water is best where the mayflies emerge and float a bit prior to taking flight. The preferred presentation is an upstream cast with a natural drift downstream with the current. Allow a few seconds of drift prior to lifting the fly off the water and recast.

Carlson’s Haze, Grey

Hook	TMC 100 #10-18
Thread	Danville Gray 6/0
Body	Gray Flex Floss
Thorax	Gray Flex Floss
Tail	5-10 Natural Brown Elk Hairs
Wingpost	White Calf Tail
Hackle	Brown Hackle

Carlson’s Haze, Yellow

Hook	TMC 100 #14-18
Thread	Danville Yellow 8/0
Body	Yellow Flex Floss
Thorax	Yellow Flex Floss
Tail	Bleached Deer Hair
Wingpost	White Calf Tail
Hackle	Med. Dun Hackle