1. Lay a thread base and attach three microfibbets at the end of the shank before the bend. Keep the microfibbets from bunching up by rocking the thread so that they lay down flat. The tail length should be about twice the shank length.
2. Separate the three microfibbets with an individual thread wrap going under the two microfibets nearest you and over the furthest one bring the thread tightly up along the shank. The next thread wrap comes between the two the is nearest to you, also drawing the thread tightly up along the shank. Lock these wraps with 2-3 wraps.
3. Attach the Turkey Biot by the tip at the base of the tail. An Olive color is good for females, use a Black one for males.
4. Wrap the biot forward to the 2/3 position and secure with thread wraps. Trim off the tag.
5. Attach a Poly or Antron Wing with figure eight wraps about an eyelength behind the eye. Wing can lie flat or be uplifted a small amount.
6. Dub the thread with a small amount of Superfine dubbing by twisting around the thread.
7. Wrap the dubbing with a figure eight wrap around the wing base and two wraps between the wing and the eye. Tie off and Whip finish. The wings are trimmed to about one shank length.
The Trico Spinner Fall can be the highlight of any fly fishing excursion within the Sierra. This activity is found usually in areas of slow moving creeks and streams as well as lakes. The males hatch during the night and remain near the stream banks. During the early morning, the females will hatch and become sexually active. A swarm of activity between the males and the females takes place , usually around 8:30 am. Soon afterwards, the males start to die off and will litter the water surface. Sometime around 11:00 am, the females return to the water to lay eggs and die off too. This is the time to switch from a male Trico spinner pattern to a female spinner pattern. The males can be distinguished by a black abdomen, the females tend to have a more pale olive abdomen. This hatch requires a long fine leader and drag-free drifts.
Vince Marinaro
The use of fibers for the spent wings was an innovation of Vince Marinaro, who noted that the use of fibers condenses the water between them and creates streaks of light when viewed from below the surface. Barry Beck improved on the pattern by introducing synthetic material such as Antron, many tiers prefer to use this material in a light grey color rather than white. The pattern I have depicted here is one tied by John Betts, utilizing a light Olive turkey biot for the abdomen. Perfect for the female Trico Spinner. The wings do not have to be tied horizontal as many spinners have a slight tilt upwards.