How to Tie the Mosquito Dry Fly

Learn how to tie the Mosquito Dry Fly, including step-by-step instructions, a video tutorial, pictures, and much more. Improve your fly-tying skills here.

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While most of us may associate mosquitoes with being annoying and generally pesty when on the water, they're also an insect that can lead to excellent dry fly fishing, especially in stillwater situations. Designed to imitate these bugs, the Mosquito Dry Fly is an essential pattern whether you're hitting a high alpine lake or just spending an afternoon at your local stocked pond. Easy to tie, the Mosquito Dry Fly imitates the real thing quite well, but it's usefulness doesn't end there, as this is an equally great pattern whenever you need a simple attractor, and there are few traditional dry fly patterns that work better when targeting panfish. Tie in large, tie it small, the Mosquito Dry Fly is as versatile as it is effective.

Material List

• Hook: Tiemco TMC 100 Dry Fly Hooks (size: 14; can be tied in sizes 10 through 20)
• Thread: Danville 140 Denier Waxed Flymaster Plus Thread (color: black)
• Wings: Whiting Hen Cape (color: grizzly)
• Tail: Whiting Dry Fly Hackle Full Cape (color: grizzly; select fibers from a feather with stiff barbs)
• Body: Hareline Moose Body Hair (one white fiber and one black fiber)
• Hackle: Whiting Dry Fly Hackle Full Cape (color: grizzly)

We've put together a kit that contains all the materials you need to tie this exact fly pattern.

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Step One

Begin this fly by laying down a thread base. Start your thread roughly one-and-a-half eye lengths behind the eye (this will prevent crowding the eye later on).

Step Two

Select two matching feathers from a grizzly Hen Neck Cape. These feathers will be tied in convex (with the shiny side facing one another) and we want them to be roughly the length of the hook's shank. Once you've selected your feathers, tie them in right where we initially started the thread.

Step Three

Now that your wings are tied in, trim the excess and advance your thread forward in front of the two wings. Once your thread is there, create a small dam of thread in front of your wings and make a few wraps of thread between the wings. Doing this will keep your wings separated and in an upright position.

Step Four

Now wrap your thread back to the bend of the hook and tie in a tail of grizzly hackle fibers that's just a bit longer than the hook's gap. You want your tail to fill in the gap behind your wings, as this will make for a clean underbody; once your tail is secured, trim the excess. Note: selecting a feather with stiff barbs will help balance your fly.

Step Five

Select two fibers of Moose Body Hair, one natural and one bleached--these colors will alternate to create a realistic body. Once you have your fibers, even them out and tie them in by the tip at the hook's bend and advance your thread to be just in front of the wings.

Step Six

If you're going to use your vise's rotary function to wind the body, it's a good idea to add in a half-hitch to prevent any mishaps with your thread. Now, wind your Moose Body fibers up the shank of the hook and tie them in just behind the eye. An optional step is to bring the excess fibers between the wings and tie them off just behind the eye, doing this will work to separate your wings just a bit more. Note: a rotary vise makes winding the body easier, but regardless of how you wind the body, it's crucial to keep the Moose Body fibers aligned in order to create the black and white barred look of this fly.

Step Seven

Select a grizzly hackle feather to match the size of your hook and tie it in right behind the wings. To get better purchase when tying this feather in, trim some of the barbs at the base of the feather while leaving the stubs on the stem.

Step Eight

Now wind your hackle, with a few wraps behind the wings and a few in front. Once your hackle is finished, tie it off just behind the eye and trim the excess before you form a small head and finish the fly with a whip finish. For added durability, you can coat the head with a head cement of your choice.

Your Mosquito Dry Fly is now finished and ready to be cast in front of the next cruising trout that you find.

Looking for more confidence patterns? Learn how to tie the Parachute Adams, or see our picks for the 10 best flies for early-season trout.