FLY BOX: Dirty Hippy

Intro

You may know Mr. Craven from popular nymphs, like the Two-Bit Hooker or Juju Baetis, but Charlie is also a wizard when it comes to creating streamers. With a body crafted from marabou and arctic fox, the Dirty Hippy's design places an emphasis on natural movement.

Stripped slowly and deliberately, the marabou will flex and pulsate as it moves through the water, mimicking the appearance of a baitfish struggling to keep moving. The UV Ice Dub head will attract the attention of nearby predators, especially in run-off conditions. Throw in a little extra weight with some lead wire and a large cone buried within the body, and you’ve got a realistic pattern baitfish that will appeal to any hungry trout in the area.

Here’s what the Dirty Hippy’s inventor had to say about the pattern:

“I first started developing this fly after a trip to the Missouri River in Craig, Montana. It was on this trip that I started to appreciate streamer patterns that went a little beyond the usual Wooly Bugger variations and branched into more sparsely tied realistic small fish profiles. To that end, I promptly started playing with streamer patterns of this ilk upon my return home and the final result is now known as the Dirty Hippy. The name is garnered from my new wife, a tree huggin’, liberal-minded not-really-so-dirty Dirty Hippy. She’s turned out to be good for my conservative side and the fly has turned out to be good for my soul…tie some up and see what it does for you.”
— Charlie Craven

Applications

CATEGORY: Streamer

TARGET SPECIES: Trout, Bass, Pike, Tiger Muskie, Walleye

#1: Fishing the Double Dirty Hippy

The Double Dirty Hippy has the same Ice Dub head as its offspring, but it also has something extra: an extremely lifelike marabou tail that pulses and swivels on its connection to the lead hook. The DDD is an excellent streamer for targeting stillwater trout. Fished low and slow on a sinking fly line (anywhere from a 1.5-3 ips sink rate in shallow lakes; 5-7 ips in deep lakes), you’ll get the attention of cruising predatory trout.

Another great option for fishing the DDD in stillwater situations is the dead sink method. Fishing a sinking or sink tip fly line with a 1.5-3 ips sink rate, make a long cast and keep your line tight, but do not move the fly. The streamer will slowly flutter its way down into the depths of the lake, imitating a stunned crayfish or maimed baitfish. If you feel the fly hit the bottom, deploy the jerk-pause method. Tick the DDD along the bottom with short strips and frequent long pauses. This will allow the fly to mimic a crayfish working its way along the lake floor.

#2: Fishing the Original Dirty Hippy

The single hook version of the Dirty Hippy is a baitfish you can slap the banks with. The thick, stocky marabou body gives the pattern s a slow sink rate, allowing you to lay it down an inch from the bank and give it a quick strip without it dropping too quickly. Additionally, the way the arctic fox and Ice Dub are built into the head creates a natural weed guard that protects the hook point. This variation is perfect for picking apart freestone rivers and pocket water creeks.

To get this chunky single-hook streamer down, you can use a RIO VersiLeader or add in a big piece of split shot or a tungsten cone a few inches in front of the fly. The Dirty Hippy will sink on its own - it features conehead buried under the head, plus a substantial number of lead wire wraps. How you rig it up depends entirely on the depth/speed of the water you’re fishing

As a single-hook streamer, the Dirty Hippy also makes a good lead fly in a predator rig (a setup that involves fishing two streamers at the same time). Some anglers prefer to make the lead fly the larger of the two streamers, while others will make the trailing streamer their larger fly. Either way you set it up, the tail of the Dirty Hippy rarely fouls up and will maintain its natural swimming motion even if you send it on a sloppy cast.

VIDEO: Charlie’s Fly Box

About the Tyer

Charlie Craven, Charlie’s Fly Box / Umpqua Feather Merchants

Over the years, Charlie has been a prolific commercial fly tyer and, for a time, a pretty mediocre fishing guide, due to his insistence on liverwurst and onion lunch sandwiches instead of grilled prawns like all the other sissy guides. He’s been an Umpqua Feather Merchants Signature Tyer for over 18 years with several fly box mainstays like the Jujubaetis, Two Bit Hooker and Baby Gonga among his over two dozen commercially available patterns. All this experience finally culminated in 2004 with the opening of his own fly shop, Charlie’s Fly Box, in Arvada, Colorado, where he is the head bookkeeper, order taker and fry cook in addition to president and CEO. He’s written three books, Charlie Craven’s Basic Fly Tying, Charlie’s Fly Box and Tying Nymphs with plans for several more when he gets around to them.

(via CharliesFlyBoxInc.com)

Material List - Original Dirty Hippy

  • HOOK: Tiemco 5263 (#4)

  • THREAD: 3/0 Danville Monocord (Color Varies)

  • CONE: Brass Cone (Large | Copper)

  • WEIGHT: Lead Wire (.025)

  • FLASH: Flashabou (Colors Vary)

  • BELLY: Arctic Fox Body Fur (Color Varies)

  • WING: Strung Marabou (Color Varies)

  • COLLAR: Arctic Fox (Color Varies)

  • FACE: UV Ice Dub (Color Varies)

  • EYES: Holo Eyes (3/16” | Gold)

  • ADHESIVE: Tear Mender

  • BARRING: Prismacolor Marker (Colors Vary)

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