Fran Betters Usual

[BrookTroutLover]

Just tied my first bunch of Usuals, per Betters' original pattern (red thread, natural snowshoe foot. These sure do tie fast! Just curious if others here fish them, have favorite variations, or remarkable tales of 100 fish days using them.

Scott in Chester Co.

 

[jeremymcon]

I've been meaning to tie this pattern since I first saw it. It looks so simple to tie, and I like the look of the snowshoe wing better than the deer hair wing of a comparadun. It also sounds like it should float really well. I have yet to buy a snowshoe foot, though...

 

[troutpoop]

I use them like crazy. I tie them in a variety of colors for different hatches and tie them down to size 24.
You can get snowshoe in a bunch of colors. When they get water logged I dry them in an amadou patch and they are good as new.

 

[dc410]

I like fishing them during sulpher hatches. Dun colored snowshoe hair and dubbing to match your local sulpher color. Float them on top and drop an unweighted sulpher nymph or emerger off of the bend. Good combination when the feeding starts to get serious on the sulphers. I prefer a "usual" or a comparadun to a conventional sulpher dun pattern.

 

[gfen]

It was orange thread, not red.

Use whatever colour thread that works with the fur to give the body colour you desire, however.

 

[Jake41]

The Usual is a great pattern. I buy the natural color feet and color them with a waterproof marker. Sometimes the dying process takes away from the natural flotation qualities of the foot. I tie them in olive, grey,yellow and natural. Sizes are # 12-20. Change the thread color to match the body. I saw a guy on the Beaverkill some years ago hammering fish just before dark. He was fishing it dead drift then at the end of the drift he would pull it under the water surface and took fish sub surface. It was funny because everyone else was cursing and this guy was laughing. I just had to know what he was using so I went up to him and asked and he showed me the Usual. The next day I went to Dette's shop and bought a half dozen. I have had success all over the country with it. It is also great for a snowshoe emerger pattern with pheasant tail for tail and body and a dubbed thorax with swept back snowshoe for wing. Good luck.

 

[BFazz]

An olive usual (olive dubbing, lt. dun snowshoe) in sizes 28-32 is easily my best producing dry when when fishing a dry/dropper setup while midging in late spring/summer.

It's also much easier to track on the water than a cdc v-wing pattern in the same size.

 

[PAgeologist]

Can someone post a pic or a link to a pic of a "usual"?

 

[lv2nymph]

Here ya go...


http://www.pwtu.org/usual.html

 

[lv2nymph]

If you prefer motion...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE9RcD6jqeo

 

[PAgeologist]

Thank you. Interesting fly. I never heard of them. I will tie some up and give them a shot.

 

[lv2nymph]

I love the simplicity and the effectiveness of one material flies. But I love the complexity and challenge of multi material ties as well, I guess it boils down to I love all flies. Tying is so much fun, I just cant get enough.

 

[mcwillja]

They work well for me during hendrickson and March brown hatches. I only seem to use them in flies that at a size 14 and bigger and they are nice in choppy/riffled water. I use orange thread almost exclusively.

 

[CRB]

Got to love snowshoe