The LE Sedge Pupa "Vesterelva"
by Leif Ehnström

This Pupa was born during a fishing trip to the north of Norway in 2002. I and my two fishing friends were aiming for Arctic Char but didn’t have such a good fishing as we were expecting.

One late evening we found that the fish were feeding hatching pupas but we had some difficulty to have them take our flies even if we tried different pupas such as Gold Ribbed Hares Ear, green or brown or whatever color we found in our boxes.

Suddenly we found one pupa drifting past us in the current and managed, not without trouble, to catch it. Now we found why we had such a difficulty. It had a bright yellow-orange body and was rather large – approximately 15 – 20 mm. The thorax was brownish.. Our flies were normal pupas mostly in dull colors. I found a pupa in my fly box that was orange but a little too small. However I put it on the leader and immediately I caught a fine shar. It was soon followed by many while my friends still had a bit difficulty in getting the fish to bite.

The next day we tied several orange pupas – a little longer and bigger on streamer hooks. Of course we had brought very little orange tying materials on the trip, but took wool from sweaters and stuff to get near the color of the pupa we had seen.

The following evenings we had a great fishing in the little stream and caught us a fine catch of char.

When I came home again I started experimenting and finally I got near the original with the fly I call – Vesterelva. That’s Norwegian and means The Western River.

You can make a good pupa whatever way you like, but the Vesterelva is so near the original you possibly can get. The shell of the body, the wings, legs and even the eyes. A bit tricky to tie, but nice to have in the Fly Box.

You can tie it in various colors and various sizes. I’ve also tied some greenish variants that I have good faith in. The tying method is my own because I like them to look realistic, even if the fish doesn’t care. Feel free to use it or use your own method.

Tying description:

Hook: Partridge Long Shank Sedge Hook 10 – 14
Thread: Brown (UNI 0/8).
Back body: Fiery Yellow SLF 75 % + orange Super Bright 25 % - amber coloured.
Rib: Plastic strip and 0,15 mm nylon line.
Legs: Grouse hackle.
Front body: Dark "Hares Ear dubbing" and plastic strip on the top.
Thorax: Brown or black raffia.
Eyes: Amnesia line.
Antennas: Elkhair

1. The dubbing I use for the body is standard SLF in the color Fiery Yellow mixed with orange Bright Light Dubbing. It gives me the yellow orange I found on the real pupa.
2. The hook I use comes from Partridge in the UK and is called Long Shank Sedge hook. I use it in sizes 10–14.
3. I give the hook a little extra weight near the hook eye. A few turns of fine lead wire or thin lead foil
4. I want to broaden the hook shaft by using nylon line. One strip on each side of the hook will do. The nylon should be as thick as the hook shank, approx. 0,60 mm.
5. Tie on a ribbing thread from thin nylon and a 2 mm strip of plastic or rubber to cover the body and give it a transluscent effect. Let them hang from the end of the body for later use.
6. Time to dub!
7. This is the dubbed body of the fly. It should be a bit thicker in the middle. (Cigar shaped).
8. Rib the body first with the plastic stripe and then the opposite way with the nylon to hold it together.
9. First I dub a little brownish dubbing in front of the abdomen. The wing cases then are made of doubled raffia strips tied backwards and then folded forwards. They should be about half the length of the body. I also tie in some legs under the body. I use a Grouse hackle and tie it as a "false hackle".
10. Now I make the eyes from a piece of amnesia line. I hold it with my hackle pliers in the middle of the 7 mm piece, and burn it with my lighter in each end to make the little bulbs.
11. I tie in the amnesia line x-wise and thus form the eyes of the pupa. I also tie in a new strip of plastic to form the back of the thorax. I dub a little more of the brown dubbing – for example Dark Hares Ear to form the rest of the thorax. I occasionally tie in horns of stiff elk hair.
12. Now I pull the plastic over the thorax. Tie it in both in front of the eyes and behind them. I tie a couple of whip finish knots and laquer them. I color the back of the abdomen and thorax with a brown filt pen and the fly is ready for use.

Leif Ehnström © 2002
"LE flugor och flugfiske" (LE Flies and Fly Fishing)
http://www.LE-flugor.has.it