Dinkey Donkey Dry Fly

Some of the best patterns don't come from years of streamside research — they come from a curious kid with a good eye and a handful of materials.

I was at the kitchen table one evening, tying flies the way I always do, when my young daughter pulled up a chair and wanted in on the action. She dug through the bins, picked out what caught her eye, and decided she was going to make her own fly. No rules, no recipe — just a little girl's instinct and a dad who knew enough to let her run with it.

The real test came at Dinkey Creek in California's Sierra Nevada. We rigged it up, dropped it on the water, and it was on. That fly worked all day long — hauling in fish like it had something to prove. It was pulling so much weight, doing so much work, we knew exactly what to call it. The creek gave it its first name. The fish gave it the second. The Dinkey Donkey was born.

It proved especially deadly on native California Golden trout, riding high on the surface and landing soft — exactly what you want when fish are sipping. We've since taken it to the Kings River with the same results. Tied on a fine wire hook in sizes 12–18, it's as at home on a backcountry Sierra stream as it is on your local tailwater.

Some flies are designed. This one was invented — by my daughter at a kitchen table, proven on creeks and rivers that didn't know what hit them.

Hook: Fulling Mill Ultimate Dry Fly FM5050; Sizes 12-18