This one’s a “killer’ for trout!
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UNI Products Fly Tiers Corner
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COLDWATER
March 2026
Column and photo by Steve Hudson
The Blue Assassin is an exceptionally effective midge emerger, particularly on tailwaters such as the Chattahoochee below Buford Dam and the Toccoa below Blue Ridge Lake. It may have developed as a variation of patterns such as the flashy Rainbow Warrior midge; its “blue” color scheme evolved as fly fishers discovered just how effective blue-toned patterns can be.
Like other midge emergers, the Blue Assassin features a slender, ribbed abdomen and a thicker (in this case, dubbed) thorax. A silver-colored brass or tungsten bead adds weight and flash, and a trailing shuck (formed from a few strands of Antron or Z-lon) provides icing on the cake. It’s usually tied on a size 18 (or smaller) hook, though larger versions are effective in waters where larger insects are present.
What about the fly’s name? Iconic Atlanta flyfishing guide Chris Scalley, who operates River Through Atlanta Guide Service, says that the first time he heard it was when his brother John Scalley asked for some of the flies, saying, “Let me have a couple of those Blue Assassins.”
What makes this fly work so well? Size, profile, and flashiness are certainly factors. The trailing shuck is a plus too. But overarching all of that is the blue color scheme. The color might enhance visibility at depth. Or could it be that it’s simply attractive to fly fishers, who then it more confidently? Only the trout know for sure – but one thing that’s certain is that the Blue Assassin works.
Materials
Tying small emergers such as the Blue Assassin calls on you, the tyer, to squeeze multiple materials into a fairly tiny working space. Understanding how materials and tying techniques work together on smaller patterns can help make tying easier and much more fun.
Hooks – Most Blue Assassins are tied on size 18 curved-shank midge hooks, but it may be easier to learn this pattern on something larger – say, size 16 or 14. That’ll help you learn to manage materials and proportions. Once you’re comfortable with the basics on the bigger hooks, you can switch to the smaller size 18s with confidence.
Beads – A metal bead adds weight and visual mass to the front of these flies. Use tungsten (my preference) or brass beads. Silver is preferred by many, though gold or copper beads work well too. For very lightweight flies that will ride just beneath the surface, small glass beads may also be used.
Thread – Midge emergers are small flies, so you’ll want to tie with correspondingly small-diameter thread. Size 8/0 or 10/0 works fine. But remember that fine thread is not nearly as strong as heavier thread. Work to get a sense for the tension that your thread will handle without breaking.
Trailing shuck – The trailing shuck, a key element of this fly, is formed from three Antron or Z-lon fibers tied in and folded back to create a six-strand trailing shuck. Resist the temptation to use more fibers when! You want just the suggestion of a shuck.
Abdomen – Blue Assassin abdomens are formed by tightly winding a strand or two of flash material from near the back of the bend up to the rear of the bead. Pearl-colored flash with a blue or purple tint is preferred by many, though silver is also popular.
Ribbing – Ribbing is tied in before you wrap the abdomen material and is not wrapped until the abdomen is complete. Most tyers use very small diameter silver wire.
Abdomen treatment – Although not essential, you can enhance the look (and durability) of the finished flies by coating the abdomen with head cement or with a thin overcoat of UV-cure resin. This should be added after the ribbing is wrapped but before the dubbed thorax is formed.
Thorax – The thorax of the Blue Assassin is formed using a tiny amount of blue dubbing. Apply the dubbing to the thread sparsely. Then wrap the dubbed thread to form a dubbed thorax behind the bead over the front 30 percent of the hook shank.
Blue Assassins step-by-step
STEP 1: Place a small bead on the hook.
STEP 2: Start your tying thread behind the bead.
STEP 3: Tie in a 6-inch piece of fine silver ribbing wire with one end up against the back of the bead and the rest extending out behind the back of the hook.
STEP 4: Wrap the thread rearward to the bend, tying down the wire as you go. End with the thread at the bend.
STEP 5: Tie in three strands of Antron or Z-lon trailing shuck material at the rear of the thread base. These strands should be about two inches long. At this point about half of the trailing shuck material will extend forward from the tie in point, with the other half extending off the back of the hook.
STEP 6: Now fold the forward portion of the trailing shuck rearward so it extends off the back of the hook. Then overwrap the fold. The result will be a securely-anchored trailing shuck made up of six strands of material.
STEP 8: Tie in two or three strands of flash or tinsel at the bend so that the strands extend off the rear of the hook. These will be wrapped forward to form the abdomen.
STEP 9: Form the abdomen by wrapping the flash material forward. Tie off the material at the back of the bead, and trim away the excess.
STEP 10: Wrap your ribbing wire forward in an open spiral (think “barber pole spiral”) to the rear of the bead. Tie off and trim the ribbing. Rather than cutting the wire, I prefer to “helicopter” it – that is, I put the wire under gentle tension and rotate it in flat circles (as if it was a helicopter blade) while maintaining tension. That will cause the wire to part smoothly right at the point where you tied it off. This approach does not leave a sharp and jagged end, as cutting the wire might do.
STEP 11: Now (if so desired) is the time to coat the ribbed abdomen with head cement or thin UV-cure resin. Allow the coating to completely dry (or cure) before going on to the next step.
STEP 12: Sparsely apply blue dubbing to about two inches of tying thread. Then wrap several turns of dubbed thread (two or three turns is usually enough) behind the bead. Keep the dubbed thorax confined to the front third of the fly. Then tie off your thread behind the bead, apply a tiny drop of head cement, and you’re done.
Fishing Blue Assassins
There are several ways to fish the Blue Assassin. Here’s are some of my favorites.
As a single nymph – Perhaps the easiest way to fish the Blue Assassin is to treat it as you would any other nymph and fish it as a single fly beneath a strike indicator. If necessary, add weight to the tippet to get the fly down deep.
As part of a multi-nymph rig (with indicator) – You can up your chances of a hook-up by fishing more than one nymph at a time. In other words, fish a multi-fly rig that uses two (or more) nymphs, with at least one of them being the Blue Assassin. These can be rigged in various ways, depending on your own personal preferences.
As part of an unweighted multi-nymph rig – On the Chattahoochee River tailwater, as on other southern tailwaters, many flyfishers use several midge emergers at a time…but they fish them with no weight so that the flies hang just below the surface. Sometimes all three midges are the same pattern (for example, three Blue Assassins) while at other times the patterns may be mixed (a Blue Assassin, a Rainbow Warrior, and a Copper John, for example). Typically, the flies are tied to the tag ends left from knots used when adding additional tippet material.
As a dropper below a dry fly – Finally, consider using the Blue Assassin as a dropper below a dry fly. Because it’s such a small fly, it is light enough to be used below even relatively small dries – especially if you tie some versions using relatively lightweight glass beads.
Some general tips for tying tiny flies such as the Blue Assassin
After tying hundreds of Blue Assassins over the years, I’ve learned that the process goes more smoothly if I keep a few things in mind.
Use good light – If there’s one thing that helps when tying tiny flies, it’s good light. Room lighting is usually not enough; instead, go with a brighter and more focused light source. Your eyes will thank you.
Tie against a light-colored background – Combining good lighting with a solid, light-colored background helps too. Try light gray, light blue, light tan, or even white.
Use a magnifier – Please hear this: There is no shame in using a magnifier when tying small flies! This can be an over-the-eyes magnifier or a larger boom-mounted magnifier (some even have a built-in light source). They work wonders.
Use a quality bobbin – Tiny threads like the ones you’ll use on this fly are really small and break easily. A good ceramic bobbin, with its smooth ceramic tip, all but eliminates thread fraying and thus helps minimize problems with thread breakage.
Consider “midge” jaws for your vise – “Midge” jaws are tiny jaws designed specifically for tying tiny flies. Yes, it’s possible to tie tiny flies even with the giant jaws of a saltwater fly vise…but it’s a lot easier to tie them if your vise as very small (that is, midge) jaws.
