One of our new favorites for droppers on a dry/dropper rig. Lots of flash and soft hackles that really move in the water.

In the late 80’s, long before the beadhead reached the Americas and as my nyphing game came into its own, I became darn near a one pattern angler. The fly of choice was a commercial rendition of Cal Bird’s Bird’s Nest. With a few #16’s, a spool of 5X and some BB shot, I felt unstoppable. Once beads came forward I began working on my own version of the Bird’s Nest, and after a good deal of experimentation, settled on the Dirty Bird which was my first ever royalty pattern. Today, after more than two decades of fishing it, it remains my go-to pattern. If I want to skip the careful observation period and just go fishing, this is my fly. It is super generic and buggy and works as a caddis, mayfly and scud. The black bead is subtler and more realistic than other beads and the fly works great dead-drifted or on the swing.