Fly Tying the Flamer (Ray Bergman Classic Wet Fly)

From Plate 3 of Ray Bergman's seminal 1938 "Trout," the Flamer is an elegant but fairly simple winged wet fly.
Hook: #6-14 wet fly
Thread: Black
Tail: Red duck slip
Tag/butt: Black chenille
Body: Silver Mylar tinsel
Throat: Brown hackle fibers
Wing: Red duck slips
If you would like to support Savage Flies' mission of giving back to the fly tying community, and you shop at Amazon, please consider using the following Amazon storefront for any purchases. (The channel makes a small percentage of sales when purchased through these links.)
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** Some of the other popular books used on this channel: **
Dave Hughes, "Essential Trout Flies," 2017, amzn.to/3lbCZYX
Dave Hughes, "Wet Flies," 2015, amzn.to/33ac3lQ
John Shewey, "Classic Steelhead Flies," 2015, amzn.to/2RywHcP
David Klausmeyer's "Favorite Flies," 2020, amzn.to/3oeSNMa
Morgan Lyle's "Simple Flies," 2015, amzn.to/3qB1zW1
Fly Pattern Encyclopedia: amzn.to/34U0rUe
Mike Valla's "Tying the Founding Flies," 2015, amzn.to/354oSir
Mike Valla's "Classic Streamer Fly Box," 2020, amzn.to/3n3Vakf
Randle Scott Stetzer's "Flies, the Best One Thousand," 1992, amzn.to/34Q15mp
Terry Hellekson's "Popular Fly Patterns," 1976, amzn.to/2L4IyvS
Dick Stewart's, "Flies for Bass and Panfish," 1992, amzn.to/3aGpFs1
Fly Pattern Encyclopedia: amzn.to/34U0rUe
Savage Flies is a project with the mission of encouraging and teaching fly tying to as many people as possible. The channel is named after one of my western Maryland homewaters, the Savage River. I've been uploading three new tying videos a week, with the occasional extra video on other days.
Thanks for stopping by. Please let me know in the comments if you have any tying tips you would like to share or if you have any patterns you would like to see tied here.

[@jimholland1592]

Good morning Matt, Enjoy this bug, butt, Butt, butt 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Have a great day 👍☕️☕️

[@SavageFlies]

That's right Jim! I think one of the lines in the song was "Everybody got a big ol' butt." Don't ask me how I remember that. :-)

[@karljones6594]

Good morning sir. Nice looking fly will have to give it a try like winged wet flies. Have a good day Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you Karl; and yes, they certainly are classic flies. :-)

[@themazamen]

“I might not live long enough to finish all these flies.” I’m still rolling on the floor laughing on that one. The reason I love your channel is because you don’t take yourself or fly tying too seriously. Keep it up and don’t ever change.

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! Thanks man. I doubt I'll ever be as serious as Barry or Davie McPhail. (Or as good either! But hey, I'm having fun. :-) )

[@themazamen]

@@SavageFlies we fly anglers often forget that it’s all about fun. We sometimes get more caught up in technique, equipment, or history. With out a doubt the best time I have fishing is when I’m out with my kids just fishing with a worm and a bobber. Your videos remind me of those times and that’s a good thing.

[@SavageFlies]

@@themazamen Thank you my friend, this is such a great comment to get. And I'm with you there. Some of my best fishing memories are in an old john boat with my dad. Or out in a canoe with one of my kids. And yep, a worm and bobber. 😃

[@martyrothman3933]

Good morning Matt good morning everyone that's really nice looking everybody don't forget to like it and leave a comment

[@SavageFlies]

Hey thanks Marty! That really is how videos will get some traction. I appreciate the support my friend. :-)

[@Hunter711pa]

Nice job Matt and good luck on tying all those winged wet flys in the book.

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! I'll be pretty happy if I make it through a hundred of them. :-)

[@Hunter711pa]

@@SavageFlies you post them and I’ll do them all with ya!! 👍 Thanks again for all your time and effort!

[@MyItalians]

Very nice! I think I'll try this fly. I have never tied this type of wing. You make it look simple. Thanks again.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Nich. :-)

[@FlyTyer1948]

Very pretty fly with a very appropriate name. Definitely a brookie magnet, especially in a riffle.

[@epsieblaine7968]

You are right Brooks like colors,probably the brighter the better.

[@SavageFlies]

Definitely Bob. I wonder what the biologists say about brook trout being drawn to bright colors. We need Pete Y to weigh in on this one (with his biologist and ichthyologist hat on).

[@FlyTyer1948]

@@SavageFlies That would be interesting.

[@garrettswoodworx1873]

Nicely done Matt! I love the way you keep things grounded in the attitude of "this is a working fly, not a presentation fly, so it is okay if it isn't perfectly tied". Thanks for sharing!

[@SavageFlies]

You got that right Garrett. If I only published the videos of perfectly tied flies, I certainly wouldn't be posting three a week. Maybe like one a month. If I'm lucky! :-)

[@epsieblaine7968]

Great looking fly Matt.I like winged wet flies,and your rignt, lots of flies in this book.Not done this one yet,but going to give it a go.Thanks Matt for putting my request on your board,was going to do it at Fri. Night At The Bench,but the town council said we couldn't have it no more till this covid outbreak dies down.Thanks Matt,you and yours have a great day. Ken and Linda

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Ken and Linda. Yep, the woven bodied nymph is definitely on my to-do list now. :-)

[@edwardchavez5627]

Good Morning Sir Matt, The Flamer is a good looking fly big butt and all LOL 😆. I find when I have stray fibers or Feathers a good pair of tweezers works very well plucking them out. Razor scissors would be nice I'm guessing but I don't own any yet. It always works for me,I always have strays. Great job Sir Matt this fly is Beautiful, thanks for sharing and I will give it a shot. I still have a hard time with that style of wing.

[@SavageFlies]

Yes Edward, these wings definitely take some practice. And you're right about the razor scissors. I think this pair I was using might be ready for the junk drawer. Thanks for the note my friend and have a great Friday!

[@edwardchavez5627]

@@SavageFlies 👍💯❤

[@jamesvatter5729]

Imagine if you could not only tie all of the patterns in Ray Bergman's book, but use all of the original materials as well!

[@SavageFlies]

Oh yeah Jim, that would be a trip. I came across one last night that used feathers of an argus pheasant. I thought that was a long gone bird, but I think the Feather Emporium had some. Now I want some, even though they'll cost about $12 each and I doubt there are a lot of flies to use them on...

[@crowdaddy8355]

Another great looking fly. Thanks for all you do, Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Chad and thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@laytonmarvin3790]

Great looking fly Matt, love these patterns. Thanks for sharing

[@thomaswalls123]

Love these flies, nice job. I think it might be time for some new ✂️...lol👍👍

[@SavageFlies]

I was thinking the same thing Thomas! I've already got my next pair in the drawer, just trying to squeeze a couple more weeks out of these guys. I guess it's time to turn these into wire cutters. :-)

[@joeduca8582]

"Hot" looking wet fly Matt, great job. Awesome narration too, I think Beavis & Butt-Head would have loved this tutorial :o) Thanks!

[@SavageFlies]

Ha!!! OMG, I haven't thought about Beavis and Butthead in years. He said "butt" hehehe. Or, "So you're telling me I have a shot?" We're getting old Joe. :-)

[@joeduca8582]

@@SavageFlies:o)

[@marshallbaldwin8960]

I really like this streamer and plan on making some for my box. Thank you sir Matt

[@leemowers9395]

Cool streamer, love the Ray Bergman book Trout. nice video, thanks Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

You and me both Lee! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@bigdaddy99929]

Cool looker. Never done this one. Nice and slick looking. Very pretty. Thx Matt

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Clyde!

[@huntingmissouri5420]

Nice pattern!! I like it!! I will tie me some of them!! Thanks for sharing Matt!!

[@SavageFlies]

You bet Franky!

[@charlieboutin3341]

“I’m gonna lose it in the trees anyway!” 😂 Exactly how I think when starting out on a fly..the longer it takes to tie, the longer I’ll try to get it back and the madder I am when it finally breaks off. That’s a really pretty fly Matt, I think I need some red feathers though. Great excuse to head to the fly shop today! 🙂 Appreciate all you do for us buddy! Have a good one! 👍👌🎣

[@lets_fish_already_9345]

Dollar General has dyed duck quills for 1$.

[@charlieboutin3341]

@@lets_fish_already_9345 Great tip! Thanks a lot! 👍🙂

[@SavageFlies]

I hear you Charlie! I'm much more likely to wade out to un-snag a Prince nymph or Copper John that's hung on the bottom than one of my quick, easy bugs. And I'd probably climb a tree for a Grey Ghost that took me a half hour to tie. :-)

[@toddslichter7831]

"Hope for the best and see how it turns out"...how did you know my motto? 😎 Good looking pattern. Thanks for sharing, Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

You got that right Todd! I've filled a lot of fly boxes with these hope-for-the-best flies. Not always pretty, but just as effective. :-)

[@davehall2160]

Looks like a easy one.Thanks for the video Matt Will definitely have to try this one out

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Dave! It's definitely one of the easier of the Bergman wet flies. :-)

[@dahutful]

Great looking fly mat. Very simple materials, elegant result. And one of my favorite quotes, toO: “who doesn’t like a big butt, after all?” David Palmetto Fly n Fish South Carolina

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! Oh David, I made myself laugh with that one. I wasn't sure anyone else would pick up the reference to Sir Mix-A-Lot though. :-)

[@dahutful]

@@SavageFlies well, I cannot lie.

[@stevetrybalski3082]

Nice looking fly Matt! I also haven't tied this yet, later today yes, lol. It will look good in my collection. Going to have to use black ostrich herl for the butt, no black chenille. Stil should make a great looking fly. Have a great day and stay safe.

[@SavageFlies]

That would actually be a pretty cool substitution Steve. Come to think of it, there are a lot of old school patterns that use ostrich or peacock herl for a butt. Flies like the Parmachene Belle, which if I'm not mistaken is in this Bergman book.

[@cephasmcpher67peteroutdoorspip]

I'm still working on getting those wings right but that's a nice fly Matt. I just received my first copy of Fly Tyer magazine and they are looking for nominations for fly tyer of the year. The criteria for it fit with what you do with your channel so I HOPE you don't mind but I nominated you because of your channel content and emphasis on helping the beginner fly tyer. They said that they will update their progress in choosing a winner in the next issue and announce a winner this winter. Win or not you have fly tyer of the year as far as I'm concerned your videos have helped me a lot.

[@SavageFlies]

Wow Cephas, I'm humbled by this gesture. I saw the same issue and was thinking of nominating one of my favorite authors like Dave Hughes or Mike Valla. I might still. But wow, thank you for thinking of me and putting me in the company of some of our superstars. I might be there in another decade or so, but sincerely, thank you for this praise and your kind words. :-)

[@barbaraemerich1921]

That’s a good looking fly! I’m going to try this one!

[@SavageFlies]

Go for it Barbara! Now if your first attempts at winged wet flies don't turn out great, don't lose any sleep. They're hard for everybody! You should have seen the two I tied right before this one, without the camera rolling. One was okay, and one went into the spaghetti can. :-)

[@ybarrajc]

Another nice pattern, looks like it would be fun to try various colors & sizes also.

[@SavageFlies]

Definitely so! Of course, we'd lose the name "Flamer" if it's not red. :-)

[@mikeking453]

Nicely done!

[@kurtmueller4652]

Great looking pattern Matt, You should do a marathon tie and do all the flies in the book in 1 day.

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! That does give me an idea though. How many of these COULD someone tie in a day? Maybe I should do an experiment... gather all the materials in some semblance of order, for as many flies as I could come up with in the book... then get up early one Saturday morning and just start tying. Turn the camera on to record, and just tie with no practice. Could I knock out 50 of them? Maybe not 50, but I'll bet I could do 35-40. Average three an hour for 12 hours? Of course some of them would be total crap, but I'll bet half would be usable videos. Hmmmm.... this might be a fun experiment. :-)

[@harryjoesather6539]

thanks matt.

[@johnnylightning1491]

Another nice fly Matt. I think it would be interesting with some peacock herl for the butt. Lots of color combinations you could do with this one. Keep the good stuff coming.

[@SavageFlies]

Absolutely! A couple other folks mentioned ostrich or peacock herl for the butt. I don't think that would be any harder and might actually look better...

[@neilcox2739]

Thanks Matt. Surely your fly boxes are overflowing by now! 😆

[@SavageFlies]

Yes Neil, I'm long overdue to get my fly boxes organized. When I'm packing my bag for every trip I tell myself, "Next time. I've got to get organized!" And then I say screw it and throw a dozen boxes in my bag. :-)

[@cheflexx778]

I'll have to tie this one for my salmon trip next weekend. 🐟🎣

[@SavageFlies]

Oh yeah, put this on a #4 or #6 salmon hook and this thing would look sharp. I might even recommend goose feathers over duck. You can usually get some longer slips from a goose. :-)

[@icefisher1171]

Interesting fly. Thought there would be more to it. Lol. It'll fish though. Thanks, Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

I'm going to start with the easy ones Kyle. There are definitely some challenging flies in Bergman's book, but a lot as simple as this guy too. :-)

[@Check-Your-Fly]

Cool looking variant of Bergman's Flamer fly Matt! I have a copy of Bergman's book titled Trout in digital format. Trout is a book I will eventually add to my fly tying library. Love the old time color plates but sometimes the color plate colors are questionable and or unrecognizable . However, Bergman has the materials listed by color plate at the back of the book. Not sure if you knew this materials list for the color plates was at the back of the book but the Flamer pattern is supposed to actually have a gold tinsel body with the black chennele. Hence my reference to your Flamer as a variant pattern. Albeit I'm sure it is still a fish catcher! Thanks for another great video! 😁😁

[@matthewrainey1894]

Nice pattern. Will tie some in different colors and all should work really well on lake and pond fish. Enjoy the fall season in Maryland.

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you Matthew! Today almost felt like the first day of fall around here. And this weekend highs are in the low 70s so you know the mornings will be cool. Perfect days on the river. :-)

[@Jd-yc3gw]

Nice looking fly butt it has a big butt! 😂Thanks for the tip on how to gauge the amount of feather you need to make the wing. Well it’s raining today so some yard work is on hold so I get to have another ☕️ or two and watch more fly tying. Take care Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! We had rain this morning but they're calling for a clear and cool weekend. Perfect weather for some brush-hogging and tractoring. :-)

[@frankmonroe8320]

You got my attention!

[@brianfeeney9493]

Well Done 👍🏻 Brother MATT ☀️🤩☀️ ✨🎣 💫

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you my brother! Are you about ready for the Banana Split steelhead fly?? I haven't done it yet, but have been bouncing around some ideas in my head. We're going to get to it soon. :-)

[@brianfeeney9493]

I can’t wait to see What You Dream 🤔 Up MATT !!!!! ✨🎣💫

[@burlapjack8345]

"Everybody likes a big ol' butt". - Matt O'Neal

[@SavageFlies]

Hahaha! Not too many people caught that reference. :-)

[@MayheM_72]

Hey, I know I like a big butt, but I don't know if the FISH like a big butt...LoL. Seriously, though, it looks good, and pretty easy. I like how you make the distinction between a fishing fly and an "Instagram fly".

[@SavageFlies]

Funny you mention that! I actually said that in a pattern I did a good while ago called Otto's Dragon. "I like big butts and I cannot lie..." :-)

[@dennisfretz1814]

Good looking fly , I'm gonna give it a try. And your 100 0/0 right it probably be caught in a tree.

[@SavageFlies]

You know Dennis, one saving grace is when you snag a tree and look up and see six other flies on the same branch. Then you say, okay, I'm no worse off than these other chumps. :-)

[@randymorris8740]

Please do a mop fly... LOL 😀

[@dennismccarthy7146]

BZ