This week we’ll be tying a few predator flies, ideal for Pike but equally with the baitfish tied on a on a smaller hook being perfect for perch on the canals.
THE WHISTLER
Hook: Partridge CS86 universal predator (or similar) size 1/0 Thread: Black Eyes: Dumbell or Bead chain Tail: White Bucktail, Holographic tinsel and a natural grizzle hackle each side Body: Red Fritz Collar: Grizzle hackle
BAITFISH
Hook: Partridge CS86 universal predator (or similar) size 1/0 Thread: White Body: White synthetic fibre Eyes: Epoxy dome eyes
To finish Black thread UHU glue UV resin Magic markers in red , black, and blue.
SLINKY BAITFISH
Hook: Partridge CS86 universal predator (or similar) size 1/0 Thread: Red Upper wing: White synthetic fibre over green synthetic fibre and over this blue synthetic fibre and blue crystal flash Lower wing: White synthetic fibres Eyes: Epoxy dome eyes . To finish UHU glue / UV Resin
This workshop will focus on woven nymphs and a couple of methods used to tie them. These flies work well for Grayling and Trout.
DUB GRUB
Hook: Curved #8 Thread : Yellow Underbody: Lead wire, covered by fluorescent yellow floss Shellback: Clear polythene sheet Over-rib: 4lb mono Thorax: Olive hare dubbing or similar Abdomen: Natural hare / Rabbit Also required: Black magic marker pen
WOVEN NYMPH
Hook: Curved #8 Underbody: lead wire Body: Woven strands of yellow and brown embroidery yarn Thorax: Natural Hare/ Rabbit Also required: UHU adhesive and a black magic marker pen
Karl has become a regular guest presenter / fly tying demonstrator at our club. Before this demonstration he gave his take on the state of fly fishing on the welsh rivers. The National Resources Wales (NRW) new regulations are already in operation on the River Severn (by emergency bylaw) and will be legally enforced on all welsh rivers from the start of the 2020 season. The changes for salmon fishing include mandatory catch and release, use of single hooks only (no doubles or trebles) and bait restrictions (no worm).
Karl felt that these regulations were unenforceable and would probably result in a loss of revenue to the NRW, as all salmon catches are returned, there is no difference between accidental by-catch and catch and release. Equally the regulations are not particularly well drafted as they specifically ban use of double and treble hooks, which would not prevent an angler using a quad hook!
Karl went on to demonstrate eight flies that he personally found to be productive for river fishing for both Grayling and Trout.
A Simple CDC Dry
fly (F-fly)
Hook: Size 14 light wire Thread: Fluorescent pink tag and burgundy 14/0 thread Body: Stripped natural peacock quill Wing: 4 to 5 natural CDC feathers Head: Varnished thread wraps.
Comments Karl started this fly by tying the fluorescent pink tag above the bend of the hook, producing a bead profile, and doubling the waste thread end over the bead before ‘tying in’ and then changing to Burgundy coloured thread.
He demonstrated stripping the peacock quill with his fingernails but said that this could also be done using a pencil eraser. The stripped quill was tied in the length of the body by touching turn thread wraps taken to about 2mm from the hook eye. The quill was then used to create a body with overlapping turns and tied in with the excess then removed. He recommended using varnish to coat the quill and tag to make the construction more robust.
The CDC feathers (4 to 5) were laid tip to tip on top of one another with the natural curve upwards and bunched and twisted to produce a robust wing. This was tied in about 1mm from the eye with the feather barbules the about the length of the hook, and the excess cut off, making sure that the thread was not accidentally cut with it. He recommended turning the vice head 90° so that when the thread wraps for the head were tied the thread did not slip off over the hook eye. The head was then whip finished and varnished.
Karl recommended use of CDC oil as floatant when fishing this fly.
The Mini Orange Butt Prince Nymph
Hook: Kamasan B175 or similar size 10 or 12 Tag: Orange Glo-Bright No. 5 Thread: Black 14/0, Rib: medium yellow gold wire Tail / Wing: Chocolate brown / white goose biots Body: Red fox dubbing, Hackle: Ginger hen Head Varnished thread wraps
Comments The fire orange floss tag was tied in as a ball-profile (to separate the tail biots). After changing to black thread the body was made with 2 layers of touching turn thread wraps ending at the tag. Two chocolate brown goose biots, held back to back and tied in to splay-out over the tag. Gold wire was tied in on top of the hook by touching-turn thread wraps taken back to tag. Red fox fur dubbing (mixture of under and guard hair fur from skin) was applied to thread, as required, to produce a carrot shaped body profile – Karl recommended using multiple small applications of dubbing, saying that it is easier to add dubbing than remove excess from the thread. The body was ribbed with 5‑turns of the gold wire, tied-in, and the excess wire removed by rotating until breaking. The ginger hen hackle was tied in by the tip (removing the end of the feather to aid tying in) and 2-3 turns of hackle added folding the barbules down the body of the fly. Finally, the wings were added by tying-in 2 white goose biots, and the head built up, tied off with thread wraps, whip finished and varnished.
Comments The thread was started at the eye with wraps (touching turns) to a point opposite the barb of the hook. The wire rib tied in length of body and then 2 strands peacock herl also tied in length of body with the thread returned to eye. The herl body was constructed and tied in short of the hook eye (to leave space for the hackle) and the excess cut off. The herl body was ribbed with 5-turns in the opposite direction to those of the herl and tied in and excess wire removed as before. The ginger hackle was tied in and 2-3 turns of hackle added folding the barbules down the body of the fly. The head built up with thread wraps, whip finished and varnished.
Traditional (English)
Pink Shrimp pattern
Hook: Size 10 grub hook, weighted with lead Thread: Burgundy 14/0 Rib: Clear 12lb BS mono Body cover: Pink scud back ¼” Body: Hends Spectra dubbing; pink SA-041 and rainbow SA- 952.
Comments: The hook was weighted with round lead wire creating a bug-shaped profile by 2 layers, the second towards the upper end of the body. The lead was tied in with a lattice of sparse thread wraps then touching turns of thread to the bend of the hook. The lead was locked in by varnishing and a short length of monofilament fishing line tied in as a rib along the back of the hook shank and the pink shell-back (end cut to a point) also. These materials were secured by touching turn thread wraps to a point at the start of the bend of the hook. A small quantity of pink dubbing was applied to the thread and wraps used to create the first 1/3rd of the body length. Rainbow spectra dubbing was then used to create the central potion, returning to pink to finish off the body to a head-length short of the hook eye. The shell-back was then folded over the dubbing and tied in at the head and stretched tight before cutting off the excess. The body ribbed with the monofilament line which was tied in and the excess cut off. The dubbing material on the underside of the hook was picked out to create an appearance of legs. The head was built up with thread wraps and whip finished. The head and scud back was then varnished.
Gammarus Shrimp Pattern
Hook: Size 10 grub hook, weighted with lead Thread: Burgundy 14/0 thread Rib: Medium gold wire Back: Raffia Body: Soft dub caddis legs (Oliver Edwards)
Comments This fly was produced using similar techniques to the fly pattern above.
The shell-back material was replaced with raffia and the dubbing with a dubbing brush thread. The caddis legs’ dubbing was stroked downwards before the shell back material was pulled over the back of the hook. All other aspects of tying were the same.
Hook: Daiichi 1520 size 10 wide gape heavyweight Thread: Cerise / burgundy 14/0 Thorax: Blue Ice blended with pink dubbing Hackle: Moorhen shoulder feather Head: Thread wraps finished with 2-3 turns of fine silver holographic tinsel above the hackle feather
Comments Karl tied these spiders using the same hook type and similar techniques. His experience in river fishing has led him to rely on this pattern and he commonly fished them as a team with great success.
The top dropper differed from the other two as it had a ribbed herl body created in a similar way to the stick fly above. The thread bodies of the middle dropper and point fly were created with layers of touching turns thread wraps and he preferred to treat them with 4-5 coats of varnish, in a similar way to how a buzzer body is formed (although, time did not permit this at the demonstration). Karl recommended a dubbing thorax for all his spider patterns as this improved the mobility of the spider hackle in water. He said that the individual tier should experiment with the number of turns of the spider hackle to produce a fly that they were happy with (no rules apply). He preferred the grouse hackle for colour and movement but used a moorhen feather for the last fly – this was a more delicate feather requiring more care to tie in.
JACK FROST An attractor, streamer style pattern Hook: Size 8, Long shank Thread: Black or White Body: White wool wound over a polythene sheet Tail: Red wool Wings: White marabou hackles, red cock hackle & white cock hackle Head: Black or White Thread
ZONKER
Hook: Size 8, Long shank Thread: Black Body: Black chenille Rib: Oval silver tinsel Wing: Zonker strip in a colour of your choice Head: Black thread
We’ll be tying three patterns in our workshop on 22nd August 2019. These are as follows:
FALSE HARES EAR SPIDER A variation of the hares lug and plover Hook: Size 12 Thread: Brown Body: Fox Squirrel body fur Rib: Fine gold wire or waxed yellow thread Hackle: Golden Pheasant wing covert (you can use a game hackle as a sub if needed)
DADDY LONG LEGS A detached body daddy by the late EJ (Ted) Malone Hook: Size 10 or 12 Body: Cock Pheasant tail fibres Wings: Brown or grey cock hackle fibres Legs: Knotted cock pheasant tail fibres hackle: Brown or grey cock
GREY DUSTER This fly works very well on our local River Dane. Hook: Size 12 Thread: Black or Brown Body: Grey rabbit fur Hackle: Badger cock
This was our first workshop of the season specifically designed for new members to come along to the club and enjoy a demonstration from Frank Moors of 4-simple fly patterns. These comprised of; Buzzer, Partridge and Orange, Klinkhammer and a Predator fly.
Partridge & Orange Spider
Hook: Size 12 short shank, medium wire hook Thread: Waxed Pearsall’s gossamer hot orange (No.6a) Hackle: Brown Partridge feather
A length of thread was waxed before starting to tie the fly. The thread was attached to the hook approximately 1/16th inch (1.5 mm) from the eye (to leave space for tying the head). The body was created by even touching turns the length of the short shank hook and the thread returned to the head area with even touching turns.
The ‘fluff’ was removed from a well-marked Partridge hackle feather and the barbules pulled back to reveal the feather tip. The feather tip was tied in by 2 turns of thread and the hackle created by 1 to 2 turns of the feather and then tied-in by 1 turn of thread and the residual rachis cut / snapped off. The head was whip finished and varnished.
In order to ensure that the hackle remains open (barbules extending at 90° to the hook). It is important to avoid covering where the hackle rachis surrounds the hook with thread wraps.
Klinkhammer
Hook: Size 10 Hayabusa 270 larva hook (or specific Klinkhammer hook) Thread: 8/0 thread (colour to match dubbing) Post: Antron wool (strong colour for sighting) Body: Dyed olive hare dubbing Hackle: Grizzle cock hackle
The thread is started at the eye and a layer applied of touching turns to the start of the hook curve (approx. 3/16th inch, 5 mm). Antron wool is folded under the hook to produce a post about half way along the thread wraps and tied-in with a figure of eight turns and ‘posted’ by circular wraps extending 1-2 mm up, then back down, the post.
The thread is then returned to the hook and touching turn wraps extended to a position opposite the root of the hook barb. A 2 inch (5 cm) ‘rope’ is created by winding a small quantity of dubbing around the thread (winding in one direction only) and the dubbing rope wound up the hook to create a carrot-shaped body up to the eye of the hook (beyond the post). The thread was then whip finished at the eye and the fly repositioned in the vice with the shank vertical (eye pointing downwards).
The thread was retied in on the post material. The hackle feather was cleared of ‘fluff’ and tied in by the rachis to the thread wraps on the post (feather extending from the hook in the same direction as the post). The hackle was wound around the post, starting from the top of the post thread wraps, towards the hook shank and the resulting hackle tied in by whip finishing around the post.
The Buzzer
Hook: Size 10 all-purpose heavy wire grub hook Thread: Black UTC 70 denier thread. Rib: Hends body quill (fluorescent pink, BQ41)
Variations: Other rib materials – Stripped dyed peacock quill Coloured flexi-floss / Coloured fine wire Wing buds – Goose biots Breathers – White Antron wool
Frank recommended using a flat thread such as UTC to produce an even body. The thread was started close the hook eye and the body produced by a single layer of touching turns to the middle of the bend of the hook. The rib material was tied in (full length of the body to the thorax) and the thread returned to the thorax area (about 1/8th inch, 3mm from the hook eye) with touching turns. The rib material was wound with 5 to 7 evenly spaced open turns to the thorax area and tied in with thread. The head was built up with touching turns of thread to produce a rugby ball shape and whip-finished. The fly was coated with several layers of clear varnish to finish.
Variations on this fly pattern comprise of the incorporation of brightly coloured wing buds either side of the head and white breather tubes at the head of the buzzer.
A Predator Fly
Hook: Size 6 all-purpose wet fly. Thread: White Dyneema 110 denier. Body: Enrico Puglisi fibres – Pearl, Red and Silver tan; Hends Lama Hair – Turquoise blue (No.22) Head: Black 8/0 thread Eyes: Small stick-on silver black eyes
Starting at the hook eye, touching turns of thread are laid the length of the shank. A small number of red EP fibres was tied ½ ways down the shank extending about shank-length beyond the hook bend. The thread was returned to the eye and 2 lengths of pearl EP fibres tied in either side of the hook, extending about 2-3 shank-lengths beyond the hook bend. The body was built up by tying in further synthetic hair around the hook, to a similar length beyond the hook bend as the pearl fibres, in the following sequence:
– Silver tan above and below the hook – Turquoise blue above the hook – Silver tan either side of the hook
The Dyneema thread was whip finished and black 8/0 thread tied on at the eye and the head formed with thread wraps which were then also whip finished. The body hair was combed and then trimmed using serrated scissors to produce a fish-shaped profile. Small (3/16th inch) silver black stick-on eyes were attached to the left and right side of the head, with Uhu all-purpose adhesive, and the head built up with clear UV-cured resin.
Members from our fly tying club attended the 2019 Cheshire Game and Angling Fair in Peover Park. This is a chance for the club to get out and about, socialise with like-minded people, to tell bad jokes and to share techniques with many of the visitors to the angling village.
Peter & Frank tying up some fabulous flies.
The angling village offers a number of attractions including two well-attended casting demonstrations from AAPGAI instructors. Karl Humphries, a local instructor to the area and John Walker, all the way from Snowdonia. You’ll also find the Grayling Society and Marton Mere Fishery.
It was also lovely to bump into Phil Ratcliffe who was on a well deserved day off, enjoying the show from the opposite side of the fence. Steve Beech & Alan Roe also offered demonstrations and advice on coarse fishing. Alan demonstrating the Wallace cast with a centre pin, an art form mastered only by the few.
It was also fabulous to see so many young people in the angling village, spending the day with family and friends as well as sharing their stories of catching fish and tying flies. Their enthusiasm for the sport was great to see, it was clear for those that attended that being outdoors was certainly a trump card to a video game.
An extended thank to our members, Dononry and Lee for running this year’s tombola and to Peter, Frank and James for tying on our stand.
With our 2019 season fast approaching, our club is a great place to learn the essential techniques to tie flies. No matter your angling preference, game, course or salt, you’ll find like-minded enthusiasts willing to share their patterns, tips and tactics.
Hook: Partridge HE 2, Size 1/0 long shank blind hook with silkworm gut eye Thread: Danville 6/0 Olive changing to Black for the head. Ribs: Flat gold, Oval silver, Oval gold tinsels. Tail: Golden Pheasant breast feather. Body hackle: Heron back quill (Palmered). Body: Mixed brown and olive Marino sheep wool dubbing Hackle: Golden pheasant breast feather. Wing: Bronze mallard slips
Paul described the importance of attention to detail in tying this beautiful fly – using touching turn thread wraps even when they would not be visible in the final fly, not adding unnecessary wraps on the head and selection and preparation of the materials.
The silkworm gut eye was secured with thread wraps and superglue followed by touching turns to a position not quite opposite the point of the hook. The GP breast tail feather was stripped of the fluff and a small V-shape removed from the tip before tying in with the natural curve upwards. The three ribs were tied in (looking down the hook) at 10, 8 and 6-o’clock positions on the shank for the flat gold, oval silver and oval gold tinsels, respectively. The palmered heron back quill feather has more sparsely distributed barbules at the tip so, it needs to be tied in by the tip at the hook end (on the opposite side of the hook to the ribs): thus, giving the greatest density of barbules towards the head of the fly.
The body was dubbed with an even dubbing rope producing a parallel profile the full length of the hook shank. Five clockwise turns of each of the three ribs were tied in sequentially: flat gold, oval silver, oval gold, such that the oval silver was just below the trailing edge and the oval gold just above the leading edge of the flat gold rib. The heron feather was palmers between the two oval tinsel ribs. For the head, a hackle of GP breast feather (tied in at the tip) was added above the body hackle). Both hackles were smoothed down below the hook shank to a throat position and the odd stray barbules removed. The thread was changed to black for the head and two slips of bronze mallard (taken from towards the rachis end of the feather) tied in to produce a profile similar to the keel of an up-turned boat.
The Smokey Dun Classic Salmon Fly
Hook: Partridge HE 2, Size 2 blind hook with silkworm gut eye. Thread: Grey 14/0 Sheer changing to Danville’s Black 6/0 for the head. Tag and rib: Flat silver tinsel (equivalent to size 16 mylar). Tail: Four peacock sword feathers.Body: Natural ‘blue’ rabbit underfur dubbing. Throat hackle: Natural dun hen feather. Wing: Two heron secondary feather slips.
The eye was secured as described in the previous fly. Touching turn thread wraps were taken to opposite the point of the hook. The flat silver tinsel was tied in to produce a tag (4-5 turns). The peacock sword feather barbules were held flat to encourage the natural upward curve and tied in as two pairs on the left and right side of the hook.
The rib was tied in and the body dubbed to the head area with a tight dubbing rope to produce a parallel body profile. A five-turn clockwise rib was added and the hackle feather (selected barbule length to mid shank) tied in by the tip at the head area.
The hackle (3 to 4 touching turns towards the head of the fly) was tied in and the grey thread tied off with a whip finish. The hackle barbules were stroked downwards to produce a throat and the black thread for the head tied on. The left and right Heron secondary feather slip widths were half the gape of the hook. They were tied in as a pair by an intricate procedure: the slips were adjusted so the ends were level and aligned with the tip of the tail; they were held tightly between finger and thumb at the tie-in point and a single loose thread wrap made; the rachis end of the feather was pushed towards the tie-in point to produce a valley for the thread to fall into and finally the thread pulled tight. The wing slips were trimmed and tied-in and the fly finished with a small head.
Stuart gave an enthralling 90-minute presentation of fly tying during which he tied 4 dry fly patterns and gave many fly tying and fly fishing tips. In particular, he recommended the practice of tying several flies at one sitting aiming for consistency. He used a pair calliper to ensure that tails, thorax and body were the same lengths in each fly. He also mentioned fishing tactics reminding everyone not to neglect the use of ‘down-stream’ presentation of flies as this gave them a natural appearance.
The Posh Olive
Hook: Size 14 Partridge SUD 40 dry fly hook Thread: Olive 8/0 thread. Tail: Coq De Leon; 6 – 8 fibres. Dubbing: Fine light olive poly dubbing (Orvis fly rite) tied very sparingly. Wing: Two natural CDC feathers – placed back to back (curving away from each other). Thoraxandhead: Dark olive pine squirrel fur as dubbing.
Emerging Midge (Chironomid)
Hook: Size 22 Varivas 2200 BL. Thread: Olive 8/0 thread. Body: Fine light olive poly dubbing (Orvis fly-rite) tied very sparingly. Outriggers: Veniards Micro Flash. Wing: Fine poly yarn. Thorax and head: Mole fur as dubbing.
Thread started at the curve of the hook with touching turns around the bend. Very sparse dubbing applied with thread turns back to start of thread. Single strand of micro flash tied-in to near side then turned back to produce outriggers on either side of hook and cut to length (to curve of hook).
Thread then taken to eye with touching turns and fine poly yarn wing tied in approx. 1 mm from the eye and cut to size (Stuart mentioned that a single CDC feather could be used as an alternative winging material, but that this could be problematic on cold days so he felt that poly yarn was the better). Mole fur (one of the finest dubbings) was sparingly used to provide a darker coloured thorax.
Tying very small flies relied on careful use of materials ensuring that excess is not used as it could spoil the fly appearance.
Stuart used this as a single fly when the fish were only rising for small flies such as aphids.
The Wedding Day May Fly
Hook: Size 10 long shank dry fly hook. Thread: Olive 8/0 thread. Shuck(tail): Tan poly yarn. Wing: Pink (or white) poly yarn with a 2 -3 mm width of black ether foam tied underneath. Body/thorax: Tan or cream dubbing.Parachute Hackle: Dyed olive Grizzle cock hackle feather.
Thread started at the eye of the hook with touching turns the length of the shank. The poly yarn shuck (at least twice length of hook shank) tied in with thread to provide a shuck length equal to that of the hook shank with touching turns back to the eye (full length of hook).
The pink (or white) poly yarn wing tied in across the hook, approx. 3mm from the eye and posted with ‘figure of 8’ turns. The hackle feather tied in over the eye of the hook with the rachis towards the bend. Approx. 20 mm length of black ether foam (2-3 mm wide) was laid under the wing and used to ‘sandwich’ the poly yarn and hackle feather and tied in place with ‘posting’ turns of the thread. Thread then taken back to the bend and the body dubbed with tan (or cream) dubbing all the way up to the eye of the hook. The hackle was then wound around the wing post starting at the highest point and winding down. The hackle feather was tied in and the fly whip finished at the eye.
The Skippy Sedge
Hook: Size 12 Partridge SLD dry fly. Thread: Pale green 8/0. Tail: Butt of green dubbing. Body: Pine squirrel dubbing generously applied. Wing: Three natural coloured CDC feathers tied in 2mm from the eye (with quills over the eye): one on near-side, one on top and one on far-side.
This fly was developed for the 2001 world championships in Sweden and can be used throughout the year as Caddis hatch in every month.
Thread tied on at eye with touching turns the length of the hook shank. A sparsely dubbed bead of light green applied to butt, followed by a ‘chunky’ body of brown pine squirrel dubbing to thorax region.
CDC wing is tied in one feather at a time and each adjusted to length by pulling the rachis.
Head finished with more dubbing and CDC feather ends cut over the eye of the hook.
The fly is best fished in fast-moving currents so that it sinks at the end of the drift – as the final retrieve mimics the Caddis returning to the surface after egg-laying.
Following on from Karl’s last demonstration (2ndNovember 2017) he was asked about the current situation with game fishing in Wales. We were told that the National Resources Wales (NRW) were finalising new regulations which would probably be ratified by the Welsh Assembly in 2019. (The following link gives the current proposals: NRW proposed fishing controls 16/3/2018). In the North West the Border Esk and tributaries (Liddel and Eden), were made catch and release for all salmon earlier this year. Karl thinks that the decisions being made are based on statistical analysis of poor quality data and consequently the current estimates of migratory fish numbers are probably inaccurate. He was concerned that the Environmental Agency (EA) and NRW were not interested in and do not understand the needs of fishermen and were not the best groups to manage river fisheries. Karl was also concerned that the proposed changes would be impossible to implement. He felt that the salmon and sea trout license was becoming redundant (hence losing the EA revenue), as unless an angler was specifically targeting these species, any accidental catch would be released! Although Karl felt that changes were impacting negatively on game fishing, he was still enjoying and actively participating in the hobby, as evinced by his enthusiasm during the evening.
Karl then went on to demonstrate six flies that he personally found to be productive in rivers.
The Orange Spider
Hook: Size 10 or 12 Thread: Orange Glo-brite No. 5 floss tied to produce a carrot shaped body tied off and finished with 3 coats of varnish (as for a buzzer pattern). Smokey grey 14/0 thread was used for the thorax and head. Hackle: Two to three turns of a grouse neck feather tied in by the distal end of the rachis. Dubbing: Dun ice dub tied sparingly at the thorax to flare the spider hackle. Head: varnished thread
Comments
A variant was also demonstrated with an orange tag and watery olive body. The fly contains no added weight; the heavily varnished body ensuring the fly sinks. Karl recommended a technique of turning the fly through 90 °to whip finish the head as this reduced the risk of the thread unravelling over the eye of the hook. Karl generally fishes this as a team of 3 with a fly such as a ‘Greenwell’s’ as top dropper.
The Avon Bomb
Hook: Size 10 or 12 Jig Hook Thread: Gordon Griffiths Sheer 14/0 – Burgundy Rib: Fine Silver Wire Hackle: Two to three turns of a grouse neck feather tied in by the distal end of the rachis. Body: Three strands of bronze peacock herl Wing: Short length of pink Antron mused with 6 to 8 strands of Krystal flash Hackle: 3 to 4 turns of a ginger cock hackle Head: 3.5mm Facetted Silver bead
Comments A layer of tying thread, with touching turns, to the half-way down the shank. The thread was returned with layers of thread built up to secure the bead. The thread was then taken to a point on the hook opposite the barb with the rib and peacock herl tied in and returned to the hook eye. The herl was wound up to the thorax (leaving room for wing and hackle), secured with thread and then ribbed (opposite direction to the herl). The wing and hackle were tied in with the thread and the wing cut to 2 to 3 mm. The thread was varnished at the bead after whip finishing.
Hairy Green Butt Prince Nymph
Hook: Size 10 long shank, weighted with lead if desired Thread: Veevus B17 14/0 Yellow/Chartreuse for butt, Charcoal grey 14/0 for body and head Tail: Two brown goose biots, trimmed to 2/3rds length of shank and flared over the butt. Rib: Medium Gold Oval Tinsel Dubbing: Fox squirrel mixture of fur plucked from pelt. Wing: Two white goose biots, trimmed to length of shank. Hackle: Mid-section of a brown furnace feather, upper surface forward, tied in at distal end of rachis. Head: Varnished head.
Dry F-Fly
Hook: #16 Medium or fine wire Thread: 14/0 in charcoal Body: Very sparsely dubbed fox squirrel fur Wing: Three overlaying natural coloured CDC feathers tied in on top of head Head: Varnished head.
Comments The body used the residual dubbing from the Green Butt Prince Nymph. A nice way of conserving materials. Use a little CDC oil when fishing for extra buoyancy.
Haslam Variant (Salmon / Sea Trout Fly)
Hook: #8 low water double Thread: Gordon Griffiths Sheer 14/0 Burgandy Tag: Glo-Brite No2 Fluoro Pink Floss Rib: Small Oval Tinsel Tail: Golden Pheasant crest feather Body: Glo-brite fluorescent tinsel (or pearl mylar). Throat Hackle: Dyed blue guinea fowl. Wing: Natural hen pheasant tail feather. Antenna: Two blue/gold macaw barbules from centre tail. Eyes: Jungle cock (placed both sides). Head: Varnished head.
Comments Karl’s tips employed in tying this fly included:
Flattening the base of the golden pheasant crest feather to ensure that the barbules did not splay and they stayed on top of the hook.
Throat hackles and hen pheasant wings were easier to tie in using a vee-shaped section of a feather prepared by cutting the rachis above and below the number of barbules required. The barbules from the left and right side of the ‘vee’ could then be folded together and tied in long with 2 thread wraps and pulled to the required length before securing with tight thread wraps.
Split jungle cock eyes could be repaired by the dipping in a light varnish then using finger and thumb to encourage the split eye to mend.
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