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Hi
Dale,
Here is the fly
I've been working on the last week. It's a variation of a fly I pick up in
Yellowstone about 4 years ago. I bought about 24 back then and just recently
I got down to my last 2 so I figured I better learn how to tie them.
Original fly used some kind of sparkle dubbing on the body. I couldn't get
the dubbing to work, to provide the slim shape of the abdomen so I've
substituted krystal flash wrapped around the hook. The pheasant tail back
and wing case are as it was in the original fly. While I was tying in the
krystal flash for the thorax I left the butts of the fibers long and then
pulled them back with the pheasant tail fibers for legs. A little more flash
and I like the look.
This fly has work
for me consistently over the last four years. I haven't caught a fish every
time I've used it but it has work on a lot of different waters from the
Eagle, Roaring Fork, Big Thompson, Frying Pan and numerous small streams.
You know I really like the small streams.
Tying step pics to follow.
Recipe:
Hook: Targus or Tiemco 2457 12, 14, 16, 18
Weight: Gold bead: 1/8 for size 12, 3/32 for size 14 & 16, 5/64 for size 18
Thread: Danville 6/0 amber rust
Tail: Pheasant tail fibers
Back: Pheasant tail fibers
Rib: Ultra Wire copper: brassie size for 12, sm size for 14 & 16, x-sm for
18
Abdomen: Fl. fire orange krystal flash
Wing Case: Pheasant tail fibers
Thorax: Peacock/pearl krystal flash
Legs: Pheasant tail fibers & butt end of krystal flash
Hope your having
a good holiday season both personally and for your business.
Your the best.
Later,
Frank |
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Remove the barb.
Attach bead.
Start thread and
cover shank with thread base so materials will stay put where they are tied
in! |
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Select 4-8
strands of pheasant tail. Be sure tips are even. Tie in so tips extend for
tail. Wrap thread forward, then back to where tail is mounted. Pull excess
pheasant fibers back and tie down. This will create the shell back. |
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Tie in copper wire of proper
thickness along side of hook shank.
Be sure wire is tied back just in
front of where tail is tied in. |
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Select 4-10
strands of krystal flash in the desired color and tie in near tail. |
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Wind krystal flash forward, tie
off and trim excess.
Pull pheasant tail fibers forward
and tie down as shown in Frank's delightful picture. |
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With even wraps, rib the abdomen
with copper wire. Beware of wire tension so pheasant fibers don't roll over
the hook. Tie off and trim excess wire.
At this point, the flash should
be on the bottom, the pheasant tail at back and shell over top of fly. See?
Isn't this fun? |
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Select 6-8
strands of pheasant tail. Note that the tips are over the back of the hook,
and the trimmed butts tied in behind the bead. Note proportions. PT fibers
are going to create the wing case and legs. |
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Select 4-6
strands of krystal flash in color of choice and tie in. Note how the tips
extend over they bead. They will become legs, too. |
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Here, the
krystal flash has been wrapped forward to create the thorax of the fly, then
the excess trimmed. Peacock or dubbing could be used as well. |
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Split the
remaining krystal flash, pulling half of the fibers back and tying off on
one side of the hook and repeating the process with the remaining flash on
the other side. Trim to length |
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Pull PT
fibers over the thorax to create wing case. Tie down behind the bead. PT
fibers should be on top of hook shank. |
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Pull PT
fibers back to create legs, as we did with krystal flash. Whip finish, trim
thread and add a drop of head cement if you'd like. |
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In smaller sizes,
FFBHF would work well as a small mayfly or caddis emerger imitation. I'd use
darker flash for both the abdomen and thorax. In larger sizes, the fly would
work during Pale Morning Dun and Caddis hatches, and I'd tie it as shown
with a light or orange abdomen and dark thorax.
Fish the fly as a
dropper under a high floating fly such as a Royal Wulff or Stimulator, and
enjoy the process.
Thanks to Frank for
this submission! He wishes you good fishing, too. |
| back to tips |
