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1. Remove the barb by rolling it over. Be
gentle so the hook does not break or bend.
2. Start thread as shown. Just use enough wraps
to keep the thread on the hook while measuring the marabou tail.
3. Wrap thread back so it hangs over where the
barb was. This is the position for
the thread when the tail is tied in.
Do not wind thread behind this point as it will change the position of the
tail on the fly. This is as far back as the thread or any material will go
on the hook shank.
4. Select one plume of marabou. The feather
will be full and look spindly near the end. That's fine. Collect the
material towards the tip in your Left Hand (note: this is written for a RH
tier.)
5. Even the tip of the feather with the back of
the bend of the hook, as shown. Thumb and index finger of RH will be even
with the front of the eye of the hook.
6. Hold feather in same spot and move fingers
of RH so they are even with where the thread is hanging over the barb.
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7. Hold marabou on top of hook. Hold marabou in
left hand close to tie-in position to control marabou. Make a loose wrap of
thread over the marabou and around the hook, then pull tight. Make three
tight wraps forward. Do not let go of marabou while wrapping thread.
8. Pull marabou butts back gently - do not move
the tie-in position - and wrap thread forward over the hook until it is
behind the head of the fly. See picture for detail.
9. Clip excess butts away with scissors. Do not
cut thread! Notice that cutting is done on above the hook shank while the
thread hangs below. Also, note the angle of the scissor blades and the cut.
10. Tie down remaining marabou. Take care to
keep the material on top of the hook shank, not allowing it to roll with
thread torque. Wind thread back so it is at the first wrap that tied in the
tail.
11. Select and tie in a length of wire. Be sure
the longest portion hangs out past the tail while the shorter length is
along the shank of the hook.
12. Select and tie in chenille. The manner
shown here is for larger flies. The chenille is tied in so it will be under
the body all the way. This is to keep the body smooth. On smaller flies,
strip off a small area of chenille from the braid that it is built on and
tie in the braid without any chenille in a manner similar to that used to
tie in wire. Wrap thread to front of body, and behind the head of the fly.
13. Wind chenille forward with even and
adjacent wraps. Keep the body smooth and lump free.
14. Continue wrapping chenille forward until it
reaches the back of the head. Hold chenille in RH and make a wrap or thread
over the chenille to hold it in place. Now make several more wraps forward
toward the eye and then back to the chenille tie-off point to secure the
chenille.
15. Clip excess chenille. Use the eye of the
hook to guide the scissor blades. The thread is at the back of the head of
the fly and we're trimming near the eye and on top of the hook shank.
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16. When the chenille is clipped create the
base for the head of the fly by making
several adjacent wraps of thread forward to the back of the eye of the hook,
then back to the chenille. This step serves another purpose, and that is to
dam up the chenille with thread so it does not slide forward. The fly will
look like this when this step is complete.
17. It's time to select and prepare hackle
which will be palmered from the front of the fly, through the body to the
back of the fly. Here, we're using a large feather from a rooster cape. Use
this, saddle hackle or shlappen depending on the type of look you want for
your fly. See the picture sequence below on how to select and prepare the
feather.
18. Tie in trimmed ends of the feather behind
the eye of the hook. Be sure to secure the stem and keep the top of the
feather - the part that was away from the bird's body and is usually duller
than the shiny back - towards you. When winding the feather keep the top of
the feather towards the eye of the hook
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19. Make the first wrap of hackle adjacent to
and in front of the chenille body, and the second wrap just behind that.
Then imagine a small ruler against the body of the fly and make even wrap of
hackle through that ruler. The distance between wraps will be determined by
the length of the hackle - how many wraps can be made - and executed by the
angle at which the feather is held while being wrapped.
20. Once the hackle is at the back of the fly,
near the tail and where the wire was tied in, hold the hackle tip in the LH
while beginning to wind the wire over the chenille and away from you. Keep
the spacing between wraps of wire about the same as the wraps of hackle. The
wire is both tying off and reinforcing the hackle as it is wound forward to
the back of the hook eye. Make one or two extra wraps of wire in the head
area to secure the wire, then trim it with the back of the scissors to keep
from dulling them. (There are tiers who keep an old fingernail clipper at
their tying desk to trim wire and save scissor blades.)
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21. With the tips of the scissors clip the tip
of the hackle feather away, as shown above. Here, we do not want to clip
anything but the stem of the feather at the point it attaches to the wire,
leaving all the marabou and hackle fibers in tact.
22. It's time to make the head. Use thread and
wind it from the back of the eye to the back of the head. This should be
moving the thread "uphill". The thread will cover all nubs and make the head
smooth and clean. Please note the head detail at right.
23. Whip finish from the back of the eye to the
back of the head and clip thread. Apply water based head cement to secure
thread wraps.
Now, it's time to tie another one! |
