Story and Fly By
Peter Frailey, Westford MA |
The original of this fly was designed by accident, as the
shank was too long for the marabou feathers I was wrapping
forward to make a simple marabou leech. I pulled the
conehead back to where I had been forced to tie off the
marabou feathers. This left me pondering what to do with
the 1/4" of empty shaft
that I had in front of the conehead. The pattern below
is what resulted. |
This fly
has served me well for three seasons. It has become
the staple early season fly for me and a couple of buddies with whom I
have shared it. The Combo represents a “combination” of
patterns and creatures: leeches, nymphs, crawfish,
streamers, buggers, and minnows, to name a few. The soft
feathers of marabou and mallard, when combined with a
conehead, allow this fly to sink fast and deep. I think
this is a major factor in the Combo’s success when the water
is high and fast.
Off my vise the first
night I tied the Conehead Combo came only two flies, which I
gave to my brother, to fish in June of 2002 on the then high
and fast flowing Miller’s River in central Massachusetts
during our annual fishing trip. Those first two samples
were tied in colors that are still my favorite Combo: olive
marabou and a light olive dyed mallard .
My brother caught 18
rainbows that day, and I caught a dozen. We fished opposite
sides of the river and walked downstream in tandem for the
best of the morning. I was quite cognizant of the fact that
he was picking up an extra fish here and there, but
discussing patterns with him over the sound of the current
was impossible.
When we finished the
stretch, and he walked across the downstream bridge to
within ear-shot of me, I yelled to him, “whatdya catch ‘em
on?” I was pleased to see him point to the Conehead Combo in
his hook-keeper. He had actually fished the fly the entire
day! Ironically, after breaking down his rod and storing
the well-used fly on his vest fly-patch, that first fly
somehow got dislodged and was lost as we walked through the
woods to the car. I think he was disappointed, but I told
him to keep the second one as a memento. I hope he still
has it.
--Peter
Frailey, April 2005
The Conehead Combo |

Spring 2005: 18-inch brook trout taken on the exact
size 4 Conehead Combo pictured below

Fly and Photos by Peter Frailey
Ingredients:


Order of Assembly:
Hook:
Streamer or nymph hook (2xl or longer), sizes
2-8
Weight: Conehead of appropriate size for
hook.
Thread #1: 3/0, color to match body
Tail and abdomen: One or two marabou
feathers, tied in tandem to create bugger-style
tail. Twist stems together and wrap
forward to create abdomen. Or twist and
wrap each feather separately. Leave a few
millimeters of bare shank behind conehead.
Thorax: Marabou butts from above, applied in
a dubbing loop behind the conehead. Whip
finish and snip off thread behind the conehead.
Thread #2: 3/0, same as thread #1 or switch
to another color. With fingers, force
conehead rearward over the dubbed thorax,
leaving a few millimeters of hook shank in front
of conehead. Attach thread and create a
"ramp" of thread between the conehead and hook
eye. This will prevent the conehead from
sliding forward and will provide a base of
thread over which to wrap the collar hackle.
Collar: Mallard feather, three or four
wraps, and tie off. I prefer to tie in by the
tip and to wrap the feather by holding the thick
stem.
Head: Create a head with the thread by
wrapping back and forth over the base of the
mallard feather fibers. This will help angle the
barbs rearward.
Step-by-step instructions:
Large Combo: Sixteen step
instructions for the fly pictured above can be
found in the
Fly of the Week section of
flyanglersonline.com.
OR
Medium Combo: Twelve step
instructions for a slightly smaller Combo can be
found here on fishingwithflies.com |
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