Hook:
Standard dry fly hook, sizes 12 to 18.
Thread: Danville 6/0 works well
for hook sizes 12 to 16. I have tied 18s using Wapsi
70.
Tail: Use
your favorite tailing material. Here I have used about 8
woodchuck guard hairs on a size 12 hook.
Body: Form a
dubbed body and bring your thread to a point just forward of the
mid-point of the body.
Hackle: Tie
in one or two hackles by the butt. The one cree neck hackle
used below is admittedly a bit oversized, but the bottom will
be clipped shorter in the final step. Wrap the hackle forward
using as many wraps as you feel are necessary. I have used
about 10 wraps in this example. Be sure to leave enough room behind
the eye for the poly-wing.
Tip:
To provide some working room behind the hook eye, cut off a
half-inch piece of a drinking straw and cut a slit in it.
(Keep your eyes open at restaurants
and coffee shops and you will soon have a collection of different
diameter straws.) Use the slit to slip the
straw section over the thread hanging from the shank. The slit
will allow you to slide the straw up the thread, over the hook-eye,
and over the hackle. The slit will be on the bottom and will allow
you to pull the straw off when your are done with the
fly.
Attach Wing:
Poly yarn makes a fine wing material. In my opinion
the best for this purpose is "crinkly" in texture, as this helps it
resist matting when wet. My favorites are Crinkled Zelon, Para-Post,
and Widows Web. Shown here is Zelon: a few strands of dun and
a few strands of brown.
-
Tie down the "hank" of
yarn with 2-3 thread wraps. The
fibers facing backward (left) will become the wing and the
fibers facing forward (right) will be the butt.
-
Lift the butt and apply
2-3 thread wraps behind the hook-eye. When the butt is
snipped off, this makes it easier to bind down the loose
ends.
Trim Butt and
Wing:
-
Snip off the butt
fibers, bind down the loose ends, and whip finish.
-
Remove the straw and
fluff up the hackle fibers.
-
Trim the poly wing
to the desired length, typically the length of the
body.
Trim Hackle:
I often trim the bottom hackle flush with the hook point
(shown below) or cut out an inverted V-shape.
