Post by Charlie Dickson on May 4, 2010 10:12:22 GMT -5
I’ve always been a fan of the spey flies of the late Syd Glasso. This particular one is a variation of his Orange Heron.
Start some thread on a hook. I like the Alec Jackson hooks for this type of fly. Glasso used low water type salmon hooks for his flies.
Run the thread back and stop just before the hook point and tie in some oval silver tinsel
Rap the tinsel foreword to create a small tag, tie it off and trim the excess.
Next tie in the rib material. I am using a multi part rib made up of flat silver tinsel and a piece of oval silver tinsel. Run the material the entire length of the hook to avoid lumps.
Next tie in some purple floss for the rear half of the body.
Next rap the floss About half way up the hook shank and tie it off.
Next select a hackle for the body. In this case I am using a blue eared pheasant feather dyed Purple. Ring neck rump feathers also make very good spey hackles if you can find big ones.
Stroke the fibers of the feather back and tie it in by the tip. And clip off the excess.
Spin some purple dubbing on the thread for the front half of the body, rap it foreword. Leave enough room for the throat and head of the fly. When dressing this part of the body, take care to dress it as sparse as possible. If the body is dressed to heavy it will make the wing stick up and ruin the sleek look of the fly.
Next rap the flat silver tinsel foreword, tie it off and trim the excess.
Next grab the body hackle by the stem and hold it straight up. Stroke the fibers in the direction of the back of the hook and pinch them so they stay that way.
Now rap the hackle towards the front of the hook keeping it between the rib, tie it off and clip off the excess stem.
Next rap the oval silver tinsel foreword in the opposite direction of the rib and body hackle. I usually use a dubbing needle when rapping it through the hackle so I don’t trap any hackle fibers. This rib will protect the hackle from breaking while you are fishing with the fly. Tie it off and trim the excess.
Select a Teal feather or similarly marked feather for the throat and strip off one side of the feather as shown.
Tie the hackle in by the tip and rap it at the front of the fly.
Next select four white hackles for the wing of the fly. I have found that the best type of hackles for the wings on this type of fly come from cheep Indian cock necks.
Cut off the tips of the hackles to a length so that they form a wing extending slightly past the end of the body but not passed the bend of the hook. Strip off about an eighth of an inch of hackle fibers from the stem of the feathers and flatten the stems lightly with a pair of flat blade tweezers or pliers. This will make them sit better on top of the hook when you tie them in.
Next tie them in on top of the hook shank. This can be done one at a time, in pairs or all four at once. Keep in mind that the concave sides of the feathers should be facing each other. If the feathers do not sit in top of the hook properly the first time you tie them in, take them off and adjust them by again grabbing the stems with your tweezers or pliers and twist them with your fingers in the direction you want them to go when they are tied on the hook.
Apply enough raps of thread to finish the head nice and evenly then whip finish the head.
Apply several coats of head cement and this is the finished fly.
Start some thread on a hook. I like the Alec Jackson hooks for this type of fly. Glasso used low water type salmon hooks for his flies.
Run the thread back and stop just before the hook point and tie in some oval silver tinsel
Rap the tinsel foreword to create a small tag, tie it off and trim the excess.
Next tie in the rib material. I am using a multi part rib made up of flat silver tinsel and a piece of oval silver tinsel. Run the material the entire length of the hook to avoid lumps.
Next tie in some purple floss for the rear half of the body.
Next rap the floss About half way up the hook shank and tie it off.
Next select a hackle for the body. In this case I am using a blue eared pheasant feather dyed Purple. Ring neck rump feathers also make very good spey hackles if you can find big ones.
Stroke the fibers of the feather back and tie it in by the tip. And clip off the excess.
Spin some purple dubbing on the thread for the front half of the body, rap it foreword. Leave enough room for the throat and head of the fly. When dressing this part of the body, take care to dress it as sparse as possible. If the body is dressed to heavy it will make the wing stick up and ruin the sleek look of the fly.
Next rap the flat silver tinsel foreword, tie it off and trim the excess.
Next grab the body hackle by the stem and hold it straight up. Stroke the fibers in the direction of the back of the hook and pinch them so they stay that way.
Now rap the hackle towards the front of the hook keeping it between the rib, tie it off and clip off the excess stem.
Next rap the oval silver tinsel foreword in the opposite direction of the rib and body hackle. I usually use a dubbing needle when rapping it through the hackle so I don’t trap any hackle fibers. This rib will protect the hackle from breaking while you are fishing with the fly. Tie it off and trim the excess.
Select a Teal feather or similarly marked feather for the throat and strip off one side of the feather as shown.
Tie the hackle in by the tip and rap it at the front of the fly.
Next select four white hackles for the wing of the fly. I have found that the best type of hackles for the wings on this type of fly come from cheep Indian cock necks.
Cut off the tips of the hackles to a length so that they form a wing extending slightly past the end of the body but not passed the bend of the hook. Strip off about an eighth of an inch of hackle fibers from the stem of the feathers and flatten the stems lightly with a pair of flat blade tweezers or pliers. This will make them sit better on top of the hook when you tie them in.
Next tie them in on top of the hook shank. This can be done one at a time, in pairs or all four at once. Keep in mind that the concave sides of the feathers should be facing each other. If the feathers do not sit in top of the hook properly the first time you tie them in, take them off and adjust them by again grabbing the stems with your tweezers or pliers and twist them with your fingers in the direction you want them to go when they are tied on the hook.
Apply enough raps of thread to finish the head nice and evenly then whip finish the head.
Apply several coats of head cement and this is the finished fly.