Post by Nick Pionessa on Dec 16, 2013 9:12:51 GMT -5
As usual this fly is nothing truly new. It does however have a few key elements that make it welcome in any steelheaders box. It has a good profile, lots of wiggle, good flash and also a degree of translucency. In this color scheme the translucency is a little less obvious but the idea is to have a noticeable presence in the water but be soft, alive and vulnerable looking at the same time. One other characteristic it employs is the transition from very dark to very bright as the fly passes. I feel this is really the key to its success, especially in cold water. Originally designed for lower visibility conditions it has proven to work well in clear, very cold water as well. Other good color combos are black and chartreuse, black and olive and white and chartreuse, purple and chartreuse, purple and pink, whatever you like.
Pretty simple fly to tie. One thing to note is that the dubbing behind the rear marabou is there simply to protect the marabou tip not prop up the tail. I like the tail to be much slimmer to create a nice profile down the fly. The front marabou is propped with arctic fox tail spun in a loop. The key here is having the fox length to be about two thirds of the length of the marabou. This creates a hollow in the fly and adds to wiggle and translucency. The hair should be placed in the loop with minimal combing so it retains its bulk. Also place the hair in the loop with about a third of the length to the right of the loop. This also enhances the prop effect by keeping the butts of the hair and mixes them with the tips.
If you like you could use a Guinea feather for the collar or duck flank, something mottled. Also adding a few strands of Amherst Pheasant tail on top of the fox hair to add a little mottling to the body of the fly. Ostrich could also be added for more wiggle and length.
Start with a 1” 3/32” diameter copper tube, a 1.5” piece of heavy walled liner tube and .5” of junction tubing.
Slide the liner on the mandrel then into the copper tube.
Melt the end of the liner tube and while it’s soft, press it against a hard surface to flatten and flare the plastic until it is slightly larder in diameter than the copper.
Place the tube combo into the chuck. The flared liner will be held in the vise as well as the copper. This keeps the liner from spinning. Just place about 1/8” of copper in the jaws. Just enough to have room to add a junction tube after the fly is finished.
Start the thread (6/0) on the liner tube and wrap up onto the copper, joining the two tubes together.
Wind it to the rear of the tube and start a little dubbing on the thread.
Make a small ball of dubbing to protect the marabou tie in point.
Select a spey type marabou plume with long fine tips.
Divide the fibers at the tip. Wet them and clip it off to prepare it for tying in.
Tie it in by the tip.
Fold and wrap forward in tight turns.
Tie it off and clip the stem.
Select a few strands of flashabou and fold it in half. Clip it at the fold, then fold it again.
Loop the folded flashabou under the tube and take two turns of thread over it.
Pull individual strands around the tube until you have it spread 360º around the tube.
Body braid for the center of the fly.
Tie it in flat, just in front of the marabou.
Wrap it flat and tight up to .25” of the end of the copper tube.
Select a small bunch of arctic fox tail. About this much.
Comb it out a little as possible. Really just untangling the fibers since we want as much underfur kept in as possible.
Set the clump aside where it is easily picked up.
Loop the thread to form a dubbing loop about 3” long.
Wrap the thread over the loop tie in to close the gap in the thread so the hair will stay put when placed in the loop.
Place the fox hair in the loop with the thread at about the two thirds mark of the hair length. Do not trim off the butts since we want them to add to the prop effect of the fox.
Spin the loop nice and tight.
Brush it out with some Velcro.
Fold it all to one side of the thread and wrap it forward it tight turns stroking it back as you go to not trap any fibers down. Make the last wrap of fox just onto the protruding liner tube.
Tie off the loop thread tightly.
Fold back the loop thread and wrap over it again to lock it down well.
Comb it out with the Velcro again.
Full view for proportions
Prepare some more flashabou in the same manner as the first bunch and loop I under the tube and secure with two thread wraps.
Spread it out around the tube.
Select the second, spey type marabou and prepare it for tying in just like the first.
Tie it in by the tip.
Fold it and wrap it forward in tight turns.
Tie it off and clip the stem.
Select a feather for the collar. In this case a black schlappen feather for color and bulk.
Select the good portion and prepare the tip to tie in.
Tie it in by the tip.
Fold it and wrap it forward in tight turns.
Tie the stem off.
Clip the stem off and wind a small, neat head.
Take it out of the vise with the mandrel still in place.
Slide your junction tubing piece onto the mandrel.
Push the junction tubing down onto the blank copper tube that was clamped in the vise.
Remove the mandrel and clip the remaining liner tube off to within 1/8” of the thread.
Melt the liner tube back evenly until it’s right against the thread. The flared plastic will help to protect the fly’s head when bashed off rocks.
Apply some CCG or other head cement to the thread to further protect it.
View as the fly approaches.
View as the fly passes.
Approval!
This fly had a Scaup collar and is a reminder to try some variations.
Pretty simple fly to tie. One thing to note is that the dubbing behind the rear marabou is there simply to protect the marabou tip not prop up the tail. I like the tail to be much slimmer to create a nice profile down the fly. The front marabou is propped with arctic fox tail spun in a loop. The key here is having the fox length to be about two thirds of the length of the marabou. This creates a hollow in the fly and adds to wiggle and translucency. The hair should be placed in the loop with minimal combing so it retains its bulk. Also place the hair in the loop with about a third of the length to the right of the loop. This also enhances the prop effect by keeping the butts of the hair and mixes them with the tips.
If you like you could use a Guinea feather for the collar or duck flank, something mottled. Also adding a few strands of Amherst Pheasant tail on top of the fox hair to add a little mottling to the body of the fly. Ostrich could also be added for more wiggle and length.
Start with a 1” 3/32” diameter copper tube, a 1.5” piece of heavy walled liner tube and .5” of junction tubing.
Slide the liner on the mandrel then into the copper tube.
Melt the end of the liner tube and while it’s soft, press it against a hard surface to flatten and flare the plastic until it is slightly larder in diameter than the copper.
Place the tube combo into the chuck. The flared liner will be held in the vise as well as the copper. This keeps the liner from spinning. Just place about 1/8” of copper in the jaws. Just enough to have room to add a junction tube after the fly is finished.
Start the thread (6/0) on the liner tube and wrap up onto the copper, joining the two tubes together.
Wind it to the rear of the tube and start a little dubbing on the thread.
Make a small ball of dubbing to protect the marabou tie in point.
Select a spey type marabou plume with long fine tips.
Divide the fibers at the tip. Wet them and clip it off to prepare it for tying in.
Tie it in by the tip.
Fold and wrap forward in tight turns.
Tie it off and clip the stem.
Select a few strands of flashabou and fold it in half. Clip it at the fold, then fold it again.
Loop the folded flashabou under the tube and take two turns of thread over it.
Pull individual strands around the tube until you have it spread 360º around the tube.
Body braid for the center of the fly.
Tie it in flat, just in front of the marabou.
Wrap it flat and tight up to .25” of the end of the copper tube.
Select a small bunch of arctic fox tail. About this much.
Comb it out a little as possible. Really just untangling the fibers since we want as much underfur kept in as possible.
Set the clump aside where it is easily picked up.
Loop the thread to form a dubbing loop about 3” long.
Wrap the thread over the loop tie in to close the gap in the thread so the hair will stay put when placed in the loop.
Place the fox hair in the loop with the thread at about the two thirds mark of the hair length. Do not trim off the butts since we want them to add to the prop effect of the fox.
Spin the loop nice and tight.
Brush it out with some Velcro.
Fold it all to one side of the thread and wrap it forward it tight turns stroking it back as you go to not trap any fibers down. Make the last wrap of fox just onto the protruding liner tube.
Tie off the loop thread tightly.
Fold back the loop thread and wrap over it again to lock it down well.
Comb it out with the Velcro again.
Full view for proportions
Prepare some more flashabou in the same manner as the first bunch and loop I under the tube and secure with two thread wraps.
Spread it out around the tube.
Select the second, spey type marabou and prepare it for tying in just like the first.
Tie it in by the tip.
Fold it and wrap it forward in tight turns.
Tie it off and clip the stem.
Select a feather for the collar. In this case a black schlappen feather for color and bulk.
Select the good portion and prepare the tip to tie in.
Tie it in by the tip.
Fold it and wrap it forward in tight turns.
Tie the stem off.
Clip the stem off and wind a small, neat head.
Take it out of the vise with the mandrel still in place.
Slide your junction tubing piece onto the mandrel.
Push the junction tubing down onto the blank copper tube that was clamped in the vise.
Remove the mandrel and clip the remaining liner tube off to within 1/8” of the thread.
Melt the liner tube back evenly until it’s right against the thread. The flared plastic will help to protect the fly’s head when bashed off rocks.
Apply some CCG or other head cement to the thread to further protect it.
View as the fly approaches.
View as the fly passes.
Approval!
This fly had a Scaup collar and is a reminder to try some variations.