Fly of the Month

Step 2:
Wrapping your thread down to the bend and backwards.

Step 3:
Try to make a nice tapered under body. I like a slim and well-tapered under body. Be very critical in this stage! The better the under body the more beautiful the completed fly.

Step 4:
Tie in the hackle so it lies in the same orientation as the yarn. Form an upright wing by tying up the yarn and hackle. This is to be sure you have no problems with the hackle in the other tying steps.

Step 5:
Apply a small amount of dubbing to the thread. Take as much dubbing just to cover the under body. Tie the body very slim and well tapered. Start as close to the barb as possible. The thinner the body the more successful the pattern. Wind it along the shank and stop just behind the wing and cut off surplus poly or use the last piece of dubbing as underground for the thorax. In that situation it is not really necessary to cut off surplus. I recommend trying both techniques because for some people it is much easier to produce a better-looking thorax when you have made an under body.

Step 6:
Tie in three peacock herl fibres. You can also tie the strands in at their tips, this will help you to create a much nicer thorax. I secure the strands well also behind the wing. This provides that the thorax will come off.

Step 7:
TIE OFF and varnish.

ATTENTION NOW!

TAKE YOUR BOBBIN WITH SPIDERWEB.

Step 8:
Now turn the hook in the vice, so that the wing is horizontal, with the bend uppermost. Grasping the tuft of poly-yarn, put on the spiderweb, wind several turns around the base of the poly-yarn and create a rigid wing base on which to wind the hackle.

Step 9:
Wind the hackle around the base. Start at the top of your wing base, taking each successive turn closer to the hook shank. Take as many turns as the type of hook requires. Small flies about 5 windings and bigger flies at least 7 or 8 windings. Remember that the fly has to float mainly on the parachute. A lot of people wind their hackle in the opposite way, working up the wing, the hackle is less durable and may still come off. When you work from top downwards it ensures a compact well-compressed hackle and a most durable construction. Pulling the hackle tip to the opposite direction as the wing and secure with a few turns of spiderweb. Secure well around the base of the wing between the wound hackle and body. Using your whip finisher. Trim away the waste hackle tip and hackle fibres that are pointed down. Take your varnish applicator and apply some lacquer on the windings just under the parachute.

Step 10:
The completed fly!