How To: Tying Flies You Never Heard Of - The Fisherman

How To: Tying Flies You Never Heard Of

Instructions and ingredients on tying the flies featured in the July article Best Saltwater Flies You Never Heard Of.

Goony Critter

Hook – Mustad 34007, size 4 to 1.

Thread – Waxed, 6/0 or Monofilament.

Weight – Lead or tungsten eyes, tied in behind the hook eye.

Eyes – Burnt monofilament stubs, tied in at the bend of the hook.

Tail – Tie in four rooster neck tips splayed outward, forming a 1-inch long tail.

Body – Tie in four strands or clumps of yarn, Merkin-style o the bottom of the hook shank, with sparkle dubbing tied in on top.  The clumps build the body as you tie. Use figure-eight wraps of the thread. Natural grizzly saddle hackle wound around the hook shank forms the back of the body.

Goony-Critter

Hairy Fodder

Hook – Eagle Claw 413/60-degree angle jig hook, size 4 to 3/0.

Thread – Monofilament.

Weigh/Eyes – Dumbbell or bead-chain eyes, tied onto backside of hook shank.

Rattle – Glass rattle, tied onto backside of hook shank.

Tail – Moderate clump of Sili-Legs, blended with strands of Krystal Flash or Holographic Flashabou and tied in on both sides of the hook shank.

Body – Tie in a piece of cross-cut rabbit strip on the top, back edge of the rattle, with the skin side facing down. Make one wrap of the rabbit at the back of the rattle and tie off. After wings and body flash are affixed, add two more palmered wraps of the rabbit.

Wings – Two sets of Sili-Legs tied along the sides of the hook shank, starting directly behind the dumbbell eyes. Pull legs toward the rear of fly, make one wrap of rabbit strip over the legs and tie in place.

Body Flash – A piece of UV Polar Chenille, tied directly in front of the rabbit strip.

Hairy-Fodder

Hidalgo’s Red Med

Hook – Mustad 34007, 1/0.

Thread – Flat-waxed nylon, burnt orange.

Eyes – 5/32-ounce hourglass eyes or dumbbell eyes on the underside of the hook shank, at a point slightly back of the hook eye.

Tail – Two strands of chartreuse/silver flake Sili Legs, with ginger rabbit fur tied on top.

Butt – Tie in and wind a short length of orange, short fiber Crystal Chenille.

Underbody – Build with wraps of burnt orange thread.

Body – Cream Diamond Braid, wrapped and tied off behind the eyes.

Legs – Two strands of chartreuse/silver flake Sili Legs behind the eyes and on either side of the body.

Wing – Tie in order as follows: red squirrel tail; four strands of pearl Spectra Mylar or Flashabou; twelve strand of root beer Krystal Flash; four strands of copper Crystal Flash extending longer than the squirrel tail; and red fox fur half the length of the squirrel tail.  Tie off and add head cement.

Hidalgo_s-Red-Med

King Lepus

Hook – Mustad 34011, 3/0.

Thread – Danville flat-waxed nylon, apple green

Eyes (step 1) – Tungsten flat-end barbell eyes, tied in one inch back from the hook eye.

Body – Wrap hook shank with thread. Cut rabbit strips three times the length of the hook shank. Tie in white strip to form the belly. Align the hook with the rabbit strip and punch holes in the skin through which the hook can be threaded. Tie in and whip finish. Tie in the chartreuse strip on top and whip finish.

Eyes (step 2) – Apply large molded eyes to flat ends of the tungsten barbell.

Flash – Tie in a 2-inch piece of chartreuse Krystal Flash overt the top rabbit strip, and a 2-inch piece of red Krystal flash beneath the white strip. Form a head with the thread and ship finish.

King-Lepus

Mad Tom

Hook – Gamakatsu SC15-2H, 3/0.

Thread – Danville, chartreuse, 6/0.

Eyes – Wrap thread about a one-third down the hook shank from the hook eye, and make a bed for the eyes. Secure medium black brass eyes in place.

Tail – Secure a 3 to 4-inch chartreuse Zonker strip behind the eyes. Cut a small slot in the strip, through which the hook point will pass.

Wing – Small bundle of chartreuse bucktail.

Flash – Six to eight strands of “Comes Alive” or similar flash material.

Body – Chartreuse kip tail.

Cheeks – Tie in a small batch of chartreuse kip tail on each side of the hook shank.

Belly – Tie in a small bunch of red bucktail on the underside of the hook shank.

Head – Tie in a small bundle of bucktail on the top side of the hook to complete the head.  Whip finish and add head cement, or epoxy for more durability.

Mad-Tom

Fico Furbee

Hook – Gamakatsu SP11-3L, 1/0.

Thread – Danville fine monofilament.

Tail Loop – 50-pound monofilament

Weight/Body – Fine wire wound around the hook shank. Cover the wire with wrapped pearl Body Braid.

Upper Body – Tie in successive small clumps of white Flash & Kinky Slinky Fiber on the top portion of the fly, ending half-inch back from the hook eye.

Lower Body – White rabbit Zonker strip, trimmed to align with the upper body. Pull the end of the strip through the tail hook and tie down the forward portion of the strip half-inch back from the hook eye.

Throat – Tie in several strands of hot pink Fluorofibre in front of the Zonker strip.

Finish/Eyes – Tie in a small clump of flash on the top and bottom of fly. Trim fly to desired shape and affix with glue the 3D molded eyes.

Optional – A small rattle can be inserted into the body.

Ficco-Furbee

Wiggy Hi-Tie Baitfish

Hook – Owner, Gorilla Light, 5107-141, 4/0

Thread – Fine monofilament

Body- Six to 8-inch lengths of Kanekalon Hair (white, light blue, dark blue), and blend fine pearl Mylar. Wrap a layer of thread around the hook shank. Add a small clump of shite hair on top of the hook, at the bend. Tie down at a point in the middle of the clump. Fold forward-facing end of the hair back and wrap thread in front of clump, forcing the hair back. Pull up both ends of hair. Wrap about five turns of thread around the bunch to secure in place. Continue adding clumps of hair to build the body. Change and mix colors until the eye is reached.

Gills – At a point about eight-inch from the eye, add a small bunch of red wig hair to each side of the hook.

Wiggy-Hi-Tie-Baitfish

Borski Bunny Slider

Hook – Tiemco, 811S, size 1.

Thread – White flat-waxed nylon.

Eyes – Tie in medium barbell eyes, yellow and black.

Tail – Tie in a short to moderate length strip of barred tan rabbit fur. Hook rides point up so tie in rabbit strip with leather side facing downward.

Body – Tie in clumps of olive marabou or synthetic hair, encircling the hook shank.

Collar: Tie in and wind a short section of Crystal Chenille or similar material. Bring thread forward of the eyes. Tie off, whip finish and add a dab of head cement.

Borski-Bunny-Slider

Little Black Nasty

Hook – Gamakatsu B10S, stinger, size 2 to 1.

Thread – Flat-waxed nylon, chartreuse.

Tail – Tie in thread at the bend of the hook and attach a 1-inch tuft of black marabou.

Legs – Tie in two pairs of chartreuse and black Sili Legs at the top mid-point of hook shank. Trim to the length of the marabou.

Body – Tie in fluffy black hackle at hook bend and palmer forward to the hook eye. Invert hook and tie in a 2-inch clump of black EP fibers with figure-eight wraps.  Continue this step 3 or 4 more times, leaving some room for the eyes and weed guard.

Eyes – With hook point facing down, tie in beach chain eyes on top of the hook shank.

Weed Guard: 20-pound test monofilament, doubled-over, tied in behind the bead chain eyes.

Little-Black-Nasty

Blind Chicken

Hook – Tiemco 811S, size 2.

Thread – UTC 210, color to match cone head.

Head – Color-coordinated weighted cone head.

Body – A short length of Crystal Chenille, choice of color, and wrapped to form body.

Under Wing – A small tuft of bucktail tied in on the underside of the hook.  Tie materials to allow the hook to ride upward.

Flash – Tie in several strands of flash material.

Over Wing – Tie in a long clump of bucktail, approximately three times the length of the hook shank.

Blind-Chicken

Fuzzy Flash Bunker

Hook – TMC 600 SP, size1 to 6/0 depending on size of fly.

Thread – Monofilament

Body/Wing – Blend of Fuzzy Fiber and Polar Flash tied in “Hi-Tie” fashion along the top and bottom sides of the hook shank.  Use small amounts of fibers as you tie in progressive clumps of material. The goal is to build a high-profile fly without significant bulk. Trim to shape.

Eyes – Small molded eyes, secured with glue.

Tail (optional) Use turkey neck feather. If you prefer a tail, you need to lay down a piece of 20-pound monofilament along the shank of the hook before building the body. This will be attached to the tail as a final step in the tying process.

Fuzzy-Flash-Bunker 

Baker Minnow

Hook – Saltwater hook of choice, size 2 to 4/0.

Thread – Color to complement materials.

Eyes – Dumbbell or bead chain eyes tied to the underside of the hook shank.

Tail – Four neck hackles tied at the bend of the hook. Add a few strands of Flashabou on either side of the hackles.

Body/Wing – Tie in orange craft fur to form the body and upper wing.

Head – Crystal Chenille or Estaz wound to form a head.

Baker-Minnow

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