By Peter Brigg
Diagram 1
T Strip off the flue
Tie in the hackles across the top of the shank.
HIS is the penultimate part in this series in which I will cover the more important basic elements of tying your own flies. The next part of the series will deal with general comments about fly construction and will also take you through the full sequence of tying your first complete fly. So here are the last few basics you need to know and practise before creating that first fly. In part three I described how to use hackle and how to tie an upright-winged fly. Following on from that, here are some other ways of using a hackle feather.
SPENT-WING
Finished spent wing dry fly
Diagram 2 Tie in and wind forward
Prepare soft hackle by stripping the flue and fibres off one side
Diagram 3 Tie in hackle
Wind back and trap end with ribbing
Wind ribbing forward 52 • Return to contents
Tie in the tail, body and ribbing of your fly. Now select two feathers of roughly the same length and size. Prepare by stripping away all the lower fibres, leaving only the length of wing you need intact. Cut off the excess quill, leaving a short length of exposed section that you need for tying in. You can now tie the two feathers onto the shank of the hook with tips pointing forward and lying diagonally across the shank, as shown in the sketch. Now pull each wing back at 90 degrees to the side of the shank and secure with a few turns of thread. Trim off excess quill and tie in the hackle feather behind the wings. Make a couple of turns behind and in front of the wings before securing, trimming, making a neat head and varnishing to complete. (See Diagram 1.) SOFT-HACKLED WET FLY As the hackle in this type of fly needs to be soft, select a partridge breast feather or similar. The softness of the hackle in this dressing is particularly good from the point of view that the fibres move easily in the water, giving the fly a life-like appearance. Select the right type of feather and prepare by stripping off all the soft, fluffy fibres. Place the feather against the side of the hook shank with the concave side towards the hook and secure the quill with a few turns of thread. Holding the tip of the feather with the hackle pliers, make two or, at the most, three turns around the shank. Tie off, trim the excess hackle tip and quill end, complete with a head, and varnish. With this type of hackle it is important that you don’t make it too bulky with too many turns of hackle. Another way to keep it sparse, and the method I generally favour, is to strip all the fibres from the side of the quill that will lie www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
