On The Fly

      "Fly tying is a school from which we never graduate"

TYING NEWS

   The Southern Oregon Fly Tyers invite you to attend their next meeting, Tuesday, April 13, 2010, at 6:30 PM, at the Madrone Hill Mobile Home Park community building near Gold Hill. Bring a friend, come early so you don't miss anything, and stay late. Tiers need not be experienced, and those with all levels of skill are welcome. Each meeting a member is encouraged to demonstrate a new or different skill, from simple to difficult. For more information, call Dan Kellogg at 773-4724.
   Mike Marchando was our featured fly tyer at the March meeting and he demonstrated a very unique way of making extended body mayflies. It's inexpensive and very durable, but will take some practice to master this great way of making very realistic mayfly imitations. His method can be adapted to all types, colors, and sizes of mayflies. If you missed it, catch him at a show sometime and have him demo it for you. You'll be impressed and inspired to give it a try. Thanks Mike.
   DIRECTIONS: Take Gold Hill Exit #40, off of I-5 and go west, toward Jacksonville, 1.3 miles, until you reach the brick entrance way to the Madrone Hill Mobile Home Park on the right. You’ll pass a golf course parking lot on Your left shortly after leaving the freeway. After you turn right into the mobile home park, proceed to the community building which is located about 100 yards ahead on the left. The address is 8401 Old Stage Rd. Please park your vehicle on the bare dirt in the parking lot to avoid the wooden septic covers in the grass.

Hook:     Daiichi 1270, Tiemco 200R, Curved, size 6 – 4.
Thread:   Orange, 6-0.
Tail:        Moose body hair.
Rib:        Brown saddle hackle
Body:     Burnt orange Antron or poly yarn
Wing:     Elk, under root beer Krystal Flash, under moose body hair
Head:     Moose body hair.
Legs:      Black rubber strand.

Tying Instructions

Step 1: Mash the barb and mount the hook in the vise. Start the tying thread two eye widths behind the eye and wrap a thread base back to a point halfway down the shank.
Step 2: Select a small bunch of moose body hair, stack it, measure ˝ shank length, and tie it on top of the shank just above the point of the hook. Bind down the butts towards the eye of the hook up to the tie-in position. Trim the excess. Return the thread to the base of the tale.
Step 3: Select a brown hackle feather with barbs no longer then the hook gape and tie it on at the base of the tale. Return the thread to the forward tie-in position.
Step 4: Tie in the Antron or poly yarn and bind it down on the top of the shank with spiraling wraps to the base of the tail. Return the thread to the forward position, then wind the yarn forward in touching wraps to the thread location. Tie off and trim excess.
Step 5: Select a bunch of elk hair, stack it, measure to one shank length, trim the butts and tie it on the top of the hook. Select a dozen strands of Krystal Flash and bind down just in front of the Elk hair butts, evenly spread on top of the wing. Trim excess.
Step 6: At this point there should be about an eighth inch of room to the eye. Select a bunch of moose body hair, stack it, measure to 1 1/2 times the wing length, trim the butts to length, and with the tips facing forward, tie it on the top of the hook just in front of the wing base so the butt ends are even with the elk hair. With your finger nail, distribute the hairs over tops and sides of the hook. Bind the hairs down with tight thread wraps forward to just behind the eye.
Step 7: Pull the moose hair back over the top of the shank forming a bullet head. Secure the hair with three tight thread wraps back at the base of the wing. The tip of the moose hair should cover the lower 1/3 of the wing.
Step 8: Select 2 strands of black rubber legs and secure one to each side at the point behind the bullet head and the base of the wing. When the legs and in the proper position, form an orange band of thread about 1/16" wide, whip finish and cement. Trim the legs to length.

   Todd Smith, a young production tier from Boise, Idaho, developed his Fluttering Salmon Fly for the South Fork of the Boise River. This huge dry fly mimics an egg-laying female caught on the water and working her wings to escape. That's the reason for the splayed wing. Todd says the fly should be fished dead drift near banks, in the shade under tree limbs, and cut banks.
   The pattern is slightly complex but straightforward at the vise. The materials are common and not expensive. The salmon fly hatch is coming up soon on the Rogue and the Deschutes. I would add this one to your fly box.

TYING TIPS

    Leave plenty of room at the head for the wing and the bullet. The stiff butts of the moose body hair over-wing keep the elk wing splayed. If you find the larger bunch of moose body hair to be too unruly, try tying it on in two bunches. The hackle rib should be sized at a #14 or 16. This pattern requires a smooth even body shape. That's why we tie down and tie on materials the full length of the shank and the thread goes back and forth so many times. No bulky start-stop bumps. When pulling back the hairs for the bullet head, be careful not to put too much strain on them, they won' last long against trout teeth. A nice rounded shape is desired. It' time to tie some up, give them a test flight during the hatch and let me know how you do.

Tie One On,
Dan Kellogg (you can contact me at FLYGUY@EZNORTHWEST.COM)