Fishing & Hunting News

Guide Flies
April 10, 2003
by Tony Lolli

Some new flies come about as the result of combining the best features of existing flies. Here are a couple of examples.

Flatwing G.P.
“This fly should look like your hair after a long night with your buddies at a local pub, ” says Dylan Rose.

I’m still trying to figure out how he knows what I look like after a late night. Hey, wait a minute, what’s he doing talking to my wife!?!

Dylan guides for Emerald Water Anglers (ewa.wpengine.com) in Seattle. He reports that this fly is tied in the flat-wing style originated by East Coast striper guide Ken Abrames.

Dylan’s happy it found its way west because it’s part of his standard steelhead arsenal.

Tying Instructions
1. Tie in a sparse tail of long buck tail rgiht above the barb.
2. Tie in a dubbing pillow of soft downy feather found at the base of a saddle hackle. This pillow will provide a base in which to lock the saddle hackles.
3. Tie in a tail of two skinny dry fly hackles, locking the stems into the dubbing pillow so they are flat against the shank. The concave side of the hackles should be facing down. These tails should be longer than the length of the shank.
4. Tie in a broad, short saddle hackle tip on top of the long saddle hackles to form the “head.” This short feather will hood the base of the saddles and lock them in place.
5. At this same tie-in point, tie in an orange golden pheasant tippet. Cut a V out of the tip to form two separate eyes.
6. Tie in the butt end of a long saddle hackle or a schlappen feather. Tie it in on the underside of the shank, just in front of the pillow.
7. At the same underside point, tie in a length of oval silver tinsel.
8. Dub a shaggy body halfway down the shank.
9. Wrap the tinsel forward of the body but do not trim.
10. Wrap the saddle or schlappen forward of the body but do not trim.
11. Tie in a downward-curving golden pheasant feather to from a back.
12. Dub the body almost to the eye.
13. Advance the silver tinsel and then the remainder of the hackle. Clip the excess.
14. Tie in two more golden pheasant feathers for the back, laying one on top of the other.
15. Whip finish and cement the head.

This East Coast fly was adapted for Northwest steelhead rivers and works well under all conditions. The fly comes alive in the water due to its shagginess. Dylan fishes this fly on the swing through seams with moderate current for steelies. The dark saddles breathe and dance in the current while the two eyes glow against the black body.

Sounds pretty spooky to me but you can’t argue with success.