In order to scratch the steelhead itch, and too far removed from my annual summer/fall steelhead trips to the Skeena, the Bow River offers me the opportunity to swing steelhead-esque bugs and feel that “tug” on the end of a tight line. Every year I tie up a new generation of flies hoping to come up with a pattern that will do well when I get the time and decent enough weather to hit the river. Here is one that has earned a place in my fly box:
Tying Instructions:
I prefer to tie flies I intend to fish “down and across” using either a Double Waddington Shank (20, 25 or 35mm) or a classic up-eye salmon hook and clip off the bend of the hook once the fly is dressed. In either case, I use a “stinger” loop of 85lb Fire Line braid just long enough to change the hook, should it become damaged. I secure this loop to the shank using Kevlar thread. For this fly I used a 25mm Waddington with sz 4 Mustad tube fly hook and extra large bead-chain eyes.
1.) Secure a section of olive-dyed UV polar chenille and wrap/palmer forward creating a body that is 2/3 the distance to the bead-chain eyes. Secure the chenille. Then take 2 FULL strands of olive Krystal Flash and one Full strand tan Krystal Flash, folding in half and cutting twice so that the strands will reach just past the end of the hook once they are secure to the shank.
2.) Next, cut a strip of rabbit zonker (olive) and secure it to the shank just behind the bead-chain eyes. Wrap your thread backwards, ensuring the zonker strip will remain in place. Note: when I use numerous materials of the same color (in this case olive) I prefer to use differing shades in order to give my flies more depth/dimension!!
3.)Select a marabou feather (blood quill) with long, thin (non-webby) fibres and tie it in at the tip. Palmer the marabou forward over the thread wraps that are securing the zonker strip (about three full wraps).
4.) Select two grizzly hackle feathers (olive) long enough to extend past the end of the hook and tie them in on either side of the fly. You want these to be splayed slightly outwards from the fly and to give the appearance of a lateral line.
5.) Prepare a dubbing loop using seal fur (olive). The loop must be long enough to make two wraps behind the bead-chain eyes, a figure eight around the eyes and another full wrap in front (approx. 6″-7″).
6.) As you wrap the dubbing loop to make the head of the fly, be sure to hold the fibres back (palmering technique) so that they give the head a larger profile and you can see the ends of all the individual fibres in the dubbing loop.
7.) Once you are satisfied with the head of the fly, tie-off the dubbing loop and trim any excess. Whip finish and add a drop of cement to the top and bottom of your whip finish. You may want to use a dubbing comb to primp the head and make sure there are no clumps of seal fur in the head (i.e. all the fibres stick out and you can see the tips of all the individual fibres).
