Books for Flyfishers
Branchu
Hook: Partridge CS42, size 6; Stinger - Partridge Wilson Double, size 14.
Head & Thread: 6/0 UNI-Thread, red.
Tail: Golden pheasant tippets.
Body: Brilliant orange or green seal fur.
Wing: Wood duck flank feather.
Shoulder: Single jungle cock, split.
Hackle: Cree
1. Attach the two hooks by the tier's preferred method. The critical feature is to have the eye of the trailer lined up with the bend of the forward hook. Jean-Guy favored removing the lead from length-coded braided Dacron leadcore trolling line—the orange section. Fifteen or twenty pound stiff monofilament replaces the lead and after passing through the eye of the trailer, the lot is bound down on top of the shank and cemented. The free end is then bound on top of the rear two thirds of the forward hook shank.
Note: All instructions from this point refer to the forward hook.
2. Tie in a small bunch of golden pheasant tippet fibres above the hook point and extending about half the hook gape beyond the bend.
3. Using a dubbing loop, dub a full body of seal fur. Using a Teazer or other device (one of the best is an, ugh, lice comb), comb the seal fur out to form a fluffy body flattened on the top and bottom. The width of the body on either side of the hook should end up about equal to the gape of the hook.
4. Select a wood duck flank feather that will reach to the end of the tail and tie it in so that it lies flat over the top of the body.
5. Split a jungle cock eye and tie the halves to lie flat along the top outside edges of the flank feather, thus forming a "V". The eye should extend from a quarter to half the shank length.
6. Fold a cree hackle which has barbs about the length of the jungle cock. Tie it in ahead of the wood duck and take three wraps around the hook and tie off. Form a neat head and finish with clear lacquer.
Matonipi
Hook: The Matonipi is also a tandem streamer, front hook is a Partridge CS42, TMC 7989, or Partridge Wilson, size 2; the stinger, where permitted, a Partridge Wilson Double, size 10.
Thread: 6/0 UNI-Thread, red.
Weight (optional): Turns of .020 lead wire to taste.
Body: Pearl Axxel Flash, all six strands with the two external binding threads removed.
Wings: Balance of the Axxel Flash with the flash material separated from the binding threads under yellow goat hair all enclosed by two large, all web, grizzly neck hackles.
Cheeks: Secondary Jungle Cock feathers (not the nails) under a single Jungle Cock nail split in half.
Collar and Head: Fairly dark deer hair, Muddler style.
1. Attach the trailer hook (if desired) using a piece of recycled fly line. Separate the hooks more than in the Branchu. Eye of the trailer should be about a half-inch behind the bend of the forward hook. Remove the two outer binding threads from a 6-inch length of Axxel Flash. Tie in at the rear of the forward hook and wind forward. Leave three-eights of an inch at the front for the collar and head.
2. Separate the flash material and the internal binding threads of the Axxel Flash and form an underwing that extends to a point above the barb of the trailer hook (about one inch beyond the bend of the forward hook). Over the Axxel Flash strands tie in a sparse, equally long, wing of yellow goat hair. Encase the preceding two materials with two, all web, grizzly hackles (i.e., mounted as normal streamer wings) extending to the bend of the trailer hook.
3. Over the grizzly hackles tie in cheeks of secondary jungle cock feathers. These are not the nails, but the gray feathers with a white or cream quill. Similar feathers, such as brown hen rump, may be substituted, although it can be difficult to find the light quill. The feathers should extend about one-quarter inch beyond the bend of the forward hook. Split a large jungle cock nail and tie half on each side for eyes. The half nail should reach to the bend of the forward hook. There is really no substitute for the jungle cock nail but you could try some artistry on the top half of the secondary feather and achieve almost the same effect.
4. Tie a deer hair collar and head as per the Muddler.
Presque Pas
Hook: Daiichi 1770, size 6.
Thread: 6/0 red UNI-Thread, waxed.
Weight: Ten or twelve turns of .020 lead wire.
Tail: Golden pheasant tippet fibres.
Body: Rear half, black seal fur; front half, 4 or 5 strands of peacock herl.
Wing: Underwing, remainder of peacock herl; overwing, golden pheasant tail fibres pressed flat.
Cheeks or sides: Brown hen rump feathers.
Hackle: Cree or variant.
1. Mount the hook in the vise and put ten to twelve wraps of lead wire on the rear of the hook, under the point. Solidify with thread wraps. Tie in a dozen barbs of a golden pheasant tippet feather above the barb and extending a gape's length beyond the bend.
2. Reverse the hook in the vise. Dub a fuzzy black seal fur body to the mid-point of the shank. Tie in four peacock herl fibres at the large end and wrap them forward. Leave about 1/8" of room behind the eye. Force the herl strands to form an underwing that extends to the end of the tail.
3. Tie in a half dozen golden pheasant tail fibres as an overwing.
4. Select two identical hen rump feathers and prepare them so that the widest point will be equal to the width of the fly—i.e., from the bottom of the body to the top edge of the wing. In length these feathers should extend rearward to the point of the hook. Tie one feather in on each side of the body so that they curve outward—i.e., dull side out.
5. Tie in the cree hackle by the tip and take three or four turns. Force the hackle barbs rearward, wet fly style. Doubling the feather is preferable. Form a small neat head and lacquer.
Mud Hopper
Hook: 3X long, size 10 – 12.
Thread: White, 6/0 UNI-Thread.
Tail: Red hackle barbs extending 2/3 of the shank length beyond the bend.
Body and tag-end: Orange yarn.
Ribbing: Brown saddle hackle, palmered.
Wing and Head: Spun deer hair.
1. After attaching the tail tie in the hackle by the tip.
2. Tie in the body yarn above the tail/hackle windings leaving a tag-end extending over half the tail.
3. For the wing and head, tie one bunch of deer hair on top of the shank with the tips pointing rearward and extending to a point just above the bend. Hold the wing in place and take another two turns of thread to force the butts to encircle the shank. Clip the stubs to form a small head, flat underneath.
Mud Hornberg
Hooks: Partridge CS42, size 6; Partridge Wilson Double, size 14.
Thread: 6/0 UNI-Thread, red.
Body: Pearl Axxel Flash, 6 strands.
Underwing: Remainder of Axxel Flash strands.
Wing: Yellow Capra goat hair inside 2 secondary jungle cock neck feathers, side-mounted.
Shoulders: Wood duck flank feathers.
Cheeks: Jungle cock nail, split, 1/2 each side.
Collar/Head: Natural deer hair, Muddler style.
1. The Mud Hornberg is tied in the same fashion as the Matonipi.
AndréA
Hook: TechTwin NFC300 or Tiemco 200R, size 6.
Thread: 6/0 UNI-Thread, red.
Tail: Golden pheasant tippet fibres, natural or dyed orange.
Body: Burnt-orange yarn.
Rib: Grizzly neck hackle palmered evenly over the body.
Wing: Capra goat hair, canary yellow (calf-tail or buck-tail are acceptable substitutes) .
Topping: Small bunch of peacock sword fibres.
Hackle: Grizzly neck hackle.
Head: Tying thread, clear head cement.
Step 1: Cover the hook with tying thread and tie-in a tail of golden pheasant tippet fibres.
Step 2: Add a grizzly neck hackle, tied-in by the tip, for the body hackle.
Step 3: Attach the yarn. Wind the thread forward, followed by the yarn.
Step 4: Clean out the underfur from, even, and attach, a small bunch of goat hair for the wing. TIP: Place the first turn of thread at the cut ends of the hair and wrap rearward. This prevents the hair from being pushed out of place by the thread.
Step 5: Add the peacock-sword topping, slightly longer than the wing.
Step 6: Fold a grizzly neck hackle and tie-in by the tip. Wind a couple of turns forward, making sure the barbs slant rearward, and secure.
Step 7: Finish the head and coat with clear head cement.
