A Night of Fly Tying with Joe Penich
Club members were thrilled that noted local tier, Joe Penich, found the time to spend the evening with us to show us the intricacies of tying three distinct patterns.
Joe was good enough to give us the flies so that our club photographer Paul Beck could take some shots. Click on any of the photos for full size views of the flies.
We took notes of the various steps in each of the patterns, so any errors or difficulties in understanding the various steps and procedures are ours alone, and not Joe's. Here are the notes from the event.
Click here for a full index of flies tied at the HAFFT.
For this fly, 70 denier Uni Nylon was used. Joe was keen on the white Uni Nylon and used it for all the flies. A long nymph hook was used.
With the hook in the vice and the thread started at the point where the thorax and abdomen will meet, tie in a piece of lead wire. The lead is in the form of two parallel strips that are placed underneath the hook by folding the lead in half, reaching back as far as the point of the hook. Pinch the ends of the lead against the hook shank so they taper toward the shank. The lead should be tied in by touching turns of thread and then build up the thread over the lead. Make sure the lead remains parallel to the shank. Taper the thread where it is pinched against the shank.
Tie a small dubbing ball at the taper at the end of the lead. Use your thumb to position the dubbing. Secure the thread at the half way point, between the future thorax and abdomen.
Take two goose biots and match the tips and square off the butts. Secure the biots along the edge of the thread, tying one on each side along the hook shank to the dubbing ball. The dubbing ball should make the biots flare out slightly.Build up the abdomen with thread.
Tie in a length of wire underneath the hook starting at the beginning of the abdomen.
Split the thread with a needle and wax both sides and place black dubbing into the loop on one side only, and spin to lock the dubbing in place. Wrap the dubbing forward along the entire length of the abdomen. (in the fly illustrated above Larvae Lace or similar was used rather than dubbing in a dubbing loop)
Wrap the wire in 8 turns to the abdomen/thorax transition. Secure wire with thread and remove excess wire.
Add a piece of latex Scudback on top of the lead.
Take a hen feather, fold in half and tie in at end of the abdomen.
Split the thread, add wax and dubbing and apply a little thicker than the abdomen. For every wrap, pull the fibres back so that the next wrap of dubbing does not catch the fibers of the previous wrap. Wrap the hackle over the dubbing, secure the end of the hackle and trim the excess.
Fold the latex Scudback and fold over to thread then fold it back.
Bring the thread to the eye of the hook, tie in a biot at 45 degree angle at the eye. Even up second biot and tie in and secure. Crisscross the antenna on top of the hook.
Add plastic bead eyes and secure with a figure 8 wrap.
Split the thread, wax, put dubbing on loosely. Dub from end of hackle between the eyes and eliminate excess. Pick out dubbing fibres.
Fold the wing case over and trim and tie off.
With this pattern, Joe uses a Kamasan Aberdeen B940 hook. Hooks as large as 2 or 1/0 can be used.
Metal tape used is H-Vac tape that can be purchased at hardware store. The tape adds shape and weight while putting a keel in the body which keeps the fly in the correct attitude in ther water.
With the hook in the vice, measure a length of metal tape from the behind the eye to the point and cut the tape into 3 pieces and add one on top of the other to cover the space behind the hook eye to the point. Cut the tape to form an abdomen reflecting the profile of a fish's abdomen.
Slide medium Mylar over the tape to beyond to create a tail. Tie the thread in front of the tail and secure the thread. Mylar fibers behind the tie-in point are teased out.
Pull the Mylar in front of the body, tie in thread and cut the Mylar out around the eye.
Pull the ends of the marabou ends even and tie in as a throat.
Place a few strands of pearl Flashabou on top of the hook and tie in, cutting it off even with the end of the tail.
Cut off some Polar fibre, tie in at head with a soft loop, cinch, and then tie off. Build up the head with thread. Put 2 peacock herls on top of the hook, secure with a soft loop, cinch, then secure with thread. Add head cement.
To add eyes, epoxy the head with 5-minute epoxy and when almost cured, add the eyes.
With the hook in the vice, start the thread at the halfway point and wrap to the point. Tie in copper wire at point and wrap forward to the tie in point. Secure the copper wire with the thread and bring the thread half way to the eye of the hook.
Take a hackle and fold in half by clasping stem with hackle pliers and holding tip of feather in other hand and folding the hackles over. Tie the hackle in at the end of the copper wire at the abdomen, wrap forward and tie off.
Take a marabou plume and put stem in hackle pliers and fold in half. Cut off the tie in point of the marabou and wrap edge to edge and with every wrap stroke the fibres backward. Secure the stem.
Repeat with second marabou plume.
Add 3-4 strands of Flash-a-bou.
Take a florescent yellow marabou plume, fold in half, tie in, and with each wrap, pull the fibres back.
Build up the head with thread and whip finish.
Modified April 4, 2004.
