What’s better than a really effective fly pattern that’s also easy to tie? Fly-fishing guide and fly-casting instructor Phil Gay showed this great Blue Quill Variant to Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions during a trip to Pennsylvania’s famed Spruce Creek, and Tim was so impressed that he’s sharing the fly with us.
As usual, Tim walks you through every step–no matter how small–of the tying process for the pattern, and he offers a few tips for making things even easier. Tim’s material-selection and -handling skills are second to none, and he makes dealing with small hooks less daunting. The ways that he prepares the hackle and uses the thread to both control the wraps of pheasant-tail fibers and create a rib for durability are tricks you can use on many fly patterns.
Make sure watch Tim’s videos in full 4K resolution. You’ve never seen fly tying look so good.
Blue Quill Variant
Hook: Tactical dry-fly hook (here a Fulling Mill FM50), size 14-20.
Thread/Rib: Brown Veevus, 16/0.
Tails: Medium dun hackle fibers.
Body: Pheasant tail fibers.
Hackle: Medium dun hackle.
Head: Tying thread.
Adhesive: Head cement.
Note: Tie this pattern in colors to match the naturals
Credit: Source link
