Video: How to Tie the Parachute Peccary Isonychia

Fly tiers are always looking for new materials that offer something special to make patterns look or fish better. Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions shows you how peccary hair (sometimes called peccary quills) can help create a cool, mottled segmented body and stiff, buoyant tails. Finding dyed peccary hair will be the biggest challenge, as it isn’t readily available from fly shops (especially dyed peccary). As you’ll see, however, the search will be worth the effort.

In this great video, Tim walks you through the steps to create a realistic Isonychia dun imitation, using several of his signature techniques. If you’re not a Flagler stan, check out the way he uses the tying thread to keep the body wraps tightly together, and his furled-post trick will change the way you tie all your parachute patterns.

          Parachute Peccary Isonychia
          Hook:  Wide-gap dry-fly hook (here, a Lightning Strike DF1), size 12.
          Thread: White, 6/0 or 70-denier.
          Tail:  Medium-brown peccary hair, stacked.
          Wingpost: Light-gray polypropylene floating yarn.
          Abdomen:  A single, thick medium-brown peccary hair.
          Thorax:  UV2 Fine & Dry Isonychia dubbing.
          Hackle: Barred dun badger hackle, slightly undersize.
          Head: Tying thread.
          Adhesive: Head cement (here, Sally Hansen Hard-as-Nails).
          Tools: Hackle pliers, whip-finish tool.