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Neversink Magic Bullet
Tied by Wayne McMahon |
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Thread: 8/0 black Uni-thread
Wing: Elk hair, dark
Rib: Gold oval, medium
Hackle: Medium blue dun, #20 (X+2)
Abdomen: Superfine dubbing, black
Hook: Tiemco 100, dry #18 (X)
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| Tying Instructions |
Wrap the thread from the eye back to the hook bend. Tie-in the hackle (shiny side up, tapered end extending back), then a piece of gold rib. Dub a thin body forward to 2 mm from the hook eye and secure the thread with a half-hitch. Counter-wrap the ribbing forward to the point of the tie-off, and secure with the thread. Counter-wrap the hackle (same direction as the dubbing, opposite of rib) 3 or 4 turns to the point of the tie-off, and secure it with the thread. (At this point the body is complete. You may tie it off and take a break!)
Remove from the hide and stack the elk hair tips, and remove the fuzz. Position the hair bundle so the ends of the tips extend to the hook bend. Begin by tying three (3) loose wraps of thread around the bunch, then flare the hair by pulling with the bobbin as tightly as possible without breaking the thread. (By trial-and-error, you will develop a sense of how much torque is enough. The thread will be more forgiving if you lengthen the distance between bobbin and fly to about 60 cm at this stage.)
Now, make three tight wraps onto the metal under the forward section of hair, then two more wraps over the original tie-down area. Clip the forward hairs at an angle which allows easy access to the hook eye. Wrap the thread tightly two or three more times, whip-finish, and apply flexible head cement. Allow an extra bit of cement to soak up into the crease of hair formed by the thread. |
| Fishing Tips |
I tied this pattern in memory of a 16-inch rainbow trout I fooled on the Neversink River, on a beautiful evening last summer. That fish must have been impressed, as this particular part of the river (the 'Gorge') is home to shy, educated, caught-and-released trout.
The water temperature in the flat was at least 65 degrees, and I believed the mayfly hatches were alternating between small blue winged olives and sulphurs. I unsuccessfully fished those patterns over several large rises, as sunset gave way to twilight. As a change, I tied-on the title pattern, and gave my best cast to the far bank. I immediately connected with a fish. Hence the name 'Magic Bullet' - just one shot and it did the trick!
The fly is nothing more than a miniature version of my favorite searching pattern, the Elk Hair Caddis. In the calm water of the flat, the fish may have thought it was a mayfly emerger, as he sipped rather than ghosted the offering. I originally tied this fly with the intention of imitating those little brownish caddises that begin to appear around mid-summer. If you fish it in slow water, try greasing only the tippet to allow the caddis to soak up moisture and ride in the 'magic inch'. With clippers, you can thin the wing and sacrifice the hackle, leaving a bit of trailing fuzz to imitate a mayfly emerger - just don't tell me you've modified one of my creations, as I would be brokenhearted. If you fish it in faster water, keep your eyes trained on where you think the fly is, then set the hook when you see that wonderful splash! |
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