Shot Down In Flames.........

[speydulika]

The Flamethrower is more a style of dressing than a specific fly pattern. The pattern I demonstrate is just one of probably a million possibilities which are restricted only by the fly dressers imagination. The colour scheme and size however on this one have saved me a blank day on more than one occasion.



Tying Materials


Hook: Partridge Salar silver double size 7
Thread: Red
Tag and rib: Medium silver wire
Rear body: Large holographic silver tinsel
Rear hackle: Arc yellow dyed hen saddle hackle
Mid wing: Fluorescent yellow dyed bucktail overlaid with 2 doubled strands of mother of pearl Krystalflash
Front body: Red tying thread or black or red floss
Mid hackle: Orange dyed hen saddle hackle
Front wing: Orange dyed bucktail overlaid with 2 doubled strands of mother of pearl Krystalflash
Front hackle: Kingfisher blue dyed hen saddle hackle
Cheeks: jungle cock


Tying Method



Step 1; Secure the hook in the vice with the point(s) protruding.

Step 2: Catch in red tying thread behind the eye and wind to form a short bed of tying thread

Step 3: Catch in a length of medium silver wire.

Step 4: 'Worry off' the waste end of the wire. This is achieved by rotating the waste end of the wire against the thread which will break the wire snug against the binding thread. Wind the tying thread to the rear of the hook binding down the wire. Wind the thread forward and then wind 6 – 8 touching turns of wire to form a tag. Bind down the end of the wire and bend back.

Step5: Wind the thread to the mid point of the hook shank. Catch in a length of large holographic silver tinsel. Wind the tinsel to the tag and back to the mid point of the hook.

Step 6: Wind the wire in open turns to form a rib. 'Worry off' the waste wire end.

Step 7: Select a suitable arc yellow dyed hen saddle hackle.

Step 8: Tie the hackle in by the tip and gently stroke back the fibres.

Step 9: Wind the hackle stroking back the barbules as you go. This will 'double the hackle'. Once your required density is achieved tie down and remove waste end.

Step 10: Tie in a slim bunch of fluorescent yellow dyed bucktail. The length should be approximately 2  to 2-1/2 times hook shank length.

Step 11: Remove waste bucktail ends and bind down. Tie in 2 doubled lengths of fine mother of pearl Krystalflash. Trim the ends to terminate just short of the end of the wing. Wind the thread forward to approximately 3mm short of the eye. You may now tie in black floss if required and wind to form body. Here I omit and use red thread.

Step 12: Catch in a second length of medium silver wire. Wind in open turns to rib the front body half. Return thread to start point.

Step 13: Select an orange dyed hen saddle hackle. The barbs should be slightly longer than on the read hackle. The reason will be explained in a moment. Tie in, double and wind as per the rear hackle.

Step 14: Select a bunch of fluorescent orange dyed bucktail fibres and tie in slightly shorter than the rear wing.

Step 15: Overlay with 2 doubled lengths of fine mother of pearl Krystalflash. Follow this by winding a doubled kingfisher blue hen saddle hackle. The barbules should be slightly longer than the previous orange hackle.

Step 16: Select and tie in a pair of jungle cock nails as cheeks.

Step 17: Clean up all material behind the hook eye. Form a head with tying thread. Whip finish and apply a minimum of 2 coats of varnish to the head to complete. It should be noted here that by utilising hackle fibres of differing lengths the fibres blend extremely well when the pattern is complete. When wet the colours appear to run into each other giving a most pleasing effect.

Step 18: You may of course elect to dress them on a tube. Please note no salmon were harmed in the photographing of this pattern  :crap

Step 18: Happy fishing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lochan_load]

A nice pattern, I'll have a bash at it later with a few tweaks to the colours, don't have the yellow buck tail I don't think.

[Wildfisher]

Another splendid tying. 

[rannoch raider]

Very nice. The blue goes very well with the orange and yellow. I'm not familiar with the hook size 7. I'm guessing its from an older scale? If so, what would the equivalent be in modern size charts ?

[speydulika]

Very nice. The blue goes very well with the orange and yellow. I'm not familiar with the hook size 7. I'm guessing its from an older scale? If so, what would the equivalent be in modern size charts ?

Size 7 is actually a modern size hook. I don't mean to insult your intelligence but hook sizes are dictated by the length of the shank in relationship to the size of the gape. The odd sizes in the hook ranges i.e. 5,7,911 are a bit of a bastardisation as they buck the trend of numbers given in the even number sizes. Think of it as somewhere between an 8 and a 6 for ease of explanation. The tube in the final picture is an 1" long in copper. 

[haresear]

The combination of colours make that a very nice looking fly and both versions are very well tied.

Would you tend to use that in more coloured water or perhaps early season? I remember a Tay boatman gillie/who swore by white or yellow in cold early season water, whether coloured or clear.

Alex

[rannoch raider]

Size 7 is actually a modern size hook. I don't mean to insult your intelligence but hook sizes are dictated by the length of the shank in relationship to the size of the gape. The odd sizes in the hook ranges i.e. 5,7,911 are a bit of a bastardisation as they buck the trend of numbers given in the even number sizes. Think of it as somewhere between an 8 and a 6 for ease of explanation. The tube in the final picture is an 1" long in copper.

Not insulted at all bud. It would be silly to remain ignorant for want of asking the obvious question.  :wink: That's quite interesting, I've never noticed those sizes in catalogues or mail order sites that I can recall but I had a look for them tonight and I see plenty out there. 
Cheers
Jim

[Fishtales]

Added to index.

[Bobfly]

"No salmon were harmed" in the making of that fly .... but that was before it was sent for a swim !!!!