The Butcher

[scotfly]

This is the Butcher. A good fly to use in the appropriate size for Trout or Seatrout.
For further details on tying in the wing see here?. http://www.wildfisher.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4490.0

Instructions assume right-handed tyers.

HOOK- Wet Fly   #6-14
THREAD- Black 6/0
RIB- Silver Oval
TAIL- Red Ibis (subs)
BODY- Flat Silver
HACKLE- Black Hen
WING- Paired Butcher (Mallard) Blues


STEP 1
             Mount the hook, attach thread and tie in the hackle, leaving enough room for the wings.



STEP 2
             Select the tails. I do this by taking a strip from either side of the Red Ibis Subs feather and pairing up the same as you do with wings.



Then, the same as you do with wings, measure for length and tie in using the ?pinch and loop? Follow with the silver oval for the rib. Notice I have cut the butts of the tail to the body length, this will help you achieve a smooth underbody.



STEP 3
              Prepare the tinsel for tying in by cutting to a point



Then with your first turn of thread back up the body tie the tinsel in. Continue wrapping the thread up the body, tying the tail butts in as you go.



STEP 4
            Wrap the tinsel in touching, or slightly overlapping turns to the shoulder to form the body. For added security you can varnish the underbody before wrapping the tinsel.



STEP 5
            Follow with the rib and tie off.



STEP 6
            Wrap the hackle



Then sweep the fibres back and down the sides a little and overwrap with two or three turns of thread. This will form the base for your wings.



STEP 7
             Prepare two wing slips from a matched pair of Mallard Blues.



Measure for length and tie the paired slips in.



Check the wings are parallel to the hook shank.



STEP 8
              Finally, form a neat head, whipfinish and varnish for the completed fly.

[Traditionalist]

Nice looking fly. The high wing angle seems popular on quite a few Scottish flies. Quite unusual elsewhere. Gives the fly a very different "look".

This is the "style" I am most familiar with, and the one I use on a lot of traditional sea-trout flies;



TL
MC

[scotfly]

Thanks Mike.
Yep I think the high wing is a scottish thing. I do tie the occasional fly with the wing closer to the body, but mostly I prefer the wing to sit up.
Funnily enough though, I normally tie my Salmon and Seatrout flies with the wing much lower.




Nice fly too Mike. I notice you tie the wing in, what for me is upside down.

[Traditionalist]

That varies a lot actually, depends on the fly, and how I use it, what appearance I want etc.  I use quite a number of styles, up, down, flat, outcurved, etc etc.

TL
MC

[rabbitangler]

Do you always use paired slips?? I must admit I usually just roll the wings from a single slip and work the tips together. Saves time & the Trout don't seem to notice

[Traditionalist]

Do you always use paired slips?? I must admit I usually just roll the wings from a single slip and work the tips together. Saves time & the Trout don't seem to notice

I always use paired slips on the Butcher, but I use various winging techniques on other flies.

TL
MC

[beaniboy67]

In the book by RC Bridgett - Loch Fishing in Theory, he has his butchers tied different from what we would call standard tying.

First Difference is Split upright wings. The second difference is the use of Crow for the wings.

Very different from what we would use today and always fished on the Bob which is another major difference.He reckoned it to be the biggest Killer of fish he had ever used.

Maybe the way it was tied caused resistance and it fished just beneath the surface or right in the surface like most of the palmers or bumbles we fish on the Bob today. To make things even more confusing he used a Red Palmer on the tail.Quite the opposite to how most of us would set our flies up today.

Maybe there is something in it.

[scotfly]

the Trout don't seem to notice

At the end of the day the only opinion which matters!

[scotfly]

First Difference is Split upright wings. The second difference is the use of Crow for the wings.

From Tom Stewart's 50 popular flies...

"But if you wish to make the split winged pattern the drill is slightly different. Here you roll the two pieces of the requisite feather between the fingers and tie them in before the hackle is applied.
Split them in criss-cross fashion with the tying silk and put on the hackle - in front of the wings. If you wish you can also put the hackle behind the wings and cause them to slant, advanced-wing fashion towards the eye. Since split-winged flies are meant to be bobbed on the surface it pays to use tiny cock hackles, which help to keep the fly on or near the top of the water"

And

"and paired pieces cut from the corresponding quill feathers of a crow, rook, magpie or mallard ("blue")"