Garry Dog

[scotfly]

I?ve done this step by step of the Garry Dog to, hopefully, show you how to overcome some of the problems many beginners have with salmon flies. Some of it may not be so called ?text-book? stuff, but it is how I deal with the problems. Take from it what you will.
The stated hook is only a guess at the make and size. Some years ago I had the bright idea of putting all my salmon irons in a box with no size, make or model labels! What an idiot.
I?ve used calf tail for the hair because I like the sheen. You can also use Squirrel or Fox, etc.
A bit about the fly first. According to Tom Stewart (200 popular flies) this fly is known by at least four names... The Garry Dog, The Yellow Dog, The Ministers Dog and the Golden Dog.  The fly was originally tied using the hair from a dog called Garry which belonged to a minister, hence the various names. It was originally tied by John Wright of Sprouston, Roxborough whose father James Wright is attributed with tying the Greenwell?s Glory to the specifications of Canon Greenwell. So it has pedigree (excuse the pun) as well as history.

Instructions assume right-handed tyers.

HOOK ? Mustad BJ single #8  (Doubles, Trebles, Tubes or Waddingtons also)
THREAD ? Black 6/0
TAG ? Fine Oval Silver
BUTT ? Yellow Floss
TAIL ? Golden Pheasant Crest
RIB ? Medium Oval Silver
BODY ? Black Floss
BEARD ? Dyed Blue Galena
WING ? Red under Yellow Calf Tail
HEAD ? Black.



STEP 1
Because I?ve done this on a single iron the first problem we have is caused by the loop eye. Some tyers get over this problem by dressing the fly short. That is they tie the fly forward of the eye a little. I don?t like wasting a bit of the hook ( I?ve paid for it so I?m damn well going to use it!) so I compensate for it in the dressing.



The first step is to start the thread on the shank. The first stage in filling in the bump.



STEP 2
Continue the thread down the shank and tie in the tag.



I like my tag to finish opposite the hook barb.



STEP 3
Wind the tag in touching turns and tie off. Then advance the thread to a point opposite the hook point.



STEP 4
Tie in the floss for the butt with 2 or 3 turns of thread.



STEP 5
Wrap the floss to the tag and back to the tie in point. But don?t tie it off just yet.



Holding it here undo the 2 or 3 turns you made to initially tie it in.



Then tie off  at the initial tie in point. You now have the floss tied in and tied off in one go. A reduction in bulk.



STEP 6
Tie in the rib.



Notice that I have trimmed the tag of the rib stop at the ?step-down? of the eye.



STEP 7
Tie in a suitable topping for the tail.



STEP 8
Advance the thread to the ?step-down? and tie in the floss.



STEP 9
Wrap the floss to the tail and back. Tyers who dress their flies ?short would tie the floss off here and dress the beard and wings next to this point.



I don?t I take the floss forward a little more. This means that the bulk of the body has two layers of floss, but the last little bit has only one layer.



As you can see the ?step-down is now barely noticeable.



STEP 10
Wind the rib forward and tie off.



The final little trick I use is to place the final turn of the rib at or very close to the ?step-down? all but eradicating it.




STEP 11
Invert the hook and tie in the beard hackle.



STEP 12
Turn the hook back and tie in the first part (bottom) of the wing.



A common fault you see in winging is a small gap between the end of the body and the wing, which I think looks terrible. Try to make sure that the end of the body and wing and beard hackle tie in points are in a line.



Ten tie in the second part (top) of the wing. Remember to keep that straight line at the intersection of the body, wing and beard hackle.



Apply a generous drop of varnish to the wing roots to help secure them.



STEP 13
We now need to securely bind down the roots. A lot of tyers will start wrapping towards the eye, but because there is a step here the thread wraps will slip off the end and the result is you have to make lots of wraps before the wing roots are covered and you end up with a disproportionately large head.
Instead take the thread in one or two open wraps towards the eye.



Then cover the roots working from the eye toward the wing base. You will have fewer problems with slippage this way and will be less likely to have a disproportionate head.



STEP 14
Whipfinish and detach the thread and you?re now ready to varnish the head. If you wish you can use black varnish for this, but since the thread is black anyway I don?t see the point. But whether you use clear or black varnish the process for making a ?glossy? head is the same.

First apply a thin coat of clear varnish. Allow this a few hours or overnight to soak into the thread and dry.



Then once it has dried apply a second coat of either black varnish or a slightly thicker clear varnish.



Allow that time to dry and if necessary add a third coat and you should be left with a fly with a nice smooth shiny head.

[Wildfisher]

"The fly was originally tied using the hair from a dog called Garry"

And for years I thought the  name came from one of the river Garrys. Both  great salmon rivers, totally screwed-up  by   "green energy" projects. Beware of short, fat,  politicians talking "green".

Great step by step!