The Wild Fishing Forum

How to design a fly? Study the insect closely, look for its unique characteristics, design it for a specific stage of emergence or as a dun or spinner. Build in, even exaggerate certain characteristics such as long tails or a pronounced thorax or how the fly behaves/sits on/in the water. Select materials accordingly.
How not to design a fly?. On a whim, buy some hooks and materials because they either look nice, may come in handy or because you?re a magpie, or a combination of all three.
So anyway, I bought some hooks because they were an unusual shape, I bought a saddle because I liked the colour and I bought the biots because, well, just because. Add some Z-Lon a friend got for me whilst over in America and some CDC and voila!
Part design and part whim = Result! So the fish tell me anyway.
As always alter the colours and size to suit.
A word of warning on the hook. The hook is a very fine wire and quite fragile, but it has strength by design. I have not had a hook break whilst playing a fish, but I initially had two break when I was removing it by hand. I have since then used the Ketchum release tool with no problems.

Instructions assume right-handed tyers.

HOOK ? Varivas iwi F-2000 #18
THREAD ? Yellow UTC70
SHUCK ? Pale Dun under Brown Z-Lon
BODY ? Pale Morning Dun Turkey Biot Quill
WING ? Pale Dun Z-Lon under a single CDC feather.
HACKLE ? Grizzle dyed Yellow. Clipped underneath.

STEP 1
Attach the thread and wrap down round the bend. Catch in the Z-Lon for the shuck as you go.

(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/scotfly/flies/palewateryiwi.jpg)

STEP 2
Tie in the biot.

(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/scotfly/flies/palewateryiwi1.jpg)

STEP 3
Wrap to form the body and tie off.

(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/scotfly/flies/palewateryiwi2.jpg)

STEP 4
Tie in the Z-Lon wing.

(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/scotfly/flies/palewateryiwi4.jpg)

STEP 5
Tie in the CDC feather on top of the Z-Lon wing.

(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/scotfly/flies/palewateryiwi5.jpg)

STEP 6
Tie in the hackle.

(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/scotfly/flies/palewateryiwi6.jpg)

STEP 7
Wrap the hackle and tie off.

(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/scotfly/flies/palewateryiwi7.jpg)

Trim waste and whipfinish.

(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/scotfly/flies/palewateryiwi8.jpg)

STEP 8
Finally, trim the bottom of the hackle away for the completed fly.

(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/scotfly/flies/palewateryiwi9.jpg)