Hellgrammites

[Mark Knapp 0]

A 2 1/2 inch long hellgrammite with extended body.

This is what you will want. You can substitute as you like. I use a size six jig hooks because I fish them deep. A straight hook would work for shallower water. Black goose biots for legs and pincers. A needle for the extended body. Black 6/0 thread. A 3/16 black brass bead head. Some small bead chain. Some olive green dubbing. A dry fly hackle for the body, for about size 16 fly, grizzly or cree. Some thin plastic scud back, some black Swiss straw and some olive Swiss straw.  For adhesive, some Zap-a-Gap or similar, some clear silicone and some head cement.

Start by tying on the goose biot pincers, whip finish and glue the bead in place with Zap-a-gap. Tie the needle to the back end of the hook, only tight enough to hold it there temporarily. It is meant to be pulled out later. Then tie in the small bead chain on both sides of the hook.

The bead chain should double the length of the hook when tied in behind the head bead. One of the bead chains is a single bead longer than the other to form a tapered tail. The pointy end of the needle should be exposed.

Put a small bead of silicone on the bead chain body, on the top and the bottom. Then form a loose dubbing noodle tied in just behind the bead head.

Wrap the dubbing to the tail end to cover the bead chain,. Cut off the small end of the dry fly hackle to make it bifurcated, tie it onto the needle just behind the bead chain. The needle should be exposed. Whip finish the thread and tie it back in at the head just behind the bead head.

Palmer the hackle up to the thread and tie it in, whip finish. I like to make a complete wrap of the hackle around the body for each set of gills/feelers, dry-fly style, and then advance the hackle to the next "segment", equally spaced along the body to the head. You could make a half-hitch with the hackle at each segment but I don't bother. The idea is to have gills and feelers protruding out from the body, directly opposite each other, equally spaced and parallel to each other. Whip finish.

Cut the thin scud back material the same width and length of the body, pointed at the tail end. Put a small bead of silicone on one side of each piece of scud back and place them, on each side of the body. On the bottom (in this picture, but actually the top of the fly) the scud back will need to be pierced by the hook to place it. Then the hook, replaced into the vice.

Then the body is segmented across the body in between each bunch of gills/feelers by both tying and whip finishing at each location. The fly can be turned around in the vise to more easily whip finish at each spot along the tail.

Pull out the needle to achieve a more flexible extended body.

Tie in the two pieces of Swiss straw just below the point of the hook. Black on the top side of the bug and bend side of the hook. The olive green will be on the bottom of the bug and hook. The Swiss straw is the width of the abdomen of the bug and just over twice the length. Tie it on in the middle of the Swiss Straw.

Make six legs with the black goose biots. Its easier for me to use tweezers than a crochet hook or latch hooks for the small biots.

Tie in the back pair of legs pointed rearward.

Fold the Swiss Straw over, top and bottom, and tie down just in front of the legs. Tie in the second set of legs, point them more outward but again toward the rear. Fold over and tie down the Swiss Straw again. Do the same with the front legs but point them forward.

Tie off the Swiss Straw between the head and the body, whip finish and coat the scud back, the Swiss Straw and bead head with head cement.

Thanks, hope you like it.

 

[chugbug27 0]

👍👍👍

[RickZieger 0]

Nice set of instructions.

Rick

 

[Mark Knapp 0]

Thanks guys.

[partsman 0]

Mark, that is cool! Thanks for the all work you put into the sbs!

Mike.

[Mark Knapp 0]

7 hours ago, partsman said:

Mark, that is cool! Thanks for the all work you put into the sbs!

Mike.

You bet.

[SalarMan 0]

EXTREMELY well done Mark!!!

[Heff2 0]

Thx for sharing the instructions.   I think this is going to fish really well 

 

[Mark Knapp 0]

Thanks guys. I have to wait about six months before I will know. Please report back if it fishes well.