Would this fish???

[add147 0]

Today my hooks arrived so I thought I would give it a try tying on smaller hooks. I got me some TMC 5362 size 12. Used some 6/0 black Danville thread, yellow Danville floss ( I think 4 strand ), small cooper wire and pheasant tippets. I was just wondering if this is a fishable fly?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rotaryflytyingdotcom 0]

Oh yeah, you can fish that. Couple of things.

You'll find size 12 isn't a small hook. If you fish it and don't have luck try trimming the tail down to the middle black bar or even shorter. You'll find quite a few similar patterns that don't have a tail. Keep it up you're well on the way to a full fly box come spring :-)

[Fish For Life 0]

Good enough to fish for sure. I bet that if you gave it some sort of soft hackle collar that it would be even better.

[vicrider 0]

Yep, I'm a big user of flies similar to that but with a soft hackle collar. For those I like a webby hen soft hackle. For classic spider type soft hackles I prefer partridge but for flies like yours I tie in a hen hackle by the tip, the tear off the hackle on one side and wrap that on and tie off.

 

I should also mention that I've been in a hot bite of 'gills and crappie more than once where the hackle gets torn off, the body starts unraveling, the tail is almost gone, but fish are still grabbing dang near right up to the bare hook. I was in a fly shop in AR when a guy almost as old as me came in and almost whispered to the clerk at the counter that the hackle had come off one of his wooly buggers and trout seemed to be taking it better than before the hackle came off. The other thing I'd do with that is instead of golden pheasant tail I'd use a small tuft of marabou.

 

Main thing is, that'll work. Throw it where there's some fish around, catch a few and start gaining confidence in it.

[teamtrout 0]

As others have said, it will fish. Most fish aren't very picky, and flies like that work well.

 

I do like vicrider's suggestion of using marabou: that would give it a whole new level of action in the water.

[add147 0]

Okay I'll take y'alls advice and jazz it up some. I'll use some marabou for the tail and I might add some biots for some wings. Don't think I have any hackles small enough for this size hook. I'll post another version when I get it finished. As always thanks for the input and I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

[tidewaterfly 0]

Look up the pattern "Professor wet fly" on Google. Not exactly the same, but what you've tied would be a good start to tying that pattern. As said above, if the tail was about half that length, the proportions might be a bit better, but it will fish as is.

 

BTW, patterns with mallard flank or other barred fiber duck feather in the wings can simply be a clump of the fibers. There are techniques to tying in that type of wing, however the fish rarely care about tying technique.

 

What you've tied is a good start for many older style wet flies & even streamers when on a longer shank hook. Change the tail material or body color to fit the pattern. Change the rib type too if desired, but nothing wrong with a wire rib either.

[squire123 0]

It will work as is or with the suggested changes.