In this book each lesson describes either a new process, or method, of tying material on the hook or calls for the use of a material different from any which has previously been used. Some of the flies which you tie in these lessons may be used for all-around fishing, wherever you are; others will be used only for specific types of fishing. If you expect to do quite a bit of fishing, it is advisable that you have a rather broad knowledge of the materials used in tying all types of flies and an understanding of the various procedures used in making a wide variety of flies. You may think that you will live in one locality for the rest of your life and do all of your fishing there, so that there will be no need for you to know how to tie flies that are not used, or are not productive, in the locality where you live. But a person never knows from one year to another where he will be. Maybe you will continue to fish only the waters that you already know well; but perhaps you will make an unexpected trip to some other area, where fishing conditions are much different. It is well to know the various methods of fly tying because a variety of causes may make a move necessary at some time in the future; you may be transferred, a better job may be obtained in another city, you may change into another field of activity. When this happens you will be happy that you know how to tie a wide variety of flies, because you will be able to immediately duplicate the flies that are used, or the bug hatches that are found, in your new surroundings.

On this fly, the Grey Widow, the tying will be different. You will place a red stripe on the underside of the fly. It is well to know how to tie a fly with such a stripe because in many instances it is far more effective than the ordinary type of ribbing. This fly is good in various sizes, ranging from No. 1/0, which is used for steelhead fishing, to No. 10 or No. 12. I prefer to use this fly when fishing for rainbow or summer steelhead. I like it the best for rainbow trout, as this affords a wider range in the use of the fly and the sizes of hooks.

Place a No. 6 hook in the jaws of your vise and use 00 black tying silk. Wax the thread, attach it to the hook and wrap it to the bend of the hook.

For the tail of this fly use badger hair fibres. Badger hair is barred. The best hair for the tail is that with short bars or marks. Cut off a small bunch of hair. With the hair will come a quantity of underfur. Grasp the base of the hair and underfur between the thumb and forefinger of your right hand and take hold of the tips between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand. With your left hand pull the long hairs away from your right hand. After these long hairs have been pulled away, hold them in your left hand and pull out all of the fuzz or fur that may still be adhering to the base of the long hairs. Select only 12 or 15 of the long hairs for the tail. Hold the 12 or 15 hairs between the thumb and forefinger of your right hand at the bend of the hook. The tail should extend out from the bend of the hook a distance equal to not less than 2/3rds of the length of the shank of the hook and not more than the length of the shank of the hook. When you have checked the hair for length hold the hair on top of the shank of the hook, between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand. Tie the tail to the hook, making 4 or 5 turns of the tying silk, then a half-hitch. Make sure the wraps and the half-hitch are tight as this hair has a tendency to slip unless very firmly attached.

For the body of the fly use dun grey wool and Royal Coachman red floss. Cut off about 16 inches of dun grey wool, and fold it to make a double strand about 8 inches in length. Cut off from 14 to 16 inches of double strand Royal Coachman red floss. Fold the floss to make a four strand piece from 7 to 8 inches in length. Tie the red floss underneath the shank of the hook, at the bend, with a few turns of the tying silk and a half-hitch. Tie the dun grey wool on top of the shank of the hook, right at the bend, just in front of the tail, in the same manner.

Wrap the tying silk to the point 3/l6ths of an inch from the eye of the hook, make 2 or 3 wraps with the tying silk and a half-hitch. The next time you will use the tying silk will be to tie off the body material at this point.

Take the grey wool between the thumb and forefinger of your right hand and make a half circle wrap with it, over the top of the hook and down on the far side, so that it extends straight down below the underside of the hook. Now take hold of the red floss and make a complete turn with the red floss around the double strand of grey wool. Wrap the floss around the wool, clockwise, on the underside of the hook. When that spiral has been made, wrap the grey wool around the shank of the hook, making a complete circle, back to the underside of the hook, and hold it there extended below the hook. Again make a complete circle with the red floss around the double strand of grey wool, wrapping it around the wool clockwise, just as you did in the previous wrap. Hold the red floss underneath the hook and again make a complete circle around the hook with the grey wool, and another circle around the wool with the red floss, as before. Continue this procedure until you reach the point at which the tying silk is attached to the hook. There cross over both the grey wool and red floss strands with the tying silk, to tie the body materials to the hook. Make 4 or 5 turns over the wool and floss strands and then a half-hitch.

When you have completed wrapping on the body materials take the fly out of the vise, turn it upside down and examine it. If the red striping does not show at any particular point you have failed to spiral the red floss around the wool at that point. If the red striping is a little lopsided, one way or the other, it is possible to twist the body a little, with your fingers, so the red stripe will run in a straight line underneath the hook. Cut off the rest of the wool and floss.

After this step has been completed you are ready to place the hackle on the fly. Select a barred hackle feather of proper size for use on the No. 6 hook you are using. Remove the fuzz and the webbed fibres from the base of the quill and attach the hackle feather to the hook with the shiny side out. Tie it on in front of the body with 2 or 3 turns of the tying silk and a half-hitch. Take hold of the tip of the hackle feather with the hackle pliers and wrap the hackle around the hook, making 5 turns in the same spot. After the fifth turn bring the tip of the feather forward, cross over this with the tying silk, make 4 or 5 turns over it and then a half-hitch. Cut off the unused portion of the hackle feather.

Before placing the wing on the fly spread the hackle fibres at the top of the hook. Separate the fibres at the center and pull those on the near side toward you and push those on the far side away from you, to clear a place at the top of the hook in which to place the wing when you tie it on. Clearing such a space avoids jamming the hackle fibres in under the wing.

For the wing of this fly I use a black squirrel tail. These hairs have a black tip with a brown bar, and are grey with black bars toward the base of the hair and close to the skin. Grasp a small bunch of this hair between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand and, with your scissors, cut it off at the base of the hairs, along the skin. Hold the tips of the hair between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand and, with the thumb and forefinger of your right hand, pull out all of the short fibres and fuzz, removing the parts that will not be used in the wing. The wing should consist of from 35 to 40 fibres of hair. Do not make the wing too large; balance it with the rest of the fly. All too frequently a person will put on a body of average size and nice hackle — the start of a well-balanced fly — and then place an enormous bunch of hair on top, hopelessly overdressing the fly. In my estimation the effectiveness of such a fly is gone; it is no longer what it was meant to be.

With the hair fibres held between the thumb and forefinger of your right hand place them on top of the fly and check the wing for length. It should not extend beyond the tip of the tail of the fly. Now, take the wing between the thumb and forefingers of your left hand and roll the hairs between your fingers, just a little, to thin out the hair. This makes the wing easier to tie on; also, the wing will sit better on top of the hook, with less chance of flaring out. With the wing in position on top of the fly, wrap the tying silk around the wing and the shank of the hook, going up and down between your fingers and the shank of the hook as previously described. Make 5 or 6 turns with the tying silk before releasing your hold, then a half-hitch. You will find that there is a definite tendency of these hairs to slip; they are more difficult to handle than the average material used. All solid hair, such as squirrel, polar bear, brown bear, black bear and skunk, are difficult to handle. If a sufficient number of turns with the tying silk are not made, or if the tying silk is not wrapped on tightly, fibres of the hair come loose and fall out. So, be sure to make enough good tight wraps with the tying silk to hold the wing firmly in place.

Cut off the base of the hairs that extend over the eye of the fly. Taper the head of the fly, make a half-hitch and then a whip finish. Lacquer the head of the fly, applying enough lacquer to soak through into the wing fibres.

After completing the fly turn it upside down and note the red marking along the underside of the fly. You may also tie this fly with a yellow stripe on the underside of the fly. Red and yellow are the better colors for this pattern.

This fly was first brought into the public eye in 1940 and it has been used extensively since that time. It has been found to be very effective in the spring and in the late fall.

GREY WIDOW (Wet)

Hook:               No. 1/0 — No. 12
Tail:                  Badger hair, 12 — 15 fibres
Body:               Dun grey wool
Understripe:      Either red or yellow floss
Hackle:             Barred, tied wet
Wing:               Badger hair, 35 to 40 fibres, tied over body,
                        length of body and tail

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here...