"a fly line runs through it" - pretty clever huh? ok, clever enough. I'm a fly fisherman and a fly tyer. I thought it would be nice to have a place to talk about that - to share that with those who may be interested. so here it is - the angler's quarter. fishing stories, fly patterns, photos, and links to other sites are among what you'll find here - have fun!
alan creech
lexington, kentucky
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> trout unlimited
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> kentucky trout
> ky fish & wildlife
Here’s one of my favorite flies. I’ve been promising to put this thing up for a while, so here it is. The famous Letort Cricket, invented by Ed Shenk of Carlisle, PA. I met Ed once in Carlisle. I think I’ve name dropped, I mean, told that story before. He was nice enough to sign my copy of his book. This is a great general trout fly for Summer/Fall - a dry fly obviously. It’s usually tied between the sizes of 16 and 10 (Cricket sizes, go figure). It’s a great attractor fly and floats well on fast water, though it was crafted for use on the limestone streams of South Central Pennsylvania.
Here’s the “recipe” - Mustad 9672 (or equivolent 1x long shank hook) - Black 6/0 thread - Black died deer hair - Black died rabbit dubbing - Black crow or turkey feather section (treated with Dave’s Flexament - section about 1/4” wide - flat toward front of hook, rounded slightly toward back of hook).
Tying Instructions
Tie in thread 1/3 of the way back from the eye of the hook - cover 2/3 of shank with thread, back to where the hook begins to bend - dub rabbit fur onto thread and wind it forward to make underbody to thread’s end - lay feather section flat on top of underbody with rounded section pointing backward, ending past body out to the bend of the hook - secure forward part of feather onto hook with thread so that it lays flat on the body - stack about a 1/4” round section of deer hair in hair stacker (ends down) - lay on top of hook with ends pointing backward, ending just a tiny bit beyond the flat feather section - hold down on top of hook and tie down - then spiral forward through the rest of the hair while still holding it - this will flair the deer hair around the bald part of the hook shank toward the eye - stop just short of the eye to leave room to tie off - whip finish just in front of the deer hair - cut thread - add head cement - trim flaired section of hair to look like this photo. I know that was long. I was trying to cover every step as best as I could. You got yourself a Leeetort Cricket!
::: posted by > + Alan at 10:25 AM |
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