Another one for all you hard working fly tyers out there. This is a rather unusual wee fly which is not one I see in use too often. One of the materials is peculiarly Irish, PTFE tape. This is referred to here as simply ‘Plumber’s tape’ as is is used by those professionals when making joints. Available in any hardware store for a a small sum, it is used on a good few patterns. In use, I find it best to cut off a few inches then carefully cut that piece down the middle to make two thin strips, otherwise, the body can tend to be a bit too bulky.
Hook sizes are the ubiquitous 10’s or 12’s, my own preference being the good old Kamasan B175.Tying silk is usually black in 8/0, but brown or olive works just as well if you have that on your bobbin at the time.
Tails are a few fibres of cock pheasant tail feather. The body is in two halves, so starting with the rear half, the rib is brown thread spiralled over the plumbers tape. The front half is olive seal’s fur ribbed with globrite no.4 floss silk which ties down an olive cock hackle which is palmered over just the fur.
The head hackle is a french partridge feather which has been dyed golden olive.
All the different elements to the body make this a nice fly to tie. Fish it during the mayfly (obviously) and I find it works best on a sinking line when I suspect the trout take it as a hatching nymph.
Claretbumbler 