For many years I mostly just used a gold bead when tying my nymph patterns, in recent years many other colors of beads became available. I have become convinced that rainbow beads seem to attract trout better than most other bead colors. There are times when I can swear that trout are becoming used to seeing nymphs in gold, copper, black and rainbow is novel and unexpected. This may seem very unscientific, but on streams with high fishing pressure where trout are caught and released several times they might learn to key in on certain fly patterns or even colors of beads. This past September I had great success fishing this about two feet under a Fat Albert on two different rivers in Southern Alberta.

This exotic jig is actually quite simple to tie and you are wrapping the body with the peacock side of Uni-Mylar Peacock orange. Hareline produces two shades of rainbow dubbing- light and dark. I prefer the dark shade as it is more colourful than its light counter part. As for the the rib you can realistically choose any colour of wire as rainbow is composed of several different colors. I tend to use red most of time and occasionally copper. There is a lot of debate as to the size of the bead one might use when tying jig nymphs. I mostly fish this pattern in sizes 14 and 16 and use a 3.3 mm and 3.0 mm slotted bead respectively.

Hook: Ahrex 540  sz 12-16 60 degree jig hook

Thread: Uni-Thread 8/0 or 6/0 black

Bead: Rainbow slotted bead

Body: Uni-Mylar peacock/Orange- Peacock side

Thorax: Rainbow scud dubbing Dark Shade

Legs: Rainbow colored krystal flash

Rib: Red or copper fine wire

Tail: Rainbow colored Krystal flash

Flytyers are a clever and innovative group of people. We often make do with what we have in order to simplify or enhance our techniques. Occasionally, a new material or tool comes out to either fill a gap or improve on some work around. As part of my tying editorial, I plan on showcasing some of these innovations and share with you my thoughts on them. The first product in this series is from the good folks at Smhaen. This Danish company best known for their high-quality bobbin holders and scissors, has come out with a tool that will make you ditch your mini hair clips. The Smhaen Material Guard is a purpose made clip that holds material back and out of the way while working on the head of a fly. What makes this tool better than the mini hair clip work around is that it holds the hair equally tight no matter the size of the fly. The clip’s arms are completely round and remain round as it clamps down on the material, keeping an equal tension all the way around the fly. It is also incredibly easy to get on and off without disturbing the hair. Last but not least, the handle on the tool is offset from the clamp itself, allowing for a greater amount of room towards the front of the fly. I found this very useful on smaller flies such as a PMX or balance pine leech. This is a huge bonus feature over the hair clips that have a large wide grip right over the clamp. Overall, I really like the tool and it will have a permanent spot on my bench.

Reviewed by: Frank Brassard

We are ecstatic to feature a handful of patterns from Gordon van der Spuy’s latest book.  The Feather Mechanic II: Beyond the Pattern is a coffee table book, a keepsake and a manual all wrapped into one.  And Gordon is an artist to the core whether using a pen, canvas or vise.   As Conrad Botes writes in his testimony on the back cover, “Gordon’s drawings were created to serve a purpose, namely to explain the mechanics and nuances involved in the act of tying a fly.  It is the kind of drawing you keep looking at, even after it has done its job of explaining to you how to tie a fly.” We highly recommend you visit flylifecanada.ca to snap up a copy today!

In the meantime, check out these featured patterns from The Feather Mechanic…

Read More