| 1/ Lay
a base of thread for the fly. Start just behind
the hook eye and wind back to a point on the shank
level with the hook barb. Keep all turns tight and
each successive one just to the front of the previous
turn. Leave none of the hook showing through. When
you have done this move to Step 2 of the tying instructions. |
 |
| 2/
Cut a rectangular piece of foam from your
foam block/patch/strip. It should be between 2-5mm
wide when viewed from above depending on the hook
size. Cut the length back so that it allows only
a little overhang on each end of the hook shank.
Wind in using loose wraps of thread to get it in
place. See the photo for specifics and move on to
the next step. |
 |
| 3/
Now being very careful not to break the thread (remember
8/0 is pretty fragile) wind back towards the rear
of the fly as tight as you can pushing the foam
flat against the shank as you go. Don't worry if
you can still see some of the foam at this point
because you still have to wind the thread forward
again to the front of the hook. |
 |
| 4/
Take your copper wire or gold wire and break a section
off. Tie in at the rear of the fly with the wire
extending out to the back of the pattern. This keeps
it out of the way when completing the following
steps. Once this has been accomplished remove the
excess wire and cover with thread. |
 |
| 5/ Now
use your thread to finish the body of the fly. You
must be careful not to break it but also conscious
of getting as much tension as possible on the foam.
An important characteristic of this fly is that
you create a narrow profile. Midge are tiny
and imitation of the natural requires a skinny body.
Wind forward trying to cover up as much of the white
underneath as possible while getting the foam packed
down too. |
 |
| 6/ Now
select one piece of peacock herl and tie in. Remove
the excess stubbs of the herl and bind over with
a few turns of thread. Wind the thread forward to
the hook eye over which the foam will extend. We
are now ready to complete the fly, it's all downwind
from here! |
 |
| 7/ Gently
grab hold of your herl and begin winding the short
thorax section. Wind clockwise around the hook shank
with each successive turn in front of the last one.
When you are happy with the appearance catch the
herl with the thread, tie off and trim the excess.
Add a half hitch for added strength and to stop
it unravelling at this late stage. |
 |
| 8/ Take
the copper wire and rib the body of the fly winding
forward. Use between 5 - 7 even turns to reach the
thread and then trim the excess. This segmentation
is a very important aspect of midge patterns and
in combination with a narrow profile is what makes
these patterns so deadly. This rib should go right
through the peacock herl head and will help to strengthen
it as well as make it look right. |
 |
| 9/ Now
add two half hitches to finish. Take your scissors
and remove any excess foam from the fore and aft
of the pattern. You can see I removed some of it's
bulk. You just need enough to float this tiny pattern
and to give he correct look. Another way to make
this pattern is to paint the body the appropriate
colour with a waterproof marker. Instead of using
the thread to build the body. |
 |
|
|
