Flatwing Fly Tying Instructions

fisherman fishing at the ocean image by Dev from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>

Flatwing flies feature a hackle feather that arcs over the top of the fly, to give the appearance of a flat wing. An extremely lightweight fly, flatwings can be used in lakes, rivers or the ocean. Tied with sparse, fluffy materials, flatwings are designed to constantly move in natural patterns through the current as the water fills out the body, according to Mark Gustavson of Eastern Flyrodders. Often, flatwings are tied with bright, reflective colors that flare away from the hook in wisps of animal fur.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Fly tying vise
#4 7/0 Eagle Claw 254 hook
White monocord thread
White bucktail
Gold flashabou
Olive saddle hackle
Pearl body braid
Sparse yellow bucktail
Sparse blue bucktail
Olive and pearl Krystal Flash
6 peacock herls
Head cement

Step 1

Clamp the hook into the tying vise by the bottom of the bend on the hook; the hook should be vertical with the bend on the bottom.

Step 2

Wrap the thread around the shank, directly above the point of the hook, to secure it into place.

Step 3

Pull away a small bunch of white bucktail that is twice as long as the hook shank, twist it around the thread base and then tie it in place, with the excess length protruding from the back of the hook to form the tail collar.

Step 4

Tie 15 to 20 strands of white bucktail, slightly longer than the ones used in Step 3, at the tie-in point facing backwards to create the tail of the fly. Cut away four or five strands of the gold flashabou, about 1 inch longer than the bucktail used in this step, and tie those in to the same tie-in point.

Step 5

Lay the olive saddle hackle on top of the white bucktail and tie it into place with the thread. The olive saddle hackle should be slightly shorter than the bucktail that forms the tail.

Step 6

Create the body of the fly by wrapping the pearl body braid around the hook shaft, starting about 1/4 inch behind the eye, wrapping around the thread that is holding the hackle and then wrapping back to just behind the eye. Wrap the white thread to the eye as well.

Step 7

Tie in a long clump of white bucktail that spans the length from the front of the body braid all the way back to the end of the tail collar you formed in Step 3. Spread the bucktail around the lower half of the fly so it creates a half-circle collar under the body. In a similar fashion, tie in a clump of white bucktail that extends to the end of the tail and spread it out to create a half-circle collar around the top of the fly to form a wing.

Step 8

Layer 10 strands of yellow bucktail underneath six strands of blue bucktail and secure them to the tie-in point at the front of the fly; the colored bucktail should be on top of the white bucktail wing.

Step 9

Mix four strands of the olive and pearl Krystal Flash into the wing on top of the fly, and tie them into place just behind the eye.

Step 10

Tie the six peacock herls, by the tip, on top of the bucktail. Place the blade perpendicular to the herls at the tie-in point and run it along the length of the herls to curl them in the same manner as ribbon on a wrapped gift. Make sure the inside of the curve of the herls is facing downwards.

Step 11

Whip finish at the head of the fly, and apply head cement to seal the knots.

Resources

MidCurrent: Whip Me!

Article Written By Jacob Hendriks

Jacob Hendriks' work has appeared in "The Western Front," "The Planet Magazine" and Trails.com. He graduated from Western Washington University with a major in international business management and a minor in Community Health. Hendriks' passion for sports nutrition and fitness, combined with experience as a personal trainer, has led him to pursue health-oriented journalism.

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