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Slammer

Salmon/Steelhead · Streamer · Steelhead · Advanced · 1 version

Tyer Recipe

  • Hook About 1 in of plastic tube fly tubing, both ends flared, plus junction tubing at the rear, Tube fly, rig with a loop-on trailing hook to suit (steelhead sizes)
  • Thread Red 6/0

Materials

  • Tube Any tube (1 in of tube fly tubing plus a short piece of junction tubing)
  • Butt hackle Dyed guinea fowl (pink/purple to match) (One feather, 3-4 turns)
  • Body Pink sparkle film (adhesive backed) (One strip)
  • Butt accent Natural or dyed ostrich (2 herl barbs)
  • Wing Purple zonker rabbit strip (One zonker rabbit strip, twice the tube length)
  • Flash Purple Flashabou (6-8 strands of flashabou, doubled)
  • Throat To match marabou (One marabou plume)
  • Collar Dyed guinea fowl (One feather, 2-3 turns)

How to tie it

  1. Cut about 1 in of tubing and flare both ends by rotating them low over a lighter flame; trim to final length between flarings.
  2. Mount the tube and start red thread at the rear, leaving enough bare tube behind your wraps to seat the junction tubing later.
  3. Trim the butts of a dyed guinea feather, tie it in at the rear, and take three or four turns with hackle pliers, stroking the fibers back with a dubbing needle as you go; tie off and trim the stem.
  4. Cut a point on the end of the sparkle film, tie it in at the rear over the guinea butts, then pull it tight and wrap it forward edge to edge, sticky side down, until the tube is covered.
  5. Tie two ostrich herl barbs in on top at the rear, bring the thread forward slightly and build a short red collar that covers the sparkle film tie-in; trim, whip finish and add a drop of cement if you like.
  6. Restart the thread at the front of the tube. Trim the back edge of a purple zonker strip, measure it about twice the length of the tube, strip the hair off the tie-in end to expose the hide, and cut that end to a point; thin the hide with your scissors if it is bulky.
  7. Tie the zonker strip in on top at the front with tight wraps.
  8. Fold six to eight strands of purple flashabou over the thread, bring it up on top and take about four turns to secure; trim the ends unevenly to roughly wing length.
  9. Moisten the tip of a marabou plume, tie it in by the tip, and wrap two or three turns as a throat, stroking the fibers back with a moistened dubbing needle and reversing the hackle pliers to clear trapped fibers; tie off and trim, leaving room for the collar.
  10. Tie in a dyed guinea feather by the tip and take two or three turns as the front collar; tie off, trim, build a small head and whip finish.
  11. Slide a short piece of junction tubing onto the flared rear of the tube to take the trailing hook.

Tying videos

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