wool head sculpin and stelhead hammer

[cheffy]

OK i'm stumped. I'm looking for a recipe/instructions for a woolhead sculpin and there is a fly in the new Orvis catalog that I'd like to try called a Steelhead hammer.
Any help?

[Hans Weilenmann]

cheffy,

I looked on the Orvis site and can make a pretty good guestimate of the Steehead Hammer from the picture:

Hook: Stout wire scud hook (TMC 2457, or similar)
Thread: Hot orange
Tail: Ringneck pheasant tail fibers
Abdomen: Simple shuttleweave, black on top, hot orange on bottom. Material not clear, but I think any suitable size yarn will work just fine.
Wing case: Black yarn
Thorax: Hot orange Estaz

Cheers,
Hans W


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[This message has been edited by Hans Weilenmann (edited 23 February 2005).]

[rainbowchaser]

this is the current version of my woolhead sculpin (still playing with it)
Hook Mustad 3665A #2 weighted with a piece of 0.030 lead wire tied on top of the hook.

body sparkle yarn slightly lighter in color than wool

hackle 4 grizzly hen saddles dyed tan tied in matuka style with hook pointing up. one darker brown rooster saddle tied along each side with a couple strands of root beer crystal flash

pectoral fins indian hen back

head brown wool trimmed into the shape of the tip of a spoon( flat on bottom) The head should be between a third and a fourth of the total length of the fly or about half the hook shank.

there have been several threads lately on how to spin wool so I won't go into that again. some quick internet research showed that the average sculpin is about 3.5" long and this is still a little short of that but in the range of acceptable sizes. coloring tends to vary by stream bottom so look at a live sculpin from your river and vary pattern accordingly. I found the sculpin pictures at troutnut.com useful in getting the proportions right on this fly.



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all leaders tangle; mine are just better at it than most. Jim