Advanced Fly Tying:

Last time you learned the tiger weave. I hope it was easy for you. This time we'll learn another relatively easy weave that is common in many nymphs you see in the boxes at fly shops in the west. This weave is used a lot in stonefly and damselfly nymph patterns. Most of the time you see the hook weave on flies that use some kind of lace or yarn for a body, but I'm using ultra chenille here so you will be able to see the weave better. You can use any body material you wish on your own flies. My focus again is to show you how to perform the weave, not a pattern. You get to have the fun of applying these steps to other flies of your choosing. In larger sizes, dragonfly nymphs and damselfly nymphs are a good bet. In smaller flies you could use embroidery yarn to weave the body of a mayfly nymph or caddis pupa if you want to. Once again, I chose materials that are easy to see in a photo. Choose your colors to match the insect you find in your local waters. Your imagination and the materials you have easy access to should be your guide. Are you having fun yet? Let's get started. Let's get started.

List of materials: Hook Weave EZ Stone Hook: Nymph, Mustad 80050BR; Tiemco 200R; or equivalent. Thread: 6/0 or 3/0, color as desired for effect, I'm using black. Tail: Black pheasant tail fibers. Of course, you can choose another material if you like. Body: Woven strands of orange and black Ultra Chenille (vernille). Again, any color or texture of material can be used to create the body you want. Thorax: Orange Ultra Chenille. Wing Case: Black pheasant tail fibers. Legs: Black pheasant tail fibers (an extension of the wing case cover). Tying steps: 1. Start the thread on the hook. Tie in a short tail of black pheasant tail fibers all the way to the bend. 2. Tie in your body materials to the far side of the hook; dark on top, light on bottom. Make a couple of half hitches here to secure the body since you'll leave the thread hanging like we did in the last weave.

3. Position your hook in the vise so the eye is up and the hook point is away from you. . 4. Grab the dark material with your right hand and the light with your left hand. You won't release your hold on either material until the entire weave is complete.

5. With your left hand, take the light material behind the hook to the right side, then downward as shown. 6. With your right hand, pass the dark material over (in front of) the hook to the left side, hooking the light material as you start the movement.

7. Take the light material behind the hook to the left side and over the dark material as shown. 8. Now, bring the dark material in front of the hook to the right side. 9. Again, take the light material behind the hook to the right side and hook it over the dark material there.

10. Once again, take the dark material in front of the hook to the left side. 11. Next, take the light material behind the hook to the left side and hook it over the dark material.

12. Then, the dark material in front of the hook to the right side. 13. Next, the light material behind the hook to the right side, hooking it over the dark material there. 14. You have the idea; repeat the process until you have the body formed (about 1/2 the hook shank in length). Bring the thread forward from where it is hanging and tie the body materials off. 15. Reposition the hook in the vise.

16. Clip the dark body material. 17. From the bottom, hopefully your fly looks like this.

18. From the top, it should look something like this. 19. Tie in a bunch of black pheasant tail fibers to use as a wing case. 20. Wrap the light body material forward to create a thorax.

21. You can trim the tag of thread under the body any time you wish now. 22. Pull the pheasant tail fibers over the thorax to form a wing case. 23. Secure them right behind the hook eye. 24. Flare the fibers back with your finger and thumb trying to keep them evenly distributed around the hook. 25. Hold them in place with your left hand while you tie them off and form a head. Once you have a nice head formed, whip finish, trim and cement the head. 26. From the bottom, your finished fly should look like this. 27. From the top, it should look like this. 28. From the side, your finished fly should look like this. Look closely at this weave, then search pattern books or your local fly shop for other patterns that use the same weave. See if you can copy those flies using the weave you just learned. Practice on as many patterns as you can find until you're happy with the results. If you have followed me through all the series (beginner, intermediate and now advanced), by now you have probably noticed a style of fly or hackle I like to use. This method of creating a hackle or legs is easy and very effective. In time, everyone forms their own styles they like to use whenever possible. Look at the patterns developed by other tiers and see if you can find a style in their work; or maybe your own. See ya next month - Remember, I'm always happy to answer your questions, feel free to email me. ~ Al Campbell ADVANCED Fly Tying Archives

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