Royal Squirrel "Fly of the Week #12

Fly Angler's OnLine "Fly of the Week #12"

Royal Squirrel

(November 17th-23rd, 1997)

Hook: TMC 5263 barbless size 8.

Thread: 6/0, black.

Tail: Peacock herl.

Body: Scarlet rayon floss.

Wing: Squirrel tail.

"This is a simple fly to tie. It does require the use of a plastic type of color preserver to coat the floss body. You might experiment first with what you have. Most head cements will turn the floss dark. You will have a good opportunity to use a hair-stacker. The floss can be run multi-strand right from the bobbin. The Tiemco hook is a 3x long, 2x heavy bronze." - JC

Tying Instructions:

Clip 1 inch off butt of 4 peacock herls for tail, tie in.
Twist herls and wind forward and tie off.
Tie in floss, wind to back and then to front.
Tie off floss, tie in 3 peacock herls, coat floss.
Wind herls forward and tie off.
Attach wing (squirrel tail).
Whip finish and cement head.
Tie the tail with the butt section out.

"Tying Tip"

The floss comes in strands on the spool and you would normally run just one for a dry fly, but on this one the floss can be run straight from a bobbin. Spinning the bobbin will help control the floss. A hair-stacker will even out the white tips of the squirrel tail very nicely. Once you get the idea you will find you can produce these streamers very quickly. I like to use a 'build-up' type of head finish, such as Griff's Thick Multi-Coat after I use a thin cement to lock the squirrel tail in place. - JC

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