"This pattern was originated and tied by Dick Stewart, chief resident
fly tyer of the Dick Surette Fly Fishing Shop, in 1975. Each and every
year we have a goodly number of requests to tie the
Hewitt Skater Spider, but we always had a difficult time finding the long stiff hackles
to do the job properly by our critical standards.
The ingenious method of attaching deer body hair as hackle does the job
very adequately and actually makes a more durable and higher-floating fly which has
definite advantages. Deer body hair is very available andis just coming into full
usage as a fly tying material.
A fly such as the Skitterbug design is used as a last resort when you can't
seem to move salmon under low and warm water conditions. The salmon
under these conditions is logy and prone to be at his most selective. This
is the time to use the Skitterbug. Skitter and bounce the fly along the surface
in a very erratic fashion; you may arouse the salmon's curiosity and a
savage strike will ensue. The same fly tied in trout sizes is excellent for
trout, as described in Hewitt's Telling on the Trout."
Skitterbug
Hook: Mustad #94840 or #94833 sizes 4-6-8-10.
Thread: Pre-waxed black monocord.
Body/Hackle: Natural deer hair. One secton spun on pointing
forward tied at the rear of the hook. One section spun on with tips pointing to
rear, tied at front of hook. Both sections pushed toward center and butts clipped.
Credits: Quoted text, recipe and photo, from Dick Surette's Trout and
Salmon Fly Index published by Stackpole Books.
~ DLB
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