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I started to become aware of the world around
me shortly after World War 2. Our family like
many were somewhat short on cash but long on
ingenuity and I soon learned how to get the
most out of every nickel and dime. Even though
that era is long past old habits die hard. I am
constantly looking for a way to get more bang for
a buck and that includes fly tying. In fact I
have progressed, or regressed depending on how
you look at it, to the point that I enjoy finding
and tying flies for little or no cost except for
the hook and thread.
Members of FAOL have contributed greatly in this
quest with such items as punch yarn, boa yarn and
various homemade dubbings to name a few. Here is
my latest effort to tie a fly that will catch
warmwater fish. I have not had the opportunity
to field test the fly which I will call the Wired
Ribbon. I am quite sure the bluegills and crappie
will be receptive.
Wired ribbon is a ribbon used by florist in their
creations as well as by other crafters for their
projects. The ribbon is made from various materials
with a thin wire along each side of it so the ribbon
will hold its shape when making bows and other designs.
Not all wired ribbon is suitable for tying flies but
if you can find some that has a metallic sheen and a
pattern it could very well make a good fly. Here is
a picture of the ribbon used to make our fly. It is
one and a half inches wide.
1. Take the ribbon and cut it into lengths about 12
to 18 inches long. Then remove the wire from each
side of the ribbon. The wire should pull out quite
easily. This wire may have use for ribbing as I
have found it in various colors such as copper,
green and red. Now that the wire has been removed
cut the ribbon into lengths of two to three inches.
Take the ribbon and cut it in the middle by the
long way. Now you can separate the metal like
fibers that make up ribbon. Here is a picture
of the ribbon after some of the fibers have
been removed.
2. The fly we are tying is being done with three
ingredients:
1. Hook: Mustad 3366 #10 or your choice.
2. Thread: 6/0 Black UNI or your choice.
3. The metallic strands from the ribbon.
3. Place the hook in the vise, lay down the
thread along the shank of the hook. Take 20 or
more strands of the ribbon and tie in for the
tail. Lay strands along the shank of the hook
and advance thread forward to near the eye of
the hook. If you desire you could put some
dubbing on for a body but I don't think it is
necessary.
4. Now fold the strands back towards the tail,
wiggle them a bit to insure they are all around
the hook, create a head and whip finish. Here is
the Wired Ribbon tied like a streamer.
5. Here is the same fly clipped to make it more
bluegill friendly.
This is my first attempt at submitting a fly pattern
to FAOL and I wish to thank Rick Zeiger for his
assistance in furnishing part of the photos and
encouraging me in this endeavor. ~ Tim Anderson, Klamath Falls, Oregon
For more great flies, check out:
Beginning Fly Tying,
Intermediate Fly Tying and Advanced
Fly Tying.
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