Jax Possum Kit
Materials:
- Hook: Black Magic B8. 2XL
- Tail: Orange Organza or Orange lash
- Body: Rear half Yellow Dubbing Mix or wool
- Front half: Red Seals Fur Dubbing.
- Rib: Silverwire. [Fine]
- Wing: Strip of Silver/Grey Opossum Pelt.
- Head: Black.
- Thread: Black.
STEP1
Wrap hook shank from eye to start ofbend with tying thread.
STEP2
Take thread back 2/3 toward eye
STEP3
Tie in tail, clip to size and run thread back toward eye 2/3
STEP4
Tie in wire rib and secure back to tail
STEP5
Tie in Body material and secure back to tail. Gives a good flat base for the body
STEP6
Wrap back half of body. I use Acrylic Wool or a yellow wool dubbing
STEP7
Dub thread with Red Seals Fur
STEP 8
Dub front half of body with the seals fur
STEP9
Tie in Possum skin wing strip at head. I like to keep the strip of possum no morethan 1/8 inch wide. This makes for a neater wing.
STEP10
Pul lthe wing back toward the bend and part the fur with a dubbing needle and takethe first wrap with the wire rib to secure the tail end of the wing close tothe start of the body
STEP11
Spiral the wire rib with tight turns through the wing fibres to just behind the eyesecuring the possum strip. Avoid trapping too much of the fur with the wire asyou go, secure the rib wire and tie off.
STEP12
Use a dubbing needle to free any fur trapped by the wire rib.
STEP12 A
Tie in three or four strips of crystal Flash the height of the wing fibres in frontof the wing and trim off excess bits and pieces. Tidy up the wing by brushingwith a soft toothbrush. Makes the wing look good
STEP13
Build a head and whip finish. Clip thread and apply head cement.
N.B. The wing is tied long as this fly is quite popular with boat fishermen. If the trailing end of the tail wraps about the hook bend, when casting, shorten the tail to about half of the gape past the bend.
I find this Smelt pattern to be a good all-rounder and it serves me well. I fish it with a fast jerkyretrieve to start with and if I get a follow or two without getting a strike I slow down a bit and give a few little jerks in the retrieve.
Usually though the fast retrieve brings a smashing take and the fun is on.
Even more exciting is when you see a Bow Wave closing on your fly, and then trying to keep going and not slow down takes a bit of doing. Experience has shown it is better to speed upon such occasions, and the Hook Ups will follow. Browns seem to have as much liking for this colour formula, as do the Rainbows.
Have Fun. Jax.
For more great info, check out:
Beginning Fly Tying | Intermediate Fly Tying | Advanced Fly Tying.