Hartwick's Silent Assassin SBS

All about flies Fly Tying
1

hook - Dai Riki 899 #6
thread - Danville 6/0 black
rib - x-fine tinsel silver
tag - mylar pearl
tail - golden pheasant tippet
body - peacock herl
wing - Midge Krystal Flash rootbeer
hackle - guinea

Part 1

mash barb, start thread, tie in rib, wrap to bend

tie in mylar, wrap to barb; tie off/trim

trim out center of GP tippet; fold, measure (not quite to bend), tie in

tie in peacock; twist together, wrap forward, tie off/trim

2

Part 2

counterwrap rib; tie off/trim

tie in KF; fold, tie down

tie in guinea by tip (need to do a better job folding next time)

wrap, tie off/trim, whip, SHHAN

Regards,
Scott

3

I don’t know anything about steelhead except that they swim and you tie flies for them on up-eye hooks. But wouldn’t this make a good troutfly, tied on a more conventional hook. And if so, I would tie it on a hook that would be good for soft hackles, but what would that be?

4

I’d think a scaled-down version would definitely work on trout. For hooks, I’d use something like a Dai Riki 280 (curve-shank) or a more traditional Mustad 94840.

Regards,
Scott

5

Thanks, time to start getting ready for next year.

6

For a regular trout fly I would use Tiemco 200r or equiv. For swinging soft hackles or even nymphs I read notes by a guide that stuck with me that he liked straight eye hooks because they gave a more natural action. That may well be rubbish but I like to use straight eye hooks and like the looks of them.

7

Here’s a variation on a #12 Dai Riki 280

subbed partridge for the guinea (didn’t have any feathers for a fly this small)

Regards,
Scott

8

Scott,

I have never seen you post a rubbish fly in all of your SBS posts. But this fly looks like it rates inclusion in your all-star list. Thanks for posting it. I might try the smaller version with a rib of three pieces of Krystal Flash, twisted together, and ribbing the peacock before a counter-wrapped rib. with the extra sparkle, I could add it to my top droppers for when I use a cast of three wet flies. Thanks again for your time and effort to post this SBS as well as your other efforts.

Regards,
Ed