Red-Butt Hard-Hackle Spider By Richard Komar
Some of you are already familiar with another of my
Flies-of-the-Week here on FAOL, the Hard-Hackle Spider,
the all-hackle alternative to the all-foam rubber spider.
This is the improved, more effective and more durable
version: the Red-Butt Hard-Hackle Spider!
It still retains its hackle body heritage, but gains 8
rubber legs like a real arachnid and a red butt. There
is something to say about flies with red in the pattern
and wiggly legs when it comes to effectiveness!
If you already have a good supply of original Hard-Hackle
Spiders, they can easily be “retro-fitted” to become
Red-Butts! Simply remove the hackle legs, attach rubber
legs and wrap some red floss on the hook bend!
Materials for Red-Butt Hard-Hackle Spider:
Hook: Mustad 94833, Sizes 10-14.
Thread: 6/0 or 8/0, Black.
Hackle: Rooster Cape Feather, Black.
Butt: Floss, Red.
Legs: Round Rubber, Small, Black.
Instructions - Red-Butt Hard-Hackle Spider:
- Start wrapping the red floss on the hook shank
right above the hook point. Wrap a “smooth” red insect
butt, covering about one-third of the bend. Whip finish
and tie off.
- Wrap a black thread base from the hook eye to
the red floss.
- Select a rooster cape feather with hackle extending
a bit past the hook gape, and tie it in dry-fly style,
concave side toward the hook eye. Wrap the feather about
one-third up the shank. Tie off and advance the thread
a tad, forming a thin thorax.
- Tie in another rooster cape feather, and wrap
toward the hook eye, whip finish and tie off the head.
- Tie in the thread at the thorax and attach a pair
of small round rubber legs (unsplit) on either side of the
hook shank. The legs may not look pretty at this point,
but you will make them look “spidey-like” in the next step.
- Split the leg pairs, gently pulling and tugging to
get them in a splayed fashion on each side. Afterall, a
spider does have 8 legs! Cut the legs to your desired
length. Apply head cement to the red butt, thorax and leg
junction and head. You’re done!
How to Fish the Red-Butt Hard-Hackle Spider:
Size 10 and 14 lightweight dry fly hooks work the best
for the Red-Butt. Black is most effective, but you can
also try brown, gray and even yellow!
The Red-Butt Hard-Hackle Spider is a dual-purpose fly.
It starts off as a floater like a real spider falling on
the water’s surface. It is fished at this point like a
dry fly, just drifting along. When the hackle becomes
waterlogged, the Red-Butt will start to sink like a dying
spider, with its rubber legs undulating as it descends
through the water column. Now it is fished like an
unweighted nymph.
For twice the action, fish a Red-Butt on the surface and
another one of my Flies-of-the-Week, the Black Widow, as
a dropper fly. When the Red-Butt goes subsurface, you
now have a lethal tandem setup (where legal, of course)!
The Red-Butt Hard-Hackle Spider is a terrific terrestrial
for bass, panfish and trout! ~ Richard
About Richard:
Richard Komar lives in Plano, Texas and is a member
of the Dallas FlyFishers and The American Fish & Game
Club.
Originally published December 18, 2006 on Fly Anglers Online by Richard Komar.